Here is the main page covering our stay in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – plus a slide show of pictures at the end.
For journal postings from the Baltics, CLICK HERE.
We had no set Itinerary other than to enjoy living in Tallinn as our home base, with day trips in the area, and with visits to the neighboring Baltics – as well as Finland and Russia.
These visits included:
- Sigulda, Cesis and Gauja National Park, Latvia
- Otepaa and Tartu, as well as Lake Peipus, Estonia
- Lithuania: Palanga, Klaipeda, Nida and the Curonian Spit
- Vilnius and vicinity, including Grutas Park, Trakai, Paneriai, Kernave; Aukstaitija National Park; Hill of Crosses
- Riga, Latvia and vicinity, including Rundale Palace and Jurmala; Cape Kolka, Ventspils, Kuldiga
- Parnu, Viljandi, plus Kihnu and Saaremaa Islands, Estonia
You browse the map below for where we’ve been in these three countries (and posted an article). Click a pushpin to find the posted articles from the marked locations.
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SLIDE SHOW HINT: If you’ve already seen the earlier pictures in the slide show, use the dot placemarks below the slides to jump around.
Jurmala home, outside Riga 
Market halls and National LIbrary, Daugava River, Riga 
At the guild halls, Tallinn 
Inner walls at Kiek in de Kok, Tallinn 
Passageway from upper to lower town 
Nevsky Cathedral and Hermann Tower, upper town 
Outer walls on the north 
Medieval town hall, Tallinn 
Looking to the upper town, Tallinn 
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral 
Two dominant hills and fortress, Vilnius 
Pilies Street and environs 
Town Hall square with Kazimir Cathedral, Vilnius 
Chapel, Our Lady of the Gates of Dawn 
Presidential Palace, Vilnius 
Grand Courtyard, Vilnius University 
Grand Courtyard, Vilnius University 
Vilnius’ old Jewish quarter 
Last synagogue in Vilnius 
Plaza of the Angel of Uzipis, Vilnius 
Winsome parks, Vilnius 
Ducal palace 
Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard & St. Anne’s Church 
Vilnius Cathedral, evening 
Gedimino Street from Cathedral Square 
Neris River, Vilnius 
Vilnius old fortress 
Freedom Square, Tallinn 
Songs of revolution to celebrate independence 
Celebrating the freedom of 25 years 
25th anniversary of Estonia’s restoration of independence, 1991 
Eastern Baltic shoreline looking back to Tallinn 
View toward the sea from the Upper Town, Tallinn 
Tallinn park beneath the old walls 
Medieval walkway at St. Catherine church, Tallinn 
Tallinn’s medieval streets 
Overview of Tallinn from Town Hall tower 
Town Hall square, Tallinn 
Tallinn from the harbor 
St. Brigitta medieval monastery, Pirita 
Estonian house architecture 
Estonian house architecture 
Talliskevi Creative Center, Tallinn 
At the Focus Church, Tallinn 
At Lauluväljak (Song Festival Ground), home of quadrennial Estonian choral music fest 
Kadriorg Palace, summer home of Peter the Great and Catherine I of Russia 
In front of Kadriorg Palace 
Not quite on Estonian soil, but at Tallinn airport 
The Great Hall, one of the best preserved rooms from early 18th century imperial Russia, Kadriorg 
Catherine’s (Ekaterina’s) crest, Great Hall, Kadriorg 
Diana and Actaeon, Great Hall, Kadriorg Palace 
Heralding better times, the Great Hall 
Original heater in Delft china tile, Kadriorg 
Delft tile on original heater 
Oldest Netherlands painting in the Estonian collection 
Kadriorg, then and now 
St. Olaf church, Tallinn, tallest structure in world – once 
St. Olaf’s – Oleviste 
Climbing St. Olaf’s church tower 
Narrow walkway, St. Olaf’s 
Atop St. Olaf’s 
Town view from St. Olaf’s 
Sea view from St. Olaf’s 
Olaf church from town walls 
Tallinn trio – St. Olaf church with Fat Margaret and old walls 
Our fireplace-heated cabin in Latvia’s Gauja National Park, Turaida 
Old and new castles, Cesis, Latvia 
At old Knights of the Sword castle, Cesis, with lantern to ward off harm 
