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Foreword : I would like to dedicate this page to three people in particular i.e.

            Marijke Vastbinder - for not minding her husband (Jan) taking off for two weeks with us.

             Eltjo and Margit - for kindly taking us in for the night and Margit especially for we were complete strangers to her, while Eltjo at least took some countrymen in.

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Sunday, April 25 2004 - Our tour started on Sunday. We waited for Jan to arrive at our house, drank some coffee, made the last arrangements and off we went.

I had plotted the tour on my new GPS (SP 2610) all the way to the Polish-Lithuanian border. Frankly, I had a route planner on my PC doing that, because the possibilities of planning here were better, than on the GPS itself. After that I used Mapsource (mapping-software) to get it into my GPS. We had decided to use a combination of speed, and beauty where possible. So the first part was mainly motorway until Osnabrück (Germany). From there on a more tourist route until the Polish border. This of course led through former Eastern Germany, where the roads were okay, until you entered a town. The tarmac then, changed into cobble-stones.

Our first coffee-stop was in Auetal (Germany), where we had the luck of witnessing a old-timer tour-ride. From very old to relatively modern. 

Today we had our first off-road experience. Somewhere there was a detour and with a little help of my GPS, I found a "way" back. Although one could hardly call it a road. 

We ended the day at Stendal, where we had a little trouble finding a place for the night. We found, however, a very nice hotel with a beautiful double floor room ! First floor : sitting room and bathroom. Second floor : single bed and spacious double bed-room.

After settling in we went to a Greek restaurant where we had dinner.

today's ride : 524,1 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Monday, April 26 2004 - 

Today we would go across the Polish border. We started at about 10.30h which was a bit late to our taste, but, not to mind, we were on vacation. The route was very beautiful with all shades of green.

Jan tried the odds at the border. We had to wait a long time and when finally it was our turn to hand over the passports, Jan decided that one check would be sufficient and tried to ride away. Very quick to be flagged down by the border patrol. What had happened: there were two checks, relatively close to another. The first the German and the second the Polish border guard. Now Jan had much experience with border checks " in the old days" and thought that both checks had been done (as they used to do). But not this time. That was very funny.     After that we tried to change some money, which again cost a lot of time, unfortunately.

The first part of Poland the roads were very bad. Not only that, but the Polish are terrible drivers. We had been warned beforehand, but you must experience it yourself first to believe it. No traffic signs are to be followed it seemed. Crossing a double white line ? No problem ! Taking over, while a car is coming your way ? Not to worry ! Okay, you'll learn to live with it in the end.

Today our second encounter with "the off-road". Nothing much, but ....... This was between Barsikow and Rohrlack. It was to be expected, while there was no road on one of the maps we carried with us, although the GPS told us to go there. Following the right track was getting difficult now, while I had the route on GPS, the map didn't show all roads anymore. Only the main roads. The margin of error was about 300mtr. which isn't so bad in the country, but bad enough in the city. 

In the evening we saw, what looked like a nice hotel at Koszalin. We rode up the entrance-lane and were welcomed by the manager, who told us we could get a room for 150 Zl. He even drove his car away to make some room for our bikes to park. We accepted the offer and stayed. We had a light dinner and later that evening we enjoyed ourselves in the bar. Not knowing then, what would happen the next morning.

Again a "funny" thing happened today. I had bought a new knife and cut my hand instantly. Right after that, Jan lost a "molar-jacket" while eating a candy, that Marijke had hidden in his luggage as a surprise. Well, it certainly was !

  What did we do today ? Well, 422 km. 

Tuesday, April 27 2004 - Well, this morning had a bad start. After breakfast Jan and I collected our baggage and Ilke went for the bill. When she had paid I asked her what the total was (since we had some drinks in the bar yesterday evening) and she told me some 320Zl, which was way too much !

So, we got to the man behind the desk and told him we only had to pay 150Zl for the room and some extra for the drinks. This wasn't possible, he told us. Luckily I saw the manager eating and told the man to check it out. After he returned, he told us that it still wasn't possible. So I turned around to look at the manager but he had gone now.     To cut a long and ugly story short: after a whole lot of discussion with mainly the manager's wife, they lowered the bill 50Zl . Still far too much, but since Ilke had already paid, there wasn't much we could do. I will mention this hotel as a warning NOT TO GO THERE !!!!! ("Trawa hotel"  at Koszalin - be warned)

After this incident, which took some considerable time, we headed toward the next stop (somewhere near the Polish-Lithuanian border).

