Multi-Country Culture Holidays

Finally got to do this trip which was on my bucket list before the pandemic. It was certainly worth the wait and lived up to all my expectations. This is one of the best Exodus trips I have travelled on. I find ex-Soviet countries fascinating and we certainly got a good introduction to the histories of all 3 countries together with an insight into their views about the current situation. This was due to the generous ways in which both our guide Andrius and the local guides were prepared to share some of their experiences from less liberal times. It was all very thought provoking and led to some thoughtful discussion between fellow travellers. But on a lighter note – the itinerary was more varied than I was expecting. We saw capital cities, medieval streets, Art Nouveau architecture, crumbling and restored castles, fishermen’s wooden cottages, Soviet elite holiday homes, a palace built in the time of the Tsars , a decommissioned nuclear bunker, museums, art galleries and some ex-KGB “facilities”. Trips into the countryside were also included, we visited the sea in all 3 countries, some fantastic national parks and drove through wonderful forests. Even the weather was on our side – I could be forgiven for thinking the Baltics are countries where the spring sun creates beautiful dappled patterns whilst glinting through the fresh green forest foliage. It only rains when you are in the bus between destinations! However, there was also a heatwave in Southern Europe, so future travellers should not take too much notice of this comment.

Bridget Moore Discover the Baltics

This tour was so much more interesting than I’d expected it to be. Admittedly I knew virtually nothing about the histories of the three countries – other than the fact that they’d all been under Soviet rule – but I hadn’t expected them to be *so* different in terms of their culture, food, architecture, …. I loved the three capital cities – Tallinn’s old town, Riga’s architecture (especially its Art Nouveau buildings) and Vilnius’s university buildings – and also Tartu, Kaunas, Cesis, Jurmala and Klaipeda. I also loved the dunes of the Curonian Spit and walking the Hill of Witches. The Plokstine Cold War Museum visit was chilling (even though I can remember some of the events documented there) and I found visiting the occupation/KGB museums in Tallinn, Riga and especially Vilnius harrowing. Luckily there were much lighter times too: Rundale Palace (where we had a very amusing guide), the beautiful Pazaislis Monastery, the boat trip and walk around Trakai Castle, the amazing sculpture park and reconstruction of Turaida Castle (where I amazed myself by climbing the tower!), the concert in Riga Cathedral, …. So many happy memories of this trip!

Sharon Toop Discover the Baltics

Really Slow Test

Paul Micheli Patagonian Highlights