Psychedelic room, Cesis castle of the Sievers family 
Ruins of old Sigulda castle, Livonian Knights of the Sword – Latvia 
Cesis city park 
Orthodox church, Cesis 
Seeking enlightenment from Cesis’ old man, “Through the Centuries,” whose lantern symbolizes the town 
Cesis neighborhood 
19th century Sigulda castle of Kropotkin family 
Peacefully green cemetery, Sigulda 
Early spring flowers, Sigulda 
Early spring carpet, Gauja River 
Fun with fungus 
Typical staircase mounting the river banks, Gauja National Park 
Perils of spring hiking: climbing over mudslides 
Keizarkresis (King’s throne) lookout point, Sigulda 
Gauja River, Sigulda 
Ravine, Gauja National Park 
Golden sandstone banks. Gauja River 
Ox-bow river, Gauja National Park 
Gauja River Valley, Sigulda 
Rarely together spruce and pine, the friendship trees, Gauja National Park 
One of the caves inscribed by tourist over the last 400 years. Sigulda 
More cave inscriptions from the past, Sigulda 
Walking stick park, Sigulda 
Spare parts make up the Knights’ parade, Sigulda 
Mirroring waters at Puhejarvi, Otepaa, Estonia 
Puhejarvi, the holy lake 
Puhejarvi and sky 
Puhejarvi’s northern shore from a tower 
Setting out at Kaariku, Estonia, after a hailstorm 
Foggy terrain, Kaariku 
St. Mary’s Lutheran Church, high on its hill 
The portal to the labyrinth, Otepaa 
Teepee at the labyrinth site 
The 11 circle labyrinth, Otepaa 
The pebbly way is narrow and difficult to walk 
Finding ourselves at the labyrinth’s center 
Spring at last in the Baltics – Lake Peipus 
Spring at last in the Baltics – Tallinn 
Spring at last in the Baltics – Tallinn 
Spring at last in the Baltics – Tallinn 
Spring at last in the Baltics – storks in nest, Latvia 
Spring at last in the Baltics – Gauja River valley 
Spring at last in the Baltics – Cormorant nests, Curonian Spit 
Spring at last in the Baltics – lilacs on Curonian Spit 
Spring at last in the Baltics – Lithuanian rapeseed 
Starting long Lithuanian coastal walk 
Among the 2000 on the long walk 
At the turn, the Latvian border 
Rounding some sand dunes 
Continuing along the unending coast 
City’s symbol, from it’s trading past, Klaipeda 
Half-timbered house of old Klaipeda 
Harbor/moat and bastions, Klaipeda Castle 
Stormy Baltic Sea at the Curonian Spit’s western shore 
Dunes still shifting east into lagoon, near Nida 
Thatched roof house, Nida 
Weathercocks, Nida 
Much painted ‘Italian View’ of the lagoon shore 
Grey herons, Curonian Spit 
Shifting dunes at the edge of Kaliningrad, Russia 
Protective forest, Curonian Spit 
Grotesque figure on the Hill of Witches, Juodkrante 
Cycling the woods of the Spit 
Vecekrugas Dune, tallest on the spit 
Moss and lichen atop Vecekrugas dune 
Lagoon shoreline with swans, Curonian Spit 
Crested Grebes, Curonian Spit lagoon 
Lagoon’s reedy shore on the spit 
The grey dunes, Curonian Spit 
Wind-blown on the edge of the grey dunes 
The grey (‘dead’) dunes, Curonian Spit 
Alongside the ‘dead’ dunes 
Princess Neringa and her apron of sand 
Approaching the Hill of Crosses, Siauliai, Lithuania 
A jumble of crosses 
Placing a memorial cross 
The variety of materials and styles 
Hill of Crosses 
In the season, Palanga’s pedestrian street serves up amber to eager buyers 
Ducal palace (and amber museum), Palanga 
Bubble inclusions 
Insect inclusions 
Insect inclusions 
Squiggly thing inclusions 
Juodkrante Bay, Curonian Spit, once source of amber horde 
Sifting sand and surf for amber bits, Palanga 
Newly produced amber in milky white 
19th century pipes with amber mouthpieces 
Carved pipe, amber mouthpiece 
Pipe erotica 
Alberta Street, with splendid Art Nouveau buildings 
Elaborate facade by Peksens on Smilsu Street 
Synagogue, Peitavas St., Riga 
Peksens restored interior, Jugendstil Museum. Riga 
Peksens restored interior, Jugendstil Museum. Riga 
Eisenstein apartment building, Elizabetes St. 
