Lake in Augustow
Kaunas - King's Statue
Streets of Kaunas
A Church in Kaunas
I'd like to share with you my experinces with the trip to the Baltic states in the summer 2003. Maybe I could start with describing my journey. I started on Sunday July 27 from my home town Vsetin in the Czech Republic. I went by train to Cesky Tesin on the Polish borders. Hitchhiking in our district isn't so good in the Sunday mornings. I crossed the borders on foot and I started to hitch from Cieszyn. I was taken to Krakow by a very interesting man, historician, Czech living in Geneve and we had an interesting talk. I really appreciated his invitation to Switzerland. I stayed in the Alf hostel for the night and the next day I continued to Warsaw.
You meet a lot of interesting people during hitchhinkg, for example from Krakow to Radom I was taken by a man who just visited his daughter having leukaemia in Krakow hospital. I wish them to get better in this serious thing. Warsaw is a difficult city to cross. I went by tram to the suburb and then I had a short lift to the city exit, which was not very good help. I stayed there about one and half hour so I decided to take a bus to a village on the way to Bialystok. I was succesfull there to get a lift and I arrived to Bialystok before midnight. In Poland there's a net of youth hostels. It's called "Schronisko Mlodziezowe" and it's always cheap (less than 10 euro per night).
On Tuesday, July 29 I continued through Augustow and Suwalki to Lithuanian borders. As you see, I wasn't intersted in Poland and its cities because I already made a journey through this country 3 years ago. I can recommend it to everyone because Poland is a really good country for hitchhiking. It's much better than in the Czech Republic. Then I crossed the Lithuanian borders on foot (long walk - big border crossing) and I arrived to the first petrol station in Lithuania. It's always good to be cheeky and to ask someone for a lift. I asked an Estonian truck driver for a lift to Kaunas, he took me and I enjoyed the Lithuanian landscape from this high angle of view. It's good to be Czech in Lithuania because people are there friendly to us. I was taken from a petrol station where I only asked for a direction to the very centre of Kaunas. There I asked a boy and a girl on the street for a place to stay during a night and this boy decided to let me live in his flat.
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Lake in Augustow |
Kaunas - King's Statue |
Streets of Kaunas |
A Church in Kaunas |
In the Wednesday morning, July 30 I made some sightseeing in Kaunas and I found the city very nice. Then I went by minibus (in the Baltics, Poland, Russia etc. they use minibuses as a kind of a public transport and it works really well) to the highway in the direction of Klaipeda. I found this day hitching isn't forbidden in Lithuania on highways. This day I also found learning Russian as one of my greatest investments during the last school year (everyone in the Baltic states older than 25 had to learn Russian in his/her life). I stayed there in between lot of hitchhikers but I was almost only one with a sign of my destination. So I was taken by a truck driver from this big group of colleagues. We had a talk in Russian and he took me almost to Klaipeda. One advice for you: if you've got some telescope, don't lend it to a driving person. He wanted to look also and then all the truck went from side to side because he stopped to see the road. In the afternoon I arrived to Klaipeda, I crossed the see by ship and in the place I asked for a lift to Nida. Nida is a village in the very southern part of the Neringa national park at the borders with Russian (Kaliningrad's area). It's a sandy peninsula with beatiful nature, clean air and sea. I stayed in a camp under my tent in Nida and in the evening I had some walk around and some swimming in a warm Baltic.
The town hall in Kaunas |
St. Vytautas church |
Fortifications in Kaunas |
Nida - Russian borders |
Beach at Nida |
Sunset at Nida |
Sand dunes at Nida |
Sand dunes at Nida |
Next day in the morning I had a longer walk on sand dunes near Nida and I crossed the whole peninsula on foot. Unfortunatelly I burned my skin at that time. In Nida is a beautiful modern church and the village itself is very nice. Then I returned hitching to Klaipeda and I visited a very nice sea museum there. They have a lot of stuff about ships and sailors, there are also some nice sea animals and much more. Then I went to the centre of the city willing to take a lift to Palanga. But it was too late so I went by minibus. I arrived to Palanga in the evening and I stayed there in very cheap camp having no shower. My shoulders started to hurt because of the sun in the morning so I had to ask some punk girls in the camp for a cream. Palanga is a Lithuanian summer centre where lot of young people spend their holiday. It has about 15 km of beaches and an airport. Good place to go but not in the weekends when it's overcrowded.
