The Baltic Capitals in photos.

The Baltics… three countries in northern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Three countries that were in the mist of it all during many wars especially the Cold War. I won’t go into detail about all that because  I myself barely understand what happened and well that is not what this post is about. The Baltic capitals consist of Tallinn, Riga & Vilnius. I visited each of them recently and enjoyed them a lot. Each capitals history dates back to before the 11th century and each has it’s old town and the new city around them. The most intriguing part of this regions history is the medieval period. It’s a period full of legends, myths and fascinating stories that even include dragons!!! What’s crazy is that most of the tiny alleys and cobble stone streets in the old town really do date back to the 11th century. I spent most of my time exploring the old town of each and was able to capture many photos. I was shocked by the amount of photos I actually took. Each of them is unique in their own way, but all are so photogenic. Here I share the Baltic capitals in photos.

—Tallin, Estonia—

—A view of a portion of old town Tallinn from above.—

—One of the many cute dead ends you’ll encounter as you explore the cobble stoned streets of old town Tallinn.—

—One of Tallinn’s old town alleys.—

—Town Hall Square.—

—Getting lost in the Old Town.—

—Love the color of this house & the bike is cute too.—

—One of the many towers along the wall that surrounds Tallinn’s old town.—

—Roof tops in Tallinn’s Old Town as seen from one of the medieval towers surrounding the city.—

—Another cobble stoned street in the Old Town.—

—Riga, Latvia—

—Latvian beer I had with one of my Instagram followers.—

—Cute alley in Riga’s Old Town.—

—Cute car.—

—A French Horn lying on the side of a basement door in an alley in Riga.—

—Last tower standing!!! Riga too was once surrounded by a wall built between the 12-14th century but sadly in 19-20th century people thought it would be a good idea to tear it down to make it a more modern city.—

—A church wall, a window, two trees & a cobblestone street in Riga.—

—House of the Blackheads.—

—A lady crossing a street in Riga’s Old Town.—

—Riga is proud of its architecture, especially the magnificent heritage of Art Noveau architecture.—

—Vilnius, Lithuania—

—Newly wed couple walking from the church down the streets of Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania!—

—An alley way in the old town of Vilnius.—

—An unfinished piece of street art on the streets of old town Vilnius.—

—Old town Vilnius from above.—-

—The modern part of the city or the downtown of Vilnius.—

—A small stone marking the place where, the human chain of Baltic Way was started linking Vilnius with Riga and Tallinn.—

Before visiting the Baltic capitals I had no idea what to expect, but after about 2 weeks in Scandinavia they were a much needed break on my budget. I quickly realized why so many Scandinavians vacation here or make weekend trips here. The capitals are beautiful, small yet big enough for lots of fun and on top of it all cheap. While I was there I learned a bit more about the history of the region and more so of it’s recent history and it’s heartbreaking. Instead of focusing on that though I decided to focus on it’s vibrant colors and life that radiates as you explore each city. I loved getting lost in each old town and discovering new little corners of beauty. I liked finding myself alone on a street with no other tourist in site. In most of these it wasn’t easy. I was shocked by the amount of tourist each capital receives. Nothing wrong with tourist… I know I am a tourist too, but don’t like them in my photos. Sadly this time around I only had time to explore the capitals of each of the Baltic countries. I would love to go back one day and visit the country side of each because from what I heard and what I saw getting from capital to capital by bus they are amazing too. Have you been to any Baltic country? What are your thoughts on them?

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