Departing Gdansk was like riding to the north pole for me. A freezing wind blew from the north and the bike swayed constantly. I was trying to imagine what it would be like in Siberia. Hopefully summer will have by then. NE Poland has more than 2000 lakes is picture postcard stuff. I camped for 2 nights in the pine forests. Nights were freezing literally. A litre carton froze almost solid in my tent. I waited patiently each morning for the sun to rise before getting out of the tent. Afterall I was on vacation. And time was my own. The sun was warm but the air temp only reached a max of 8-10 deg each day. Rid ing temps were around minus 2-3 degC.

I arrived in Vilnius and found a delighful hotel (Domas Maria) that was a restroed monastry. Safe parking for the bike and right in the middle of the old town. The Old Town was stooped in 700 years of history. Many of the churches were being renovated for the third time in their long life. The people (ie women) in Vilnius were absolutely stunning. I can only imagine that coming out of communism just one generation ago has produced a race of healthier vibrant and hopefully positive community. There are the 'haves' and the 'wannabees' and they all appeared to be zooming around enjoying the freezing sunny days.

I was planning on heading to Latvia and Estonia during the next few days, so it will interesting to compare and contrast the three Baltic States