With only 1 1/2 days to explore Warsaw, I made the best use of my time walking the streets and taking lots of photographs!
Warsaw was much prettier than what I had envisioned. I loved all of the quaint sidewalk cafes!
The center of Old Town was much like that of the other Eastern European cities we visited.
The Central Market was well stocked and very nicely laid out!
We arrived in Warsaw on June 30th via the 7 1/2 hr. Lux Express bus from Vilnius, Lithuania, and took a taxi 1 1/2 miles to our Airbnb. After meeting with our host and dropping our luggage, we walked a couple of miles to the gorgeous Lazienski Park. The 187 acre park is Warsaw’s largest, and dates back to the 17th century.
The Palace on the Water in the Park was even prettier in person!
We explored the lovely interior…
Out on the terrace, a couple of peacocks were making lots of noise (maybe it was mating season). They are my favorite bird!
Situated only 45 minutes bus ride from Vilnius, Lithuania, Trakai Island Castle is a perfect day trip. The morning of June 29th, I escorted my tour participants to the Central bus stop in Vilnius, a 15 minute walk from our Airbnb for the short ride to Trakai. The buses run every 10-20 minutes per day to Trakai and cost about 2 Euro each way.
The bus lets you off about 2 km away from Trakai Castle, so I was glad we arrived early enough to walk to the Castle before it opened at 10:00am. Having seen photos of the Castle, I was so excited when it finally came into view. It’s like a fairy book castle!
The first phase of the Castle was built-in the 14th Century and had great military strategic importance.
Beyond the gate is a spacious courtyard. Once inside, we agreed to meet back in an hour and went off exploring on our own.
The drawbridge is massive! Those are people standing beyond the door…
It’s set up like a museum now, with lots of artifacts and exhibits from the Castle’s history.
As you can see, the weather gods were shining on us yet again!
I just had to pose in the guillotine type structure. It was heavy! That’s my purse hanging down on the right.
Uzutrakis Palace is off to the left of Trakai Palace…
Here are my tour participants, Paul and Jing…
After our explorations, we had lunch at one of the outdoor cafes bordering the lake with a view of the castle!
During the 33 days I toured through Europe, there were many Cathedrals and Churches to visit. Although not as colorful as some others, the simplicity and beautiful cream interior of the St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Vilnius provides a tranquil shelter for those seeking peace.
The spectacular interior has over 2,000 stucco figures and its ceilings soar!
The Church of St. Anne and Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard are also lovely. It is a bit confusing because they are right next to one another. I don’t show a photo of the latter’s exterior. The Church of St. Anne’s gothic architecture reminded me a bit of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
The Lux Express bus ride equipped with wifi and restroom from Riga, Latvia to Vilnius takes four hours. Upon arrival in Vilnius, we walked 15 minutes to our spacious and bright Airbnb, with three bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
We followed our established routine, going out to a local Supermarket to stock up for the three night stay, and then hit the pavement!
Our four mile walk included a stroll through beautiful Bernardine Park.
I love capturing emotion…a mother’s love for her infant…and color!
We also briefly explored the area called Uzupis, similar to Christiana in Denmark…The self-proclaimed “Republic” of Užupis is Vilnius’ Bohemian and artistic district. It has its own anthem, constitution, president, bishop, two churches, and the Bernadine Cemetery.
Riga, Latvia’s architecture is lovely! Much of it is the Art Nouveau style. I love the variety of shapes, colors, and styles…
The view of the Daugava River and Old Town is spectacular from the top of St. Peter’s Church!
I could see the street where our over 100-year-old Airbnb was located…on the left side!
On Midsummer Day, June 24th, we boarded a Lux Express bus at 8:30am from Tallinn, Estonia and arrived 4 1/2 hrs. later in Riga, Latvia. The bus was equipped with wifi and a restroom, and was quite comfy. Upon arrival, we walked 15 minutes to our Airbnb, which was located right in the heart of Old Town. Actually, a little too close for comfort. Music from a nearby restaurant/bar disturbed my sleep at night. When you’re searching for an Airbnb that has everything you’re looking for: location, space, amenities — sometimes it’s difficult to have a clear picture of what you’re getting.
After settling in, off to the Supermarket we went. With only 2 1/2 days to explore Riga, there was much ground to cover.
Riga’s Old Town was filled with restaurants and cafes!
The Pilsetas Kanal is quite lovely…
Wandering through the Central Market we discovered fragrant flowers…
and heaps of fresh fruits and vegetables…
The view from Tallinn Old Town Wall is wonderful! The wall was originally 2.5 km in length, but isn’t totally intact now. Along a road called Müürivahe, you can enter a wooden door, and for a small fee, climb the stairs and explore the top of the city wall.
Originally, I was going to climb to the top of St. Olaf’s Church to view the City, but because it was a holiday, they were closed. This view was quite spectacular also!
