Our second Caribbean stop was Grenada, the southernmost of the Windward Islands. Known as the "Island of Spice," it plays a major role in the global nutmeg trade, producing 40% of the world’s supply—a fact proudly displayed on its colourful flag.
At the start of the year, we made the tough decision to leave behind teaching, sobriety, and the unrelenting cold of the European winter for something entirely different—a two-week cruise around the Eastern Caribbean.
The final leg of our last European mega-trip began with a dreary drive across central Poland, leaving behind the bustling streets and blue skies of Warsaw for the muted grey of a winter’s day in Łódź.
After a swift and somewhat relieved escape from Belarus, we made our way through the rolling beauty of the Lithuanian countryside, savouring the last quiet moments of the Baltics before entering the infamous Suwałki Gap.
I arrived at the Belarusian immigration office, a grim Soviet-era building that looked like it had been stuck in a time warp since the 1970s, ready for what I assumed would be a thorough, no-nonsense interrogation.
Belarus. A nation often defined by its authoritarian leadership, political isolation, and close ties to Russia. While some might debate its status as a mere vassal state of their colossal neighbour, there’s little doubt that under the long reign of Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus has firmly aligned itself with a path far removed from Western democratic ideals.
As our long weekend commenced, we left the glassy waters of Lake Galvė and the fairy-tale turrets of Trakai behind, rolling eastward to Lithuania’s buzzing capital, Vilnius.
Without a doubt, we began our week in Lithuania at one of Europe’s eeriest and most extraordinary ‘attractions’ though reaching it required hours of countryside lanes and bumpy farm tracks as we crossed what must be the nation’s least trafficked border with her neighbour, Latvia.
On January 23rd, 2020, I wrote an update on the first five years of my ambition to visit every country in the world and, as one or two events have happened since then, a ten-year update is now due.
