Not much of consequence today as most of the day was spent on the bus driving from Vilnius to Warsaw.
However, all was not lost as Simona imparted lots of history on the drive. Poland is full of historic landmarks and UNESCO sites, and has a population of about 39 million people. They are one of the rare countries in the European Union that still use their own currency (Polish złoty).
Of the countries on our tour, Poland and Lithuania have the strongest ties (and not just because our driver was Polish and our guide Lithuanian). In 1569, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania unified to become the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, creating one of the strongest powers in Europe at the time. They were quite advanced and in 1791 had the first European Constitution (second in the world after the good 'ol USA)! Unfortunately, its long period of strength and prosperity were in decline shortly after the Constitution was signed it all went downhill quickly. By 1795, the Commonwealth had been divided into 3: Russia, Prussia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire each took a part. We're all a bit more familiar with Polish history post-1920's so I won't add any of those details.
We also learned about the Suwałki Gap, although we did not cross it. Knowing so much more history of this region, and their 'tussles' with Russia, it's easy to grasp the strategic and military importance of this choke point since Poland and the Baltic states joined NATO.
We finally arrived in Warsaw with a smidge over 2 hours before our farewell dinner (odd timing, yes, but it's the only free evening before many on the tour leave in the early morning hours Friday). Anyway, I had no other free time in Warsaw, so I had to quickly choose how I wanted to spend my time. Depositing my backpack quickly into my hotel room, I booked an Über and headed to the POLIN Museum. The museum is actually dedicated to the history of the Jews in Poland, which actually dates back a thousand years, and was erected in the former Jewish ghetto.
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
The entrance fee was about $12 and included an audio guide, but in the end I found it unhelpful. The guide didn't read the displays, so I would start reading the plaque next a display I was viewing and then would end up missing what was being said via the audio guide. The museum was astounding, and they say you need about three hours to get through it. Seeing as I had less than 2 hours eventually turned off the audio guide and continued through the very extensive and masterfully done exhibits.
Jewish communities in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1765
I read only what caught my attention and easily could have spent another two hours there. To my dismay, I had to zoom through the WWII era in about 15 minutes and quickly head back to the hotel. I had a few moments to 'powder my nose' before the farewell drinks and walk to AleGloria for dinner. It was a unique spot, served delicious food, and I had a fabulous time with some of my favorite tour-mates.
Vilnius (pronounced "Vill-nee-uhs") is known as the city of churches, because despite having a population of only about 600,000 people there are 48 churches. Before the Second World War it was also known as the Jerusalem of the North because 40% of their population at the time was Jewish. The capital city is located on the Neris River (the second longest in the country) & Vilnia River, both of which run to the Baltic Sea. The Lithuanians have a legend about Duke Gediminas (the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1315-1316 until his death in 1341) and the founding of the capital known as the Iron Wolf Legend. As such, the Iron Wolf symbol is used for the city of Vilnius, sports teams, and even the Lithuanian military.
As far as today, after breakfast we were on the tour bus for a city tour of the Old Town. We began at the Catholic Sts. Peter & Paul church, with its spectacular interior decorations, for which it is famous. Construction began in 1668 with funding by patron Michał Kazimierz Pac, commemorating a victory over the Muscovites and their subsequent expulsion from Vilnius after six years of occupation. Construction was interrupted when Pac died in 1682, and per his request, he was buried under the entrance. His brother finished the building and had it consecrated in 1701.
Inside the church there are some 2,000 pieces of stucco which designed by Italian Masters that took 7 years to complete. The unique boat-shaped chandelier was brought from Latvia around 1905 to symbolize St. Peter. The church dome was damaged by bombs during WWII, but it was rebuilt to its original design. Even during the Soviet period the church was never closed, though no one seems to truly know why the Soviets allowed it to remain open. The all-white interior requires repainting about every 20 years to keep it fresh and clean looking.
