After two flights, I arrived in Vilnius for a two night stay at the Grand Hotel. It is conveniently located on Cathedral Square just on the edge of “Old Town.”I took this photo the following day. On the afternoon I arrived, the place was hopping with people strolling, bands playing and acrobats performing!. On Z’s recommendation, I dined at Amatininku uzeiga. It is the oldest restaurant in Vilnius and is located in the Town hall square. The beet soup was spectacular! It is always served with potatoes on the side. Old Town is very charming ! Check out the macaroons sticking out of the walls !The next morning I took a tour of the city and two important landmarks outside of town. The first was Kernave. These are hill forts and served to help protect the area from invaders. Today, they are the location for pagan rituals of the summer solstice. It is a National Holiday and there is dancing, drinking and eating. The women wear garlands on their heads and couples disappear into the nearby forests to find a special fern that rarely flowers.This beautiful island castle was the next stop. It is located in Trakai on Lake Galve. It was completed in 1409 and served as a center for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.I then had a more comprehensive tour of Vilnius starting with Getiminas Tower. It was built in 1409 and there is little of the original structure that remains. It sits on a hill overlooking Cathedral Square. The statue of Gediminas is in the Cathedral Square. He was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 to 1341. He is depicted on a hunting trip with an iron clad wolf. This is the only remaining gate of the ten “Gates of Dawn” of the city. This chapel can be found just through the walkway and up a flight of stairs. It is the chapel of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn. It is believed to have been completed in 1630.Close by is the Church of the Holy Spirit. It is the major Orthodox church in Lithuania and is associated with two monasteries. In the crypt lie three martyrs and saints, Anthony, John and Eustathios. The Church of St. Casimir is a Roman Catholic church in Old Town. It is the first and oldest baroque church in Vilnius, built in 1618. It was built by the Jesuits with funds from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. And just so you can see a different architectural style in the same city, the Church of St. Anne is notable for its Gothic architecture. After a long day of sightseeing, I treated myself to a ten course dinner with wine pairings at “Nineteen 18” This was my last dessert and is highlighted by three grilled black ants! They were crunchy and I was told add acidity to the ice cream. I met up with the Backroads gang ( 26 Bikers ) in the morning and first rode into Anyksciai Regional Park. We stayed at a beautiful spa hotel there and the next day rode to Rundales Palace. We have now left Lithuania and have arrived in Latvia.This room displaying beautiful porcelain is only one of many restored state rooms that can be visited. The “palace” has been destroyed and rebuilt many times through the ages and has been used for many things depending on the political climate. We stayed in Riga overnight and then rode to Jurmala which is on the coast. We were delighted to enjoy lunch at a Georgian restaurant. Back in Riga, I wandered through the city park and met the group at the Freedom Monument for an Art Nouveau tour of the city. There are several streets with these iconic Art Nouveau buildings. They have been restored and more restoration is underway. It was such a treat to see them and hear about their history. We made a stop at this adorable bike museum in Saulkrasti. I could have stayed an hour and learned about their collection. Riding through the countryside of each country, storks were in their nests feeding their young. They perch on trees and any pole that can hold the weight of the nest. They are everywhere. We rode through birch and pine forests and then through farmland. It was so peaceful ! Schloss Fall was our home for two nights and an elegant hotel with beautiful grounds to wander through.From the deck, one can see and hear these beautiful falls on the property. Now that we were in Estonia, my new biking buddy could wear her own Estonian outfit. She speaks fluent Estonian and was a great resource for all of us about anything Estonian. On our last day of biking we could stop at a cultural center in honor of Arvo Part. He was an Estonian composer and is quoted on this column in the center. I am now a fan of his music as well as his words. I stayed an extra day in Tallin and took a walking tour of the beautiful city. At the top of the main hill, this Russian Orthodox Church was built across the street from the Estonian Parliament. You can notice that the gold that is supposed to be covering the domes is missing! It was used for other things by the Estonians. They do not like the location of the church but destroying it would cause collapse of their parliament buildings! St. Mary’s Cathedral dates back to the 13th century and is undergoing major renovation. The walls of the cathedral are filled with coats of arms of the lords of the time. There is an impressive organ at the back of the church. I took an early morning flight to Frankfort and Tanya picked me up. We drove to her mother’s