The Detouring Doctor

“We don’t want war here.” This is the sentiment expressed to my life partner by the manicurist tending to her “paws”. Throughout Lithuanian solidarity with Ukraine is at the fore front from sentiments on buses to Ukrainian flags on balconies through to the Presidential Palace where the columns to the left reflect the Lithuanian flag and those on the right the Ukraine flag.

People here are nervous, if (or when) Ukraine falls they may be easy pickings and next in line.

The capitol Vilnius is more spread out than many others. Tree lined boulevards and elegant buildings line the streets of this sophisticated city. There is a thriving fine food and cafe culture. What I am most impressed with is the number of churches here. Largely Catholic and Orthodox. Interestingly, Vilnius had one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe. Tragically that is, of course until the Nazis occupied this place and the holocaust decimated the local Jewish population.

This is a city that takes a bit of time and effort to “drill” beneath the surface and enjoy its offerings but when one does you are rewarded in spades.

One of the more unusual sights we have seen is the Hill of Crosses in the north of Lithuania. Originally a site of a mediaeval wooden castle it became a site for people to erect crosses after the 1863 uprising. The Soviets tried to destroy the hill numerous times demolishing thousands of cross in the middle of last century. After independence in 1991 the hill became a major pilgrimage destination. Estimates now place the number of crosses at a mind boggling 200,000. Walking through the site is at once inspiring and macabre. The gentle breeze sets the Roary beads tinkling among the veritable forest of crucifixions.

Arriving in Kaunas Google maps gets us into a rundown old Soviet style courtyard. The buildings alongside look run down and somewhat derelict. This is our accommodation! Walking up 4 flights of stairs we open the door and step into a dazzling white luxurious apartment. Go figure! This is a common theme in the Eastern European former Soviet states. Since independence in 1991 entrepreneurs have taken old apartments and renovated them for tourist rental. I have experienced this in Moldova and Albania and even in non Soviet Greece in the port town of Piraeus.

Kaunas is Lithuania’s second city. It has a small old town which, after Riga, paes by comparison. Nonetheless the remains of the 14th century fort and the beautiful Gothic cathedral are certainly worth a look.

It’s our last day in this beautiful Baltic country. We rent a car to take us east to the tourist spot of Sigulda. It is an easy one hour drive along motorway and we are in forested hilly countryside. Our first stop is the 13th century Turaida Castle.

A short 5 minute drive takes us to the Sigulda cable car. When I researched this I had my doubts. There are no significant mountains here and all that I read about it suggested it was just treetop views over a valley. That is exactly how it transpired. While pleasant, nothing spectacular.

The finale for Latvia is a 2 hour drive west along the way to Lithuania our next destination. The 18th century Rundale Palace is spectacular. Framed by an extensive French garden reminiscent of Versailles this is a classic European Palace. Commissioned by the Duke of Corland in 1736 it was not completed until 1762. The Russians took over and in 1795 Catherine the Great gave this palace to the youngest brother of her lover. The Germans occupied it in WW1 and used it as a hospital.After WW1 it was used as a school. Restoration started in 1972 and was not finished until 2015. The result is magnificent, see for yourself.

This country remained under often brutal Soviet rule until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. As I wander around the cobblestone streets of the beautiful old town with upmarket shops, restaurants and cafes I try to imagine what this was all like before 1991. A dictator repressive state, no shops, food shortages fear of arbitrary arrest and execution.

We visit the KGB headquarters and once again I am struck by the ordinariness of the building. It is just an old multistory house on the main street. Like similar institutions I have visited in Budapest and Tirana there is no surrounding wall, no barbed wire just a house that the locals quickly learn that if you are brought in here you are not seen again. People were arrested and interrogated on suspicion of being enemies to the state. They never left alive. Apart from executions with the body dumped in local forests the other fate was export to Siberia to eventually perish in the freezing gulags.

The parting speech from our guide is an ongoing call to freedom. He directly references Russia and Putin. The Russian border is only 300 km away and it’s 1.5 million Latvians vs 100 million Russians. There is clearly a sense of anxiety with the war with Ukraine. Sadly it seems that a new Soviet empire is waxing and the Baltic states are jittery. Hopefully history does not repeat itself here and these Baltic minnows are not swallowed up by an increasingly chauvinistic and aggressive Russian superpower.

I blink on emerging into the bright sunlight, aware of the fact that hundreds of others never got the opportunity to do so. The finale for Riga is a relaxing river and canal cruise.

It’s an early start with a 6 am alarm on our ferry into Latvia. There are no direct ferries from Stockholm to Riga. The ferries leave Sweden from Nysnhamn 1 hour out of Stockholm and arrive in Ventspiels 3 hours by bus out of Riga. We arrive in Riga for brunch before checking into our spotless apartment right in the heart of the old city.