From the church we walked through the Old Town which was added to UNESCO Heritage List in 1994. Sometimes referred to as the City of Baroque as most of the buildings are in that style. We visited the Gate of Dawn, which I believe is the only remaining gate and city wall section, and is an important location in Lithuania for Catholic pilgrimage. Our next stop was St. Casimir's Church, recognizable for its pink façade modeled after the famous Il Gesù church in Rome. Similar to Lithuania's history, the church has changed hands many times since its inception. When the Germans occupied Vilnius in 1915 they converted it to an Evangelical Lutheran site, it was returned to the Catholics in 1919, but was damaged during WWII and closed down. In 1963, the Soviets converted it into a Museum of Atheism and in 1991, it was finally reconsecrated as a church.
We did get to visit the outside of the Vilnius University Library, which has an old, fancy door. Personally though, it was a disappointment not to go inside as it houses over 5 million books, almost 2x the entire country's population! Although higher education is no longer free in Lithuania about 60% of Lithuanians have a university degree.
We wandered past the Presidential Palace and on the way Simona bought us the famous Lithuanian Šakotis ("tree" or "branch" cake) to try. Calling it 'cake' seemed generous to my American taste buds, it reminded me a bit of waffle batter or maybe funnel cake batter without the powdered sugar.
Saint Anne's Church, with its stunning red brick exterior, is Vilnius' version of La Sagrada Familia. "The church has remained almost unchanged over the last five centuries
and is one of the most beautiful and probably the most famous buildings
in Vilnius. It is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture and is
surrounded by many legends" (source). You can only go inside during services, but were told the outside is the famous part, so nothing lost in only seeing it from the street.
Our tour of the Old Town ended at the 'plaza' next to the Grand Duke Gediminas statue with The Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus (a.k.a. Vilnius Cathedral) in the background.
We had an hour of free time for lunch before leaving for the tour of Trakai Castle, so I decided to trek up Gediminas' Hill to see the views from the Castle Tower (the hill on which the Iron Wolf was said to howl). There is a funicular to take you up the hill, but why pay when you're young and healthy? The climb was steep, and due to some sort of construction I had to walk the entire way around the hill to find the detour-path, but the views were beautiful even on a slightly overcast day.
After departing the hill, I decided to visit the interior of Vilnius Cathedral and then grab some lunch at the nearby Rimi Express (their prepared foods section was extensive and what I tried was tasty). I ate it on a bench in the park near the church and must have looked like the other locals on their lunch break because these young girls came up to me and started talking to me. I have no idea what they were saying and although I'm sure she knew some English, when I told her "sorry, only English" she apologized and left.
Back on the bus, we were soon headed to Trakai Castle. Located in the town of Trakai (pronounced 'try-kay'), about 70 miles from Vilnius, the castle sits on an island in Lake Galvė. Since Trakai was one of the main centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the castle held great strategic importance. It was built to protect against German Teutonic Knights in 1377, and was completed around 1409. It was neat to see, but not that impressive for me, I'm just not that interested in knights and medieval living. However, Trakai was the medieval capital of Lithuania until it was moved to Vilnius in 1373, so it does have that claim-to-fame.
What was secondary to the visits of most people, but fascinating to me was to learn of the Karaimus (or Karaites). I don't recall ever hearing of these people before today, but they have Turkish roots (dark hair & complexion but blue eyes) and hold to a religion related to Judaism (they worship on Sundays and do not eat pork). They have their own language and a 'Trakai' dialect of Karaimus actually developed because of the large community of them here in Trakai. Their homes always have 3 windows on the side facing the street, and you can buy the traditional Karaite pastry called 'Kibin' here in Trakai.
My biggest regret of the day requires some back-story. Earlier in the day, on our tour of the Old Town we had driven near the district of Užupis. It's a special artist neighborhood founded on April Fools Day. On April 1, 1997, the district declared itself an independent republic (the Republic of Užupis), with its own constitution and laws. They have fake border border signage, an unofficial currency and even an anthem. When we returned from Trakai I headed to my hotel room and wasn't sure what I should do, so I began uploading photos with locations, descriptions and facts, when I realized too late that I should have taken an Über to Užupis! Once a year (i.e. today, April Fool's Day), they have parades and celebrate their republic, Simona had even told us we could get our passport stamped! Since mine expires next year there's less danger of a cranky border guarded not appreciating my fake passport stamp). Alas, I had missed the festivities, and couldn't help feeling that since our visit to Vilnius coincided with this auspicious holiday (said tongue-in-cheek) the day's itinerary should have been modified to let us pop in and see this local oddity. To placate myself I headed to the hotel jaccuzzi, which I had all to myself, and spent an hour relaxing at the spa downstairs. We have an early start tomorrow (luggage must be outside the door at 6:45am), so bed time should not be delayed.
