Riga & Vilnius

Between courses, we had a long weekend making for a perfect time to get away and explore a few more places. I love traveling in Europe in the fall. I think the months of October and November are so beautiful anyway, but then the beauty is just magnified by the lack of tourists. I wrote earlier that I have admitted that I won't make my goal of visiting all EU countries before graduating next June - I mean I am here to study and I am so blessed to have a job to help me finance my life in Sweden and aid in paying back those student loans.

But... Back to the trip... This time, I was happy to have a good friend, Maike, join me on the journey. On Halloween evening (ooh spooky) we flew from Copenhagen to Riga with Air Baltic. We got in around 9 and had a quick bite to eat (but please don't ask me where - I can't remember to save my life). We stayed at Tree House Hostel. It was newly renovated, breakfast was included and close to the center of Riga so we were very happy with the hostel.

National Opera

When can I move in?

Anyone want to guess how much rent might be?

The next day we went on a free walking tour of the Old Town. The guide was very talkative and knew a lot about the city - which was great but also at times a little too much. It was free and I got my exercise for the day, so you can't be too angry about that. The guide recommended a restaurant called Lido for lunch - which was great and cheap. He also recommended going to a hockey game. Now, look here. I have never been to a hockey game or even watched a full game on the tv, so when he suggested we go watch the local team play - I was more than skeptical. Maike and I talked about it. The tickets were only 6 euros for students and we had nothing else planned that night... so why not? After lunch, we walked around and looked at some of the Art Nouveau style architecture that is scattered throughout the city. Before going to the hockey game, we stopped in a cafe for something sweet. I tried a traditional honey cake. I need to say I was pleasantly surprised. I won't be ordering one every day, but it was better than I thought it would be. I guess I just envisioned a Winnie the Pooh kind of sticky, runny honey cake instead it was light and fluffy.

Low-quality picture, but high-quality treats

After the fika break, we headed to the hockey game. The arena was only about 15 minutes walking from the Old Town. Y'all. The hockey game tickets were money well spent. Did I understand anything? No. Did I have fun? Oh, yeah. This was not my last hockey game.

The home team entering the ice in style

The game went until about 10 or so... on the way home Maike read my mind as we passed McDonald's and we grabbed a McFlurry. It's good to travel with people who just understand you. The next day we walked a little bit more around Riga, catching up on any sights that we may have missed including lunch at the food market.

The National Library

Early evening, we took a bus from Riga to Vilnius. We took Lux Express and it was glorious. The bus only takes about 4 hours, so I was ready and prepared for a nap but this bus was equipped with TVs at every seat so I got to enjoy Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music on my way to Vilnius so I was in a super cheery mood when we reached our next city.

By the time we arrived in Vilnius, it was already pretty dark. We stayed at Downtown Forest Hostel & Camping. It was a very nice and very reasonably priced however it was a little further outside the city than we would have liked. That being said we found Vilnius to be a safe city- there was never a time that I felt uncomfortable. The city is very walkable and easy to get around, so we walked everywhere. Once we checked into our hostel we walked into Uzupis for a traditional Lithuanian dinner. I had a delicious grilled cheese dish - which is literally just a block of cheese served to you as such and Maike had zeppelins which is a meat and potato dish.

The next day we joined a free walking tour of the Old Town. It lasted about two hours and was very informative. I honestly did not know how involved the country was in WWII. The weather really behaved for us so it was great to walk around and explore the city with a guide.

These painted windows had me captured while walking in the Old Town

Vilnius has a surprisingly fun secret that you must see for yourself. Did you know that there is an independent republic in the city of Vilnius? Crossing over a bridge from the Old Town you will easily find yourself in the Republic of Uzupis.  This little neighborhood declared itself as a republic in the late 90s with a mission of love and art for all. The area is home to some of the best cafes and shops in Vilnius. On multiple occasions, we found ourselves here enjoying a cozy snack.

Going over the bridge to the Republic of Uzupis  

Street Art in Uzupis

For the remainder of the day, we walked around enjoying all the little nooks and crannies that create Vilnius.

The next day and our last day of vacation, we took it pretty easy. After a nice breakfast in Uzupis, we walked up to the Three Crosses Memorial that sits on a hill looking above Vilnius. The views were great! I was surprised to see that Vilnius was such a green and lush city. The little rooftops peaked in between fall colored trees and it was glorious. We spent the rest of the day in a British-styled tea house sitting close to the window just people watching to our heart's content (or until we had to go to the airport).

All of the Baltic countries (I wrote about my time in Tallinn in an earlier post) are great to visit. After visiting all three, I am surprised at how different all three are and how all three have risen from the fall of the USSR. All of these countries are reasonably priced to travel through but what you gain from your time in the Baltics is priceless!

As of right now, I don't have another European trip planned. Does anyone have any suggestions? 

What is a great place to visit in the spring?

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