the (new) endomobile
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@endo Thanks for the great pictures and write ups ~ it looks like your having an amazing time!
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Traveling is always wonderful. On this trip, a lot of things are new to me, too, which makes it very interesting. In Vilnius, for example, while I was shopping for vinyl, I struck up a conversation with the owner of a record store. We were about the same age. He told me how, back when they were living behind the Iron Curtain, they wanted to listen to cool music just like us—but it wasn't officially available. So, they would listen to and record Western radio broadcasts and buy records from foreign sailors or embassy staff; those records were highly coveted and passed around among friends.
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Just to be sure, I simply asked him, and he said yes. When asked what he liked about it, he said he simply enjoys being on the road and living in the bus; he finds it interesting to see and eat new things. He thinks the landscapes (on this trip) are beautiful, though not all that different from back home. He finds the history aspect interesting—he finds it crazy to think that the Soviet Union existed during my lifetime, as he has only ever known a free Europe.
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We’re in Gauja National Park in Latvia, and I went for a short walk today. The kid got to have a bit of a rest. Tomorrow, we’re heading on towards Tallinn.
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We have reached the northernmost point of our tour and are now just outside Tallinn, Estonia. On the way here, we visited the Estonian National Museum in Tartu.
Although the three Baltic republics traveled the path to freedom together and get along well today, they differ significantly from one another. Estonia belongs to the Finno-Ugric linguistic region and reminds me somewhat of Finland. Furthermore, among the three, it has the highest democracy index.
That’s really cool, but it was also significant for us that we finally have temperatures above 25°C today, the sausage for dinner turned out well, and that (unpronounceable) beer from Latvia still tastes great. Cheers!
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Tallinn is super cool. We spent only a little time in the Old Town, where thousands of cruise ship tourists pour in every day.
Instead, we visited the international photo art center Fotografiska and some really cool cafés and bars in Telliskivi Creative City. I actually would have liked to tour the Põhjala brewery too, but it’s closed on Mondays. Bummer.
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Today, as we continued south, we passed through Kemeri National Park. The landscape was somewhat surreal, yet very beautiful.
We’re currently parked on the spacious, beautiful grounds of a winery (sic!). Apparently, this is the northernmost wine-growing region in the world. Our grilled lamb chops were fantastic. The owner said he’d stop by later so I could taste his wine. I’m curious to see what it’s like.
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lovely sunset
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It is our last evening in the Baltics. We are standing in Nida on the Curonian Spit (just about 2 km from the border with the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast—formerly Königsberg) —a place that, for some Germans, holds a certain allure born of stories told by older generations. I haven’t taken any photos yet, but I’ll add some tomorrow. The ferry home leaves tomorrow evening.
si tacuisses
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@endo Thanks for the updates ~ love the street art pictures and all the nature.
