The Imperial City…Vienna
Adventures in Bradistlava
Time and again, experience has proven that the unscripted path often leads to the utmost memorable adventures. After crossing from Zakopane into Poprad, Slovakia, I boarded a train bound for Bradistlava intent on seeing a bit of the lovely countryside. The journey itself proved uneventful as the path and scenery unfolded as expected; firstly, parting the high Tatra Mountains, the Alpine ridges slowly faded from view; eventually, we passed numerous small villages and scattered farmland that dotted the entire length of the journey. By evening, the subtle rain that began at precisely the moment that I had boarded the bus at 11am in the morning broke to a shimmering cloud clusters in the west as the train approached Bradistlava.
Alpine Country at Morskie Oko
In My Element… Zakopane
The Somber and Sober of this Human Condition
Revisiting Happy Times Gone By
Light and Sound at Malbork Castle
Into the Dawn – Polonia
Thursday, Jun 12, 2014: 10:45 pm, the full moon is rising in the east over the flat terrain. I’m on a bus bound for Gdansk after spending a day in Kaunas, Lithuania. Due to lack of logistical planning, I had to abandon the room I had booked for the night as there are only overnight buses bound directly for Gdanks. This left only half a day to explore Kaunas after arriving from Vilnius in the morning. Alas, it was not near sufficient time to explore the city in full. What little time I had was spent walking the length of the old quarters, lunch at a restaurant, strolled down the pedestrian streets, and a jazz show at dinner amongst the locals. Although not stellar, the city does have bountiful charms. The local folk consistently turn askance to steal a curious glance as I pass, unaccustomed to strangers like myself passing through. Soon enough, the evening passed, and it was nigh time to part company with the Aussie I had been traveling through the Batics for the last two weeks.
The long night slowly dims ever slightly. But, as we are nearing the summer solstice, the western horizon retains an orange glow on the few scattered clouds. The rising moon blanches over the dark-green landscape. Come morning, I will arrive in Gdansk to the welcome reception of an old friend.
In Vilnius, Lithuania
Latvia … the Old, the Familiar, the New, and the Strange
Into the Baltic North – Estonia
After 5 days based in Helsinki, Finland, I caught the morning ferry and crossed the Gulf of Finland into Tallin, Estonia. Only a generation ago, this nation was subject to Soviet rule; and yet, all metrics now indicate Estonia as a thriving developed economy and ranked highly the Human Development Index, education, and press freedoms. The post-Soviet era also spurred impressive economic freedoms and advancement. By many measures, it is much closer related to Scandinavian countries than to its Baltic neighbors.
As with Helsinki, being this far north in latitude affords much daylight during summer. The sky remains a deep blue with the western horizon glowing a subtle white through the night before rising at 3:30am. In the old quarters of town, one can wander through the night down many a cobblestone corridors guided by the faint light, accompanied only by the echoes of your own footsteps off the ancient walls.
Tallin is one of those city that you instantly fall in love with. Perhaps its nigh approaching high tourist season, but passing through the town center is tantamount to a slight time warp to medieval times. There are taverns and ale houses lit only by candles, with walls blackened by hundreds years of smoke. One tavern serves only one dish: elk soup in mostly chipped earthenware, served to you by a wench with snarky attitude. Not far, actors dress in medieval armor battle to the delight of tourist and locals alike. Other restaurants have fair maidens posted out front to attract customers, while musicians in full costume play tunes from 14th century instruments.
The last couple days has been spent touring the old bastion underground tunnels, seeing the standard city tour, a bonus ghost tour of the town at night steep in local lore. But even from such a passing glimpse, it is certain that Estonia has much more hidden gems to offer. But, alas, a passing traveller must not linger long. It is enough to breathe a sigh of regret that no matter how thorough an effort to plan, one can never see everything. After many castles, cathedrals, bridges, forts, belfries, town squares, it’s more rewarding to rest these tired feet by an alley-side cafe and watch the local town folk milling about their (extra)ordinary lives. The forest and villages more remote shall have to wait for some future occasion.
Tomorrow, I’ll be bound for Pärnu before continuing onto Riga, Latvia.
A Dreary Day Afield
