Studying the map, and doing some planning in our hotel room we were struck by how close we were across the sea from Sweden and out walking we had seen signs advertising ferries. Our original plan had been to travel next to Estonia then onto Finland, but the idea of a ferry to Sweden sounded great. We went to a travel agent and were advised that the next evenings ferry was almost full, but had a few seats still available. We raced back to our hotel to see if we co...

After a very brief but wonderful visit with our friends in Warsaw, Poland (see last entry) we took an overnight bus to Vilnius the capital of Lithuania. Arriving around 7am, with a desperate need for the toilet, we discovered Lithuania hasn't quite shrugged off the past. Squat toilets only, at a cost of $1A equivalent were at the bus station. Of course when you just arrive in a country you don't have any currency and especially not coins for a locking gat...