Long Way Round Europe 2010 from Passenger's seat

You know already this trip in details...
( https://vfrh.forumgreek.com/forum-f35/topic-t2414.htm )
but I wanted to add some passenger’s thoughts and photos...

I hope you don’t mind

Passenger wrote:You know already this trip in details...
( https://vfrh.forumgreek.com/forum-f35/topic-t2414.htm )
but I wanted to add some passenger’s thoughts and photos...

I hope you don’t mind

I was kind of looking forward to seeing your point of view on this trip!

That was my first "real", long travel on a bike. First time in my life I sat on a bike 2 years earlier! I didn't know what to expect and I was a little bit worried in what condition I will finish it.
My friends were in shock after hearing the idea ("How many countries??" "In only 10 days??" "On a bike??????")

But it wasn't so bad!
However I discovered muscles in "sitting parts" of legs..

I had one critical situation on a way, when I thought that if we don't stop to stretch legs I will start screaming or jump down. And then I saw a sign "Our destination - 100 km"... !
I endured.

I wasn't afraid of riding. With my Superbiker I felt on a bike safe like on a couch in front of TV with some Discovery channel!
( for Taxideutis!)

I haven’t been before in Baltic countries nor Scandinavia. About Sweden and Denmark everybody knows something, but Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are more mysterious.
But it is still my part of Europe!

Landscapes, climate, architecture in Baltic countries are similar to Polish. I could know also about their history as it was more or less similar in all countries in eastern Europe.

I guess for Nikos it was all so exotic! (like for me your ancient ruins!) He was excited with brick buildings, medieval castles and green forests. And you didn’t understand that I would like to see Acropolis?
But it doesn’t mean that for me it wasn’t interesting. On the contrary. I discovered a lot of interesting things about which I had no idea...

Ok, so...

3...


2...


1...


START!

Keyword of the trip was “rain”.

Therefore first city on our way – Kraków – we were watching from under the umbrella:



(actually next morning was the warmest in the whole journey)

Road from Kraków to Mazury was the longest and the most difficult. Clouds were chasing us since the beginning



and then was only worse..
Wind, rain, storm, darkness... – good that it wasn’t me who was holding handle bars
We reached Mazury at deep night. Small roads, forests...
This is what Nikos could see:



And this is what I could see!



(nice views, heh? )

We arrived to our guesthouse with relief “Finally!”. But.. nobody was waiting for us! Silence and no lights. It changed when Nikos “announced” our coming...
I called earlier this day the owner of the place, to warn that we will be late. It turned out later that there are two co-owners. The one I called went to sleep not informing the one living in this house... And what was the name of the lazy guy? – Grek (Greek)

Polish Passenger of Greek Traveller

When we were still in Poland, I had advantage of knowing the language. Although nobody could know this when I was hiding under Greek license plate..
Coming back to Poland, in a queue to a ferry, we met Polish couple on a bike. They stopped behind us and I heard the woman telling her husband: “Talk to these Greeks!”
In Poland I was saying to people who were starting complicated answering in English “ok, you can speak Polish”. Uff
But why men were then still talking to Nikos?
He was bravely pretending that he understands

Ełk

City in the middle of lakes area.

Road

Riding on long distance as passenger I was looking for any variety in the view.

Clouds





Vehicles



Animals


(Lithuania)


(Sweden)


(Sweden)


(Sweden)



(Denmark)

[my cattle&horses research ]

And signs


(how many kilometres still?)

Trakai

First stop abroad was in Lithuanian Trakai with colourful Karaitic houses.

We went of course to see beautiful castle.



(Do you see padlocks on a bridge? There is a tradition that came from Latvia or Lithuania of putting padlocks on a bridge. You come with your love, write your names, lock padlock on a bridge and through the key out to a river. Love forever!
Here only few padlocks because the bridge is on a road, outside a city)

I can even prove that I was there






(I thought that princesses stay in castles and knights are away on battles! )

On exhibition inside the castle you can see Karaites (on the left) and Tatars (on the right) who were living in this area:

Camping in Trakai was really nice. I could try finally the famous tent



We were not the only bikers there!



And from where was the oldie? From Poland!

Vilnius was a big surprise for me. I wasn’t expecting so beautiful, modern city! I knew how it was 10 years ago and from this time it changed a lot! Whole center newly renovated, clean and in bright colours.

Vilnius by night:















Impressive, isn’t it?
And colours of the skyyyyy!

Vilnius in a daylight:




Old and modern.


Town hall (something understandable! “ratusz” )


The Gate of Dawn – obligatory point in all Polish trips to Vilnius.

Just next to it something completely different:

What is it? You have written even in Polish Wax figures museum.

Sometimes in foreign cities you have to be prepared for different traffic regulations and signs...

Next point of our journey was The Hill of Crosses.
We started late, it was getting dark and Nikos was getting nervous that we will not arrive there in daylight. But I didn’t know where are we, where do we go and how far is it... So I was observing clouds...
Finally we managed to reach the hill:



The place made melancholy impression on me... (maybe it was especially after morning visit in KGB museum...)

Older part looked like old, neglected cemetery:





Top of the hill brought to my mind place of execution..





Althought it shouldn’t. Crosses don’t symbolize only death, they were signs of prayer, love, requests for blessing...
I saw a cross of newlyweds:



family:



from all over the world:


(do you recognize writing on the two crosses in the middle? )

Some crosses were really beautifully decorated:



And some scenes looked rather scary



You could find there not only crosses:



or...

Languages

Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian are not understandable... Luckily we didn’t have to (try to) use it
But maybe you would like to try?
Instruction “How to wash hands” from toilet in petrol station (you can check if you do this correctly ):

First question – what language is that?
.
.
.
.
.
Lithuanian

We change country.

Riga
Rain, rain, rain and too small umbrella ...

After whole day’s experiences we arrived to camping and didn’t even go to eat.
Hhrrrrrr.....
And... tap! tap! tap!

After complicated operation of assembling tent (in heavy rain) and packing (in heavy rain) next morning we went by taxi (in heavy rain) to see (in heavy rain) the city.
The city is probably much more beautiful when it’s not raining

On one of the squares there was some funny monument with animals.
The Four Musicians of Bremen! (if you don’t know this Grimm’s fairy tale: http://fairytales4u.com/story/four.htm )



I asked my Latvian student, but he didn’t know what does it have to do with Riga..

Food

In all places during our trip we tried to find some local specialities.
We were looking therefore for pierogi in Kraków:



we found cepelinas in Vilnius:



also in Riga we were eating in a place with local dishes, but I don’t know what was it..

Let’s eat, not talk!

Stuffed with food we had new strenghts to see something more, so we decided to go to the cathedral.




Did you notice something strange?
While we were visiting church, pastor with some people came and took out the altar

In galleries in the churchyard...







were gathered different historic exhibits. Among cannons and balls I saw huge weathercock:



and mysterious head of ancient Latvian


(few thousand years old sculpture with unknown origin).

One look back at the camping.
Again oldie! And again from Poland!

very x 2 nice

Now straight to Estonia!

Special post only for my Superbiker!

Tallin was for me number 1 among all cities in our journey!
We came to the city in the evening., but we stayed in a hostel just next to the center of the old town, so we went for a walk. Walk in beautiful scenery!

GREAT places! you make me wish I could visit them! the soonest possible! ( NOW!!! )