Buzz’s comments on his
bus tour of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with Gate 1 August 2022
This was my second Gate 1 bus tour and was similarly organized with the first one I enjoyed in
June.
August 17, Wednesday & August 18, Thursday – Travel to Estonia.
I departed from Newark Terminal B, which is not my favorite
airport and was less than spectacular again.
I changed plans in Frankfort, which required a very long walk between
gates. After arriving, I checked into
Radisson Blu Olumpia,
Tallinn, Estonia for four nights. The
hotel room was spacious and had free Wi-Fi, refrigerator, safe, and in room
coffee. The hotel was located near high end shopping and several
restaurants. The included breakfast
buffet was very good. I arrived two days
early so I could adjust to the local time before the tour started. I spent part of the day walking around the
area near the hotel.
August 19, Friday Pre tour day to adjust to time difference.
I spent part of the day walking around the area near the hotel.
August 20, Saturday.
The tour began with an orientation meeting with the Tour Manager
Greg Gajewski at 6 PM, followed by dinner in the
hotel fixed menu of soup, beef stew and chocolate mousse. There were 29 participants in the tour.
August 21 Sunday - Tallinn City Tour.
We boarded the bus at 8:30 to explore the World Heritage city with cobbled
streets set beneath spires of 14th-century churches. Tallinn, the northernmost
Baltic capital, was a favored port location coveted by its more powerful
neighbors, starting centuries of war until it finally achieved its own
independence. Tallinn's history at Peter the Great's Kadriorg
Palace with its splendid Royal Gardens, and the private cottage he occupied on
his visits. We continued to the Song Festival grounds, and the spectacular
ruins of the 15th century St. Bridget's Convent rising along the banks of the Pirita River. Then, a walking tour of the upper part of the
Old Town and view the pink Baroque-style Toompea
Castle, Estonia's traditional seat of power, and the Gothic Town Hall. Visited
the still active Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox
Cathedral built in the style of a 17th century Moscow church. Lunch was not
included. Included Dinner at Scheeli Restaurant in the Old Town section was very good
consisting of a fixed menu of salad, salmon and cheesecake.
August 22, Monday - Travel to Riga.
Boarded the bus at 8:30 for a morning drive to the Latvian capital of Riga
situated at the mouth of the Daugava River. During the bus
trip our tour manager provided facts about the Baltic states. We stopped for a
very pleasant unhosted lunch at a cafeteria
restaurant at the border. We checked in at the Radisson Blu
Hotel Latvia, Riga, Latvia for a two-night stay. My room was not ready for an
hour after our arrival. The hotel room
was spacious and had free Wi-Fi, refrigerator, safe, and in room coffee. The
hotel was located near the old town, high end shopping
and several restaurants I spent the afternoon wondering through the Old Town
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site with narrow medieval streets, Gothic
and Baroque churches and 19th-century buildings. We had an included dinner at the Forest
Restaurant with a fixed menu consisting of vegetable soup, turkey and a cocoa
cake desert. . The included breakfast
buffet was very good.
August 23, Tuesday - Riga City Tour.
We explored Riga's impressive architecture encompassing Romanesque, Gothic,
Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical facades. We viewed the exterior of Riga
Castle, dating back to the 1440s, St. Jacobs Cathedral and St. Peter's Church,
one of the oldest and most valuable monuments of medieval architecture in the
Baltic States, among the UNESCO World Heritage sites. We stopped at the Freedom
(Liberty) Monument honoring soldiers killed during the War of Independence, bearing
a symbolic female holding aloft three stars representing the 3
regions of Latvia during the first republic. The rest of the day is on your
own. I added the optional tour to the open-air Ethnographic Museum that depicts 18th century farm life.
This unique museum is set on 100 hectares of land on the outskirts of Riga, in
a pine forest on the banks of the Jugla Lake. The
over 72 historic structures including farmhouses, windmills, fishing villages,
churches and other historic structures have been rebuilt and preserved here to
re-create a proper village preserved from this era.
August 24, Wednesday - Scenic Drive to Vilnius.
We boarded the bus at 8:30 for a morning drive to Vilnius, the capital of
Lithuania. Along the way. We stopped to visit the Hill of Crosses, a pilgrimage
center. We viewed the many thousands of crosses covering the
famous Jurgaiciai Hill, and learn about the events
that made this hill sacred. We stopped for lunch at Pardavimas
for an unhosted lunch and an excellent meal. Upon arrival in Vilnius, check into the
Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva,
Vilnius, Lithuania for a two night stay. The hotel room was a bit small but not uncomfortably too small and had free Wi-Fi,
refrigerator, safe, and in room coffee. I added the optional tour
to the infamous KGB Museum, located in the heart of Vilnius. The extensive
photo exhibits and intact secret KGB spying equipment aids you in envisioning
imprisonment in these cold, damp and narrow cells. For Lithuanians, this museum
symbolizes the 50-year Soviet occupation, site of the Gestapo headquarters and
later the control of the KGB. The included dinner was good at the hotel
consisting of cream of mushroom soup, chicken and chocolate cake. The included breakfast buffet was very
good.
August 25, Thursday - Vilnius City Tour.
