Lithu-WOW-nia!

Ironically, while Lithuania has been the most frustrating, especially in terms of walking, at the same time it’s also been my favorite Baltic state! It’s the one I definitely wish to return to (in the summer), and it’s where I have the most I want to share stories about but have the least time because […]

Riga, Latvia

Riga, the largest city in the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), is not quite as polished and romantic as Tallinn, but it’s an engaging and interesting place, full of good food and drink. Lonely Planet summarizes the spirit well: “People here fancy themselves to be the least pragmatic and the most artistic of the […]

Russian to the Border

After a smooth 2.5-hour ride east through the wintery Estonian countryside on a comfortable modern train, I arrived in Narva, which currently has the EU’s busiest border crossing with Russia. I was intrigued both by Narva’s long and dynamic history and by the fact that Russia lies just across the river. The location is impressive, […]

E-stonia

Estonia has completely embraced the information age, with so many things now possible online, including voting! The following summary is from a display at the local Museum of Occupations and Freedom: “Estonia is an e-state. We’re well aware of that, and we’ve been bending the ears of anyone willing to hear it for decades. We […]

An Estonia-shing Winter Wonderland

I made it to a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR)! I had been here to Tallínn once before, but that was almost exactly 25 years ago, and much has changed since those early years of freedom from the communist yoke. And even back then I was writing about my travels and making bad puns. Some […]

Stockholm Syndrome: Falling in Love with Swedish Museums

ChatGPT created the title for this blog post, haha. Before I move on to Estonia, I wanted to share some highlights from the several museums we visited during the week in Stockholm. There’s the long-favorite Vasa Museum, with its well-preserved 1600s-era warship; the popular ABBA Museum (yes, it’s what you think); the modem art Photographic […]

Life’s Swedish Moments

For over two and a half decades, Stockholm has been my primary overseas home away from home, though now with Sofia living in Czechia, Prague has become one of two overseas homes away from home. This year my family and I had a wonderful Christmas holiday in Stockholm together and with friends. I am very […]

Croatian Exploration

Much of my exploration time by myself or with some friends visiting from Asheville was spent hiking hills and mountains or lounging at beaches, two of my favorite activities! Some things are definitely worth repeating, such as climbing Croatia’s tallest mountain, Dinara. See this previous blog post about when I first scaled this peak back […]

Kotor, Montenegro

Equipped with a rental car on this latest trip to Croatia, I leveraged the opportunity to drive down to Montenegro. More specifically, I drove around the Bay of Kotor and explored the old town of Kotor and hiked up to the mountaintop overlooking the bay. Montenegro is a small country, and it has only around […]

Bosnia and Herzegovina

All along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast lies Bosnia and Herzegovina inland, to the east. This other former Yugoslav republic is often referred to as just B&H or even just Bosnia, though Herzegovina is its own district area within the country. B&H interrupts Croatia’s coastline for a short 20 kilometers (12 miles), providing the country with some […]