Our recommendations

- Pit Stop bar on the Lithuanian-Latvian border

- walk up the viewing tower in St. Olaf's Church in Tallinn

- moose goulash soup

- maritime museum in Tallinn

- Solyanka soup

What do we eat in Latvia?

Latvian cuisine is famous for its fish dishes:

- smoked sprats in oil

- marinated herring served with potatoes and curd cheese

- smoked mackerel with almonds or cheese

- dried fish

- fried fish

- fish soup.

Besides fish dishes, we can find influences from neighboring countries' cuisines:

- Russian Solyanka soup

- Lithuanian cold beet soup

- cepelinai

- pelmeni

- venison stew

- fried dumplings made from bread dough.

For drinks, we have a very rich selection of beers, kvass, and Riga Black Balsam (an herbal liqueur with alcohol content ranging from 30 to 45% depending on the ingredients).

Bastion Park by the Pilsetas Canal allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. You can take a boat trip or ride on a vintage tram. It is also a popular spot for young couples as a backdrop for wedding photos and gatherings before 'bachelorette parties.' Young couples must pose on the 'love lock bridge.'

On the opposite side of the old town, we step out onto the promenades that stretch along the Daugava River. On the other bank, you can see the modern building of the National Library.

Near St. Peter's Church, we find the futuristic monument "The Musicians of Bremen" depicting the characters of a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster - the heroes of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The monument was gifted to Riga by its sister city Bremen.

In the narrow alleys of the old town, we will also come across spacious squares filled with restaurant gardens. It's worth taking a break there and trying dishes from the local cuisine. Kvass can be purchased directly from barrels set up in many locations. It tastes completely different from the kind available in plastic bottles in stores. You absolutely must try it.

The Brotherhood of Blackheads, visible above, has a history dating back to the 14th century and was completely destroyed during World War II. The reconstruction was only completed in 1999. The Brotherhood was made up of unmarried young merchants, mainly of German descent, and was initially a paramilitary organization. Later, it transformed into a typical merchant guild.

The group of houses known as the "Three Brothers" contradicts the principles of architectural design. The absence of preserved horizontal lines raises concerns that the buildings may collapse. Fortunately, they are supported by neighboring structures and will likely endure for centuries to come.

The Cat House, built in 1909, features black cats on the peaks of its towers, which are symbols of Riga. Legend has it that the cats were initially positioned with their tails directed towards the offices of the Great Guild, which represented German merchants. The Latvian owner of the building was unable to become a member. The cats placed in this manner sent a clear message of "kiss my tail." After a legal battle lasting about 10 years, the owner had to turn the cats around, giving rise to the saying "turning the cat by the tail" that is known even here.

Riga

We left Tallinn for Riga early in the morning, and the journey took us 5 hours with a break for shopping. The closer we got to the Latvian border, the more special alcohol markets appeared, mainly for citizens of Scandinavian countries. The prices are not competitive for us, but there are promotions worth considering.

Like Tallinn, Riga has changed hands over the centuries. The history of the city dates back to the 10th century when it developed from a small settlement into a large trading city and became a member of the Hanseatic League by the end of the 13th century. The city was ruled by the Order of the Sword Brothers, the Teutonic Order, and from 1561 it came under the rule of the Polish Commonwealth during the reign of Sigismund II Augustus. During the Second Polish-Swedish War in 1605, Polish troops defeated the Swedes in the village of Kircholm, located 25 km from Riga. The city was surrendered to the Swedes only during the Fourth Polish-Swedish War in 1621. The Swedes did not enjoy their conquest for long and lost the city in 1710 to Tsarist Russia.

Latvia, as an independent state with its capital in Riga, has existed since 1991. The city is much more extensive than Tallinn, so the less than two days we had did not allow us to see everything.

What do we eat in Estonia?

- Solyanka soup (can be meat, fish, or mushroom - I recommend the meat one)

- moose goulash soup, moose goulash

- Pelmeni (small dumplings with any filling) - herring in various forms

- cepelins (potato dumplings with meat).

If you want to eat cheaply in Tallinn, I recommend Balti Jaama Turg - a market combined with a series of local "fast foods"

Another fascinating exhibit is the steam icebreaker "Suur Tõll". It was launched in 1914 at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin (now Szczecin). It was ordered by the Russian Empire to maintain shipping routes in the northern Baltic. The first name " Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich " was changed after the revolution to "Volynets". In 1918, the Finnish crew of the ship rebelled and took over the vessel, renaming it “ " Väinämöinen ". In 1920, the ship was handed over to the Republic of Estonia where it was renamed "Suur Tõll", only to return to Russian hands in 1940 and revert back to the name "Volynets". The ship was used as a supply vessel in the port of Lomonosov and returned to Estonia in 1988!

This was accomplished with a 19th-century coastal battery and the Patarei barracks, which housed one of the harshest political prisons in the USSR since 1919. It is now open for tours with an exhibition dedicated to the victims of communism in authentic prison cells.

In the old seaplane base built in 1917, part of the maritime museum is located.

For me, the most interesting exhibit is the submarine "Lembit," which we can enter. Before World War II, the Republic of Estonia ordered two sister submarines, "Lembit" and "Kalev," from the British shipyard Vickers. Launched in 1937, they were modern vessels and formed part of the joint fleet of Finland, Estonia, and Latvia to repel a possible attack from the USSR. Both vessels were annexed by the Russians in 1940 and actively participated in the "Patriotic War." Due to the poor training of Russian sailors, "Kalev" sank during its second combat mission. "Lembit" completed 7 combat missions and survived the war. Its design is technically comparable to Polish submarines from World War II.