There are other viewing platforms around the City for outstanding and picturesque views of the City! Our Airbnb was located on the outskirts of Old Town on the Western side and the viewing platforms were only a 10 minute walk away…
Kadriorg Palace was built in 1725 by Russia’s Peter the Great for his wife Catherine I. When Estonia gained its independence in 1919, the Palace became Estonia’s Art Museum in 1921. During World War II, Germany occupied the Palace and then the Russians. Finally, in 1991, Estonia became independent once again!
After years of renovation, the Palace was reopened in 2000 displaying foreign art. The Palace, gardens, and park are lovely!
We walked over 2 miles from our Airbnb to the Palace…
There are plenty of park benches to relax on and enjoy being in nature.
The Palace is quite colorful and we had another beautiful day for sight-seeing!
We arrived to Tallinn, Estonia’s harbor after a 2 hour ferry ride from Helsinki on June 21st and took a taxi to our Airbnb. The taxi ride was quite odd because initially the taxi driver said he knew where the address was (which was only about 1.5 miles from the harbor), but then drove past it and when we spoke up and said we think he passed it, he assured us he was on the right path. A few minutes later, he realized his mistake and took us back to the Airbnb. I told him I wasn’t paying any extra for his mistake and he didn’t try to cheat me.
There was also a mix-up with the Airbnb host, but she eventually arrived and gave us a partial ride to a grocery store located 15 minutes walk from the lodging. The Airbnb was in a great location, within walking distance of Old Town. We were spending three nights here, so after returning from the grocery, we explored Old Town Tallinn and its amazing architecture!
According to Wikipedia: Estonia was founded in 1248 but the earliest human settlements date back to 3000 years BC, making it one of the oldest capital cities of northern Europe. Often dubbed as the Silicon Valley of Europe, it has the highest number of startups per person in Europe and is a birthplace of many international companies including Skype. In 2011, the city was a European Capital of Culture.
Some of these photos were taken the following morning when I went out exploring on my own…
We visited the dazzling Peterhof Palace and Gardens on our last day in St. Petersburg, Russia. Built by Peter by the Great in the 18th Century, Peterhof is spectacular! The Palace was closed because it was a Monday, but we were most interested in the gardens anyway. I had the visit scheduled on the itinerary for the previous day, but it was rainy and we definitely wanted a pretty day for our visit.
We walked 10 minutes from our lodging at Comfort Hotel to the Pier with Lions embankment on the canal where we boarded a 40 minute Hydrofoil boat to Peterhof.
Upon arrival, there is a beautiful 10 minute walk to the centerpiece of the complex, the Grand Cascade and Samson Fountain in front of the Palace.
Even with my wide-angle lens, I wasn’t able to capture the entire complex!
The gardens are also referred to as the “Russian Versailles”.
The creativity is astounding!
You can barely view the sea in the distance…
Built in the mid-1800’s, St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the fourth largest Cathedral in the world and its main dome stands 333 ft. high and is plated in pure gold! An interesting fact: the Cathedral sits on 10,000 tree trunks that were sunk into the ground.
With a church of this size, it’s impossible to convey what the interior feels like, but here are a few photos…
part of the ceiling…
Walking into the Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace I was naive thinking I could see most everything in two or three hours. This place is beyond enormous! There are over 1,000 rooms and halls, 1,786 doors, and 1,945 windows! I read that if you were to spend one minute looking at each item, you would be there for 11 years! The Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and most respected art museums in the world.
Having just arrived via ship that morning from Finland, we only had 2 1/2 days to explore St. Petersburg, Russia, through the Visa-free passage, hence the limited time allotted for each site.
While pushing my way through throngs of crowds, I was happy to have my wide angle lens! I was able to get very close to the roped off areas to take my photo…
Some of the smaller details are just exquisite!
The Museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great.
According to Wikipedia, “The Hermitage buildings served as a home and workplace for nearly a thousand people, including the Imperial family. In addition to this, they also served as an extravagant showplace for all kinds of Russian relics and displays of wealth prior to the art collections. Many events were held in these buildings including masquerades for the nobility, grand receptions and ceremonies for state and government officials.”
Completed in 1969, Temppeliaukio Kirkko aka Rock Church in Helsinki, Finland is awe-inspiring! It reminds me of a space ship and the ceiling resembles a fried egg. Built into the surrounding rock (hence it’s name), it’s one of Helsinki’s most popular tourist sites.
Kampii Chapel of Silence is also definitely an interesting piece of architecture…
Walkabout Free Tour offers an informative and interesting free walking tour of some of the highlights of Bucharest, Romania. After leaving Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria on a bus at 11:00am, transferring to another bus in Ruse, Bulgaria and arriving in Bucharest at 2:30pm, Jing and I took a 2 mile taxi ride to our Airbnb, where we hefted our luggage up to the fourth floor, which meant eight flights of steps! I am determined to pack lighter for the next trip. We settled in and walked a mile to meet up with the two hour walking tour.
Some of the highlights they cover are the lovely Stavropoleos Convent…
The ruins of Vlad’s Citadel…
Sherry Lachelle Travels 