Eesti
“The Baltics: 3in1” organized by the buddys Maria, Merily and Karim gave us the opportunity to see the two capitals (Riga and Vilnius) of the Baltic countries. The Trip started with the motto “The early bird catches the worm” and so we met at 6 am at EBS. We were a mixed group of all Erasmus students and I have to say I did not know everyone in the group – but that changed during that awesome trip. How excited we all were about that trip can be shown with this example: after an hour of riding on the bus, Merily wanted to eat her donuts but these were with her purse in her car at EBS. So after an hour driving we had to go back to EBS to pick up the purse. Good Call – donuts are a lifesaver!
The late arrival forced us to go quickly to the first city tour in Riga. The first tour was about the new town. We saw the “Eiffel Tower” of Riga and now we know why it’s called “The Paris of the North”. The tour guide told us many background stories about the buildings, as well as funny facts about different historical events. I really have to make a big compliment to our guide. He was one of the best guides I’ve ever had! After the city tour we had some free time and everyone did something different. But then it was finally time for dinner in a really cosy restaurant. What happened afterwards is true to the motto: what happens in Riga, stays in Riga!
Riga – The Paris of the North
The cute restaurant where we had dinner
After a short night it was time for the second city tour – the old town. This morning Riga presented itself with sunny weather. We saw the houses that were built during the time the city belonged to the Hansa Empire – some relict to prove that. After lunch it was time to leave beautiful Riga to move to Vilnius. The bus ride was quite long but we all used the time right – some played cards, others were sleeping and the rest of us just talked. We arrived, as always, quite late so the first thing we did in Vilnius was eating dinner. We went to a cute Turkish restaurant where we sat on the floor and had different small appetizers. Later on, we went to our hostel, which was super cute, and had pre drinks there.
Vilnius- Jerusalem of Lithuania
After a second short night it was time for the city tour in Vilnius. We were lucky and during our stay there was a small festival in the city. This festival gave the Vilnius an amazing atmosphere. The tour guide showed us the old town and Užupis. Užupis is a small independent district near the old town. When you cross “the border” you have to be happy and according to their constitution you are allowed to be whatever you want to be. When crossing the border over one bridge you can see a mermaid and you can call her – that call feels more like phone sex than anything else.
Vilnius with its beautiful festival
The sexy mermaid
The construction of Užupis
On Sunday we were all so exhausted that we slept quite long and then we had to leave Vilnius. It was time for the nine hours long bus ride home to Tallinn. Nobody was excited about that but we managed to make the best of it. We arrived on time at midnight at EBS.
A big thanks to Maria, Merily and Karim who made this trip so wonderful and funny! The hostels, restaurants and especially the tour guides were well chosen.
More detailed overview of the trip in the video below:
Author: Leonie Rummel
Photos: Leonie Rummel and Fabian Meixner
Video: Jackie Muru
Editor: Kärt Mättikas