Sea Museum at Klaipeda |
Sea Museum at Klaipeda |
Liepaja - a catholic church |
Liepaja - a protestant church |
On Friday, the 1st August I visited an orthodox mass in a Russian church in Palanga. It was the first time in my life. Then I started to hitch in the direction to Liepaja in Latvia. I got the lift quite easily and I arrived to Liepaja around noon. The city is very interesting, it has a nice historical centre. There's a catholic, protestant and orthodox church. In the last one I was invited inside by a guide free of charge because I told him I'm a Czech student. From the tower of this st. Nikolay church is a beautiful view around. Then I took a lift from Liepaja to Pavilosta. Also an interesting story about living in Magadan in Russian Siberia for 11 years during Soviet times. If you look on the map, you can see I was attracted by the sea shore. From Pavilosta to Ventspils I was taken by a very intersting man. Bussinesman having a great day because of new contract and a new car. Then he told me he strongly believes in God and we had a long and interesting discussion about this things. It was strange for me that this time I was able to speak Russian maybe the best in my life. He also showed me the town of Ventspils from his car and took me more than 20 kilometers behind his own way. It was a good experince for me because I thought a lot about this religious things on my journey. Maybe it's helpful in one's life to believe in something. Then I continued in the direction of Kolka on a dusty road. I wanted to arrive to Kolka in the evening and spend one day there. Experienced hitchhikers know it's exhausting still to travell and to move. It's necessary to take some rest at least for half a day. But I changed my plans. One driver took also a nice Latvian girl and I decided to spend some time with her in Mazirbe. I also met her friend and her mother. We walked a little bit on a sea shore and then we "build a camp" on an empty nice beach and we slept under the beautiful night sky. I work as an astronomer so I was enoying this night. I also found interesting the light in the nord never dissapeared in the night. What a day!
Seashore at Pavilosta |
Sunset at Mazirbe |
Sunset at Mazirbe |
Sunrise at Mazirbe |
Saturday, August the 2nd. We woke up before six o'clock and strarted our walk to Kolka. It was really beatiful trip on the empty beach. We made breaks and we swam in the sea. The weather was really warm so after this day I burnt the rest of my body. As you know, my back was already burnt from Nida. It was a little bit tiring to walk 15 kilometers with my 13 kilogram backpack but I made it. In the afternoon I took a short lift from beach to the Kolka village and then I realized I should see the very corner of Latvia - the Kolka peninsula, so I went back and I enjoyed the place. Later we met each other again with girls and we made an appointment for Riga. They continued walking to Roja and I started to hitch in direction to Riga. I was taken by very nice people - Russian nad Latvian couple, their daughter and granddaughter. They went to Roja but they decided to show me also the town of Talsi. Then they took me home, gave me a dinner and let me build a tent on their garden. Such a nice evening. I had again that good feeling how great decision was learning Russian. Then I slept maybe 12 hours.
