sanmich
Veteran
Sounds a great trip Cyrille!
(why the Mamiya? what happened to the autocord?)
(why the Mamiya? what happened to the autocord?)
Muggins
Junk magnet
Even in 1994, when I went, Estonia stood out compared to Latvia (didn't visit Lithuania) - and there must be some great photo opportunities in old Tallin.
Is the restaurant in the gunpowder cellar (Pussirohukelder? - best guess at name!) still there?
Adrian
Is the restaurant in the gunpowder cellar (Pussirohukelder? - best guess at name!) still there?
Adrian
valdas
Veteran
Being Lithuanian and living now in Helsinki I have to disagree (I know I am biased). The old town in Vilnius is really nice (baroque churches etc) - biggest old town among Baltic capital cities, and cheaper than Tallinn (but Tallinn is also very nice - I love it). North/West part of Latvia is quite nice if you like wild forest (and can tolerate bad roads). And Latvian seaside is really really beautiful (l really love cape Kolka). If you avoid 5 star hotels, and fancy restaurants, it is not expensive at all. As in most of Eastern European countries everything is quite polarized - there are goods/items/services that are more expensive than in Western Europe (mostly luxury related), but then most of stuff is much cheaper (C41 film development in Vilnius cost less than 1 EUR).
By the way - Helsinki is also quite nice. You can take ferry from Tallinn (two hours). You can also visit Porvo (40 min drive from Helsinki) - very nice historical village with typical wooden houses.
taskoni
Well-known
Vilnius is very pretty, especially this time of the year, fresh green and in a wonderful mood. Lithuania is not expensive at all, compare to Estonia or Latvia for example. As Valdas mentioned the seaside in Latvia is very nice, although I would also recommend a trip to Neringa if you'll visit Lithuania. You will find a pretty unique view. As Roger like to say to each his own, depends what you are after. I can enjoy myself everywhere in the world, meeting new people and experiencing different environments is more important for me than a landscape and cost 
Have a great trip and don't forget to have fun wherever you go
I would love to meet you in Baltic sometimes but I am leaving to UK for four months to film a TV drama. Will try to make a trip to France and hopefully to meet Roger and his wonderful wife (if they'll have time) and hopefully the OP for a drink or two.
Regards,
Boris
Have a great trip and don't forget to have fun wherever you go
I would love to meet you in Baltic sometimes but I am leaving to UK for four months to film a TV drama. Will try to make a trip to France and hopefully to meet Roger and his wonderful wife (if they'll have time) and hopefully the OP for a drink or two.
Regards,
Boris
Mablo
Well-known
I think Roger meant driving along the main Via Baltica road the scenery can sometimes be a bit boring. I agree with that but at the same time I'd say that Latvia's and Lithuania's coastline roads are something extraordinary. It's so beautiful and tranquil over there. Endless empty white sand beaches and small friendly villages here and there.
The coastal road through Swedish eastern coast will take you through dark spruce forests but you won't see too much seascapes there even though the Baltic sea is not very far away.
The coastal road through Swedish eastern coast will take you through dark spruce forests but you won't see too much seascapes there even though the Baltic sea is not very far away.
Attachments
robert blu
quiet photographer
Just curious: how about language? Do they speak english or french beside their native language? It would be nice to be able to interact with people in such a journey.
robert
robert
besk
Well-known
My step-son and I took a bus into Vilnius from Belarus a few years ago. We walked everywhere in and around the city and had a great time. Many interesting things and places to photograph and explore.
valdas
Veteran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:English_foreign_and_second_language_EU.jpg
This survey is from 2005, I would say % is much higher now.
Mablo
Well-known
Robert, throughout the Baltic states and through the Nordic countries English is the Lingua Franca. In Russia things change a bit. In Moscow and in Sankt Peterburg a lot of people can speak foreign languages very well but in the Russian countryside not too often. Still, people there are so friendly you really don't need a common language.
benlees
Well-known
Sounds like a great trip. Would love to do that!
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Yes, the coastline is wonderful, and quite possibly the cities are good but on a motorcycle all large cities are a bit of a pain. It was the roads, small towns and villages that I found dull.
Cheers,
R.
Cheers,
R.
Muggins
Junk magnet
I'd be surprised not to find a lot of English speakers in Estonia - culturally they've always been quite close to the Finns, who seem to share the Scandinavian tendency to speak English considerably better than the English do. I was there in '94 and most of the students we met spoke at least some English. The closeness to Finland, though, might mean that you won't get many words out of people! There's a story about Michael Caine in Finland which I can't repeat here...
Thinking back, Riga (Latvia) has the old Zeppelin hangars being used as a market, which I would have loved to have seen (the concept of battleship-sized flying machines screws with my head), and I seem to recall that you can still find amber washed up on the beaches, both of which meet my criteria for being pretty damn exciting. There's also a stunning Versaille-style palace - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rundāle_Palace.
Probably still a good place to find Zenits too
Adrian
Thinking back, Riga (Latvia) has the old Zeppelin hangars being used as a market, which I would have loved to have seen (the concept of battleship-sized flying machines screws with my head), and I seem to recall that you can still find amber washed up on the beaches, both of which meet my criteria for being pretty damn exciting. There's also a stunning Versaille-style palace - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rundāle_Palace.
Probably still a good place to find Zenits too
Adrian
ottluuk
the indecisive eternity
Estonians tend to take great pride in how well the general public can communicate in English but, according to some foreigners living here, things are not THAT rosy. Lots of broken language and strong accents, that's for sure. But for basic directions and help, you're unlikely to be stranded. Just ask the younger folks first . Russian is a good bet with the older generations but not a surefire solution. There are a lot of people who are either unable or unwilling to speak Russian. In Tallinn and especially Tartu you may luck out and find someone fluent in French, German, Spanish, Swedish, whatever, but don't count on it.
