Northern Europe

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Pre-emptive activities

After breakfast, I explored both the upper and lower parts of the old city. My thinking was that the free walking tour at midday might cover some alternative sites or the weather may turn. As it turned out, the free walking tour covered much the same areas but I got a little more insight into […]

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Moving on to Estonia

Today I bussed from Riga to Tallinn in Estonia. The 1000 departure meant that I could have a leisurely start, walking from the hostel to the station at 0930. The 4h30 Lux Express bus ride was smooth and went quickly with two movies. Surprisingly the entire journey was on 2-lane roads (one in each direction) […]

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Wet day sightseeing

The Kalnciema Street Market across the river came highly recommended so I decided to make my way there by bus after breakfast. Buses, trolleybuses and trams were all free today (and tomorrow) due to the city’s festival day. The weather was drizzly and I needed my poncho. The market was more intimate than I had […]

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Outside the old town to Jurmala

As in Lithuania, I made myself a breakfast of fruit, muesli and kefir. I wandered out to the Central Market housed in blimp (zeppelin) hangars bought from post-war Germany which needed money. I enjoyed the variety of food in there and it gave me an insight into the local cuisine and specialties. Mushrooms are in […]

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Moving on to Latvia

I had been undecided about walking 30+ mins to the bus station or taking a taxi. I’ve read that hailing a cab here leads to a rip-off and one should really book it online, using the app or call up. With the wifi at the gueshouse down, the decision was made for me. Fortunately the […]

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Outing to Trakai

I woke early to a gloomy morning. I had planned to go to Trakai for the castle today. It was a toss up between cheap public transport or a tourist bus at 1100 at EUR20. As I was up so early, I decided on the public bus which only takes 30 minutes. It was the […]

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Exploring more of Vilnius

I woke early due to the time zone which I had just come from. Breakfast was self-catered from the supermarket. I went for another walk around old town to try cover areas which I hadn’t yet touched, then got some food from the supermarket for a park-bench lunch. At midday I joined he free walking […]

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Flying cheaply to Vilnius

I moved from the Louis Tavern lounge at Bangkok Airport to my departure gate about an hour prior to my flight to Vilnius. The gate didn’t seem that crowded but once everyone was on board the old 767, it was packed. Ukraine International Airlines puts 8 seats across instead of the usual 7 seats; it […]

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Meeting a friend in Brancaster

Before I left Kuching, I thought I’d make plans to catch up with a friend Laurence in nearby Cambridge, as I had been unsuccessful on previous visits. Then I remembered that he had moved to Doha. I messaged him about my booboo and he replied that he would actually be back here, arriving on the […]

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Team Java reunion in Cambridge

We had overnighted in Norwich last night after the wedding party. A full buffet English breakfast was served at 0800. We left around 1000 back to Downham Market for a brief stop before continuing to Cambridge to meet Jerome and Floriane, whom I travelled with in Java a few years ago. Unfortunately we couldn’t time […]

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