We had beautiful weather. The road (tarmac) was of good condition and we made some good time. Again we were amazed by the way people drive around here. It's a two lane road, but with hard shoulders. So, they think, if you use the shoulders it's a three lane road. But when both oncoming traffic think that way .....     And.....there are drunken men, walking along the road !

Today's other stories: Ilke fell (of course). We had stopped for a traffic light when I heard something behind me (voices). I looked around and yes...there lay the bike.            Being of a certain age I have to use reading glasses to read the GPS, but this morning I broke a piece of the glass. With some ducktape I managed to put it back together, but .....    Jan had his guardian angel with him today. Somewhere down the road he missed the signs - road is turning to the right. Ilke and I both saw it coming. Far too late Jan tried to rectify his mistake and just managed to miss a car that came round the corner. Our heartbeat must have been 200bpm!

Amazing how much people love to see bikes. Children were waving when we came by.

Today we saw our first storks, which of course was a sensation ( afterwards  when we saw storks we had something like : " Ah, not again !" It's real stork territory in these countries.

We ended the day at Ketrzyn.

today's ride : 433,6 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Wednesday, April 28 2004 - Okay, today we would reach the border. This last part of Poland and yesterday's part is very beautiful, by the way. Now reaching the border is something completely different. Over 800 ! trucks we passed- standing in a line of about 18km !!!!!!!

Formalities were straightforward. The only thing was that we had to buy insurance-papers (€19 pp).

Lithuania is a flat country, more or less like the Netherlands a century ago (with all due respect). Riding here is not really thrilling. One nice incident involved a local- barefooted- who tried to communicate with us- which wasn't very successful. He showed us everything from the church to his horse and we had trouble getting on our way again.

At one point we stopped for a break, while the road was extremely dull (well, the ride then). On the map this was a yellow (small) line, but in reality this was a road which easily could have been located in the US. Long, broad and straight !! What maximum speed was allowed ? 70kmph ? 90kmph ? I didn't know, but accordingly to Jan, 70kmph was the max. We did 90kmph !

Another funny thing today was that in places you saw people in the field working with horse and plough and in the villages there were pedestrian crossings from the village, over the main road, to the fields ! I considered that funny.

We saw a lot of people along the way selling stuff. Mushrooms ? Wood ? We still don't know. And there were the occasional totem poles at the entrance of a village ! Very strange.

At peak hour we reached Vilnius. People gave us the thumbs up, which was very nice, but traffic was horrible. We parked our bikes at the end of what looked like a pedestrian area and Jan and Ilke went for the tourist information. Of course I stayed with the bikes. After some time a real Lithuanian biker came by, turned around and came up to me and we started a conversation, which was nice. Later a friend turned up and the three of us waited for Jan and Ilke to arrive. When they did, we talked for a while and then parted and rode to the local hostel, where we found a room for the night.

In the evening we strolled through Vilnius. In the old town there are a lot of churches to be seen.

today's ride : 341,6 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Thursday, April 29 2004 - This morning we had Vilnius on the program (again). Jan especially wanted to see the old Jewish quarter and wanted to go back to some of the churches we'd seen yesterday evening. Thus, so we did. The weather was nice and we had a nice walk. I found the signs on the walls specially nice. 

After a long stroll Ilke saw what looked like a roofed market and she went in. I waited for Jan, who did some sightseeing for himself. After Ilke came out, she handed out something looking like a Cornish pasty. It tasted nice.

Apart from the old buildings I found Vilnius a bit disappointing.

So, against midday we saddled up again and rode towards Riga. We ended the day at Birzai, where we had some trouble finding a hotel. But with the help of some English speaking youth, we found it in the end. It was a beautiful setting. The sun was setting and the sky was warm  (although there was a tough wind).  

The hotel was virtually empty, due to the fact that it was the weekend. During the week there were mainly businessmen, but they were all gone now. We had two separate rooms this time.  The manager ordered some pizzas and with a nice bottle of wine we managed to get through the evening :) 

today's ride : 238,1 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Friday, April 30 2004 - today we started with breakfast at the hotel, made a little tour through the nice neighborhood and then went on our way for Riga. This time we had to pass the Lithuanian - Latvian border. We rode to the nearest border and were stopped by two military. There was no crossing here for motorists ! The next crossing was 60km away. We tried to persuade the men, who had said that tomorrow ( when they had joined the EU) it would be: no problem ! With all kinds of jokes we tried and tried, but, although they too laughed, the answer remained: no.

There was nothing else to do than look for the shortest way to this international border. Luckily we had some maps and we figured out a route less than 60km, but partly "off road". Since we were prepared, we didn't mind. 

