Capital Vilnius
./../img/photos/baltic/015_070813_vilnius.jpgVilnius has to offer a lot. It is a great old town. It is huge. Not everything cleaned up. But that makes certain flair.
More from Vilnius
./../img/photos/baltic/017_070813_vilnius.jpgWhere ever you go you always can discover something new.
Vilnius Stannes Church
./../img/photos/baltic/019_070813_vilnius_stanneschurch.jpgFor example, the Stannes church.
Cathedral of Vilnius
./../img/photos/baltic/026_070813_vilnius_vilniuscathedral.jpgReally impressive is also the cathedral. I must admit that I have not seen a free-standing tower like this one before.
The new, modern face of Vilnius
./../img/photos/baltic/027_070813_vilnius.jpgVilnius also has another side. A modern side.
Stannes Church
./../img/photos/baltic/035_070813_vilnius_stanneschurch.jpgBack to the church.
Trakai Island Castle
./../img/photos/baltic/048_070814_trakai_trakaiislandcastle.jpgA great water castle.
Kanaus Vilniausgatve
./../img/photos/baltic/060_070815_kaunas_vilniausgatve.jpgBut smaller cities, such as Kanaus are worth a visit.
Kaunas
./../img/photos/baltic/062_070815_kaunas_stmichaelthearchangelchurch.jpgThe St. Michael The Archangel Church in Kanaus.
Kursiunerijos
./../img/photos/baltic/074_070817_kursiunerijos.jpgBut I rather prefer nature and vast areas free of human beings. And there are still enough places in the Baltic's to get away from everything. A pleasant contrast to (over)populated central Europe.
Typical house
./../img/photos/baltic/082_070818_typicalhouse.jpgA typical house, as you can see it often on the roadside.
Stork
./../img/photos/baltic/090_070818_stork.jpgA stork trying to land.
Liepaja
./../img/photos/baltic/091_070818_liepaja.jpgI was lucky and a new hostel has just opened. In the evening there was a great (free) party with lots of food and drinks.
Liepaja sand castle
./../img/photos/baltic/093_070819_liepaja_sandcastle.jpgThere was a competition of sand castle builders going on with many great castles to marvel at.
Remote beach
./../img/photos/baltic/106_070819_jurkalne_campsite.jpgJust before night fall I had found a secluded, quiet beach. It was immediately clear that i had to camp over here.
In search of amber
./../img/photos/baltic/112_070819_jurkalne_lookingforamber.jpgWhat a perfect way to look for amber. Simply open a bottle of champagne and go for a hunt.
Campground on the beach
./../img/photos/baltic/122_070820_jurkalne_campsite.jpgWhat a brilliant campground by the sea. Very lonely, not a single person around. Almost like being in the Caribbean.
Radio telescope in Irbenes
./../img/photos/baltic/145_070821_irbenes_radiotelescope.jpgThe radio telescope is a relic of the Cold War. At that time it was "misused".
Beach at Mazirbe
./../img/photos/baltic/159_070822_mazirbe.jpgGreat miles long lonely beach.
Waste Dump
./../img/photos/baltic/179_070824_wastedump.jpgDue to the rapid growth of the Baltic States the infrastructure can not handle the increase amount of waste. A lot of garbage is simply "buried" in valleys.
Classic car show in Jurmala
./../img/photos/baltic/184_070824_jurmala_oldcarrallye.jpgClassic car show in Jurmala.
Jurmala beach house
./../img/photos/baltic/201_070825_jurmala.jpgYes, there is a lot of money around.
Jurmala Jomasiela
./../img/photos/baltic/203_070825_jurmala_jomasiela.jpgJurmala is a hip suburb of Riga. Accordingly, the prices are rather high.
Luxury house in Jurmala
./../img/photos/baltic/208_070825_jurmala.jpgJurmala is a luxury suburb of Riga.
Panorama of Riga
./../img/photos/baltic/213_070825_riga.jpgA panorama of Riga.
Riga St. Peter's Church
./../img/photos/baltic/217_070825_riga_stpeterschurch.jpgFinally Claudia joined in Riga.
Riga Black Heads House
./../img/photos/baltic/220_070825_riga_blackheadshouse.jpgThe plan was to get from Riga to Tallinn. How? No idea. There was no plan as always.
Ancient Riga
./../img/photos/baltic/222_070825_riga_oldtown.jpgWe had a look at Riga before we set off.
Riga Black Heads House
./../img/photos/baltic/224_070825_riga_blackheadshouse.jpgA night in Riga has its own charm.
Science Academy Building in Riga
./../img/photos/baltic/245_070827_riga_scienceacademybuilding.jpgThere are leftover from the old days.
Turaida Castle in Sigulda
./../img/photos/baltic/268_070829_sigulda_turaidacastle.jpgOne of our first goals was Sigula. What a great trip.
Forest
./../img/photos/baltic/274_070831_forest.jpgAlmost too perfect to be true.
Parnu
./../img/photos/baltic/275_070901_parnu.jpgFinally we managed to get to Estonia.
Kuressaare
./../img/photos/baltic/304_070903_kuressaare_castle.jpgWe wanted to go west to the sea or to the islands.
Angla hill.
./../img/photos/baltic/340_070904_anglahill_windmill.jpgThere are not many old cities, but for nature and windmills the area is just perfect.
Windmills on Angla hill.
./../img/photos/baltic/353_070904_anglahill_windmill.jpgAngla hill is a prominent location for windmills. There are plenty of them. In the meantime, they were turned into museums.
Lighthouse in Kopu
./../img/photos/baltic/374_070905_kopu_lighthouse.jpgLighthouses over lighthouses.
Lighthouse in Kopu
./../img/photos/baltic/381_070905_kopu_lighthouse.jpgKopu is a nice example of a lighthouse.
Town Hall in Tallinn
./../img/photos/baltic/416_070907_tallinn_townhall.jpgFinally we reached our destination. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
Ancient Tallinn
./../img/photos/baltic/420_070907_tallinn_oldtown.jpgEven though the old town of Tallinn is much smaller than the on of Vilnius, it has a lot to offer.
Tallinn Kiek in de Kok
./../img/photos/baltic/421_070907_tallinn_kiekindekok.jpgAs always I had to take a few night shots.
Tallinn Luhikejalg
./../img/photos/baltic/424_070907_tallinn_luhikejalg.jpgThere were plenty of photo motifs around.
Tallinn Old Town
./../img/photos/baltic/449_070908_tallinn_oldtown.jpgOverview of the city.
Tallinn
./../img/photos/baltic/451_070908_tallinn_oldtown.jpgThe final view at Tallinn. Afterwards we had to go to the airport and we returned to Germany after four fantastic weeks.
