Kali Bliss Travel

Category: Europe

  • Visby, Gotland, Sweden

    This morning we were greeted by sunny, cool weather, which made for a pleasant day of wandering, first on our historical-cultural, natural history and photography walking tours of Visby; later on the nature walk on the island Stora Karlsö.

    The city of roses and ruins is an apt description of Visby, the capital city of the island of Gotland. Roses bloom beautifully and abundantly here due to the mild climate, and of the seventeen great churches, there remains just one not in ruins, as the Hanseatic city Lübeck set fire to Visby in 1525. In the old town only 150 medieval houses remain, but they provide a picture of the glories of past times, as does Visby’s ancient city wall. Built in the 13th century, it encompasses almost the entire city and supports 44 towers. Since 1995 Visby has been a UNESCO World Heritage site.

    Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic Sea and Sweden’s warmest and sunniest location. Some 75 miles long and 35 miles wide, it is situated atop a limestone plateau. The island was once a favored stopping place for sailing ships on their way to other destinations in the Baltic Sea and on to the rivers of Russia. Visby became a Hansa city in the 13th century and proved to be of strategic importance and mercantile prominence. As a result it came under the domination of three states: Sweden, Denmark and briefly Russia.

    We explored Visby’s charming, narrow, cobble-stoned streets where our guides regaled us with stories of Visby’s history. A visit to the Lutheran Cathedral of St. Mary allowed us to get off our feet for a short time. This magnificent Romanesque and Gothic church, completed in 1225, was originally the house of worship of the German merchants. Often rebuilt, it was completely restored at the turn of the 20th century. There are four organs of varying sizes in the church, but funds have not yet been raised to restore the Baroque organ.

    Our tour included a visit to the exceptional Gotlands Fornsal Museum. There we saw extraordinary rune stones created between 400 and 1000 AD, as well as an impressive array of silver bracelets and coins from some 20 trading countries stretching from Arabia to the Far East. The Vikings were vividly depicted by artefacts as were the brutal methods of warfare seen on skulls in coats of mail.

    I enjoyed walking along the streets, viewing the cathedral, and just looking at the quiet Sunday life in the town. I saw a few locals come out, and enjoyed watching a family drink lattes, fresh squeezed orange juice, and eating something similar to apple pie, as if this was their Sunday Breakfast and ritual. The cafe I found made a decorative latte design with the milk, so I could not resist getting one. Very many good views from the city, I loved seeing the sea from different views, especially the architecture variance from above. I took a plethora of photos of all the flowers and enjoyed photographing the street mirrors, an obsession I had when we I went to Switzerland/Greece years ago.

  • Riga, Latvia

    Today we spent a lovely time in Riga, the capitol city of Latvia. We strolled through the old part of the city where buildings were built in the Art Nouveau style has been beautifully preserved. It is quite remarkable that so many ornate buildings survived the Soviet period where ugly utilitarian high rises were so often built in other former Soviet republics. Riga shows almost no sign of its former occupiers, in contrast with the cities we have visited in recent days where the memory is much fresher. Riga displays many modern bridges and other structures which give the city the feeling of a very modern and progressive metropolis. Although unemployment remains a problem, the general feeling one gets is of a quite prosperous society. This is a beautiful Hanseatic City dating from 1201. The city is dominated by its eclectic architecture from a variety of periods.  Interestingly, none of the buildings got destroyed from World War and Latvia was lucky enough to still stand strong after. I enjoyed taking way too many photos of the unique details each building had.

    The historic city center is a World Heritage Site, recognized for its finest collection of art noveau buildings in Europe. I spent the morning walking around the quiet end of town where many of the embassies are and more residential area. At about 930am I wandered into a small coffee shop, mostly just to check it out. To my surprise, they did not take Euros or Visa/Mastercard. I was out of luck. Suddenly two fine looking men approached me and offered to buy me a coffee. They actually tried to get me to try the cheesecake and all sorts of other baked goods they had. For 930am I had to decline. I settled on a nice latte, and after saying no thanks, finally agreed to let them buy it for me. I chatted with them for a little. At the time I didn’t piece together that it was almost 10am on a Saturday, and they had probably gone out the night before. They tried to convince me that their beverages, a nice cup of hot chocolate, a shot of spicy rum, and a lemon, was a typical Latvia morning delight. Hahaha. I watched as they took the rum, sipped the coco and then bit some lemon. Wow. I wanted to stick around and chat with them more, however, I was worried the bus was going to take off and leave me on the outside of the main city. I said thanks and rushed off to find my bus, which was pulling away as I turned the corner. They let me on last minute.

    We drove around the city which was actually quite scenic and not boring at all. The buildings are all full of different colors, statues, and decorations. Back when they were being built, there was wide beliefs in spirits, and many building had certain decorations carved on the outside to help with protection. For example, sculptures of dogs could be found at the top to protect from evil, mad or sad faces, different birds, etc. They were all beautiful and really add to the look of the city.