We toured Vilnius, a vivacious university city, and one of the most beautiful
"Old Towns" in Eastern Europe. It was declared a UNESCO World
Heritage site, the city's architectural landmarks are
a striking mix of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical. We visited the
Baroque Church of St. Peter and St. Paul with its extraordinary sculptural
decorations and viewed St. Anne's Church, a superb example of Gothic
architecture. View Vilnius University, Gediminas
Tower and Vilnius Castle in the Upper Town. I added the optional afternoon
tour to red brick Trakai Castle on Galve Lake, regally standing on an island by itself
surrounded by water. This Gothic Palace was built by
Lithuanian Dukes and once served as their residence.
August 26, Friday - Scenic Drive to Warsaw.
We boarded the bus at 8:00 and depart Lithuania and
cross the border into Poland. After as reasonable hosted lunch en route at the Hotel Gromada, we
arrived in Warsaw, Poland's cosmopolitan capital and cultural center of the country
on the banks of the Vistula River. We checked Mercure
Warszawa Grand Hotel, Warsaw, Poland for a two-night stay. The included breakfast buffet was good. The
hotel room was a bit small but not uncomfortably too
small and had free Wi-Fi, refrigerator, safe, and in room coffee. Hosted dinner was at the hotel with a fixed
menu of curry soup, duck and desert.
August 27, Saturday - City Tour of Warsaw.
We boarded the bus at 8:30 for a city tour of bustling Warsaw starting at
glorious Lazienki Park one of the jewels of the
city. We stood before the striking
bronze monument to Frederic Chopin, the famed Polish composer and virtuoso
pianist of the Romantic era, born in a small village west of Warsaw. We
continued along the Royal Route with its historic monuments and residences to
the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto; and stopped at the inspiring Memorial
that commemorates the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. We walked through the Old Town
with its cobbled streets to Market Square. Visit the Cathedral of St. John and
see the Royal Castle, the former residence of Polish kings, lovingly restored
after its destruction during World War II.
I added the optional tour to the former summer residence of the Polish
kings is situated just outside of Warsaw. The tour of
the palace makes Polish history come alive. Wilanow was built at the end of the 17th century for King Jan III
Sobieski. It stands for the splendor of Poland in the past and is considered one of the most important monuments of Polish
culture. I added the optional tour in
the evening, which went to the Fryderyk Concert Hall in Warsaw for a piano
recital featuring the music of Frederic Chopin performed excellently by Maciej Poliszewski. As a child
growing up in Warsaw, Chopin quickly established himself as a prominent musical
prodigy of his time and today is considered a father
of Classical Romantic music. During the break, a glass of local sparkling wine was served.
August 28, Sunday - Czestochowa & Auschwitz Memorial Museum.
We boarded the bus at 7:30 and departed Warsaw and travel south to Czestochowa,
known for the famous Pauline monastery of Jasna Gora,
home of the Black Madonna painting. Every year millions of pilgrims from all
over the world come to Czestochowa to visit the Shrine to the Virgin Mary as it
is said to have miraculous powers. Then, we continued
on a journey to the town of Oswiecim where the Nazis built Auschwitz, their
largest concentration and death camp. The stories of those who were sent there, and who perished in this place, emphasize
the scope of Hitler's extermination efforts. The solemn visit includes a guided
tour of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp Museum. After the visit, we arrived in
Krakow, former residence of the Polish kings and checked in at Mercure Krakow Stare Miasto,
Krakow, Poland for a two-night stay. The included breakfast buffet was good.
The hotel room had free Wi-Fi, refrigerator, safe, and in room coffee. We had a very good hosted
dinner in the hotel with a fixed menu of tomato soup, Chicken stuffed with
vegetables, risotto and a raspberry cream desert.
August 29, Monday - Krakow City Tour
Begin the day in medieval Krakow with a visit to historic 16th century Wawel Hill; view the Royal Castle and visit the Cathedral.
A walking tour then takes you to the Old Town with its lively Market Square.
Stop at stately St. Mary's Church with its tall brick tower overlooking the
square and the Renaissance Cloth Hall where traders offer a variety of wares as
their predecessors did many generations ago. I added the optional tour to the salt mines in Wieliczka
that were part of a dowry from Kinga, the Hungarian princess, when she wed
Boleslaw the Shy over 700 years ago, making the Wieliczka
Salt Mine one of the oldest in Europe. The mine's historical importance, as
well as the amazing works of art carved into the walls by miners, have earned
the Wieliczka Salt Mine a place on the UNESCO World
Cultural Heritage list. The tour was conducted with a
group on a route that took us through three levels of underground galleries and
chambers. There are 800 steps to descend
to the underground mine and we returned to the surface in a mining
elevator. The farewell dinner was held
at the Biala Roza
Restaurant consisting of beet root soup, a choice of
beef or trout, and ice cream and cheese cake desert.
August 30 ,Tuesday- Depart Poland
I had a 5:00 AM transfer to the Krakow airport for my departure flight
OS 600 Krakow, Poland (KRK) to Vienna, Austria (VIE) Austrian
Airlines
07:25AM to 08:25AM
OS 89 Vienna, Austria (VIE) to Newark, NJ (EWR) Austrian Airlines
10:40AM to 01:55PM
The most significant difference between this trip and my earlier
Gate 1 trip was that all the excursions were not
included. Four were optional at
additional price. The countries we
visited had different cultures and languages despite a common history of being invaded by Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Russia several
times. Wars and fires had damaged or
destroyed many buildings in the old sections of the cities. Several of those buildings have
been restored but not always maintaining the original architecture. Others are still being
restored.
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