In the afternoon we got to Riga, where we tried to find a low budget hotel. This wasn't easy. It was difficult to find the town-center, but we managed. Again Jan and Ilke went out for the tourist information, while I stayed with the bikes. This was really midtown, so it didn't take a while before some people came up to me. Among which a man who looked like a drunk or a homeless. But he spoke German and that was strange while all the older people only spoke Russian. So I had a conversation with him and we spoke about soccer and the European Championship in Portugal, where Latvia, together with Holland, Germany are in the same group. After a while we were joined by a Dutchman, who lived in Riga and later by a woman from Manchester, who traveled on her own. All in all it was rather nice. But then Jan and Ilke returned. They had found a hostel. The only thing was, that we had to leave our bikes on a public parking place, although guarded. The lady "of the residence" walked with Jan and Ilke to this place and told the guard to take a special interest in our bikes (where he was paid for by the way). So we took all the gear off the bikes and parked them. 

We then took a stroll down Riga center. Nice. We liked it better than Vilnius. Riga is an old Hanze-town, and has some beautiful buildings.  After a bite we went for a place where a big crowd went to and found out that this evening, here the joining with the EU would be celebrated. It was a bit early though and Ilke wanted to go back after a while. And so we did, after a stop and a drink or two (Irish mist) in an "Irish" pub.       

Later that evening Jan and I went back to this place and stayed until 12pm. But it was a bit of a disappointment. There was a large crowd, but nothing really happened. (Later we were told that at 01.00am there had been some fireworks, due to an hour time difference.) We then went for a drink in a bar. The television was on and we were "treated" with a porn movie (but not for long  ;)  )   

today's ride : 150,9 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Saturday, may 1 2004 - Today we started with some more sightseeing in Riga. We went to the marketplace and did some shopping before we mounted our bikes again and headed off to the north. The weather again was outstanding and we had some nice roads again.

Then, when we were at Pärnu and we were checking out a tourist board I heard someone beside me say: "Hallo mannen, een hotel aan het zoeken ?" What was the case ? We had been followed for a while by a Dutchman (Eltjo Witkop) who had an Estonian girlfriend and who lived here. He had noticed our Dutch number plates and wanted to find out what we were going to do. So, after a chat he invited us over to stay the night at their place. This was a surprise of course, but as he insisted we said okay and rode to their house. Beautiful ! Sauna, hot tub, shower  everything. So we took advantage of that and settled in.

Later that night we went out for dinner. It was real nice except for the fried pig-ears, which was too rich for us. Funny thing was a "glass" of about 3 liter (!!!) filled with local beer. Not for a group of persons but for one !!!!!!!!!!

today's ride : 253,4 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Sunday, may 2 2004

Okay, today was an easy start. After a good night rest, we had breakfast and talked a lot. After that we said goodbye to Eltjo and Margit and thanking them for the zillionth time.

The ride today was nice. Again a long stretch of gravel road and we've seen two foxes, a very big bird and a gray bird which we couldn't identify as a stork or a 

We had to take the ferry to the Island, so we could have a rest and enjoy the nice view. The scenery on the island was fantastic.

At about 4.15 PM  we arrived at Kuresaara - hotel Arensburg. This was a very nice hotel. 

Being that early we decide to ride the island some more. Again a long stretch of gravel all the way to the "end" of the island, where we made some nice pictures. Then back again. In the meantime time hadn't stopped so we came in rather late (9.30 pm) and had a lot of trouble getting something to eat (everything was closed). After asking around we finally ended  at a disco. Indeed, we could have dinner there ! And good it was !

At the hotel we could make use of the internet (for free) and we thought we saw that in the coming days the temperature would be about 25-30° C !!!! Which is amazing, if true.             

today's ride : 275,6 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Monday, may 3 2004

Unfortunately, we found out that there was no ferry possible on the north side of the island on this day (and age). So we had to ride all the way back (78km) ! At about 11.30 am we reached the harbor again. Luckily there was plenty of sunshine although there was quite a bit of wind. Already at 1.00 pm the ferry sailed !!

The ride further was relatively smooth and at 3 pm we paused to fill our tanks again. It was a bit raining at this point (not much though), but still very warm and windy. Going towards Tallinn the temperature dropped a bit and so did the rain (it stopped, not dropped :)  ). But at Tallinn the temperature was again some 20-22°C. I can see this now because I've bought a digital thermometer for the bike.