Founded in 1201 it has an Eastern European vibe about it. For a country of only 1.5 million people this capitol punches way above its weight. Over the centuries this country has been dominated by the Poles and then the Swedes. In 1918 it declared independence which was short lived. In 1940 during WW2 the Soviets occupied the country. In 1941 Nazi Germany assumed control until 1944 when the Soviets took control again in the face of a failing German war effort.

Everyone knows that Sweden is the land that produced the Vikings. Being a nation of islands seafaring is a key skill. We decided to celebrate that in two very different ways.

Firstly an archipelago cruise that takes you out of urban Stockholm out to some of the many islands. While pleasant enough it is not scenically spectacular.

Lunch on our last day was in the highly related restaurant in the Viking museum. The food was spectacular utilising local produce but more interestingly we sampled a variety of meads. These are honey based alcoholic drinks dating back to Viking times.

After lunch it is off to the Vasa museum. In 1628 the warship Vasa, overloaded with canons capsized and sank on its maiden voyage. Around 250 of a crew of 430 died that day. The ship sank in the frigid waters around Stockholm which kept it perfectly preserved for 3 centuries. In 1961 the massive project to raise the ship started and it is now housed in a massive museum above ground. We walk in and are awestruck by the size of this behemoth! It is impossible to get a decent photo of the whole ship and the ornate wooden sculptures that adorn it are artistically beautiful.

When you think of island nations your mind drifts to tropical Pacific islands or maybe Carribbean. If asked the question which country has the most islands I would have thought Indonesia, Phillipines or even Japan. Fun fact the answer is actually Sweden with over a quarter of a million islands. Their capitol, Stockholm’s is actually built on a number of islands and illustrates this nicely.

The old town, Gamla Stan is on an island of its own in the heart of the larger city. It is the tourist magnet and justifiably so. It is an exquisite maze of cobbled laneways, colourful mediaeval buildings, cathedrals and castles. We easily spend a whole day here and do not get bored. Enjoy the pictures.

Lined up in bright morning sunshine there is an obvious similarity in the demographic here. Predominantly 55+ year old women and the husbands they have dragged along. Yes we are in Stockholm at the ABBA museum.

Much loved by now Aussie grandmothers the group is arguably Sweden’s most famous musical export. They rose to fame after winning the 1974 Eurovision concert stage in Britain. Strangely the UK contestant that year was a lady called Olivia Newton John. This win launched a stellar career for this daggy looking quartet who interestingly were already coupled up with each other.

While not a significant part of my musical life in the past I happily admit to having a number of their hits in my musical collection and enjoying them. My life partner on the other hand was a teenage superfan having seen them at their Melbourne concert at the Sydney Myer music bowl in Melbourne in 1977.

She is in seventh heaven here and I enjoy sharing he experience with her.

A soggy welcome from Norway’s second largest city. Bergen with a population of a quarter of a million has 300 rainy days per year. It is heavily tourists especially with mega cruise ships due to its beautiful, compact historical centre. Arguably the prettiest city in Norway.

We farewell our luxurious cabin on the Polaris for the last time with an element of sadness. The cruise has exceeded all expectations helped on with an amazing unseasonal run of sunny weather. Disembarking we are faced with a monster cruise ship from MSC lines apparently 4300 passengers. Our plucky little vessel is dwarfed by this behemoth.

Again we hit the ground running in spite of our mid afternoon arrival spurred on by the weather forecast of deteriorating conditions tomorrow. First stop is the cable car up for the mountaintop view over Bergen and the surrounding fjords. We arrived with a few minutes of photography before the wind springs up and the rain pelts down.

Back at Bergen street level the rain has eased and we wander through the old town centered on the harbourside are called Bryggen. In 1360 the German Hanseatic league set up a wharf and buildings here and this town became the hub for all trade in and out of Norway. Today these picture postcard buildings are UNESCO listed and caters to the booming tourist trade here.

With another day here my plan was to pay homage to Norway’s most famous composer Edvard Grieg, composer of the famous Peer Gynt suite.

His house is 20 minutes drive out of Bergen at Troldhagen and is set in a beautiful garden setting overlooking a fjord. It is now a memorial museum. I started researching how to get out there and then went onto their website for opening hours. You can imagine my mood when their website said the museum closed 3 weeks ago for major renovations! Not happy but nothing I can do so after some initial disappointment comes resignation.

I feel like a caged lion sitting on a bus watching the sights pass me by unable to get a decent photo! Established in…. Trondheim is the first city I have seen in Norway with a genuine historical centre. My original plan for Trondheim which is a very walkable city was not to engage in a tour and do it my way as usual. That was until I looked at the opening hours for Nidaros, the northernmost Gothic cathedral in Europe and the main tourist attraction here. It opens to the public at 9am and we have to be back at the ship at 9:20am! So here I am on a tour sacrificing the rest of Trondheim for the interior of the cathedral. Fortunately the cathedral does not disappoint. So here are my meagre pickings for Trondheim with spectacular shots of the cathedral.