Monday, 3/31/25 - Most of the day was spent driving, but the views were nice. Simona was accurate when she told us these 3 Baltic countries are "flat as a pancake". The highest point in the country is a 965 foot hill, no mountains, though they do have lots of lakes, forests, and rivers.
We saw many storks in nests up on telephone poles or in very tall trees. Storks are beloved by Latvians and they sometimes build areas that might encourage the storks to build a nest; much as we do in the U.S., Latvians believe storks bring babies. Before crossing into Lithuania we visited the delightful Rundāle Palace (roon-dah-leh) designed in the Baroque & Rococo styles. Built by the Duke of Courland, Ernst Johan von Biron, in the 1700s (when the Duchy of Courland & Semigallia were still independent), it survived Napoleon and both World Wars mostly intact!
The architect was the Italian, Bartolimeo Rastrelli (he also helped design the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg Palace). After the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was absorbed by the Russian Empire in 1795, Catherine the Great presented the palace to Count Valerian Zubov, the youngest brother of her lover, Prince Platon Zubov.
They used it for many things over the years (besides a palace), but it is now fully restored in the 18th Century style. Spectacular and spacious, colorful as well. Seeing how Baroque isn't my favorite, the variety of parquet floors was one of the things I loved most, along with the huge windows and tall ceilings.
We stopped for a quick lunch in Girelė and then were on to Šiauliai (show-lay) to see the Hill of Crosses. Although the exact origin is uncertain, its roots are related to the 1831 uprising, and when it began it was more of a memorial. The Hill of Crosses is a difficult place to describe, so I'll do my best through photos and videos.
Today the site is more of a pilgrimage for Lithuanian Catholics. I had never seen any photos and didn't know what to expect. It's quite astounding - there are easily 300,000 crosses, some as small as 3 inches and some over 15 feet tall, and they're all over the place. Intricate, simple. small, large, wood, stone, metal, plastic, you name it! "Over the generations, not only crosses and crucifixes, but statues of the Virgin Mary, carvings of Lithuanian patriots and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims. Due to the symbolism of cross-crafting during the Soviet occupation, UNESCO named Lithuanian cross-crafting in the lists of good safeguarding practices and intangible cultural heritage."
Back on the bus we soon arrived at our next Radisson Blu, in the capital city Vilnius. To Simona's credit she did give us a lot of good information on the ride. A very brief history (that doesn't start at the beginning): In 1569, established by the Lublan Union, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, joined forces. Sometimes known as the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, it was among the most populated and largest countries in 16th-18th century Europe. Because of this, other European powers wanted to split them. In 1795, after successive partitions by their neighbouring powers, Prussia, Russia and Austria, the commonwealth permanently ceased to exist. Even between the world wars the Baltic nations were still fighting off Russia. Thus, Latvia became the first Baltic country to declare independence from Soviets ( on March 13, 1989), and in 2004 they joined the EU.
Unfortunately for us North Americans, Latvia had Daylight Savings time last night, so we lost an hour of sleep last night, and boy did I feel it! A quiet breakfast alone was welcome after such a night, and I soon rejoined the crew for our morning tour of the old town. Our local guide for the morning, Ieva, was a nice woman, and knowledgeable. She is also a Tour Director with Gate1, but Simona is still my favorite.
