Dram: Jugendstile

Riga, Latvia, is known for its "jugendstile" -- a style of architecture similar to Art Nouveau -- which can be seen throughout the New Town. The most famous collection of these buildings is on Alberta iela (street) and during my extensive walking tour I checked it out. I don't know much about architecture styles, but I was pretty impressed and thought it would be "worth a Dram" to share a couple of my favorites. (As always, you can click on the thumbnail photos above for larger images.)

Logbook: Vilnius, Lithuania

I caught my train from Warsaw early Monday morning -- at about 7am -- and for the next six hours I had an uneventful ride through the Polish countryside. At the station just short of the border with Lithuania, the last two cars -- including mine -- were detached from the rest of the train and the remaining few of us were pulled across the border. Officials from Poland and Lithuania who had boarded the train examined and stamped my passports without issue or fanfare. A few minutes later we stopped at a middle-of-nowhere station where we disembarked, walked across the platform and boarded another train belonging to the Lithuanian railroad company. I've been on a wide variety of trains in my travels, but this one was easily the least modern. In fact, it was dark, dirty, dilapidated and downright antique. Reminding myself that I had entered a "Former Soviet Republic" and of the propaganda I have seen over the years about the level of infrastructure development which that implies, I settled in for a long, slow and uncomfortable four hour trip which nonetheless ended uneventfully at the central station in Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania.

In the station, I put my trusty PayPal card into an ATM and was both rewarded with some local currency and delighted by the routine return of my card. It was late, cold and dark when I emerged from the station, so I was glad that I had made a reservation at the local Holiday Inn and didn't have to scramble to find accommodations. I approached the only taxi at the stand and was relieved to be able to request my destination and negotiate the fare in English. The cab was only slightly more modern than the train and, of course, the driver was unable to get it started. After a couple of unsuccessful adjustments under the hood he gave me a smile and we had a laugh, then gave the car a good push and jumped inside while he kick started it in the middle of traffic to send us on our way. A few minutes later we pulled up to a bright, clean, modern "no surprises" hotel. Thus, with the train and cab experience on one hand, and the ATM, English-speaking and hotel experience on the other, I had been swiftly introduced to the kind of contradictions that are part of what makes Vilnius one of the most interesting places I have been.

I was pretty wiped out from my day of travel, so I called it an early night and slept in a bit on Tuesday morning. By ten o'clock, however, I was out on the streets trying to get a feel for the city. Right from the beginning, contradictions abounded. For example, while one of the main bridges across the river has statues at each of the four corners which pay tribute to virtuous Soviet vocations -- Farmers, Workers, Students and Soldiers -- most of the other Soviet-era statues and monuments in the city have been removed, making vacant lots of former memorial squares (See Dram below). Another example is that while the main street of the city has a full range of upscale retail shops with sky-high prices, one can find entire blocks that are completely derelict right around the corner. While traffic consists mainly of expensive European sedans, there isn't much of it and the well worn buses are completely packed. A cup of coffee cost me 6 Litas (about $2.25) but I was able to get a good bowl of soup, a tasty salad and a Coke for only 15 Litas. The list goes on and on, but you get the point: Vilnius is a city in transition between old Soviet poverty and new European Union prosperity. After a few hours of this conundrum I was pretty "full" and headed back to my room for a little recovery time followed by an early evening.

I had a sense from my wandering on Tuesday that I was missing some essential parts of the Vilnus story, so I booked a half-day tour for yesterday morning. Unfortunately, the weather was really crummy with rain, sleet and cold adding to the seasonal darkness. Fortunately, Justine the tour guide was pretty fluent in English and gave me and two folks from Finland a really informative tour. By means of stories in which she consistently contrasted "the Soviet days" and "ever since independence" I was able to start getting a feel for the contradictions I had sensed the day before and for just how interesting the city is in general.

