The Baltics

Our sailing time from Helsinki to Tallinn was roughly two hours. Entering Estonia was the beginning of a few great days in the Baltics.

We drove from the harbour to a campsite and the next day we drove back into Tallinn to explore the city. On the way down, Myron spotted a Dodge/Ram dealer along the road. Since we needed an oil filter, we stopped. This sign made us smile and we decided that they would allow us in a Canadian vehicle too. Which they did, obviously ;)

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is a lovely city. The old town is situated within the city wall and it is all very walkable.

Tallinn is known for its colourful doors and we saw some really neat ones while walking around.

We continued our journey to Pärnu, which is an Estonian city situated on the Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga, which is a part of the Baltic Sea. We had a great spot for the night, overlooking the bay. The kids had lots of fun swimming in the sea and playing on the beach. That night we enjoyed the (almost, off by one day) super moon, the last one of the year 2022.

The next city we visited was Riga, the capitol of Latvia. It was a totally different city than Tallinn, and to be honest, we did not find our groove here. We walked around, bought some delicious berries at the market, and marveled at some big buildings.

The final capitol of the Baltics we wanted to visit was Vilnius, Lithuania's capitol.

We found a place for the night, close to the remains of the Upper Castle. At night we walked up the hill to enjoy the view over the city. From the hill of the castle, we had a good view of another hill, the Hill of the Three Crosses.

The next morning we hiked up to have a better look at the three crosses monument that towers above the city. It also gave us a nice view of the Upper Castle as well.

The city of Vilnius was surprisingly lovely. We really enjoyed how they had given the city centre a modern vibe amongst the historic buildings. We walked around for hours, enjoying the little streets, art, and culture.

So here is a shout-out to all: Vilnius is a really amazing place where you can easily spend days exploring! They will celebrate their 700 year anniversary in 2023!