Galavanting Through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland

On June 13th, we flew to Riga, Latvia. We spent several days exploring the city, which is stunning. The main reason we started there was to see the incredible architecture, especially their Art Nouveau district. It did not disappoint! I definitely could have spent more time in Riga, which was full of nice surprises.

From there, we took a train to Vilnius, Lithuania. We rented a car and explored more of the country, visiting Kernave, Kaunas and Klaipeda. Last winter, I tested my DNA and learned that I am far more Lithuanian than I expected: 40%. So experiencing Lithuania gave me a stronger sense of connection to my roots.

I enjoyed the entire trip to Lithuania, and I could have spent more time in Vilnius. It is a gorgeous city and we only got a taste of it. Lithuania is very clean and health-conscious. Recycling is part of the social code and they are at 70% renewable energy (mainly solar and wind) with a goal of being energy independent. Beauty is everywhere, in architecture, culture, and green spaces. I would love to return to experience more of Lithuania.

For our third week, we caught a train to Poland, starting in Warsaw.

We’ve been to Krakow a couple of times, but the last time was 20 years ago. I have since learned that my mother’s grandparents were born and raised in Warsaw, so I wanted to visit and get a sense of the place they immigrated from. It did have a strong impact on me, especially visiting history museums. I was struck over and over by the devastation that occurred after my grandparents left Poland, and the fact that their son (my Grandpa) ended up deployed to Japan with the U.S. Navy while Warsaw was bombed to oblivion.

We went to Gdansk next; a gorgeous city on the river with an incredible old town. There was a tiny tattoo shop right outside of the gate to our apartment there, and I was able to squeeze in an appointment for a small design on my forearm.

We returned to Warsaw for the final leg of our trip and spent 3 more days exploring.

All of the countries we visited joined the EU over 20 years ago and have been recovering from soviet occupation, and are still dealing with the aftermath of WW2 as well. They are all committed to achieving energy independence and you’ll see solar panels and wind farms all over outside of the big cities. There’s a mix of the old architecture and systems with very modern buildings and lifestyles. Residents appear to be very healthy, despite more smoking and vaping than is seen in the U.S. People walk and bike and there are tons of parks and trails within cities that are very heavily used.

If we had it to do over, we would completely reorder the trip. We would start in Krakow, go to Gdansk, then Warsaw, then Lithuania, and finish in Latvia. And we would spend more time in Lithuania, less in Poland. However, we had booked a rental car in Krakow that would have allowed us to visit some places outside of the city, but that fell through. And our entire experience was affected by the record heat wave that hit while we were there. It definitely impacted our comfort and stamina because there is almost no A.C. in these countries. In fact, they barely keep drinks cold and ice seems uncommon. And we booked attic apartments with lovely views, but no elevators and, you know, heat rises.

The photos I uploaded represent just a tiny fraction of what I took. I found so much inspiration everywhere and I just hope I can find time to reflect and absorb all of it before it starts to fade. If you are interested in seeing more, I posted regular updates and photos on my personal instagram page called @folkartadventures.