Like much of the region, the balance of power has shifted many times over the ages. Between the Russians, Napolean, the Scandinavians, the Poles, the Germans, the Russians, etc., the history of the country has been fluid to say the least. I'm still not entirely clear about who did what to whom and when, but it is clear that everyone left their mark and the culture is very much an olio. With buildings ranging from the 12th century and into the 21st century, the architecture of the place is astonishing and there are many places in the city from which you can view the whole spectrum from ancient red brick to modern steel and glass. Perhaps most outstanding is the collection of some forty-odd Catholic churches from all of the various eras, most of which were "repurposed" by the Soviets as museums, warehouses, schools, prisons and administrative buildings, and are only now being restored to their religious use. Of the nearly as large number of Jewish temples the city once had, however, only one survives today. This is due mostly, of course, to the fact that during WWII the Jewish population -- once almost 30% of the city's population -- was virtually eliminated. Today, less than 1% of the population is Jewish.

Today was cold and blustery but not rainy, so I spent most of the day retracing on foot the tour we took by bus yesterday and I really enjoyed wandering pretty much all over the city. Since today is a national holiday -- All Saints Day -- many of the shops were closed and most of the people on the street had flowers which they were taking to the numerous cemeteries around the city. The contrast between the dark clothing and the bright flowers was striking to me. I wrote about "The Republic of Uzupis" below, so I will only repeat here that it is a real gem and was a treat to explore. I will add that it also features a very prominent monument to Frank Zappa. Go figure. About the only downside to my day -- and to my visit in Vilnius -- were some of my experiences with the people. In general, older employees in shops and restaurants are pretty surly and pay little attention to you. I spoke to a few of the bright, helpful young people at my hotel about it and they said it was an attitude left over from "the Soviet days." They added that this negative attitude of older people is one of the reasons that so many young people -- at least 25,000 per year -- are leaving the country to pursue economic opportunities elsewhere. It's not just the possibility of making more money, it's also the chance to work with positive, like-minded colleagues. This is yet another contradiction I observed, and it will be a very important issue for the country to somehow address.

I am so intrigued by Vilnius that I have been tempted to stay a couple of extra days and maybe even arrange an itinerary out to some of the other interesting places I have heard about elsewhere in the country. There are five UNESCO Heritage sites in Lithuania, a lot for such a small country. There are also the "Sahara-like" dunes of the Baltic coast and the "Outdoor Museum" where all of the Soviet-era artifacts were relocated after independence. What sights those must be! In reality, though, this truly isn't the season to be here to enjoy the area. It is really quite cold and dark, with very short days. So, I have satisfied myself with reporting that I have found a gem and that I plan to return here some day to spend some real quality time exploring it much more fully. I would strongly suggest you put it high on your destination list as well!

Dram: The Independent Republic of Uzupis

Another charming and intriguing aspect of Vilnius is that it is home to The Independent Republic of Uzupis. Seriously!... sort of. Uzupis -- which means "on the other side of the river" -- is a district of Vilnius which was especially run down after "the Soviet days" and was therefore particularly cheap to inhabit. It became popular with artists and other "free spirits" who declared their independence from Lithuania on April 1, 1997. As the date may give you a clue, this "independence" is technically an April Fool's joke, but it is spiritually robust and gives the district a unique character. As with many such areas, it has since become a very popular place to live for those who are less "artsy" and more affluent, so it has become a chic and very expensive area of the city. Nevertheless, it retains much of its bohemian aesthetic and takes itself somewhat seriously, under the patient aegis and remarkably good humored countenance of the actual government of Vilnius and Lithuania.

