September 9th, 2006
Another trip and this time to The Baltic States and Russia. I have to confess, when my friend and travel companion Allan, suggested the trip, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. I definitely wanted to see Russia but I had heard mixed things about visiting Russia and I knew little if nothing about the Baltic states. Honestly, I had to Google the places to find out where they were. I hadn’t heard of anyone visiting Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia.
Although the interest level at first was low, it quickly increased as I researched the destinations. Lonely Planet described some of the places on the tour as Europe’s best kept secrets, the New York Times called it the New Prague. As I researched I realized that this journey would take me through beautiful country-sides and cities rich in culture and history that has witnessed if not have been part of so many European and Russia regimes. I began to wonder how I could have missed this in my list of destinations?
It didn’t take long to figure out how had missed them, these countries although old in culture were young in years. Up until the late 1980’s, they were part of USSR and before that they were constantly taken over by other countries and empires. I wondered had there been another area that witnessed the number of political regimes as the Baltic states did? It was clear that I was about to see an area that over the ages was influenced by many European countries as well as Russia.
The research on Russia on the other hand was not surprising but a little disappointing. Even the Wall Street Journal said that visiting Russia can be difficult. On the internet there were plenty of stories about the difficulties involved with getting visas and clear warnings about making sure you arrive and leave within the Visa dates (and what happens if you don’t). There were also warning about the scams played on the tourist and how that Moscow is now the World’s most expensive city to see due to the shortage of hotel rooms.
Well what destination is perfect and I was going to be on a cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow. How much trouble could that be?
Unfortunately, in the summer months before my trip, I decided it was time to vary my workout routine and adopted running. Well, running is bad for the legs and I fractured my left leg. Instead of looking slim and feeling fit, I would be hobbling around in a full length leg brace through countries known for their cobblestone streets. This was going to get interesting.
On 9/7/2006 at 4:30 AM, my cab pulled up to the house and I hobbled into it with my luggage. At 4:30 AM, there is not a lot of activity in Los Angeles, the ride to the airport would be quick.
It was a full moon that morning and I wondered if it wasn’t the harvest moon. As my cab headed to the airport I realized that although I had been down these streets many times before, I was noticing things I had never seen before. It is interesting what you notice when you aren’t preoccupied with getting to your destination and other day to day activities. Yes, vacation had started and my first stop would be NY City before going to the Baltic States and Russia.
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