Eternal sunshine of the spotless minde

Sigulda, Latvia

As planned, I'm moving fast in the Baltic countries. Fast in the sense that I only spend two or three days in each country. With the time I have and the attractions there is to see, it is probably enough.

I made my way to Latvia. My flight to Vilnius stopped in Riga but I didn't have time to visit the city at that point.

First impressions, the Latvian capital moves more than Lithuania's capital. We can feel the soul of the old town more, people smile more and socialize more. Despite its small size, Riga feels like a big town.

That said, I went around the old town in a few hours only. After, one must just contemplate to slow down. Well, with the eternal sun here in summer, you can easily get rid of the museums while they are open (between 10 AM and 6 PM) and spend the rest of the day walking the streets, until it gets dark, around 11 PM.

Yes, 11 PM. Which is enough to play some little tricks with your brain, because you feel like in an eternal afternoon.

Other than the old town, which looks like any other old town, Riga has at least 800 art nouveau buildings. Arts or architecture lovers can get lost as they wish by looking at every single wall.

In fact, what gives Latvia its particular side is probably its quest for an identity. Refusing to identify with Russia or its two other neighbors, Estonia (Finnish wannabe) and Lithuania (Polish wannabe), according to my guide, Latvians might not have found their inner me, but they still can differenciate themselves from the others.

In Riga, I asked what other town was worth visiting. I chose Cape Kolka and Cesis, trusting my Lonely Planet. In my hostel, I was told not to go there, saying Sigulda is better, one hour on the train from the capital.

I got there and the city is really charming. It's  a mix of the city and the countryside. It offers the possibility to walk in streets surrounded by trees to reach some castle ruins and grottos.

The most adventurous might want to bungee jump from the lift across the river or ride a true bobsleigh. I ran out of time for the second option.

Note that latvian currency, the lats, is very strong (twice the canadien dollar). One must be careful when the prices seem low.

Worth mentionning, the Occupation Museum. We don't hear enough about the problems the Baltic countries faced.

I'm moving on tomorrow to Tartu in Estonia before heading to the capital Tallinn. From there, I should take the ferry to Helsinki in Finland. Looking at my schedule, I'm not sure I can see more of this part of Europe. I will need to think about flying to Portugal, where I might have to wait for awhile to get a visa for Brazil.

One thing is for sure, I must make my way to my original time zone. I bought my flight home and I intend to leave from Habana on August 15th.

Indian Winter

Trakai

Does an Indian winter exists? (In opposition to Indian summer) When it's so cold when it's supposed to be summer, to a point where it's not normal?

Four and a half months traveling. I don't even know how many planes I took to get from one country to another. NEVER i wore shorts to travel in the air. In case.

But I was coming from Greece. Was hot. Told myself : why not! It is still my chance I had a sweater which was easier to transport in my arms than in my bag. Because I used it.

When I got in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital, it was 12 degrees, without exagerating. With a little bit of rain, of course. But it was the evening.

Just imagine how the next morning was even colder. I went up to my room three times to add more layers before heading out to explore the city. The scarf was a must. Luckily, Lithuania came out of winter in the afternoon and climate is getting warmer since, to the point temperature is reaching season average.

Forecast aside, Vilnius is a very calm capital. One of the most interesting part is probably the genocide museum, which was de KGB museum too. It tells the story of the country, its occupation by the Nazis and the Soviets. The building was an authentic prison and the basement was kept as it was to show where they would torture the prisoners. Disturbing. Especially the room with mattresses to cover the noise when the prisonners would scream.

On a more joyful note, I've noticed most women here walk with flowers in their hands. It's obvious. But it's true they have that little something that makes us want to offer them flowers. Ok, not to the ugly ones with mustaches. But to the others.

In the end, Vilnius is a young city where life is good. Friday night, in the streets, musicians are playing all types of music. Some other places, youngsters dance for fun next to the tables in the restaurants or in the middle of the parks. Inspiring.

That said, I'm moving on after only two days. Next destination : Latvia.  Wishing it will be easier to go from city to city in there.

Notes

- Bouh!!! for the discrimination against backpackers in Athens airport. For an unknown reason, I wasn't allowed to check my backpack in on the usual conveyer. I needed to cross the whole airport to put my backpack on a specail conveyer. Bouh again!


- Bouh!!! for the Greeks who close the sites where the ruins are at 3 PM. Is there still anything in this world that closes before 5 PM? That way, I missed threes site I could/would have visited. Too bad.