Rīga has three parts: City Center, Old Town, and New Living Districts. Of the three Baltic countries, Rīga is the largest city and was founded in 1201 by German Crusaders (Livonian Brothers of the Sword). Latvia has been ruled by Germans, Poles, Swedes, and Russians throughout its history. The country's main waterway is the Duagava River (which means "much water") and the river basin covers more than one third of their territory and they also use it for hydroelectric power. "The great river as a waterway and a rich fishing ground has attracted
many, both in the ancient past and nowadays... The Viking Saga has more detailed information on the Daugava waterway
than other rivers in Eastern Europe, demonstrating the importance of the
Daugava in its trade relations at that time. Freedom
battles took place on the banks of the Daugava River and the Republic of
Latvia was proclaimed" (source).
Statue outside Museum of Occupation
The First National Awakening began in the 1850's and after WWI and two years of the Latvian War of Independence they were finally free in 1921. That independence was brutally interrupted in June 1940 by the Soviets, then in 1941 by the Nazis, and again by the Soviets in 1944. By 1991, they had managed to restore their independence and have since joined NATO and the European Union.
Rīga, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, is known for its architecture. It has around 800 Art Nouveau buildings currently on the UNESCO World Heritage list! The style flourished in the early 1900s and the first one in this "new" style in Rīga was built in 1899.
10b Elizabetes Street (M. Eisenstein – 1903)
Ieva told us how the buildings were originally private residences built by the owner who lived on one floor and rented the remaining floors for income. When the USSR took over Latvia they deemed owning an entire building and living on one entire floor wasteful. The government then deported the owners or moved in three other families to join them on that one floor of the building. Ieva remembers living in one with her grandparents and other families. Now mind you, the other families they shared with were not relatives and these were originally built as one family homes so everyone was sharing one kitchen and one bathroom. She remembers waiting in line for the bathroom to get ready for school in the morning. Once Latvia regained independence her family tried to prove that her grandparents were the pre-Soviet owners of the house, but unfortunately the records had been lost or burnt so they were unsuccessful. Many of the buildings are still unclaimed and state owned. She can only imagine how her grandmother felt sharing her home with strangers and being confined to two rooms of her house.
Most of our morning tour was concentrated on the Art Nouveau buildings on Alberta Street (with most of these being built between 1903-1907. The street is lined with Linden Trees and most of the architects were Latvians who had studied at the Rīga Polytechnic Institute. There are several sub-styles (or divisions) of Art Nouveau that we were able to see in Rīga: Decorative, Romantic, Eclectic, even a Perpendicular Art Nouveau.
entrance at 8 Antonijas Lela Street (K. Pēkšēns – 1903)
Because Latvia has lots of sand and clay, and not a lot of natural stone, much of the decorative work on the buildings is actually stucco.
As we ended the Art Nouveau portion of our tour we came upon a unique example of the Latvian people expressing their displeasure with Russia's current actions. When the war with Ukraine started Latvia renamed the street Ukrainian Independence Street so the address of the Russian Embassy is now No. 2 Ukrainian Independence Street. *interestingly enough, they weren't alone in this, Wikipedia has a list of streets renamed since the invasion. Since Russia technically owns the building they refused to put the street name on the wall (that's how streets are posted, on the corners of buildings), so the city simply put the street name on a pole next to the building. Additionally, the Russian Embassy is located in a gorgeous building with Art Nouveau elements and across the street is the Pauls Stradins Medicine History Museum. The museum put up a gigantic poster of Putin, with a skeleton jaw, outside on the wall so that any time the ambassador enters or exits the embassy he can see the poster.
We then continued our tour with the other highlights of the Old Town, stopping first at the Town Hall Square. The square also contains the House of the Blackheads, which was originally a warehouse in 1334 and in the 15th century the brotherhood started using the building. The "brotherhood" was a guild (union) of unmarried, foreign merchants and ship-owners. The patron saint of the Brotherhood of Blackheads is the black Egyptian Christian, Saint Maurice whose head is also depicted on the Brotherhood's coat of arms. The building, and much of the town, were destroyed by the fighting Nazis and Soviets in 1941.
Brotherhood of the Blackheads
We soon saw the "Three Brothers" buildings, the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Rīga. The oldest is from the late 15th century (Gothic-Renaissance style), the next from about 1646 (Dutch Mannerism style), and the last is a Baroque building believed to be from the 1740's.
