July 2025 – Page 3 – Travelling reflections

D7 Trans Europa – Vilnius

A longer and getting hillier cycle gets us to the Lithuanian capital. Which starts 20km from the centre.

A day of rolling hills, some busier roads and wee villages. A coffee shop was well worth hunting down, especially on a Sunday. Visits to graveyards, often well out of town (cheaper land or not so boggy?) seemed popular.

Some cattle, mainly arable land.

Vilnius seems a churchy place by the number we passed on the way in. Tonight’s hotel is a former convent next to a church – I hope Quasimodo lies in, else I’ll through him off the bell tower.

Tomorrow a “rest day”…..

Lithuania, Trans Europa

D6 Trans Europa Birzai – Anyksciai

Passing through some small villages, at last we see what has been rare so far on this trip. People. Even a congregation of them near a lavendar field – either there to harvest or have a wedding. My bet was the latter given the balloons.

A few solar panels – not many appear. Lithuania imports 70% of its electrivity, mainly from Sweden (Russia used to be its main supplier). Latvia on the other hand generates 70% of its power from renewable sources, mainly hydrolelectric – presumably from rivers given the lack of hills?

The place names could be Welsh, apart from the squiggles. Thankfully these electronic devices do the work – mainly. Always good to have a back up. Today’s excitement was a huge tree being cut down whilst we waited. Skilful job to miss a fence, and not block the road.

Lots of small churches – Roman Catholicism dominates 74%. Poor old Luther drew a blank here.

Tomorrow head to Vilnius and a “rest” day.

Latvia, Lithuania

D5 Trans Europa Riga – Birzai

The German basketball team weren’t at breakfast this morning. You recognised them by height: my head was their inside leg. Haven’t seen anyone duck to fit in a normal lift before. Isn’t this cheating – shouldn’t there be a height restriction to make it a game? Not much sport in being taller than the basket.

We left Riga on a new network of cycle paths, carefully taking the route across a road construction site. Barbara asked the construction workers nicely whilst I assertively held the bikes. Teamwork. Riga urban areas spread out 10 miles or so, then rural landscapes reassert. Navigation was easy – stay on same road for 60km.

Things are starting to get more civilised – coffee and bakeries appearing. Storks are increasing in frequency: I wonder if they return to the same pole each year?

Then into country no3, Lithuania, the 3rd Baltic State. There languages are all different and go back to the Baltic tribes which included the Prussians. Lithuanian feels more Russian. Thankyou is easy to remember – Achoo as in sneezing sound.

The landscape is more arable and grazing thus far. The cakes are good.

Today’s thunder and lightning storm was entertaining, if a tad wet to cycle through. Cooled things off nicely!

PS The photo is of a TU2, a Sovier era four axle serial freight and diesel passenger locomotive….in case you wondered…..

Latvia, Trans Europa

Trans Europa – Riga

Walked until I was dead beat: a case of Riga Mortis? It’s a compact old city, easy to both get around and lost in – lots of interesting cobbled lanes. Trams and trolley buses trundle around. Cars just go fast to beat the lights.

It’s easy to forget it many of the buildings were bombed during WW2, particularly the 1944 Russian push back on the Eastern Front. That brings home the geography – which is easy to forget given the apparent domination of Western influences now, particularly how common English is, including on signage.

It’s difficult to take in all the history, including the 20C. Latvia’s population dropped from 0.5million to 300000 between the start and end of WW2. They fought – mainly through forced conscription – in both the German and Russian armies. Emigrated.

Today Riga feels quietly bustling. The market halls in what were once Zepplin hangers are great – in size and atmosphere, with locals happily jostling with tourists. One sight we didn’t get to squeeze into was the closed, restored, House of Black Heads. A great selection of places to eat.

Nipping back to Estonia, as this is all an aide-memoir. Our “content creator” has set the challenge for each of us to recall Estonia in one word. I think I’ll go for “interesting”: how it’s developed since 1991, the people (some smile, some are unscrutable; the rural areas wooden buildings. That’ll have to do.

Tomorrow into Lithuania, 50 miles into our southerly route.

Latvia, Trans Europa

D4 Trans Europa Kuivizu – Riga

Always happy to admit when a snap judgement is wrong – especially as it’s a rare event….. The gravel road leading to Latvia was in fact an existing road being resurfaced and widened to have a bike track added. The proper gravel road was today: an 48km arse massage through a deserted rural landscape with what seemed like old dachaus dotted around. There were bus stops.

We were heading to Riga, which you’ve probably worked out. A clear highlight was the Latvian Bike Museum. Apparently Latvia was the bike manufacturing centre of the East European States pre the Soviet era.

Latvia has a rich history of bicycle manufacturing and cycling culture, dating back to the late 19th century. The first bicycle in Tsarist Russia was reportedly created in Latvia in the 1880s by Alexander Leutner. Bicycle production flourished in the interwar period, with local manufacturers like G. Ērenpreiss Bicycle Factory meeting nearly all domestic demand. Today, Ērenpreiss Bicycles, revived by Gustavs Ērenpreis’s great-grandnephew, continues to produce bicycles in Riga

Some fascinating things in there, lovingly restored and maintained. Sadly it didn’t sell coffee, so we couldn’t dwell too long before back on what is now a main highway to continue.

Latvia has a population of circa 1.8 million, one-third of whom live in Riga. So naturally from about 12k out suburbia started to build. A fine network of cycle paths took us through the parks and streets, straight to the city centre.