Krakow, Poland...

We rolled through the center Warsaw around lunchtime.  I was curious to see Old Town - which was restored to the pre-war architecture after being destroyed by Hitler.  We didn't stop so I only got to see it from the seat of my bike and didn't get any photos.  Old Town is pretty cool looking but the rest of Warsaw is very modern - not particularly interesting.  From what I have read the city is currently in its largest economic boom in history.

We stopped for lunch a bit outside the city at a roadside cafe - our second of this type in two days.  The food both times has been great.  Today I had tomato soup and Pierogi Ruski -  delicious!  The food in Poland is not only good but cheap as well - my meal with a coffee came to $4 US.  

The highlight of Poland so far is Krakow - the cultural capital of Poland.  The city was mostly spared of the destruction that Warsaw encountered during the war.  We had reserved a hostel right in the center of town.  As we entered the downtown area I got the same good vibe that St. Petersburg gave out - that this was a very unique and historic city worth exploring deeper than I had time for in this visit.  I'm pretty sure I will be back to both someday.

We checked into the hostel and walked around a bit to find a pub to sample the local beer.  We had not yet had a beer in Poland - last night we wild camped in a farmers field about 150 km northeast of Warsaw.  We found a cool place built in the old cellars from the war.  They were used by the Jews to hide from The Germans.  The city is filled with these underground caverns and many have been restored and put to use like this particular spot.  After a few drafts of some local brew we decided to look for a place to have dinner.  There was a Mexican restaurant on the same block - we hadn't had any Mexican food in the entire trip so decided to give it a try.  What a mistake - it turned out to be a crap tourist trap.  The food was not completely horrible but certainly not doing any justice  to one of the best cuisines on the planet.  I had read earlier on Triposo about a good Mexian spot in Krakow owned by a chef from Mexico City that served good authentic Mexican dishes and thought this was that place.  After checking this was not that place and the reviews were pretty much what we experienced - oh well, the Corona was cold anyway.

Sunday morning I got up early to walk around Krakow a bit during the day and get a few photos.  It was overcast and foggy so the pics didn't really do justice to the dramatic architecture.  The churches are massive.  It was interesting to see the city wake up this early in the morning.  The shop owners were still cleaning up from a busy Saturday night while getting ready for the Sunday morning tourist crowd.  I was suprised at how many places were already open at 7am.  I found a cup of coffee - the coffee is so good now that we are in Europe.  It was instant crap all throughout eastern Russia and Mongolia - when I could even find it.

Later this morning we will visit Auschwitz - not exactly a happy place by any streach but certainly a must see while visiting Poland.  Then the plan is to ride out of Poland and into the Czech Republic.

My $4 lunch - yummy!

Krakow at night.

The pub down in the WWII cellar.

Some pics from my morning walk...

Kaunas, Lithuania...

We only have about 125 km to the Poland boarder so decided to have a relaxing morning in Kaunas.  Our hostel is in a fantastic location right on the pedestrian mall in the center of town.  We started at a coffee house called Green Coffee.  We walked in and the barista politely described the program - traditional coffee drinks similar to what you would find at a Starbucks or the coffee bar experience.  We chose the coffee bar - a selection of 21 beans from around the world and your choice of 9 different brewing methods.  Our barista professionally asked some questions to determine our individual coffee tastes while also describing how each of the brewing styles would bring out distinct favors specific to each method.  We each chose a different bean and brewing method.  He described each method, where it originated and how it would affect the beans during the brew.  I chose a bean from Indonesia and a Japanese style brewing method through a filter designed to let the maximum bold spicy flavor of the ground beans to pass through.  It was indeed an excellent cup of coffee - bold flavor with a spice and vanilla finish.  It took at least 15 minutes for the barista to educate us on the process as well as individually grind the beans and brew each cup for us - all for about $2.50 US each.  Much less than a Starbucks grande latte and much more interesting.  Nothing like having a cup of Joe with a backstory in a coffee bar in Lithuania to make you feel like a hipster douche!  It was actually nice to have a quality cup of brewed coffee after 2 straight months of crapy instant throughout northern Asia.  The Russians are much more into their tea so it is not easy to find any good coffee in Russia.