The Three Brothers
The last stop on our morning tour was a private organ concert at St. John's church. She played a selection of Mendelssohn, Bach, Handel, and Baptiste Loeilllet. According to our program she was finished, but then she began playing "America the Beautiful". It was quite the juxtaposition, I've never heard that song on a pipe organ before, and certainly didn't expect it in a Latvian church on Sunday morning!
Our next location was a visit to the famous Central Market (converted from old German Zeppelin hangers). It is the largest market in Europe and is on the UNESCO list as well. The optional tour for the afternoon wasn't to my taste, so I had the rest of the day free. After doing some wandering I walked about 25min to the Art Nouveau Center (Latvia did not have über).
Rīga Central Market
Art Nouveau Museum
The museum is housed in a stunning building designed by their most
prolific & prominent Latvian architect, Konstantīns Pēkšēns. I found both floors of the the place delightful (the stairwell is beautiful) - the bottom floor was more informational on the style itself, Latvian architects, etc. and the top floor was a refurbished apartment in the appearance of a early 20th century flat in Riga.
Since I had walked all the way across town and the Latvian National Museum of Art was nearby, it seemed only sensible to investigate. Another stunning entry and staircase (this one I recognized from a blog I had read before my adventure) and the soon-welcoming news that, for whatever reason, the 3rd and 4th floor exhibits were free. The parquet floors were incredible and many of the paintings were to my liking as well, so I'm very glad I stopped to visit.
I had not eaten lunch and the afternoon was waning, but I couldn't
decide what else I wanted to do (i.e. what I was willing to walk to
see). I determined that if I didn't pass a kebab shop en route I'd try
the Lido restaurant near our hotel which Simona had recommended to our
group. The inside was beautiful - plants, tile, old decor, stained
glass - and the food options were almost overwhelming. You couldn't
beat the price and the food was delicious. As I was walking back to the
hotel, I came upon Roz & Irv, Mary Ann, and Rose. They had just
returned from the Ethnographic Museum tour (which they didn't
particularly enjoy, so I felt justified in my aversion to it) and were
heading to Lido for dinner. They insisted I join them, and having no
other plans, I acquiesced. I became their unofficial guide through the dinner-purchasing process (it's like a cafeteria where you choose all your dishes, put them on a tray, and then go pay). Despite having already eaten, Roz insisted on buying me dessert since I had helped her charger her phone the other day. We ended up sitting around talking for almost 2 hours before we all headed back to the hotel. My phone says I walked about 7.5 miles today, so I think I deserve to be in bed at 9pm.
This morning I enjoyed breakfast with the couple from Brooklyn. After checking out of our rooms we were on the bus with 'Magic', our bus driver, heading south to Latvia. Simona let us know that we were expecting an unusual weather day for this time of year - warm (low 50's) and sunny! With such good weather she arranged for a stop at Vitrupe Beach, on the Baltic Sea, so that we could at least see it up close and take some photos; we could even touch if we so desired. While enjoying the sea breezes Simona had some special Estonian liqueur called Vana Tallinn for everyone to taste. It was incredibly sweet, and the herbal taste was hard to describe. It didn't taste bad, but I did not finish my shot - reminded me too much of cough syrup.
Back on the bus Simona told us about the sea. It is known for the sand dunes that it creates along the shore as there are a lot of strong waves. A unique feature of the Baltic sea is that there is only 7grams of salt per kilogram of water (very low salinity), due in part to the multiple, large rivers that flow into it. When she was a child she used to spend her summers by the sea. It was very common for Lithuanian families to do that back then, but prices have now risen (unsurprising) and many resorts have been built. For anyone who loves amber (fossilized tree resin used in jewelry), over 90% of the world's amber comes from the Baltic region! As such, there are a myriad of amber options available all over Tallinn, Rīga, and Vilnus as they're a sought-after souvenir. Pieces of amber torn from the seafloor (often during harsh winter storms) are cast up by the waves and collected by hand, dredging, or diving. There are nine countries with Baltic Sea access: Germany, Poland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.