Seashore at Kolka |
Seashore at Kolka |
Fountain at Talsi |
Port at Roja |
Sunday, August the 3rd. We had a breakfast with Alexander's family on a sea shore and then we sayed goodbye with girls and I was taken by Alexander to hitchhiking point behind the town of Roja. We also took some water from a spring. I found it very nice in Latvia that there's such a net of springs even in towns where you can take a really good water. I wasn't succesfull with hitching there, maybe because of Sunday morning. So I was taken again by Alexander and his family because they were going with their daughter Alina travelling to Riga to the railway station at Tukums. Later they decided to go to Kemeri, spa town near Riga and then we went by train with Alina to the capitol. Then again in a big foreigner city, without knowing local language, don't know where to go - not very nice feeling. But as a experienced traveller, I managed it. I asked in some info office, called one hostel, bought a plan of the city and went to the suburbs. It was the hostel Balta Kaza at Eveles street 2. I can recommend it because it's cheap (4 Lats a night - 7 Euro) and quite good. Then I went for some sightseeing in Riga's old town and I found the city very beatiful. I went back on foot after 1 a.m., at this time public transport doesn't work already.
Monday, August the 4th. This morning I didn't feel so good. I found it sad to be alone in a big city. When you are on the road you are never alone but in such anonymous aglomerations sometimes sad feelings are coming. I went again to the centre of Riga and I explored the Riga's cathedral. I can recommend it to everyone, because it's very beatiful. There are also very large organ and from time to time concerts take place there. Next to Riga's Dome is also very nice historical museum with exposition of "vitrages" - colourful paintings (or windows) made of glass. Really beautiful. In the evening I listened to an open air concert near the Latvian statue of liberty. I also had a talk to two Russian boys playing their guittars there. They played for me a nice song "Patchka sigaret" ("But if there's a package of cigarettes in the pocket that means not everything is so bad for today's day"). Then I had a meeting with my new friend from Kolka.
Tuesday, August the 5th, the worst day of my journey. I went to main railway station and I placed my big bacpack there. Then I went again to the old town of Riga. It started to rain, so really bad luck for starting a big hitchhike journey. I went by train to Saulkrasti, a town on a road to nord. Then really shitty weather started, so I saw for the first time stormy sea there. I stand there about 2 hours and nobody took me. Then I was taken by a Russian family searching for some accomodation. They took me only 15 km to a petrol station where I planned to ask someone. I was trying some hitch but unsuccesfully. I met there a Czech truck driver, unfortunatelly he was heading in the oposite direction. With my wet shoes and clothes, tired and cold I had a temptation to give up my journey to Estonia and to take this long lift home. But I persisted. Then I made a deal with a man having night shift on that petrol station. I gave him some coffe, he gave me some cigarettes and he let me sleep in a cabin of their lorry carrying gas cylinders (a little bit dangerous). Then troubles to fall asleep again. What a hellish day but you know, one day of your journey have to be the worst one.
Stormy sea in Saulkrasti |
Stormy sea in Saulkrasti |
Stormy sea in Saulkrasti |
A lake in Tallinn |
Wednesday, August the 6th. In the morning I got out from that petrol station, took some water in the spring and started to hitch. A little bit surprising thing when I was taken by a first driver today. First in my life I encounter some nostalgia for the Soviet Union. My memories from 80's in communistic Czechoslovakia are far away from such feelings. Later I was taken by a man going to Salacgriva, village near the Estonian borders. He made some tour around forests there because of his job and then he took me to the border crossing. Again crossing borders on foot, not so nice and custom officers are looking a little bit suspicious. Then I started to hitch on the way to Pärnu and I was taken after maybe one hour by an Estonian van driver travelling between Riga and Tallin with post and magazines. He was very nice, bought me a lunch and some cola and took me to Tallinn to the place where I needed to go (Merevaik hostel). He also told me his reason for taking hitchhikers that sometimes he was also on the road and nobody took him. That was also my reason for helping people when I had a company car. So I was in Tallinn, again some anonymous aglomeration. I went to the centre of city and had a walk and a long talk with two drunk Estonian girls. Quite interesting info by them. Then I went back on foot again.