As we head down towards the port, we pass the tower "Gruba Małgorzata" (Fat Margaret), whose wall thickness is 5 meters. This tower is linked to the most Polish accent of Tallinn's recent history. In September 1939, the Polish submarine "Orzeł" was interned here, and its crew was imprisoned in the tower. They managed to escape on the night of September 17 to 18, breaking through to the port, where the ship was launched, taking aboard the incapacitated guards.

Next to the modern ferry terminal and berths for cruise ships are the remains of its older sister, which are reminiscent of the fall of the Soviet empire. It's a pity that it was left to the mercy of vandals because technically it is an interesting structure and could be revitalized.

Among the most interesting monuments of the upper town is the medieval order castle Toompea. It houses the Estonian parliament. From the entrance side, it may not look impressive, but it is worth seeing from below from the Snelli park side.

The next stops on our route are the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is the main Lutheran church in Estonia. On Toompea Hill, there are also several viewpoints offering a panorama of the entire lower old town as well as the Tallinn Bay and the port.The building of the Polytechnic eerily resembles English palaces from the 19th century.

When planning your stay, it's worth finding accommodation in the old town or nearby. The city is small enough that you won't need a car. Most interesting places can be reached on foot, and three days seem sufficient for sightseeing. We didn't plan a specific route but rather wandered leisurely, which led us to quiet alleys and empty cafes.

You can get a Tallinn Card that grants access to 50 tourist attractions and allows use of public transportation. The price of a two-day card is around 50 EUR, but it's worth considering whether you really want to visit all the available sites. An app on your phone with a city map marking the monuments (https://visittallinn.ee) will definitely come in handy.

The old town is divided into the lower and upper parts due to the terrain's layout. The lower old town was originally surrounded by one of the longest medieval defensive walls. The total length of the fortifications was 2.5 km, and the height reached up to 16 m. There were 45 towers positioned around the perimeter. The longest section of the wall has been preserved on the north-west side near Snelli Park.

In the center of the lower town, you'll find the Town Hall Square and the Market. Usually, festivals are held here on weekends, providing an opportunity to buy handicrafts and regional delicacies. Those with strong nerves are encouraged to go up to the viewing platform in St. Olaf's Church. It's a one-way route, so there's no turning back, and you have to complete the entire path. The view is magnificent, but it's better not to look down.

The characteristic row of houses known as the Three Sisters can be found on many souvenirs from Tallinn. You can reach the upper town by stairs or through St. Catherine's Passage, which is more attractive due to the numerous souvenir stalls.

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Tallinn

Since the 10th century, the city has been an important economic center passing through the hands of Finns, Danes, the Order of the Sword Brothers, the Teutonic Order, Russia, Germany, and the Soviet Union.

The name Tallinn means in Finnish and Estonian 'Danish town' or 'agricultural town' and was adopted only in 1918 after the establishment of the Republic of Estonia. The fate of the republic was similar to that of the Second Polish Republic and ended with Soviet occupation in 1940. Estonia declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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What you should know before a trip via Baltica

The Baltic countries quickly took steps to join the European Union and transition to the Euro after gaining independence in the 1990s. Therefore, you don't need to prepare extensively for the trip. We can travel using just our ID and take one currency with us.

We visited the capital of Estonia - Tallinn twice over a span of 3 years, with the second visit brushing against the pandemic, which prevented us from taking a ferry to Helsinki.

Over the course of 3 years, not much has changed except for visible investments in road infrastructure. Nevertheless, one should be patient due to speed limits (90 km/h and 110 km/h on highways), as exceeding them results in hefty fines. There are few highways, and the distance to cover from Warsaw is nearly 1000 km. Example pricing:

- speeding up to 20 km/h – 120 Euros

- speeding over 60 km/h – 1200 Euros

- running a red light – 800 Euros

- improper parking – 70 Euros.

Along the way, we pass the bypasses of Kaunas (Kowno) in Lithuania and Riga in Latvia. The stretches of road are monotonous, very long straight stretches (dozens of kilometers) with gentle curves and emptiness around, just fields and forests, no buildings. It's easy to doze off, so it's good to bring energy drinks for the road. Watch out for numerous speed cameras.

Gas stations appear out of nowhere and should be used as good stops for breaks. They are usually "chains" with a shop and a bar. I wonder where their staff lives because there are no visible towns nearby. In Latvia, a section of the road runs along the coastal strip, where we can leave the car in a parking lot and swim in the Baltic Sea. The beaches are empty compared to our coastline, and the water temperature in June is surprisingly high, probably due to the Gulf of Riga cutting deep into the land.

It's good to install an app on your phone that helps find parking spots and pay for parking. Cheap hostels do not provide parking. During our stay, we used the Barking app, which has been replaced by Snaab. I can't say how it works currently, but Barking let us down several times. Theoretically, it showed an available parking space that we reserved and paid for in advance. Upon entering the parking lot, it turned out that the space was occupied by another car.

English is popular in large cities; in the countryside, we can communicate in Russian in small shops and hostels, just like in many former Soviet republics.

Food prices rise as you move north. In Tallinn, we will pay between 9 to 15 Euros for lunch, but you can find cheaper alternatives like traditional dumplings for 5 Euros.

TALLINN, RIGA

a trip via the Baltics

June 2017 and July 2020