Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia - July/August 2011

In late July and early August, 2011, I did a 9-day tour of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia (also known as the Baltics) with the company Scantours. I loved this trip, and this area of the world. These countries had all the beauty, history, and charm that I was used to in Europe, without the crowds and mass commercialization of the more frequently visited  places. The cities were beautiful and historic, with buildings that in some cases could only be described as works of art. The countryside was lush, green, and pretty, reminiscent perhaps of Michigan or Wisconsin in the U.S (except for the ancient and/or elaborate churches that one would often see).
My tour started in Vilnius and visited Trakai, Lithuania, and the Hill of Crosses near Siauliai. In Latvia we went to Bauske and Riga, visiting also Rundale Palace and the beach resort of Jurmala. In Estonia we went to Parnu, Tallinn, and Tartu. Then we went back into Latvia where we saw Cesis, and Gauja National Park.
Finally the tour finished up in Vilnius again, where I boarded my flight home.

Trakai Castle in Lithuania. Trakai is a beautiful resort town centered on a lake.

Hill of Crosses near Siauliai, Lithuania. There is a shop here where you can purchase your own cross and place it in the ground along with all the others.

Myself in Cesis, Latvia.

Church in Bauske, Latvia. The Baltic countries are full of beautiful sights like this.

Latvian road sign

Old town in Tallinn, Estonia. Vilnius and Riga also have amazing architecture as well.

Myself in the university town of Tartu, Estonia. College towns usually have lots of good cafes and restaurants, and this one is no exception.

Typical Estonian scenery. Estonia, like its Baltic neighbors, is very flat, making it popular (I would think) with bicyclists.











Forest seen beside
the road while driving between Cesis and Riga, Latvia.











Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania.  This is the main square of Vilnius's Old Town.

 View of downtown Riga, Latvia.

Roadside restaurant we stopped at, shaped like a windmill, on the way to Tartu from Tallinn (Estonia).

Rundale Palace in southern Latvia, near Bauske. This place reminded me a lot of Versailles.









 

Dome of Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Vilnius, Lithuania. Vilnius has dozens of historic churches. This one has a Baroque style.