Thursday, August the 7th. This day I had to leave my hostel because there was not another place for next night. I went to the centre of the city and I hired a bicycle. Then I went to a next address from my guide book where should be a hostel. But here was already nothing and I had to carry my big backpack on a bicycle. Hiring it was maybe a mistake because then I had an accident on it. I braked fastly because of incoming car and my backpack throwed me forward. I hit my knee and my elbow. But as a experienced traveller I had my first aid kit with me. Then I arrived to a internet and game club at Lasnamäe street where I wanted to check my e-mails. I realized all the people there were not Estonian but Russians and so we became friends a little bit and they let me sleep there for 70 Estonian crowns (5 euro). In the evening I took the bicycle and made some sightseeing in the city. Very nice. I also met some Czech boring group of tourists who were very surprised to see a man in Tallinn alone on a bicycle and some group of young Russians who decided to entertain me with vodka (because "they met a Slav brother" - me). I also went along the seashore of Finnish bay, very nice for such onshore rat as me. Then I returned to the net&game club and I enjoyed unlimited internet access and games until maybe 2am.
Friday, August the 8th. I woke up late, I took my bike and I started my way to Paldiski. I saw a document about this destroyed town several years ago and I was intersted how it looks like. I went through Tallinn and I realized it's a long way on bicycle so I took a train. But I had to change in Keila and I arrived to Paldiski at noon. It was a pity that I had only about 25 minutes to see the place. I had a ride on a sea shore and I had to take a train back to Tallinn because I had to return the bike. Nothing more interesting happenned this day, I was very tired, so I decided to stay in that net&game nest for one more night.
Seashore at Paldiski |
Seashore at Paldiski |
Observatory in Tartu |
A church in Tartu |
Saturday, August the 9th. Alexander, the second admin woke me up at 7 because of the arrive of his boss. I went on foot to a place on the way to Tartu and I got a lift in about half an hour. It was a microbus and his driver took all hitchhikers on the way from Tallinn to Tartu. So again new friends. We made some sightseeing in Tartu, had a lunch on Toomemagi hill and then we went to Tartu suburbs for a lift to Latvian borders. We all three were taken by a Russian historician living in Estonia. He took us also to Sangaste Castle to show us this site. Then he took us to Valga border crossing. Again in Latvia. From this town we were taken (again all three) by an young Estonian driver going through Riga to Kaunas. I was invited to Karlis's flat in Riga but I decided to go with Mikk to Kaunas. It was a mistake as I realized later. In the night going through Latvia and Lithuania we felt down to a very personal discussion. During this 4 hours his English got better, that maybe means hitchhiking is profitable for both sides. We drank some beer and then we had a 4 hours sleep in his car.
Sunday, August the 10th. I had some walk in Kaunas and later I tried to contact my friend from July 29. Unfortunatelly, he wasn't at home. I felt exhausted and I decided to go home already. Before that I also wanted to see Vilnius and the observatory in Moletai but this day I had enough of travelling. I had also some unfinished things home, in my work and school. I went by bus to Marijampole and there I got a lift to Lithuanian/Polish borders. There was a big cue so I had some time to look on cars. I met there two Slovaks heading home and I asked them for a lift. They took 400 Czech crowns so it was very cheap for the fact that they took me through whole Poland. I felt OK and had some rest in the car. After midnight we crossed Polish/Slovak borders and I felt almost like at home. I left them in Povazska Bystrica and I went by a first morning train to my home town Vsetin where I arrived at 7 am, Monday, August the 11th. That means I made my return trip home from Tallinn within 46 hours. Too fast...
Interior of a church in Tartu |
Byzantic church in Kaunas |
The Assumption of Jesus Christ |
Walachian hills between Vsetin and Valasske Mezirici - point of return |
I'd like to express my impressions from this journey. There are not only nice feelings and memories in my heart but also something deeper. I feel I can't believe to what I see in medias anymore. There are only extremes there - accidents, terrorist attacks, wars, starvation, cheating, thievery and so on. If you dare to travel then you realize that the world is working normally and usually nothing bad happen to you. You find many new nice places and also a lot of nice people everywhere in the world. You just don't have to worry because our world is a good place to live!
