Act I: The Baltic States

-
First up for my sabbatical was a road-trip through the Baltic States.  I'm not really sure how I landed on doing this -- but I'm really glad I did!

The Baltics is a geopolitical term used for grouping the three sovereign states in Northern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea:  Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.  The term is not used in the context of cultural areas, national identity, or language.  The three countries are all members of the EU and the Eurozone (yay to not having to use different currencies!) and they do cooperate on a regional level in several intergovernmental organizations.

The Baltic States do have one thing in common beyond location on the Baltic Sea -- and that's occupation by Russia / Soviet Union.  The Baltic countries were the last to enter the Soviet Union as union republics and the first to leave.  Out of the turmoil of war and revolution, they emerged as independent nation-states, formally recognized as such by the Soviet government in 1920.  Twenty years later, they lost their independence when they were forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union following the Nazi-Soviet Pact of August 1939.  In the wake of the Nazi invasion of the USSR, the three republics were placed under German rule, but the return of the Red Army in 1944 led to the re-imposition of Soviet power.  Sovietization entailed the collectivization of agriculture, industrialization, and cultural and education development within strictures laid down by Moscow.  In Latvia and Estonia, it also meant the absorption of substantial numbers of ethnic Russians who comprised the majority of industrial workers.  Yet, in other respects these most geographically and culturally western republics remained the least Soviet, and in 1991, their popularly-elected governments declared independence from the USSR.

Languages:  All three countries speak different languages.  Lithuanian and Latvian (Indo-European) languages have a lot of similarities, but are not mutually intelligible.  Estonian is a Uralic language related to Finnish and not related in any way to Russian or Latvian (bordering countries).

My Itinerary (06 August - 18 August)
Logistics
  • Miles driven:  1,243 (2,000 kms)
  • I flew non-stop from Frankfurt into Vilnius and out of Tallinn back to Frankfurt.
  • No problem renting a car in Lithuania and dropping it off in Estonia.  I was charged a $50 one-way drop-off fee.
  • I didn't use my rental car while I was in Vilnius, Riga, or Tallinn -- they are all compact cities.  In fact, I dropped my rental car off at the start of my stay in Tallinn.
  • For some bizarre reason, Estonia requires Americans (and some other countries) to have an International Driving Permit when renting cars.
  • Roads were mostly in great shape.  Some of the secondary roads in Latvia were a bit beat-up.
  • Latvians are horrible drivers.
  • Book ferries in advance (especially to/from Muhu Island).  My hotel handled booking the Muhu ferry.  You do need to print off the reservation with barcode.  There is a special line for cars with reservations -- you drive up, scan your reservation, and the machine tells you which  boarding lane to pull into.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

île de Ré

-
Image
Next up was two nights on Île de Ré .  Home to glorious beaches, vineyards, salt marshes, and authentic French villages, Île de Ré has been the second home of fashionable Parisians for generations (kind of like the Hamptons or maybe Cape Cod).  The island is described as the epitome of understated French chic -- there is no garish glitz and glamour of the Côte d'Azur -- instead there is an elegant nonchalance, a low-key sophistication that only the French can do so well. The island is accessed via a 2-mile toll bridge across the Atlantic.  The bridge was built in the late 80s -- it's been paid off, but they haven't lifted the toll -- looks like they are trying to keep the "riff-raff" from La Rochelle/Rochefort away . Île de Ré is essentially a 20-mile-long flat strip -- perfect for exploring by bicycle -- which is exactly what I did!  After I checked in at the hotel and dropped my car off -- I walked into town and rented an e-bike for my stay.  Note:...
Read more

Estonian Islands

-
Image
One of the Baltic's most alluring regions, the west coast of Estonia encompasses forest-covered islands, verdant countryside, and seaside villages slumbering beneath the shadows of picturesque ruins left behind by pagan Estonian warriors, German knights, and Soviet military planners. I stayed at the Pädaste Manor on Muhu island.  There isn't much on the island -- I think that there is only one other restaurant beyond the two at Pädaste Manor.  I spent two nights at Pädaste -- and absolutely loved it.  I had a beautiful room in the manor house -- just a 30-second walk from the restaurant (very convenient given the amount of wine that I drank at dinner!)  And the manor grounds are just gorgeous -- I really enjoyed walking around and exploring the area. I spent the 14th on Muhu -- and then all of the 15th driving around  Saaremaa  (Muhu is connected to Saaremaa by a 2.5 km causeway).  On the 16th I took the ferry back to mainland and drove up to...
Read more

Selous Game Reserve

-
Image
Selous Game Reserve  is a vast (19,000 square miles) wilderness area lying at the heart of southern Tanzania.  It is Africa's largest wildlife reserve, and home to large herds of elephants, plus giraffes, buffaloes, crocodiles, hippos, wild dogs, lions, and many bird species.  Bisecting the reserve is the Rufiji River which cuts a path past woodlands, grasslands, and stands of borassus palm . I stayed at Nomad's Sand Rivers lodge.  The lodge has eight spacious, open-fronted cottages built from stone and thatch.  I stayed in a riverside room -- so up on the banks of the Rufiji River -- with an absolutely stunning view.  I stayed at the lodge for three nights and I went on two morning drives and two afternoon drives -- and skipped an afternoon boat ride.  The lodge was just gorgeous -- so I spent a beautiful afternoon lounging around the pool listening to the hippos (and reading). Selous has the reputation for being the last true stronghold f...
Read more