At 5.45pm we were already 45 minutes riding in Tallinn, but as I tried to make things easier for Jan and Ilke (the traffic was very heavy at that point and by carefully maneuvering from one lane to another I tried to make space. Jan and Ilke though didn't make use of that, unfortunately. Again, after some riding through the city center, we parked the bikes and looked for a hotel. We did find one and I was at the point of "let's take it for heaven's sake" (because I had enough for the day), but Jan thought it too expensive. So Jan and Ilke took off to find something more suitable.

In the evening we walked into the old city, which is very nice. In fact, we think Tallinn is the nicest of the three capitals. Alas, it was rather dark and therefore difficult making nice pictures, although some worked out alright, as you can see.

today's ride : 259,2 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Tuesday, may 4 2004

This was the turning point in our trip. We had reached the farthest point and now we were "going back". Before we mounted our bikes again, we took a stroll through Tallinn. It was nice and sunny when we left the hostel, but it soon started to cloud over and indeed we got some showers. We walked all the way up to reach the highest point, from which you have a nice view over Tallinn. Also we went into a Russian orthodox church.

At about 1.45pm we finally left the place. The weather wasn't as nice as we were used to, but overall it was dry. Again we had a nice stretch of gravel-road. This time the traffic was more serious and at one point a car came all drifting through a curve in the road and had I not seen the dust cloud beforehand, I probably couldn't have avoided a collision.

In the evening we again had some trouble finding a place to stay. At 6.19pm we were at Karski-Nula and although there should be a place to stay, we couldn't find it and in the near distance was nothing (according to our data). At about 7.30 pm we then came to Tõrva Karja, where we had the choice between a hostel, a bed and breakfast and a hotel. As the hostel was about 3km off-road (riding) and the chance of going back again, we decided not to go there and go for a nice hotel.

And nice it was !! And cheap as well. Which was a surprise. We had a nice meal and enjoyed our stay. By the way, this hotel- Hotell de Tolly-  has glass stairs. It takes a while before you get used climbing that :) . 

today's ride : 295,5 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Wednesday, may 5 2004

After having breakfast we left this nice hotel at about 9.45am. At 10.30am we reached the border where we had some miscommunications. As Jan headed for customs we told him that we hade some money left and wanted to go into town to see if we could buy something useful for it. Jan, however, didn't hear us. So as we headed into town, Jan after some time followed us and obviously we missed each other. But after some back and forth riding we saw each other again. 

After some time we stopped for a drink. It was nice riding again over gravel forest road. Although it was a bit like a washboard. This was the first time Jan wasn't very happy with his -  not really off-the-road   - Yamaha Virago. Even my GPS socket plug came loose three times. At the time it was really hot, but there also was a lot of wind. Today was the nicest riding day up till now.

After the last part of gravel road we reached the border, where at April 30th we weren't allowed to cross. This time , being member of the EU (01052004), there was no problem at all !! We went to the same hotel at Birzai as last week. But now it was a bit more difficult to get a room, because it was midweek. 

today's ride : 319,3 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Thursday, may 6 2004 - Today's goal was Kleipeda. We wanted to make sure our tickets were okay and we wanted to know the exact sailing times, because of our return trip on Sunday.

We left at about 10 am. The weather was good, but there was kind of a storm blowing. Again we had a nice tour. We stopped at Kreuzberg for some sightseeing. This is a hill in the middle of nowhere with thousands of Christian crosses. It started once and became the place for making wishes and marriage pictures. And of course each time you'll have to place a new cross.

As I said, a nice ride and we were relatively early at Klaipeda, where we found a nice hotel (with the help or my GPS), with a very kind manager ( Hotel Morena) . We had a bit of luck there, because as we arrived there was no-one there and the hotel seemed to be closed. But luckily at the proper time someone arrived. And then, when we had settled in our rooms a dreadful rainstorm came over. But the temperature was very good. At 6.00 pm it still was 25°C ! (And don't forget the date !)

In the evening we went for a sauna, which was really nice and afterwards we had a nice drink (Tallinn) in the hotel club. Being out of season there was no girl pole-dancing (shame). From the place we sat we had a view at some other guests eating and having fun (loudly). We were about to meet them again in a few days.

today's ride : 295 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Friday, may 7 2004 - So today we had nothing really to go to. We had breakfast and Jan hovered the dining room, because, as the GPS, he wanted to leave some (bread) crums as well. After that we went into town to confirm our sailing back. As far as the departure and arrival times, we didn't get a straight answer. The departure time okay, but the leaflet said we were to arrive in the afternoon, whereas the woman at the desk thought, the arrival time would be in the morning. We had a drink at a big market square where we they were building something for a fair of some kind.