Detail, Alberta Street 
Detail Eisenstein apartment building, Elizabeth St. 
Detail Eisenstein apartment building, Elizabetes St. 
Eisenstein apartment building, Alberta St. 
Eisenstein apartment building, Alberta St. 
Road roller welcomes us to Latvian Road Museum 
Courtyard, Slokenbeka Manor, Latvia 
Demonstrating road technology and signage 
Road signage of Latvia 
Worker transport and machines 
Honoring the stalwart road surveyors at the Road Museum 
Technology over the ages to manage the accounts for roads 
White sands of Cape Kolka 
Blustery Cape Kolka 
Alerting us that monument is near 
A celebration of cows, Ventspils 
Tribute to avant-garde Duke of Courland 
Central Kuldiga 
Kuldiga bridge 
Kuldiga cascades 
Ravine at the old manor, Kudliga 
Museum night, Vilnius 
Ducal palace, Vilnius 
Ducal palace, Vilnius 
Old walls, Vilnius ducal palace 
Regicidal medieval tile, ducal palace, Vilnius 
The big 5 of Soviet Lithuania: Marx/Engels, Lenin, one-time leader, Mickevicius, & Stalin – Grutas Park 
A big Stalin offers a photo op for another visitor; 
Engraving, ghost of Lenin bestowing blessings on the Lithuanian people 
Massive statue of heroes of the Red Army underground in WW2, Grutas Park 
Female martyr, Marytė Melnikaitė – Grutas Park 
High above Vilnius 
Ballooning Vilnius 
Ballooning Vilnius 
Ballooning Vilnius 
Ballooning Vilnius 
Ballooning Vilnius 
Ceremony on landing 
Ratslaukams Square, and 14th c. House of Blackheads, guild hall for Unmarried Merchants, Riga 
Idling in Bastejkalna Park along the canal, Riga 
Celebrating the short, welcome summer in Esplanade park 
Freedom Monument, for Latvian independence 
Riga’s Three Brothers including a prodigal one askew – from 15th, 16th and 17th centuries 
Antiquities found at the Riga cathedral, and 500+ year old weathervane 
Riga old town street near Dome Square 
Another old town street 
Riga’s famous Central Market, one of the largest in Europe with buildings that once housed Zeppelin airships 
Livu Square, with old merchant houses and 100-year old buildings, plus elegant St. Peter’s Church tower 
Panorama at the bog pools, Soomaa 
That sinking feeling in the bog 
Plant life on the bog 
Wide open bogland with pool 
Our guide, Edu, after pulling out a tree trunk submerged vertically in the pool 
Bog pools, Soomaa National Park 
Forest and bog meet in spongy turf 
Sweet bilberries on the bog/forest border 
Canoeing the Raudna River, Soomaa 
Evening on the Raudna 
One of hundreds of windmills, symbol of Saaremaa 
Looming Poide fortified church, Saaremaa 
Valjala fortified church, dating from the 13th century 
Muhu church 
Burial remnants, Muhu Church 
Earthworks used as fort from the time of the Vikings 
Meteorite crater about 4000 years old, Saaremaa 
Remains of military outpost and batteries, Saaremaa 
Lighthouse, tip of Sorve Peninsula, Saaremaa 
Saaremaa lighthouse 
Channeling energy on Sorve peninsula 
Cairns 
Kuressaare Castle across the bay, Saaremaa 
Kuressaare Castle, Saaremaa 
Kuressaare Castle seen from its outer walls 
Wooden memorial shield, Kuressaare Castle 
15th century wooden altarpiece, Kuressaare Castle