. Russian is a good bet with the older generations but not a surefire solution. There are a lot of people who are either unable or unwilling to speak Russian. In Tallinn and especially Tartu you may luck out and find someone fluent in French, German, Spanish, Swedish, whatever, but don't count on it.le vrai rdu
Well-known
i stupidly sold it two years ago
le vrai rdu
Well-known
i am learning russian just to be able to speak a bit (saying hello, asking for ffod, gas roads... esssentials skill to survive
) , i knew to read the russian alphabet since a few years so it is not as hard as it soundFor baltic countries, i will have a few word of russian and german + english (I am sure nobody speaks french there
)Roger Hicks
Veteran
And rightly so. In Parnu, even people on supermarket checkouts spoke good English in my (limited) experience. It's a very attractive country.Estonians tend to take great pride in how well the general public can communicate in English but, according to some foreigners living here, things are not THAT rosy. Lots of broken language and strong accents, that's for sure. But for basic directions and help, you're unlikely to be stranded. Just ask the younger folks first
Cheers,
R.
rhl-oregon
Cameras Guitars Wonders
If you decide midway through to keep driving east, and can figure out your Pacific crossing (perhaps on a chunk of tsunami debris, now washing up in Oregon), I have a nice little guesthouse out back among the plums and grapes and figs.
valdas
Veteran
For baltic countries, i will have a few word of russian and german + english (I am sure nobody speaks french there
Il y a toujours des exceptions... Send me PM when you are in Vilnius or approaching, I'll show you around, my french is a bit rusty, but I'll manage...
taskoni
Well-known
Labas Valdas, you back?
telenous
Well-known
Some nine or ten years ago I went for a similar trip with a friend, first through the Baltics then Finland. Initially our plan included Kaliningrand. I had this strange notion it would still be old Konigsburg and we’d cross its seven bridges and meet with the ghost of Pure Reason. Τhen we read a guide where it was described as a 'nuclear dump located in a corridor of sleaze and crime”. That titbit strengthened our resolve only to have it quashed for good when we learned the extortionate cost of a short-notice Russian visa. There was no car, we travelled by bus. The roads were reworked at the time in anticipation of EU accession and driving was hidiously slow. We wondered how slow it could get. Then we took the train and found out.
Lithuania seemed the most bohemian of the three. There were more traces of conflict and Soviet history. Daytrips to Trakai and Nida were rewarding and Vilnius felt authentic and unspoilt. It had a vibrant nightlife (particularly a neighbourhood called Uzupis), the beer was flowing and there were bars where the young would tango until early hours. Unfortunately at the time I was not interested in photography at all. I remember my friend trying to explain to me the merits of Reala and Velvia that he was using in his EOS A2 – he could be talking about cricket as far as I was concerned. Were I to go again today I'd look for an exhibition with Antanas Sutkus' classic work, and a book of his or two. Some of his titles are hard to come by.
We stayed only a little in Riga, so perhaps I’ll be doing it injustice but it seemed at the time like the city was going in a dirty weekend direction. There were truckloads of mainly male western weekenders and the nightlife was particularly rowdy. It’d be interesting to photograph there, but for different reasons than in Vilnius or Tallinn.
Tallinn is often said to be the most picturesque, understandably so. To me it seemed like a cross between Prague and Bergen, if it makes sense. It’s definitely worth a visit if you can swing it. As beautiful as it was by the time we got there we were exhausted so we mainly gorged on food and slept. Up to that point we had managed to subsist on zeppelin dumplings and borscht washed down with beer and unhealthy amounts of Rīgas Melnais balzam which we drunk for giggles.
Anyway, fond memories. I guess you’ll be posting here photos, looking forward to seeing how the three countries have changed, or not. Safe journey, come back with stories!
PS. Perhaps my memory fails me in this but I vaguely remember the more you travelled northwards the greater the chance to find people who spoke English. One way or another they were all very accomodating.
.
Lithuania seemed the most bohemian of the three. There were more traces of conflict and Soviet history. Daytrips to Trakai and Nida were rewarding and Vilnius felt authentic and unspoilt. It had a vibrant nightlife (particularly a neighbourhood called Uzupis), the beer was flowing and there were bars where the young would tango until early hours. Unfortunately at the time I was not interested in photography at all. I remember my friend trying to explain to me the merits of Reala and Velvia that he was using in his EOS A2 – he could be talking about cricket as far as I was concerned. Were I to go again today I'd look for an exhibition with Antanas Sutkus' classic work, and a book of his or two. Some of his titles are hard to come by.
We stayed only a little in Riga, so perhaps I’ll be doing it injustice but it seemed at the time like the city was going in a dirty weekend direction. There were truckloads of mainly male western weekenders and the nightlife was particularly rowdy. It’d be interesting to photograph there, but for different reasons than in Vilnius or Tallinn.
Tallinn is often said to be the most picturesque, understandably so. To me it seemed like a cross between Prague and Bergen, if it makes sense. It’s definitely worth a visit if you can swing it. As beautiful as it was by the time we got there we were exhausted so we mainly gorged on food and slept. Up to that point we had managed to subsist on zeppelin dumplings and borscht washed down with beer and unhealthy amounts of Rīgas Melnais balzam which we drunk for giggles.
Anyway, fond memories. I guess you’ll be posting here photos, looking forward to seeing how the three countries have changed, or not. Safe journey, come back with stories!
PS. Perhaps my memory fails me in this but I vaguely remember the more you travelled northwards the greater the chance to find people who spoke English. One way or another they were all very accomodating.
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