Farewell

Now the time has come, the day of farewell has arrived. After almost four weeks of touring the Baltic states, tonight we will board the ferry to Kiel and from there back home. And on Monday, work awaits.

But before that, there is still one last stretch through Latvia and Lithuania. I will only pass through Ventspils, the port city, and I have planned one more stop in Liepāja. There, I will visit the impressive Russian Orthodox cathedral. It was built in 1901 and inaugurated by Tsar Nicholas personally in 1903. During the Soviet era, the building was used as a sports hall and has now been largely restored. A very impressive structure! And in the immediate vicinity, there are still run-down panel buildings from the Soviet years.

Soon, I will reach Klaipėda. I am the first in line and leave the car behind. I still use the time for a short shopping spree at Decathlon and Rimi.

The loading process is progressing slowly. Eventually, there is no space left for several trucks. Will they have to wait for a day?

Since I am the very first, I also get the place at the very bottom in the large ATHENA SEAWAYS. That means, I will be the last tourist to disembark. With the trucks, it always takes a little longer. The crossing is calm, and we witness a beautiful sunset. You can follow the progress of the journey on vesselfinder.com.

Due to COVID, I only leave my cabin briefly for meals and spend the time reading, sleeping, sorting pictures, and watching Netflix. I am looking forward to my home and familiar sounds and smells, dear people, my work...

And yet, I will miss the many lovely people. The caretaker of Honeyvalley, who vividly explained to me the ancient history of the Lithuanian language, Arturs, who showed me the beauties of Gauja National Park on the stairs of the sanitary building, Zenon, who got my Skoda off the road and interpreted for me, Ylva, who told me about life in Latvia while cooking, the friendly dispatcher from Möller-Autohaus in Pärnu, who helped me fix my incontinent Skoda, or the strong and proud Martin, who warmly introduced me to his family. And then there are countless other kind, small encounters at the supermarket checkout, sales stalls, or gas stations.

But the landscape will also remain unforgettable: dreamy lakes, tranquil rivers, hidden clearings, endless forests, and flat land as far as the eye can see, with little gems of farms and villages in between, and of course the three capitals Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn, each different but all rightfully UNESCO World Heritage sites.

So, it's time to start packing up the cabin and then the final stretch back home!