Most Inspirational Moment
There is not one but many moments. For Estonia, the most inspiring would be biking along the Gulf of Finland and stopping to have fish soup in Kasmu. It was a perfect combination of biking+history+food. For Latvia, exploring Riga with our guide and walking the old town was amazing. For Lithuania, the entire day spent on the Curonian Spit: biking through pines and dunes; the smoked fish lunch, and the sunset walk on Witches Hill were stunning moments.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Andrius (Andrew) is an excellent guide for the Baltics. He obviously knows the countries well. He treated us as adults and unless we needed help, tended to be hands off and I appreciate that directness. If one needed additional information for the day's ride, he was happy to provide it. I got the feeling that others may have felt there wasn't enough information given for each day, but that is easily remedied with more info on the WhatApp. All one needed to do was ask. Personally, I felt cared for without being smothered. In addition to leading the rides, he chose very interesting places for lunches and dinners. Aside from the historical insights he shared, we were treated to local foods that included Fish Soup in Kasmu, the smoked fish shack in the Curonian Spit, and the Georgian dinner in Vilnius. Andrius also shared (with humor) the difficulty of life under various occupations. I came away with a very clear sense of why independence matters so much for each of the Baltic countries.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The level of riding described is spot on. It is not a strenous ride, and the distances are not very long each day. Our last two days of riding in Lithuania was hampered by rain and wind, so the original itinerary to bike in Trakai did not happen, instead, our guide led us through a short biking tour of the old city which was fascinating, and we drove to Trakai and explored the castle. Be prepared for rain and cold in June. You are as comfortable as your gear. For biking combined with culture and history of this area, this tour checked all the boxes for me. If you are interested in history and architecture, and extra day in Tallinn and an extra day in Vilnius would be worthwhile. I did elect to ride an e-bike, and the equipment was more than adequate for this ride. Exodus provided waterproof panniers.