Rising to the occasion

St. Petersburg, Russia

It was with skepticism that we journeyed to the supermarket in search of a loaf of bread.

Visions from the ‘80s clouded my mind. All I could think of was massive queues in the snow and row after row of empty shelves. I feared that this was to be a brutal Russian rite of passage.

My fears proved to be unfounded: a wide selection of bread provided for a fine lunch.

One word: Fed.

Nice day for a swim

St. Petersburg, Russia

As the temperature nudged 20 degrees Celsius, hundreds of people stripped off on the banks of St. Petersburg’s canals outside the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. An insane few were even enjoying a dip in the water.

It is with great relief that I can report that all swimmers and sunbathers survived the filth of the water and the ever so modest temperatures.

One word: Darwin.

Exclamation marks the spot!!!!!!!!!

Russia

You know you’re approaching the Russian border when you spot the hundreds of exclamation marks in the distance.

It seems that the most mundane of signs require the stress of not one, but several of these punctuation marks that are all but taboo in English.

I shudder to think of the number of exclamation marks used in Russian emails.

One word: Noted!!!!!

And the winner is...Tallinn (by a claw)

Tallinn, Estonia

Are you ready to rumble? Who will triumph in Old Tallinn Vs Old Riga Vs Old Vilnius in the battle of the Baltics?

The judges have consulted, and the title of Best Old Town Quarters in the Baltic Region goes to...Tallinn.

Well preserved, clean, and (mostly) sleeze-free, Old Tallinn is a pleasure to explore.

One word: Charmed.

Can’t blog. Eating.

Riga, Latvia

Pancakes are one the world’s best-known sources of satisfaction and Riga is the world’s best source of pancakes.

I love Riga because I love pancakes.

One word: Addicted.

Following the flock

Siouliai, Lithuania

Every now and then, something gets taken way too far and the result is completely awesome. This was one of those times.

The Hill of Crosses is literally that, with between 200,000 and 400,000 crucifixes planted on a tiny hill. With more being added every day, who knows where it will end?

One word: Jesus.

Lock it in, Eddie

Vilnius, Lithuania

After a day in Vilnius, the most puzzling question was, “Why the locks?”

Every bridge we had crossed was laden with dozens of locks, but with no explanation.

It all became clear on what we now call “wedding Saturday”, a day in which it seemed half of Vilnius was attending a wedding. Walking into town, we witnessed a charming ritual at our local bridge. Bride and groom attached a single lock to the bridge, before ceremoniously throwing the key into the stream, presumably never to be retrieved.

One word: Romantic.

The real thing

Minsk, Belarus

Quick quiz: the coke advertisement pictured, right, appeared in a capital city in which decade?

A) 1950s
B) 1970s
C) 2000s

Correct answer: C.

One word: Recycled.