Along the Baltics – Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia) and Helsinki (Finland)

August 1-3, 2024

Latvia, a small Baltic country sandwiched between Estonia on the North and Lithuania to the south with a current population of 1.9 million, has spent very little time as an independent nation. The land traded hands between the Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and German empires. It broke free from Germany in 1918 after WW1, and remained independent until a coup in 1934. Between 1938 and 1944 it bounced back and forth between occupation by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and by the end of WWII it was firmly a Soviet territory. With the highly educated populace, the Soviets created an industrial hub around Riga, and made it an area that allowed western tourism from the 1960’s onward – with money going toward restoring the old town to make it appealing. In 1987, the area became part of the “Singing Revolution” active throughout the Baltic nations under Soviet rule (I didn’t find a lot about it – but the people would gather and sing Mass). Latvia regained independence in 1991.

Now, Riga “enjoys” the large influx of tourism and continues to be a hub of industrialization for the region.

One of the common symbols of the city is the black cat…

When it comes to local “flavor” the local foods include a cold beet soup…

That night was “Yorkshire Day” – so we joined Liam and about 100 other cruisers at the Pub onboard, enjoying entertainment, some good pints, and cake!

A little further up the Baltic Sea took us to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. We had a great Guru walk guide named Gleb – a historian with a sense of humor. Since winning independence from the Soviet Union in 1991: Estonia won Eurovision in 2001 ( Estonia Eurovision 2001 ) – and held fundraisers to host 2002 – hosting the most entrants (24) up to that date. They have also been named the most digitally advanced nation in Europe. The problem, according to Gleb “no one cares” – making them the Rodney Dangerfield of Europe.

Like its neighbor, Latvia, Estonia has been governed by a host of others entities. Among the most significant was Denmark – who got their flag from a vision during their invasion of Estonia.

And I can’t leave the area without purchasing some amber – the area is known for its high quality amber jewelry.

The next day we arrived in Helsinki (a very short sail). The capital of Finland – the “happiest country in the world” – is known for many things, but our Guru for the day stressed the importance of the sauna (which, by the way – we do not pronounce correctly – elongate the “a” and bring the sound up a little). As one of the only Finnish words to make it into the English language – he asked we at least pronounce it correctly. He stated about the only time a Finn will bother you with a conversation is when in the sauna.

Finland spent a lot of its history as part of Sweden (1150-1809 – so yes, longer as part of Sweden than as an independent nation)- and for many years Swedish was the only official language.

After the main tour, which ended at the library, we proceeded onto the Church In the Rock – Scandinavian countries tend to name things in a very direct way.

Next stop – Stockholm and beyond!