Then we left for the "Curonian Spit" ("Kurdische Nehrung") . This is a 98km dry land strip between the Baltic sea and the Curonian lagoon, formed by sand, sea waves, current and wind some 5000 years ago. (In 2000 it was included into UNESCO World Heritage List as valuable cultural landscape).

Halfway this is the border with Belarussia. Here would be a vast area with dunes, resembling the dessert. So first crossing the harbour with the ferry and next touring. Now the weather wasn't as  good as we were used to and we had some rain. Also the temperature had dropped and we found ourselves a nice (warm) place where we drank hot chocolate. In the meantime there was a bit of storm and a lot of rain.

But things cleared after a while and we continued our ride. At some point we reached the border and had to turn back, because you had to have a visa, to cross. On the way back we had some view at the dunes and we stopped. We left the bikes at the edge of the road and walked into forbidden ! territory. It was clearly marked, we it didn't stop us. Having walked some distance , it really looked like a dessert. Looking back we saw a control tower and made jokes about if we could see them, they would be able to see us. And yes, as we approached the place where we left our bikes, there was a military with a automatic rifle waiting for us. Apparently we looked trustfully because he said nothing and let us go. On the way back we bought some souvenirs (barn stone) .

At 07.30pm we were back, where we had a little chat with the ever so nicely manager, who tried to assist us in every possible way.

today's ride : 122,7 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Saturday, may 8 2004 - 
Unfortunately the last day. Again we had a nice breakfast at the hotel. We then went to the local (flee) market (renowned) where we had a look at all the stuff. Amazing was the "loesje" poster.  This is a group of people that started in Holland some years ago with (political and social stated) one liners. Jan had a field day with all the equipment they had. And there was honey and fish and ...... Very nice.

After that we returned to the hotel and started loading our stuff on the bikes and said goodbye to this ever friendly manager. Next we tried to find the harbour. This wasn't as close as we thought it to be and we had to ride some distance. At the parking place we stopped and went inside the office for customs etc.
 

We had to wait a long time before we could embark. It looked like a bus was broken down and had to be fixed before anything else could happen. After that was helped the lorries had to embark. They had to that in reverse !! After a while it was our turn and I made the same actions as the truck drivers (going backwards to the boat, but they told that wasn't necessary   :)   After that we had to fix the bikes to the boat using ropes and hooks designed for trucks. Luckily I had some ropes with me that were better suited for the job. Then we had to find our cabins. First we had to cross this enormous boat, climb some ladders, use a lift (elevator), find the person in charge of the cabin keys and find the cabin itself. That wasn't easy, considering we had all our luggage with us.

Now it was funny that on this ferry were also the cops we had seen on the marketplace at Kleipeda (although at that point we didn't know of course) and at our hotel (dining). It turned out that they were invited by the Lithuanian police (who have a bad name here) to tell the people about police work in Germany.

In the evening we had dinner ( not bad at all) apart from the truck-drivers and after that we sat in a "passengers room" and had a lot of fun. The truck-drivers were watching a movie and commented loudly  :)

today's ride : 20 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Sunday, may 9 2004 - After a good night's rest we reached Strassnitz. Unfortunately far too late. We parted from our friends and rode as fast as we could towards home. In all it was a pity because the first part was very nice (weatherwise and surroundings-wise). But there was no time to waste.

Things got worse after we came on the motorway. Now we could make some speed. Both weather and surroundings changed for the worst. There isn't much to say for the rest of the day. We had a quick bite somewhere near Osnabrück, where we said good-bye to Jan (he went to his sister in Dortmund - I think). Ilke and I then, went home in the dark and both of us were very happy when in the end we could park our bikes at our house. It was close to 11.00pm and we were exhausted !

today's ride : 701,9 (real) km  -measured by the GPS

Warning if you go to the Baltics : be sure you take a good map of the surroundings. Although they are upgrading the roads very fast, you still get the chance of driving/riding a tarmac-road and suddenly it changes into gravel. There are no highways/motorways in Estonia, but overall you'll find the best roads here.

Here's a nice link for Estonia (see for yourself. It's not in English, but nevertheless) and here are another bunch.

These are for Lithuania and these for Latvia.

Here   are a lot of links about Tallinn, here for Riga, and here for Vilnius (mind you, they all are Dutch starting pages, but most of the links go to English written sites)

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All photographs taken with Canon pro90IS and adjusted for the internet. Except for a few changes in background (blurring*and/or cropping **) or slight cosmetic changes***, these photographs are not tampered with ! And if you didn't figure it out yet: click on a photograph to get a full view ! (this may take some time, depending on your download speed !)

© 1999-2004 Henk Vink and Ilke Harmsen