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.
We woke up to a distinctly grimmer day in Riga, the late-Autumn weather having finally caught up with us. Our first stop was the colossal Riga Central Market, Europe’s largest and a UNESCO World Heritage site to boot.
Latvia, a country we knew about as well as we knew how to assemble IKEA furniture without instructions, was about to reveal herself in all her glory. Nestled between Estonia and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, Latvia’s landscape is a patchwork of dense forests, winding rivers, and a coastline that somehow includes both pristine sandy beaches and ominously jagged cliffs.
Leaving Narva and the Russian border far behind, we continued the journey southwest towards Tartu, Estonia’s second city. Along the way, Lake Peipus occasionally popped into view, a massive 3,500-square-kilometre expanse of water that once hosted the Battle on the Ice in 1242—a dramatic medieval clash between the Teutonic Knights and Alexander Nevsky's Russian forces.
We arrived in bustling Tallinn on an uncharacteristically sunny day following weeks of forests and frozen lakes in Scandinavia. I should mention early on that Estonia also classifies itself as Scandi, and it is clear from the shape of their Nordic pennants and generally relaxed pace of life that they fit quite nicely in the club.
The drive from northern Oulu to southern Helsinki could generously be described as consistent. The road stretched ahead in an unbroken line, flanked by forests so dense and uniform they could have been cut and pasted repeatedly along the route.