Latvia has about 2 million people and 300 miles of coast on the Baltic. There are many mixed families in Latvia (Russian-Latvian) because of their time under Soviet Rule. Rīga has had a high population of Russians living there for many years, and in the 1980's it was nearly 50-50 (Russians-Latvians). Still today there are a lot of mixed families because the Soviet Union chose Latvia to build lots of factories and sent Russians there to work. After the collapse of the USSR most Latvians chose Latvian passports (they had previously had both as the Russians allowed them Russian passports). As a result, you can hear quite a bit of Russian spoken today, despite Latvian not being a Slavic language or having anything in common with Russian. As it was in Estonia, the Latvians are very pro-Ukrainian because of their not-too-distant time of oppression by the Russians. Many of the Baltic countries are attempting to become more energy independent, despite the increased costs of doing so, because they do not want to support Russia by purchasing their oil and gas.
The capital of Latvia, Rīga (pronounced "ree-gah"), is known as the Art Nouveau capital of the world, and quickly became my favorite location on this trip. I've also heard Rīga called the "Paris of the North" due to roughly 1/3 of the buildings in the city centre being in this delightful architectural style. We arrived at our hotel (Radisson Blu Latvija) and shortly after I was heading to the Old Town for some wander-time.
Gorgeous afternoon sun today and clouds in the forecast for tomorrow, I determined to take full advantage of the stunning facades and cobble-stoned streets around me. Photo opportunities were abundant and my handy Maps.me app gave me freedom to wander without getting lost. For those who don't know me well, despite having nearly 30 countries under my belt I'm still horrible with directions and am very, very easily lost. The top of the St. Peter's bell tower gives you 360-degree views of the town, so the clear, sunny skies spurred me to do that today too. The 9€ entry fee was well worth it on such a fine day, and my one dimensional photo cannot do the real view justice.
Rebuilt after WWII
The first mention of the church is from records dating to the early 1200's, but it's current footprint was mostly created during renovations in the 15th century. With a history of that many years, the church took several hundred years to be fully built and has been partially destroyed and rebuilt numerous times (fires and wars, more fires and more wars). The most recent renovations were finished in the 1980's, and the church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997. At
the back of the church they had a very fascinating display pertaining
to the Reformation in this area of the world (St. Peter's is a parish church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia).
We have an Old Town Rīga tour tomorrow, so I knew I would be able to get the "facts and figures" tomorrow, but I believe I hit the highlights today. Back at the hotel I rejoined my group and we headed to Piazza Italiana where we enjoyed a lovely dinner together. I sat with Irv & Roz (the more I get to know her the more she reminds me of my Grandma Barb), Bob and Bernadette (the couple with whom I had enjoyed breakfast this morning), Rose (from Chicago), and native Floridians Jack & Yvonne. The food was delicious and the company was nice as well.
As anticipated, despite the sleep deprivation of the last 28+ hours and an OTC sleeping pill, I barely slept last night. I was able to enjoy my breakfast alone and read my Bible while enjoying a coffee, as is my usual at home. Off to the bus where me met Kadi, our local guide for the morning.
Our first stop was the Tallinn Song Festival grounds, the home of a highly significant cultural event held every 5 years. July 2025 will be the next festival and about 10% of the entire country's population will be on the festival grounds (the choirs have around 30,000 and the attendees are another 100,000 people). Only the best choirs are admitted into the festival, and it is a celebration, not a competition.
The ice was leftover from a skiing competition.
The very first Song Festival (in Estonia) was held in 1869 and it helped to unite the country during the period of the Estonian National Awakening. The songs the choirs sing are Folk Songs, and Estonia is recognized as having one of the largest collection of folk songs in the world. Estonian Folk Song Spotify Songlist. The song and dance festival tradition of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a unique phenomenon in the world. The statue (on the left) gazing out over the Song Festival grounds is of Gustav Ernesaks, the beloved composer and choir leader who they lovingly call the Father of the Song.