We then proceeded on to another cafe to get some breakfast - a huge omelet for only about $2 US.  I also added a latte for an additional $1.25 - Lithuania is very cheap indeed!  Except for fuel of course - about $6.50 per gallon.  After breakfast we walked around the square and snapped a few pics.  Then back to the hostel to pack up the bikes and hit the road - Ken and I off to Poland and Mark to Kaliningrad.

A 120 year old church at the end of the pedestrian mall.

The bridge coming down into the mall.

Our barista giving backstory on the beans an brewing methods.

Choices, choices.

My delicious cup of Joe.

Estonia to Lithuania...

We rode about 150 km after getting of the ferry in Tallinn and ended up finding a great place to stay - a cabin/hunting camp near the Latvia boarder.  It was fortunate that we stumbled on to this place as we had been looking for some time for a camp spot and it was beginning to get dark and raining.  The owner was there when we pulled up but it was obviously closed for the season - which we learned had ended the first week of September.  He allowed us to stay even though he was leaving for his home - we would be the only occupants for the night.  He said he reopens in early October for hunting season.  We didn't even have to pitch tents as we were given one of the little cabins for 10 EUR each - perfect!

After a good nights sleep and shower we hit the road.  We made plans to meet up with Mark in Kaunas that afternoon so needed to blast through the rest of Estonia, through Latvia and into Lithuania.  Luckily the road were awesome and we made good time arriving in Kaunas about 4pm.  Mark had already secured a hostel for us right in the center of town.

We headed to a pub Mark had scoped out to have a few beers and some dinner.  The interesting part of the evening was that the USA and Lithuania were playing in a televised semifinal basketball game - the Basketball World Cup.  The bar was packed with enthusiastic fans for Lithuania.  We were quietly rooting for the US team which was beating Lithuania badly.  I think the US ended up winning by 28 - pretty much a spanking.  

After a little morning sightseeing in Kaunas we will again say goodbye to Mark and make our way into Poland.  We are only a couple of hours to the boarder.  Mark plans to visit the sliver of Russia between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea - Kaliningrad.

Our little cabin next to the bikes.

The deserted camp compound we had all to ourselves.

Reunited with Mark!

Lithuanian fans intently rooting for their team.

Finland to Estonia...

We crossed the boarder to Finland in painless fashion - our easiest and quickest boarder crossing yet. We had been trying unsuccessfully to get Green Card insurance online - the required liability coverage for driving a vehicle in the European Union.  Since we were now in Finland we had no choice but to buy it at the boarder - 300 EUR each, ouch!  For some reason motorcycle coverage is the second highest of all the vehicles - second only to a motorcoach.  Cars are only 120 EUR - WTF???  Seems a car can do much more bodily harm and property damage than a motorcycle - but oh well, what can you do.

Shortly after crossing into Finland the sky's opened up and pissed cold rain on us.  It rained all the way to Helsinki and continued to rain while we researched ferries at the seaport.  We wanted to catch a ferry to Estonia on Wednesday - and ended up booking a 1:30pm departure on a 2 hour fast ferry to Tallinn.  We originally wanted to camp as there are many campgrounds just outside Helsinki - but I had no desire to set up camp in a downpour.  We found a cool hostel at the Olympic stadium - basically the original housing for the athletes that competed in the 1952 summer games when Finland hosted the Olympics.  The facility had everything we needed - bed, shower, laundry, WiFi and a 6.50 EUR breakfast buffet.  I really needed the laundry as it has been several weeks since the last opportunity.  It will be nice to have some fresh, clean clothes.

I'm looking forward to the Baltic's of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.  We should arrive in Tallinn around 3:30pm.  We also have made plans to meet up with Mark again in Lithuania on Thursday.

Hostel at the Olympic stadium.

Bikes strapped down on the ferry.

The cargo hold - big boat!

Helsinki, Finland.

Tallinn, Estonia.

St. Petersburg...

We ended up arriving in St. Petersburg on Monday afternoon.  We just didn't have it in us to ride the whole 750 km from Moscow on Sunday after only 4 hours of sleep.  On the bright side we found a great camp spot in a Park by a lake.  It was definitely in the top 5 camps of the trip so far.  I slept very good on this night as the weather was cool and there was no road or city noise.