    Next I went onto Old Town, the more popular area of the city, full of cobbled streets and a tall copper green cathedral. I watched kids perform “Dzintarins” which showed what I think was traditional Latvia dance. Children under 18 performed some dances in Heidi looking costumes, with their hair done up and tied with ribbons. It was excellent and nice to see some culture and kids. I also visited a church and saw some wonderful organs play. It’s a weekly Saturday routine for the organs to do a show of three songs every Saturday at noon. Many locals came to hear it as well. After all the sight seeing I decided to sit down an people watch a café. I tried the local drink, a liquor which was described similar to Jager. I had it mixed with black current juice and warmed though so the actually liquor taste was probably minimized. It was okay, I probably would not get it again though.  The potato pancakes I had though were to die for. The best potato pancakes I’ve ever had! It’s popular in the Baltic to have potato pancakes with salmon on top. I also tried some kind of cooked vegetable disk too. It was similar to eggplant, cut in half, then topped with more vegetables and some kind of cheese. Delicious! Latvia is known for the black bosom liquor, some chocolate that is filled with alcohol, and a cheesecake that is also based special with some kind of liquor. I tried the liquor, but the rest will have to wait.

    I really enjoyed seeing Latvia, especially because it was sunny with no cloud in sight. I’m glad we got to see the area, learn some history, learn about the buildings, and just hang out in the town. I’d recommend stopping by if you ever get a chance. I also enjoyed photographing.

    ** For more photos check out my Mobile Me Account**

    Some other facts:

    –       There is a McDonalds

    –       Guys must bring their date flowers or else it is considered rude. Because of that there are flower stands in the main street that are open nearly 24 hours.

    –       Black Bosum is the national drink (liquor)

    –       Laima is their chocolate-famous for it

    –       There are many coffee shops on every corner, no Starbucks, but they do have a popular chain

  • Gdansk, Poland

    Gdansk is known as the birthplace of Solidarity, the pivotal democratic movement that helped shape changes throughout Easter Europe. It is also the homeland of Lech Walesa, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of Poland, who came aboard later in the day and gave a lively speech.

    We entered the mouth of the Vistula River before breakfast and were soon alongside in the area known as Nowy Port (New Port). Busses were needed to transfer us to the historic centre of city, an interesting short ride that took us past the Solidarity monument, currently under restoration, but still a moving reminder of the tumultuous days of the early 1980s when Lech Walesa, then a shipyard electrician, led the dockyard strike that opened up the first cracks in the edifice of the post World War II Soviet bloc.

    The twentieth century was not kind to Poland in general or to Gdansk in particular. On this very day in 1939, the opening shots of the Second World War were fired from the Vistula at a local fortification by the German gunship Schleswig-Holstein, supposedly on a friendly visit to the port. The Westerplatte Memorial today marks the spot. By the end of the war between five and six million Poles were dead, including the 20,000 Polish officers massacred by the Soviets, apparently an effort to eliminate Poland’s cadre of leadership. Our morning city tour concentrated on the small downtown area that was lovingly restored from old photographs following total destruction during the war. The quality of the rebuilding is all the more remarkable given the parlous nature of the economy in post-war Poland and speaks volumes for the Pole’ famous love of country.

    Having already visited Lübeck, we quickly observed the pattern of a mediaeval Hanseatic city, its enormous brick-built cathedral, a worthy successor to Lübeck’s Mareinkirche. Particularly noteworthy were the town walls and gates facing the river, one equipped with an enormous mediaeval crane used to erect the masts on the Hanseatic cogs. We were soon aware also of that famous commodity of the Baltic’s southern shore, amber. A trans-European trade in amber has been conducted since prehistoric times: Baltic amber is found across the length and breadth of Europe, the earliest example of such a trade in what appears to us to be a luxury commodity as opposed to one of life’s essentials.

    Afternoon options included visits to the excellent Maritime and Archaeological Museums but for many the highlight was the Zodiac cruise through the enormous shipyards, the scene of the Solidarity events. To round off the afternoon, what could have been more fitting than to have former President Lech Walesa visit the ship to address us and answer questions. He was given a hero’s welcome.

    I really enjoyed Poland and thought the town was beautiful. I have a lot of Polish in me, so it was nice to see a part of the Country my family is from. I loved how locals and kids were buying ice cream before 10am, definitely my kind of town. Haha. The main area is filled with many amber and tourist shops though. Though, the architecture and beauty makes up for the tourist attractions. We had a nice lunch at a local cafe and enjoyed some Polish soup, yummy potato pancakes with salmon, Gdansk’s famous dumplings, and my Dad tried out the Polish schnitel. I really enjoyed going through the waterways in Gdansk and seeing the harbor, massive ships, huge cranes, and learning about the waterways. It was nothing I’ve ever seen! Incredible, we even watched a crane pick up the upper section of a boat and just take it off and transport it to another! Boating to a new level…makes you appreciate the simplicity of San Diego Bay. Of course another highlight was listening to Lexh Walesa, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of Poland, talk aboard the shit that evening.