On the grounds here, 36 years ago, the Estonians gathered to sing patriotic hymns and folk songs in what became known as the Singing Revolution. The Russians didn't allow them to sing in Estonian (during WWII they were occupied by Russians, then Nazis, then Russians again), but the USSR couldn't stop them! Kadi explained to us that this event (and the Baltic Human Chain) helped the world to know that Estonia, and her Baltic neighbors, did not want to be part of the USSR. Within 4 years, by August 1991, Estonia had declared their Restoration of Independence (they'd gained their initial independence, also from Russia, back in 1918).
Our next stop was the Memorial to the Victims of Communism. As far as memorials go, it's relatively new, completed in 2018. It commemorates those deported, imprisoned, or murdered due to communism (1 in 5 Estonians). The entrance is a large, black walled "tunnel" inscribed, alphabetically, with the names of over 22,000 people who died - untold more were never heard from again, and the memorial is in their memory as well. The list of names is by no means complete, but it is a start. The inscription at the entrance explains the vision for the memorial, "The journey is a long corridor that symbolises the merciless power of the totalitarian system. The home garden is the place where dreams, memories, and a longing for home intertwine. The symbols of the home garden are apple trees and honeybees. A monument to Estonian Officers who fell victim to the communist terror is a part of the memorial. A wall as the place where they were executed stands as a reminder of their fate." The outside wall, visible in this photo is covered in beesbecause they compare Estonians to bees since bees stick together and always find their way home. The wall also has lines from the poem "He Flies Towards the Beehive" by Juhan Liiv which as since been put to music and is now sung at the Song Festivals as a song of mourning, resistance, and hope. There are 22,000 honeybees in the swarm on the wall, one for each of the names inside the tunnel.
Kadi told the story of her great-grandfather who was a farmer with a lot of land when the Russians came. He was deported in 1940 and sent to Russia to serve a 30 year sentence. By the time he finally returned to Estonia there was nothing left for him. his 65+ acre farm had long since been collectivized and his wife, assuming him dead, was with another man and had several more children. He died within a year of his return, a broken man. His name will likely never end up on a memorial, but the effects of communism surely led to his demise.
Our last destination was Old Town Tallinn (tah-lin). We sfirst aw the beautiful pink, Baroque-style Toompea Castle, the traditional seat of power in Estonia and home to their current parliament. Opposite Toompea sits Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral, built in the 17th century style of a Moscow church. It was mainly built as a show of Russian power & oppression (its location, facing Toompea, is not accidental) and it still stands, thought not much loved by Estonians.
Moving from the Upper Old Town to lower Old Town we were shown St. Mary's Cathedral which was established in the 13th century and is the oldest church in Tallinn, and mainland Estonia. It was originally Roman Catholic, but after the Protestant Revolution it became Lutheran. It is also known for the different kinds of tombstones dating from the 13th–18th centuries.
St. Mary's Cathedral, Tallinn
Raeapteek, considered the oldest operating pharmacy in Europe
Protesting the Russian war against Ukraine
Around 12:15pm our tour ended and we had the afternoon to ourselves. Kadi graciously led some of us to Viru Centre, a large shopping center with a grocery store in the basement level and Rahva Raamat on the 3rd floor. I love visiting grocery stores when in other countries, and she told us this one had a vast array of inexpensive and delicious prepared foods. It struck me as a very posh grocery store, but after procuring nourishment I headed upstairs to the bookstore. They are the largest bookseller in the country and this particular store (they have locations in 9 different cities) was recognized in 2022 as the World's Best Bookstore at the London Book Fair.
After heading back outside I wandered a bit - it was chilly, drizzly, and gray today. Many cobble-stoned streets and lane ways, and surely many building of significance of which I was unaware. Tired, and still fighting off a cold, unsure what else I wanted to do (besides sleep, and be warm & dry), I headed back to the hotel.
The Tallinn Brotherhood of Black Heads, est. 1399
Dinner as a group tonight was at a lovely place called Scheeli Restoran (pronounced "Shelly"). I sat with an entertaining couple from Brooklyn (Bob & Bernadette) who were very New York Italian and had very strong accents; a delightful couple from New Jersey (Irv & Roz - Roz reminds me so very much of my late Grandma), and the other solo travelers: Mary Ann, Rose, Candy, and George. Simona also joined our table and we had a nice time getting to know a bit more back story to everyone.