The Republic's Constitution, posted prominently in three languages, is comprised of 41 Articles ranging from the "serious" -- e.g. "Everyone may be independent" and "No one has the right to violence" -- to the "abstract" -- e.g. "Everyone has the right to be happy" and "Everyone has the right to be unhappy" -- and even to the "quirky" -- e.g. "A dog has the right to be a dog" and "A cat is not obligated to love its owner, but must help in time of need" -- which are some of my personal favorites. Among the Republic's charming customs is that when couples marry they put a lock on one of the bridges that lead across the river to signify their commitment to the institution. Most of these locks are inscribed with names and dates, memorializing the nuptial individuals for all to see. The tradition of throwing the key in the river speaks, I suspect, either to the fact that this is an almost exclusively Catholic country or to the availability of strong bolt cutters.

As you might imagine, the "egg" scenario I wrote about in the previous Dram originated in Uzupis, and the statue you see here was the first to be "hatched." Considering the Soviet oppression from which Lithuania has emerged as a nation -- and the cloud of despair it continues to struggling to work its way out of -- I found it both remarkable and encouraging to see the spirit of independence so enthusiastically -- even if whimsically -- displayed within its capital city. The Republic of Uzupis is a delightful part of Vilnius -- an absolute "must" on the list of places to visit here -- and a prominent example of why I have found this city to be one of the most interesting places I have been. To quote the last three Articles of the Uzupis Constitution: "Do not defeat. Do not fight back. Do not surrender."

Dram: Strike A Pose And The Egg Will Hatch

You may be wondering why I am posting a photo of an empty city square. Well, the reason goes something like this: Just one of the many fascinating things about Vilnius, Lithuania is that throughout the city there are numerous squares which were obviously designed to feature monuments or statues, but practically none of them actually have any. It turns out that after independence -- after "the Soviet days" -- virtually all off the Soviet monuments were torn down, leaving their former locations empty. It takes time, of course, to decide what should be erected in their place -- not to mention time to raise the necessary funds and to commission the works -- so most of the spaces have been empty for a few years and will continue to remain so for some time to come. It's an odd sight to the new visitor, but once you know the story it becomes a rather charming little aspect of this intriguing city.

During my exploration, I came across this puzzling little monument. I didn't pay much attention to it at first -- chalking it up as either a joke or some kind of tribute to something that I didn't know about -- but it's relative rarity as an actual, existing monument caught my attention and I decided to pursue it's origin and significance. As far as I could piece together, the egg appeared one day -- atop a pedestal elsewhere in the city -- and remained there for a few months. Apparently, people were unaware of its meaning or significance and proceeded to concoct all manner of stories about it. Then suddenly one day, a new statue appeared in its place and everyone understood. The egg signified that a new statue was being "incubated" and would soon arrive in this location. So, where you currently see the egg, you know a statue is on its way. The egg will then appear somewhere else in the city, and you will know that a monument is in the works for that location. How cute is that?

Logbook: Warsaw Weekend

I was up and moving pretty early on Friday morning, and with a fond "See you later!" to my good friends at my fabulous little hotel I walked the few blocks to the train station to catch my ride to Warsaw. As is my custom, I was there with about a half hour to spare before scheduled departure time, which turned out to be a really good thing. Taking another look at my ticket I finally noticed that what I thought was a "26" -- as in "26.10.2007" -- was actually a poorly printed "25". That's right, after going through all the effort to get my ticket in advance so I wouldn't have to scramble the morning of my departure, I had misread the date and my ticket was for Thursday, not Friday. By now you must certainly realize that this is just "one of those things" that happens every day on The Voyage and that I look on them simply as opportunities for "unexpected exploration." So, into the mob at the ticket counter I went, negotiated as best I could a replacement ticket and went to the platform. The Gdynia train station is functional not elegant -- though the grass growing among the tracks is a nice touch -- and the rolling stock is much the same. At some point, the infrastructure of the country is going to have to be upgraded, but for now although the trains are old and slow, they work well enough and pretty reliably -- if not fashionably -- get you where you want to go. In my case, the train delivered me to Warsaw a little over six hours later.

