PORTUGAL (2016): My new favorite country?
Lisbon: Absolutely endearing capital. Looks like a Mediterranean San Francisco. The city is now coming into its own. There is much infrastructure construction happening. It is on the verge of discovery. The food and vinho verde was cheap and delicious. I LOVE this city!
Sintra: VERY touristy city north of Lisbon with many palaces, castles, and parks. Lovely town is overrun by tourists… but for good reason.
Mexilhoeira Grande: Small town in the Algarve near the tourist towns. Wonderful low-key undiscovered place to stay to get a feel of life before tourism.
Portimao: Relaxed touristy town in the Algarve. Great place to catch excursions off the coast and begin your adventure.
ANDORRA (2017): Not Spanish, not French, but loveable.
Ordino– Small, scenic, charming stone covered village in the mountains. A skiing center and a good place to base yourself for some lovely hikes in the Pyrenees.
Andorra la Vella– Capital of the small Principality. VERY small historic district. City feels like a big shopping and banking center. Stunning bus station annoyingly does not connect international buses with national ones. Take a bus to one of the scenic villages that dot the country.
FINLAND (2022): Return to Travel
Helsinki– Cosmopolitan capital and great gateway to the Baltic countries. Modern architecture was expected but also some wonderful Russian and Art Deco architecture that surprised me. Not a lot of sights but very livable city.
ESTONIA (2022): Nordic-Baltic Jewel
Talinn– Beautiful historic capital. Medieval town center is lively and very well preserved. Delicious food scene, and quite cosmopolitan despite the provincial ambience. The culture was reminiscent of Finland, but with the scars of Soviet occupation. Thoroughly modern society though.
LATVIA (2022): Amber and all that jazz.
Riga– This capital is a tale of 2 cities. Its old town center feels quite Dutch, a remnant of its history as a Hanseatic city. The second city is an Art Nouveau masterpiece, think Paris but with Orthodox Churches instead of Latin ones. Total Party town on weekends. Its famous market is overwhelming. I did buy a quality amber gift there affordable though.
LITHUANIA (2022): Spirits & Religion
Vilnius– Vibrant capital of a very proud state. The only city on our Baltic Trip where the destruction of WWII was noticeable in the reconstruction of some important buildings, which could not replace the historical treasures that were lost. In contrast to most of Europe, the churches there are not just museums or reliquaries of art but very active religious communities. On Sundays there were many Masses and they were all packed, belying this uncomfortably conservative country. However, after one partakes in the burgeoning cocktail scene one gets comfortable again!
Trakai– Nice daytrip from Vilnius. Small town with a very photogenic castle on a lake. It is also a home for the Turkic Karaim community, which makes it a good place to try a completely different cuisine than offered throughout the Baltics.
