A lot has changed since my last post. I got the best job in the world, but today I'm not talking about that.
As every working person, the most valuable thing is free time. As I am pretty active member of HC these times and I didn't want to waste my long weekend... I took into my plans visiting Vilnius. The reasons were simple - some places just are "must" to visit. Lately I took a trip to Helsinki and in my close future plans are also Berlin and St. Petersburg...
But as I have had nice guests from Vilnius and I wanted to start hitch-hiking (as the daylight-time is quite long already). And is was very nice weather last week in Tallinn...
I agreed my visiting time with my hostess and packed my rucksack.
I put my thumb up Friday morning about 9 a.m. in Laagri, Tallinn.
While waiting there an old man (about his 70's, I guess) came from bus and started talking. That he joined Estonian Voluntary Defence organization (later I thought he mentioned it because I have pants and bag in army colors), that he got his last recommendation for the organization from our last president. That he was in pilgrimage last year in Poland. And how he was hitch-hiking... then he asked for my contacts with sentence "he might be able to help me". If I asked "how", he answered that he will get a car for 0 money. I wasn't very interested what he meant with that, probably that he could give me a ride then.
He took out his A4 format black book and asked me to write my name and contacts and with how big donation will I step in his club. I wrote, but not the amount of money.
I asked, what is this club anyway. He answered, that health club. Like in one swimming pool he has unlimited time for swimming. I could just go. This month still for 200 EEK (?!). But there were interesting names in his book. For example our head director of Police Department. Our last president also. I can't remember more.
He said he is working as a cart pusher in supermarket. What a start for the day! :)
I got my first ride about 10:30. And it was about 30km. The driver talked (not a conversation) about criminals these days and in 1930s and forced labor used at connecting big lakes in war period. If the ride had been longer. The selection of his sentences didn't make much sense.
The next car stopped in 10 seconds. And it took me through Latvia to small border village Germaniškis, Lietuva. About 360km. The driver is working in Finland as a welder. It was pretty interesting ride. We were talking most of the time.
When we got to Germaniškis, he asked, If I can write "Vilnius" in local way. That I should write "V-I-L-N-I-A-U-S". I asked that how is so. I though Vilnius is the place and Vilniaus is (region) of the Vilnius [genitive case]. He said no. Then I showed my map, where it was written "Warszawa" and "Rīga" - in local way. And "Vilnius". That stopped the discussion.
In Germaniškis I waited for 20 minutes, I guess. And got a ride to Biržai. About 22km. There I waited for a long time. All day I've been using signs for getting ride. But waiting there... thinking "Vilnius" sign is good... was wrong. I put the sign away, lifted my thumb and the second car stopped and took me to Pasvalys, 30km.
There I had to stand quite a long time. With sign "Vilnius". A car that stopped finally was Latvian family's. They wanted to to go Poland, but wasn't sure about their road. Luckily I had a map : ) They got smarter and I got closer to my destination. The ride was 45km.
Then... standing in junction Pasvalys-Kaunas-Vilnius... evening came and it went dark. I didn't stand that long time but in darkness I didn't feel that good any more. Bad place for hitch-hiking in darkness - no street lights.
Then something big stopped. I ran and it was a bus. When I said I'm hitch-hiking, seemed the bus driver didn't accept it. I asked for price and it was 20 litas. Lucky me - I had these 20 litas in my pocket. I had the money since last summer from Kaunas. Of course the bus driver didn't give me the ticket ; ) There were 4 persons in big bus and 2 went off quite early, before Vilnius.
Luckily me hostess lives in very comfortable place and bus stopped near it. But my personal problem was round-roads in sleeping areas and memory/lazyness. I thought that the house number was 68, not 63 so I had long walk around the area.
Finally I found the house. The time, I guess, was around 10pm.
I got fed, changed clothes and went to meet Margarita in the city. Everything was well organized. Except from my side. My phone wasn't working because I have pre-paid phone card (stupid me) or was it some other problem... I'm not sure.
Cathedral in Vilnius
Užupis, special district in Vilnius
Awful street in Užupis, Vilnius
Prison in Vilnius that looks super beautiful. But not inside, as I was told :)
St. Anne 's gothic style church
Vilnius and other Baltic states got covered with snow this weekend, but it didn't stop nobody having good time. I and Margarita enjoyed beer in a pubs, drink at Paparazzi night club, restaurants, walks, driving in the city... it was very good weekend. Vilnius is super-nice and I have to go back. This time was more like introducing, I need more time and summer would be nice.
Planning the trip back was harder than I thought it would be. No straight bus ride Vilnius-Tallinn. The best oportunity was waiting 3 hours in Riga and be in Tallinn at 23.15 in the evening.
I decided to do it the easy way - I took a bus ride to Latvia (there was passport check on Latvian border), round-road at E22 and E67 crossing, waiting there for 15 minutes and got a direct ride to Tallinn with nice BMW. I was in Tallinn at 6 P.M. Thanks to Latvian man working in Tallinn : )
So... none of the rides was with Estonians...
Just remember - when hitch-hiking, try to act as well as you can. Only this car raise reputation of hitch-hiking. No experienced hitch-hiker travels that way to save money, remember that! : )
Flag of Lietuva
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