Arriving in Warsaw's central train station is not the cheeriest of experiences, owing to the dark, dirty condition of it's dismal bare concrete design. This lack of aesthetic is something I am becoming very aware of in Poland, and I attribute it to the generally low expectations of a nation that has historically been poor, badly treated by conquering forces and focused more on surviving than thriving. In this context, it is no wonder that things are "functional not elegant." So, it was with some surprise that I emerged from the underground station and first viewed the building shown here, with its rather obvious excess of ornamentation. I later learned that it is the "cultural center" -- comprised of museums, concert halls, etc. -- and was built by the Soviets during their occupation -- er... time of governance -- to express to the Poles that "We're really not such bad people!" It is a fairly unique structure in the cityscape, with the majority of other buildings being in the typical Soviet-Era, rough concrete, no-frills style. There are now also a few steel and glass buildings in Warsaw, so the combination of styles can be a little perplexing to a visitor. Undaunted, I made my way a few blocks to my hotel, then did my usual routine of checking in, dumping my gear and hitting the streets. After an hour or so of working my way amid dense throngs, dingy streets and chaotic commercial concourses I was pretty "full" so I called it a day. At this point in The Voyage my stamina for exploring strange lands and people is pretty high, but pacing myself remains an important factor.

Yesterday morning I got up early and decided to increase my "exploration efficiency" by taking a half-day tour of the city. It was well worth it, not only because it was very informative in a short time but also because it was an easy way to get around a fairly large area and because I met a few interesting folks (including a young man from Tallinn, Estonia who has offered to be a resource for me when I get there in another week or so!) On the tour we visited many of the city's most popular attractions, including the central park with its many monuments -- especially a beautiful one to Chopin that you can see in the Photos -- and historical buildings, the "Ghetto Uprising" memorial, the old fortress walls and "The World's Youngest Old Town." This last point brings up something that I was unable to completely figure out: We were told that except for a couple of buildings, Warsaw was completely destroyed in WWII, yet there are many, many "historical" buildings and monuments. I think I understand that many of these were rebuilt in their "original" form after the War, but I'm not sure. For certain, though, the "Old Town" was completely rebuilt in traditional style which does, in fact, make it "The World's Youngest Old Town." To my taste, it is a little cliche, overdone and touristy, but every major city has to have its attractions, right? Also on the tour, I got an even better sense of how Poland -- as I mentioned above -- is a country that has really been poorly treated in history. For centuries, invading forces have conquered the territory, subjugated the people and re-written their history. The cities have repeatedly been destroyed, historical heros have been re-cast as evil villains and -- perhaps most ironic of all -- even their "liberators" often became their "enslavers." Imagine how you might feel if you survived the almost complete destruction of your country and economy during WWII, only to find yourself a disdained stepchild of Soviet Communism. Bummer! As I learn more and more about Polish history, I have a growing appreciation for the inherent spirit of the Poles and an even stronger sense of enthusiasm for what their future may have in store. Even if many Polish people are not particularly optimistic about their country, themselves and their future, I am.

I spent the rest of the day wandering around, checking things out, finding some travel info for the Baltics and getting my train ticket -- for the right day! -- going forward. I called it an early night with the intention of sleeping in and having a "relaxed city Sunday." As you may have already guessed by my use of the word "intention" it didn't quite work out that way. Through the window I had left open all day, a large number of aggressive mosquitos got into my room -- presumably from the garden three floors down, but quite surprisingly given the cold temperature of the season. Either way, I woke up after only an hour of sleep with a number of stinging bites and spent most of the night tracking down and killing the beasts. (It was a haunting reprise of another really bad night you may recall I had way back in Zocalo, Mexico City!) The net result is that I got very little sleep and am pretty groggy today, so my "relaxed city Sunday" has been a little more like a day of "recovery." It's all good, though, and my Warsaw weekend has been satisfactory. I can't say I really like the city -- you know I don't particularly like large cities anyway -- but I'm glad to have visited briefly and gotten the gist of it.