house in Baden-Baden. Tanya and I wandered all over the town after mailing my bike clothes back home. I visited Tanya and her family 23 years ago. Little has changed in this idyllic town in the Black Forest. The next day we drove to Schloss Favorite Rastatt. It is the oldest “porcelain palace” and “the only one to survive unchanged” After a lunch of “Ice Kaffe”, we went on a tour of the palace. We walked all over the beautiful grounds before lunch. The opulence is obvious and extraordinary ! I might bore you with all my photos of the rooms which just got better and better. We took a quick train ride to Basel, Switzerland to meet up with Tanya’s sister, Petra. We explored both sides of the city on the Rhine River and enjoyed lunch on the riverside. This is an OLD city. The dates the houses were built are indicated on the front of the buildings and it gives one pause ! Fun stop at Risa! Hats for Tanya and me!Flight from Frankfort to Lyon to meet Christopher and Natalie. We rented a car and drove to a town near Valence for the wedding of my nephew, Ryan Reynolds. I could not pass up an opportunity to taste some Viognier at the wine distributor across the street from our hotel. Unfortunately, none of it could be shipped directly to me in the US.The wedding day arrived and I met up with my brother and his entire family to celebrate at Chateau Chavagnac.Ryan and Megane made a stunningly beautiful couple on a perfect day !!Family photo opportunity ! Megane had planned every detail including a little gift to every person at the ceremony with a piece of Kleenex – ” For the tears of joy” in French! Christopher, Natalie and I flew to Iceland and visited this iconic church in Reykjavik.We dined that evening at a local pub in old town. Christopher could not resist the dare to try shark. It comes in a sealed container because of the smell and after you pop it in your mouth you drink the clear liquor that tastes foul, too. After meeting up with our Backroads leaders and only two other guests, we shuttled to Thingvellir National Park for a stroll between two tectonic plates and the site of the country’s first general assembly in AD 930.We stopped for a photo by the waterfall. Note my possum hat and puffy jacket! Temperature ranges from 50 to 60 degrees every day. It was quite a welcome relief from the heatwave in France. Such a civilized way to end a hike! Our afternoon hike took us to Mount Hengill which is an important source of geothermal energy for the island. It supplies heat, water and electricity to the city of Reykjavik and other parts of the country. We hiked around mud pools and smoking fumaroles. We had to cross this poorly maintained bridge on our afternoon hike. I thought my Glacier hiking gang would appreciate it. After hiking from the Whale Fjord, we arrived at the Hotel Husafell. This fresh bread and creative, delicious butter was quickly devoured. The top of the butter is mushroom and butter and the base is local butter. The next morning we began hiking next to Baejargil Canyon. You don’t recognize me because i have my netting over the top of my head. The midges were particularly annoying on this hike but soon disappeared. Christopher and Natalie hiked along the rim and I took the easy way down. The bridge in the depths of the canyon takes one from the changing rooms to the two hot pools.Backroads leaders welcome us with towels, cheese, grapes, lamb jerky and drinks of all kinds. I did not take the option of taking a dip in the icy cold river that runs along side. In the afternoon, we got ready for our snowmobile ride on the glacier.We arrived at Langjokull Glacier and got settled for a ride. This glacier is larger than the island of Manhattan.I did not drive a snowmobile but rode on the back. I was very anxious and my hands were very cramped by the time we finished. After snowshoeing for thirty minutes, I was exhausted! Christopher and Natalie enjoyed the fun and cold.The next morning we hiked to the rim of a volcano and then hiked through this beautiful valley. The rock formations are unique. We shuttled to Snaefellsness National Park and walked down to the beach. This black sand beach was easier than expected to hike on but it became more difficult and I opted for a hike at the nature center. Here is Kirkjufell mountain and Kirkjufellfloss waterfall. Think Game of Thrones season 7.Lots of wall art in this small town. We had lunch at a cute restaurant, Gilbakki.Here you see two Trolls who were holding hands when the sun came up. They were sadly turned to stone. This coastline is spectacular. I could sit and watch the waves roll in for hours. Christopher and Natalie enjoy the view!. I wasn’t about the hike out there. And the beautiful rock formations get better and better. Following the path back to the hotel on our last morning, I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the meadow foxtail moving in the breeze.After a long uncomfortable flight back to Chicago, I opted for a 30 minute massage to ease my poor old muscles. I’ve gotten back on the bike on the lakefront trail and today went to the Art Institute to ease my brain. It just took 30 minutes!. I walked in with my head full of things I needed to do and I walked out with nothing at all on my mind. I had escaped into the worlds of Gustave Caillebotte and Frida Kahlo. It’s good to be home for a bit.
