Poland and the end of Lithuania

With me being one of the last few people to leave I decided that I would have to do some adventuring on my own. I chose Poland. Vilnius has buses constantly going to Warsaw and back. Poland also had a long rough history and was an area that also seemed interesting to visit.

So after eating with my friends that were still here at Charlie's Pizza I took the night bus at 1015 to Warsaw. It was a very cramped double decker. I couldn't wait for the bus ride to end once I stepped foot within it. After sleeping a few hours of the 8 hour bus ride we were finally in Warsaw at 6 in the morning. The bus station wasn't the most beautiful thing and not a great initial image of Warsaw.

A couple days earlier I had looked online at local hostels that were considered adequate enough. I found one called Nate's hostel. So after I arrived in Warsaw I walked the whole 4 kilometers to the hostel. It was 6 in the morning what else did I have to do. I eventually made it there and slept for a couple hours. This was the first time I actually slept in a "hostel" environment where I had no idea who I was sleeping with. After getting up I made some breakfast and decided upon planning out my schedule for the day. This included starting off with the Warsaw Art Museum, Polish Army Museum, Warsaw Uprising Museum, the big clock tower, and Old Town Warsaw. I got plenty of exercise by walking all day to each of these locations. By the end of the day I was worn out. The next day I went to check out some other museums that I has on my list but unfortunately found out all museums are closed Monday's. Instead I went to do some gift shopping till my bus ride at 7. That was Warsaw for me.

Weekend Vacation: Part 2 Helsinki, Old Town Tallin

After we all woke up refreshed and renewed with energy we decided to go and visit some of the historic Old Town in Tallinn. We took the local bus down to the middle of the city, only .50 Euros. Upon arriving I noticed a huge crane holding what looked like a huge platform in the sky. It happened to be called Sky Bar, a pretty intense way to have a dinner and drink. We continued our walk around the Old Town visiting all the ancient churches, remaining walls of the fortress that surrounded the old city, and beautiful buildings surrounding us. It was really interesting since Tallinn only has around three hours of total darkness every day. Ten at night was still very bright. After touring a part of the Old Town we decided to head back to our hotel and buy tickets for a ferry ride out to Finland. A chance to see the ocean and ride a two hour ferry ride up north to Finland sounded fantastic.

Another early morning was upon us. We bought tickets for 7:30 in the morning that way we could have the full day in Helsinki. Our ferry back was to leave around 7:30 at night, plenty of time to see all of Helsinki. The ferry ride was very relaxing and the two hour ride seemed to go by very quick. Upon arriving we needed to exchange for some Euros, so we went to the closest exchange center. The gentleman working spoke excellent English (as we learned many Finnish do) and gave us a nice detailed map of how to tour the whole city. Following the instructions we just received, we a bus to the center of Helsinki. The city of Helsinki is beautiful. I fell in love with the city's architecture and its atmosphere. It is a very modernly built city and the people are extremely kind. The Finnish people didn't hesitate in lending us a hand with directions or guiding us in the correct direction. We visited numerous churches and visited some interesting museums. One of  the stops we made was at the East Harbor. The East Harbor was full of merchant shops, bustling tourists trying out the amazing local seafood, and the ocean full with sailing boats. While there I got to try a local goodie. Reindeer and wild hog. Unfortunately they did not have any bear in that day, that would have been an interesting option as well. The meal was very tasty. The rest of the day we continued walking all around Helsinki and picked up many new gifts. At 6 we started heading back to the ferry station to catch the ride back.

Once we arrived back in Tallinn we were all very worn out from the long day or traveling. We took three separate taxis to get back to our hotel due to nine person group. Our taxi driver however had no clue about our hostel nor the English language. At one point we thought he understood us with the hotel information. The whole scenario turned out to be completely misunderstood and the driver took us to another random hotel. After some arguing, we were able to jump out without paying and jumped right back into another one who fortunately knew his way around Tallinn. The night ended with everyone going straight to bed.

Vilnius the First Few Nights

My last few days since coming to Vilnius have been nothing but spectacular. Lithuania is a hidden gem hidden away on the eastern side of Europe. Coming here I did not really know what to expect at first. My first thoughts were that it would be a run down old Soviet territory that was still recovering and trying to rebuild. Or I pictured it looking like a vast forestland with gingerbread looking homes speckled throughout, the type of pictures you would find in old European fairy tale books. Lithuania however is a gorgeous country from what I have seen so far. Here is is a recap of my first day since I couldn't use my laptop due to forgetting a wall adapter.

I arrived from Copenhagen on the 28th around four in the afternoon. I immediately looked to switch to some Litas that way I could pay for a ride to my hostel. After a little negotiating with the taxi drivers I eventually got a ride for 50 Litas, which was still a rip off from what I've come to find out. The ride happened only to be around 10-15 minutes from the airport. Eventually I arrived at my hostel Paupio Nomai which looks like an old apartment complex tucked away on the side of the street. The classes don't start till July 2nd so I was arriving a little early before the rest of the students. I checked in and found out I would be the only one for a couple days. I walked up to my hostel room which consists of nine single beds all tightly packed together in a bright white room. Being the first student I was fortunate enough to have the first picking of beds. I chose the corner bed which had the most space of all from the other beds. After dropping all my belongings off I decided to go and do a little adventuring. Our hostel is located on the southeastern side of Vilnius which happens to be walking distance to a lot of the main attractions and bustly centers of the city. My first destination was the Old Town which is considered the best Old Town center in all of Europe. It did not fail to meet expectations. Walking up and past the hill  where all the local teenagers like to hang out and get sloppy I reached the first visual signs of the Old Town. Cobblestone roads lead you up narrow alleys with authentically decorated entrances at the very top. The architecture around the town is beautiful consisting of various European styles from different regions and periods. The area is also filled with very extravegent and beautifully designed churches around every corner. I eventually made my way through the curvy paths to the town center where it was bustling with events. Outdoor bars, people shopping, fancy restaurants, and vendors on the street sides made it a very spectacular scene. Fancy name brands fashion labels, well known hotels, and delicious looking restaurants were everywhere. I began walking around just to get a better feeling of the area and to see how big it really was. After a good couple hours of just absorbing the spectacular sights and environment that I was in I decided I should probably get something accomplished. I personally did not know where to start , but I knew that my stomach was growling at me so I knew where to begin. My stomach eventually lead me to an underground supermarket where I stocked up on a good amount of grocery. Lithuania I have since found out is great at cooking all kinds of baked goods to munch on. I made sure to buy a fair share of what all looked tempting and made my way back to my hostel where I passed out for the night.