I've kept the window closed all day in an effort to keep the mosquito beasts at bay and I hope to get a good night's sleep before my early morning start on an all day train ride to Vilnius, Lithuania. Stay tuned to find out what happens!

Logbook: Baltic Bound

It's been a good week on The Voyage with highlights from last weekend including the spontaneous gathering of the "Gdansk Gang" on Saturday night that I wrote about earlier and a Sunday afternoon dinner with Captain Adam and his entire family. I was honored to be included in their celebration as the Captain prepares to go back to sea for a few months, and it was a very welcome change of pace to have a delicious home cooked meal with family. On Tuesday evening I got together again with Elke and Gustavo to continue our "world voyagers" conversations which turned out to be a great time of comparing notes and brainstorming some shared issues. Besides those get-togethers, I have spent time enjoying my home here in Gdynia and getting myself caught up, rested and ready to move on.

I had "planned" to head generally south from Gdynia to explore Poland then continue to and through Slovakia on my way to Vienna. In poring over the maps, however, I kept looking at the Baltic States and wondering what they are like. After lengthy consideration and research, I have decided to postpone my "Poland South" plans to take a couple of weeks to make a run up through those former Soviet states. I will be "traveling light" with only my Mac pack and a small hand duffel. I will be leaving my big gear bag here in Gdynia and will pick it up when I come back.

It's certainly not "the season" to visit the Baltics, but I figured that as long as I am this close I might as well take advantage of the opportunity. I really don't know much about those countries, but they look interesting and will certainly be something different to explore. So, I will take a train to Warsaw in the morning on the the first leg and spend the weekend there. I expect to take a train on Monday to Vilnius, Lithuania and spend a few days there and in the area generally, then take another train to Riga, Latvia for the same kind of routine. From there I will move up the Baltic coast to Tallinn, Estonia for a few days with a possible hop across the water to Helsinki. Whenever I've had enough I will make my way back here to Gdynia, probably around the middle of the month.

So, Macgellan is rested, recharged and ready to be "Baltic Bound."

Dram: Polish Pedestrian Crossing

Of all my fond memories of Gdynia, Poland, one of the most haunting -- in a good way -- will be the musical pedestrian crossings. Played in a "call and response" manner across the street -- with many different tunes playing at the various crossings -- they offer a unique audio backdrop to the cityscape. Here's a little video Dram to share the experience with you:

Dram: Gdansk Gang

Who are all these people, and what are they all doing together? Well, here's the story:

Captain Adam had read in the newspaper that Elke and Gustavo -- first and second from left -- were here in Gdynia, midway on their motorcycle trip from Argentina to Australia. Thinking I might be interested in checking out some "similar" voyagers, he sent me their website link (Re-Moto) from which I emailed them about the coincidence of our being in Gdynia at the same time and the possiblitly of getting together. Elke replied that they would enjoy a meet-up and that she had also heard from Maciej -- third from left -- another global motorcyclist who lives in Gdansk (MotoSyberia) and had invited all of us to have dinner with him and Ania -- lower left -- at their home.

We had a great time together, swapping stories, showing photos and videos, sharing experiences and savoring the company of others who really "get" what we are up to from similar perspectives. Although our modes of travel are different -- even their motorcycle experiences are very different -- our voyaging experiences have a lot in common. We partied... er, convened... until the wee hours and I look forward to keeping in touch with them going forward.

Thanks everyone for a really great evening!

Haircut Chronicle: #10 - Gdynia, Poland

#10 - October 18, 2007, Gdynia, Poland. After my two bad haircuts in Scotland -- about the only bad experiences I had in that wonderful country -- I gave my hair two months to grow out so there would be something to work with. I was looking very scruffy around the edges, so I scouted out a salon here in Gdynia that was doing a good business. I told to Andre that I wanted him to leave my hair as long as possible on top, explaining that my hair sticks out in all kinds of wild ways when it is too short. He assured me that he understood and went to work. Before I could even blink an eye, out came the clippers and huge tufts of my hair were hitting the floor. From then on, no matter my protestations, he kept trimming and trimming and trimming. Once again, I shall now let my hair grow out for another couple of months before I face the next dreaded installment of the "Haircut Chronicles." Cost: 22 Zloty ($8)

