SIGULDA, Latvia — There’s something mystical about the Gauja National Park. Between the thick pine forests, the sandstone cliffs, the castles and the occasional fog, it has an atmosphere all it’s own and is widely considered the best place for natural beauty in Latvia. It’s been called “Livonia’s Switzerland.” That’s a bit misleading as those [...]

KURESSAARE, Estonia — What does Estonia have that Latvia and Lithuania don’t? Well, that’s actually a long list, but for this post we’ll only focus on one — islands. Specifically Hiiumaa and Saaremmaa. Largely unscathed by communist-era and even post-independence development, Estonia’s two largest islands are like an open air museum of life in Estonia [...]

TALLINN — What’s the best beach in Estonia? Well, depends what you’re looking for of course, be it quiet, women in bikinis, boulders or simple sunshine. Instead of trying to persuade you which one is best, we thought we would show you the beaches instead and let you decide. Here’s the “The Best Beach in [...]

UTENA COUNTY, Lithuania — The soul of the Baltic states resides in a village, and summer is the best time to uncover it. Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians were primarily a rural people for centuries, their largest cities inhabited by other ethnic groups. The lyrics of their folk songs are often about forests, mushroom hunting and [...]

VILNIUS — It’s been a hot one this summer, but Vilnius is reveling in the heat with tourism better than last year’s rock bottom level, a number of festivals and events and consistently sunny, warm weather the northern city usually dreams about. I tried finding an excerpt of translated Lithuanian poetry that described Vilnius in [...]

NIDA, Lithuania — Who wants to see a spit? Unless you really paid attention in geography class or happen to live near one, likely when someone offers you to see a spit, you assume they know some prepubescent tricks with saliva. Well, thankfully the Curonian Spit isn’t that. But let’s not call it by that [...]

VENTSPILS, Latvia — As is the tendency in the Baltic states, most tourists miss out on much of what the three countries have to offer because they only explore the capital cities before heading back to the airport. This is a shame, because it means they don’t get to see places like Ventspils. Famed since [...]

PALŪŠĖ, Lithuania — Deep in the forests and lakes of Aukštaitija National Park it’s easy to get lost. Whether you’re hiking of canoeing or driving on the dirt roads trying to find the Ancient Beekeeping Museum, you’ll certainly cut off from the rest of the world in the Lithuanian hinterland. Still largely unknown to most [...]

UTENA, Lithuania — Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend the fiftieth birthday party of an Utena woman named Danutė, and needless to say I got stuffed with good food, soused with strong drink and had a blast. While there I recalled a bit from the first chapter of Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” which [...]

VILJANDI, Estonia — It’s about the time of year to get out of town. In the Baltic states on Fridays the traffic on the roads leaving the capitals are backed up because in the summer, it’s time for nature here, time for the village. Visiting places like Estonia’s Soomaa National Park, you’ll see why. The [...]