Basking in the Baltic

The countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are called the Baltic states, in the shore of Baltic sea. My journey through these countries were bit complicated. The whole planning was done based on the availability of cheap tickets. On 17^thJune noon I reached Riga, that night I had my bus to Tallinn to reach there by early morning, same day a round trip by ferry to Helsinki. These were the stretches of my journey where it actually tested my limits. These were the occasions where a pilgrimage differs from a tour which brings in a positive transformation to one’s life. 

I got almost a day to spend in Riga; the capital of Latvia before my late-night bus to Tallinn. Ajwad’s (my host) place in Riga is little bit far from the city that I had to take a bus followed by a tram from the airport. The journey was uneventful until these ticket checkers asked for my ticket in the tram. The checker an old lady in her sixties told me that the ticket I am carrying is already used in the bus that I need a fresh ticket for the tram. I couldn’t open my mouth and stood staring at her for a few seconds. I was in a belief that like Berlin a single ticket would take one to the destination; neither have I confirmed it with my host. ‘’I am a tourist and I never knew about this’’ I tried pleading her but it all went in vain. Another male checker also joined her and asked me where I am from. He tried mocking me by talking in a form of Hindi. Some of the fellow travelers mostly old ladies and kids gave me a stare of mixed feelings; sympathizing, blank and some looked at me as if I am a criminal. I had no choice but to pay the fine of €20. An embarrassing stretch of events, took some time to recover from this shock and I kept cursing till I get down from the tram.  A hard-learned lesson, after this incident I made sure to take the tickets during rest of my journey. 

The apartment was in the fourth floor without any elevator facility. All the buildings in this place looked alike which were built during the Russian period. The comfort and hospitality at my host’s (Ajwad) place made me forget the unfortunate event. We got to know each other better over a coffee and some snacks. It was around 2pm and I was too tired and sleepy. By the time I woke up at 5pm Ajwad had left for work as he is doing the evening shift. To find a host in Riga was never difficult, there were many people from India studying in Riga, surprisingly my host and his friends turned out to be from my home town. They have already mastered the art of hosting people by accommodating travelers from different parts of the world and it was evident in their walls with photos and writings. They have a dedicated board for the travelers to write about the experience at their place and going through those writings brought a smile on my face. I left my backpack at Ajwad’s house as I am coming back to Riga after two days. It was a great relief to travel without the backpack; I had taken all necessary things in my side bag. 

The sunset is late; by 10pm and I have enough time to see around the city. I went straight to the old town; there was a sea change in the ambience inside this area comparing to the stretch I traveled in tram. Unlike the other cities one will find a space for themselves in these Baltic cities. I picked up the rhythm as I walked inside these streets; the street musicians at every corner did a fantastic job and I thanked them with some coins. I walked past a beautiful garden, park and a lake to reach the other side of the bridge. There were small crowds in front of the churches and the people looked different from the rest of the cities I travelled in Europe; the Russian influence was quite evident in all walks of life. The sun has already moved to the western horizon and I want to see it getting engulfed by the Daugava River. I didn’t check the google map; the universal landmark itself showed me the way. 

On my way I passed an old church built in the Soviet architecture and a few lonely streets. The TV tower is a piece of wonder which stood in an Island in the river which kept pulling me towards its vicinity. I enjoyed its beauty from the side of the river where a few guys were engaged in fishing. The fishing in the backdrop of TV tower and setting sun was the perfect frame for my lenses. The German shepherd, their dog didn’t like me enter his territory and showed his discomfort by barking and jumping around.  I got introduced to their group who only speaks ‘Russian’; they gave me a new name ‘Liopold’. Talking to them realized the pain the British people might have gone through when they first came to India; Vladimir an ex-soldier in the group was trying to converse with me in English. “The animal eat you?” Vladimir asked me in broken English which I figured out that he is asking whether the mosquitoes are biting me. They offered me a local beer and a couple of smokes and I accepted them with much gratitude. I bid adieu to those wonderful souls and walked back to the city center. It was close to mid night but the sky was still lighted up so like the bridges and streets with lights. The streets were almost empty except in some corners, people were still enjoying their evening. I reached the bus station an hour in advance and my journey to Tallinn started at sharp 2:30am. All the buses inside the Baltic countries were booked in EcoIines and they have done an awesome job.

It was just four hours journey to Tallinn; I slept all the way till a police officer woke me up somewhere in the border. It was around 4am and he took my passport outside to his van. As the time elapsed, I got really worried. I lost the continuity of my sleep and kept looking at the police vehicle waiting for him to return my passport without any trouble. The view outside was stunning, the location was perfect. It was in the middle of a wheat field which stood bathed in the pre-dawn light. On a normal occasion I would have got down to click some pictures. This uninvited event didn’t let me move a bit from my seat. After a solid 30 minutes one lady police officer returned my passport without saying a word. I was relieved and within moments I slept off only to wake up when the bus stopped at the main bus station. The station was not at all crowded; there were stationary stores and cafes. My ferry to Helsinki was by 10am and it was only 6:30am. I comforted myself to a corner of a couch next to a power point. I slept cuddling my side bag I am carrying only to wake up for my alarm at 8am. Grabbed a coffee and walked towards the direction of Patarei Harbor where I need to board the ferry to Helsinki. It was a 35 minutes’ walk and I decided to do it bit relaxed. I passed through the fruits and vegetable market on my way, as those are the first shops to be open in any city. The whole market was studded with the berries like strawberry, blackberry, blueberry and cherries. I bought some strawberries, blueberries and cherries. I tried some local breakfast from inside the market mostly cheese breads, omelet breads and some meat; I didn’t forget to take some parcel as well. I have read that things will be expensive in Helsinki that I should not be buying anything from there.

The journey through the baltic states will continue after Helsinki...