St. Petersburg is a very impressive city rich with history and amazing architecture.  We ended up staying in a hostel recommended by Dmitry - a friend of his owns it.  It had a funky kind of artsy  decor, was clean and cheap.  It was also right in the center of St. Petersburg so we had lots of choices for food and drink.  We ended up in an English style pub with about 25 beers on tap.  You could buy a beer in up to a 7 liter glass -  freaking huge!  We opted for the half liter sizes - Guinness and Newcastle!  The food was also very good - fish & chips, ribs, delicious salads.  The food variety in Moscow and St. Petersburg is completely different from eastern Russia.

I walked around St. Petersburg for a couple of hours on Tuesday morning to see some of the city and snap a few photos.  I need to come back someday as it looks to have so much to see that we didn't have the time for.  I wish we were staying a few more days - but Finland awaits.  We plan to ride to Helsinki, spend the night and catch a ferry to Estonia in the morning.  It is forecasted to be cold and wet in Finland so one day is probably enough.

The lake we camped next to on our last night in Russia.

Morning fog on the lake.

Courtyard outside the hostel.

Kultura hostel.

St. Petersburg streets.

The river.

Cool looking building I passed on my walk.

Gorky Park and Moscow Day Celebration...

Saturday was a good day (and night) in Moscow.  We started the day by meeting up with Dmitry's friend Julia who was going to give us a tour of Gorky Park, Moscow Centre and later the fireworks celebration at the university.  Dmitry had some commitments so was going to be tied up all day.  He was to meet us later at the fireworks show.  Saturday is a special day for Moscow as the city is celebrating its 867th birthday.  There are events, concerts, parades, etc. all throughout the city each year on the first Saturday in September.  We saw the set-up for one of the events in Red Square on Friday and it was massive.

We connected with Julia and her son at a predetermined subway station and soon joined her friend Ira and her two daughters.  We then walked the short distance to Gorky Park - a very impressive park indeed.  Think Central Park in New York, but Russian style.  The park is massive - about 300 acres and averages 250,000 visitors on a typical weekend day.  Since this was Moscow day and there was additional animation I am guessing there were more than that visiting on this Saturday.  It was a fun relaxing afternoon - we covered a good amount of distance walking around.  For me it was good to be walking since we spend so much time in the saddles of the bikes - Ken, not so much.  He has been bothered by a foot problem the entire trip stemming from a barefoot volleyball session several months ago.  He was pretty much limping around the whole day (and night).

We grabbed an espresso, said goodbye to Ira and her daughters and started walking towards Red Square.  The streets were packed with people heading to the various celebration areas.  I think they said there were 15 locations around Miscow that would be shooting off fireworks simultaneously at 10pm.  We were going to kill some time in the centre and then cab it to the University to watch the fireworks.  Dmitry suggested to us that location would be the best as the Moscow City skyline is the backdrop for the fireworks.  

We were joined by Julia's friend Stas and the 5 of us walked around the city centre area (to Ken's delight) for several hours enjoying the live music venues and street animation taking place in the various pockets.  Around 9pm it time to head to the fireworks.  The show was impressive as it was basically a 20 minute finale - not the two or three at a time then finale at the end US style.  They just blow off everything they have for 20 minutes straight.  It was pretty cool to watch.

After the show we decided to go hit a 24 hour pool hall to shoot some pool and drink piva (Russian for beer).  Before we new it it was 6am and the sun was coming up.  We cabbed it the 45 minutes back to Dmitry's and got to bed at 7am - our new record.  Not real smart as we planned to ride to St. Petersburg on Sunday morning - a 750 km distance.  It was worth it as Julia and Stas were incredible hosts and showed us a great time - just another example of the amazing people we have met in a Russia.

We got up at 11am, loaded the bikes and said goodby to our good friend and host Dmitry.  He put us up in his home for three nights and we will be forever grateful for his hospitality and assistance getting Ken's shock repaired.  It is always sad leaving the cities where we meet new people.  We get such a short time getting to know them and want to be able to stay and get to know them even better.  But the road awaits and there is much more to see.  Thank you so much Dmitry, Julia and Stas - you are all fantastic people.  I hope to see you again some day soon.

I'm looking forward to visiting St. Petersburg - another iconic Russian city.  I just wish I was better rested for the ride to get there.

Gorky Park.

The Kremlin from the river.

Stas, Julia and her son.

Firework show at the university park.

With Dmitry.