Logbook: Giddy in Gdynia

Captain Adam and his delightful daughter Mary picked me up Sunday morning for a day trip to Malbork to its visit the historic castle fortress complex. The weather was perfect and we had a nice hour-long drive through the lovely Polish countryside, while Mary practiced her already very good English with me. I have been informed -- and found -- that practically every Pole under thirty speaks at least some English, and many of them speak it more or less fluently. (A lucky break for me, because I have no Polish and am finding it very difficult to learn even a little of it!) The castle is remarkable, not only in its size and history, but also because it was severely damaged during WWII and has been extensively rebuilt in entirely authentic form. We had a very enjoyable and informative visit during which Captain Adam painstakingly translated the Polish guide's presentation for me. On the way back we stopped in Gdansk for a brief walk through the old town and a late lunch at Mary's favorite restaurant: KFC! It was a super day trip for me, especially because of the opportunity it gave me to spend time with Captain Adam and Mary. Back in Gdynia, I spent some time wandering around town, continuing my orientation of what's where and picking up some supplies before having a nice dinner of my favorite Polish soup then calling it a night.

The weather on Monday was very bad, so I spent most of the day inside and online, both catching up with the last of my back log of communications and beginning to research possibilities for the next phase of The Voyage going forward. Tuesday's weather was also pretty bad, so I did more research -- which I'll write about soon -- and stepped out during breaks in the rain to do some chores, gather train and travel information, have lunch, etc. Even in bad weather, Gdynia is a great place for me to be. I am very comfortable here, partly because the place I'm staying is so perfect -- small, quiet, friendly and inexpensive with free hi-speed wi-fi! -- but also because the city has a lot to offer, the people are very nice and, I have to admit, many of the Polish women are downright beautiful. I plan to stay here for at least another week while I enjoy the town, finish my recovery from the pace of the past few months and make my arrangements going forward.

After two days of miserable weather, Wednesday's stunning blue skies and delightfully warm temperature we like something from another world. Fully energized to explore, I headed out right after breakfast and walked around the entire city for about eight hours. After a comprehensive walk around the downtown area -- the city itself isn't really very big -- I headed down to the pier to check out the maritime museum then continued out for a walk along the shore. The beauty of Gdynia's beach surprised me -- I wouldn't have expected to find such a nice sandy beach on the shore of the Baltic Sea -- and it was fun to watch the locals enjoy what may be one of the last really nice weather days before winter sets in. I stopped at one of the charming seaside cafes for lunch and caught this photo of a woman making the most of the sun. Like most people who live in high latitudes, you take what you can get before winter's dim days and long dark nights arrive. After walking several miles down the shore walk, I climbed up the bluffs through residential areas and back into the city. I had dinner in a Sports Bar of all places, and had a blast cheering for the "home team" -- I still don't know who they are -- having snippets of conversation with excited young fans and drinking a few local beers. I may not understand much of the local language, but I know "Gooooooaaaaallll!!!" when I hear it! It was a lot of fun, and if I was "comfortable" here before, I am downright "giddy in Gdynia" now.

Today has been overcast and blustery, the variability of the weather being a sure sign that winter is on its way. I spent most of the day doing more research for moving forward -- it's actually pretty complicated, and I promise to fill you in as soon as I have a handle on it -- plus doing a few chores like getting a haircut which I will, of course, document and share for your enjoyment "shortly." All in all the past week has been about one-third "recovery", one-third "research" and one-third "exploration." Maybe not the most exciting week from an outside perspective, but one that I needed to be just that way and one that I couldn't be happier about. Stay tuned for what I expect will be some pretty big news and plans, coming your way soon from The Voyage of Macgellan!