Berlin

I have hit the last city of my first tour, and so far the city is quite interesting. The subway system is complex but fairly easy to navigate. This afternoon I saw Checkpoint Charlie where the East and West Berlin were separated along with the Brandenburg gate and the Riechstag. Tomorrow I plan on doing a bike tour of the city to see a few more sights.

I am off for the closing dinner of our trip, and I look forward to a new group and more exciting cities on my way down to Venice.

TTFN

Eliz

Warsaw

Arriving late on Thursday evening, we had a limited time in Warsaw. A city that was completely flattened in WWII has been beautifully rebuilt and definitely fooled me. Friday we went to the Warsaw Uprising Museum where I had the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Polish people. On August 1, 1944 the Warsaw Uprising was started by 23 thousand local soldiers of the Home Armz of the Warsaw District under the leadership of Antoni Chrusciel, also known as Monter. Soldiers were not only men but young children, women, nuns and any other civilian aiming to fight for what they believed in.

While my time in Warsaw was very short, it was informative and visually stimulating. At times while exploring the rebuilt streets, I felt as though I was on a movie set, which is not such a bad thing. To top the final evening off I enjoyed a local beer and a plate of Perogies with Cracklings (little real bacon bits).

Onto Berlin!

Aukštaitija National Park

A much needed break was achieved off the beaten path in a great National Park which would resemble our Algonquin. With 128 lakes with connecting rivers and streams it was nice to get out of the city for a while. We took the train from Vilnius and met local tour guides who immediately took us to our homestay by van. They carried along kayaks which we would soon use to explore 2 large lakes and a slow moving stream. With little experience, my paddle partner and I were successful in reaching the ending point where there was a Miracle Tree. There we were asked to pick 2 stones and cast a wish at the pile of rocks beneath the tree, and to give the trunk a hug.

For dinner our hosts prepared a delcious meal of homemade soup, curried chicken and rice along with traditional cucumber and tomato salad. The next day we walked throughout the park to a honey museum where it talked about the hierarchy of bees and how honey has been gathered and prepared in the past. After our hike, it was sauna time and a quick dip in the lake. Nothing like Lake Huron, but similar to some of the inland lakes around Muskoka. Not wanting to touch bottom, I floated around with the two white swans and their gosslings.

For two nights I had the company of sharing a pull out couch with a travelling mate Julie...and I was more than ready to get to Warsaw

Vilnius, Lithuania

It has been a while since I have been able to catch up on my tour. While in Vilnius, the county of Lithuania was celebrating it's 1000th aniversary. There were plenty of celebrations including parades, traditional dancing and lots of drinking in the streets. A city of many churches and plenty more cobble stone to wabble over both day and night. We stayed in this great little bed & breakfast which was located right off the main drag...midnight fireworks filled the sky and I enjoyed traditional delights of stew and beer.