After a marvellous 5 weeks in Scandinavia, my journey took me next to The Baltics.
The plan was to head towards the mountains, which took me through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania before reaching Poland. I didnโt know too much about these countries, so it was an opportunity to visit each capital city and research them along the way.
โ๏ธSpoiler alert, this blog post does not contain any cinnamon buns but it does contain an unplanned event in Poland ๐
Ok, now that most people have dropped off and only the hardcore fans remain, let me share my Baltic adventure with youโฆ
The Baltics
After a quick 2 hour ferry trip from Helsinki, I arrived in Tallinn in the evening and headed to a wild camping spot right on the coast.
I stopped at a supermarket on the way to get some supplies, which is always a challenge in a new country when I donโt know what anything is. I picked up a pasta dish, and tried to translate it but it came back โcreamy poo pasteโ so I hastily put it back ๐
After a quick downpour, I was lucky to have a great sunset so I sat on the beach and it was time to get the glass ball out again.



Tallinn, Estonia ๐ช๐ช
It was a drizzly day, but that didnโt stop me heading on a self guided walking tour of Tallinn.
Tallinn is on the north coast, and the city still boasts many buildings that date back to the Middle Ages. It is one of northern Europeโs best preserved medieval cities.
There are many churches and the skyline is adorned with gorgeous red rooftops.
I had a good wander round for a few hours before heading back to the van to dry off.





Latvia ๐ฑ๐ป
As I ventured further south, I crossed the border into Latvia and found another coastal spot for the night.
I was once again lucky to be treated to a gorgeous sunset ๐



Riga, Latvia ๐ฑ๐ป
The following day, I headed into Riga and set off on my walking tour.
Riga is home to another UNESCO acclaimed Old Town, which is over 800 years old. Many nations have had influence over this city, so the landscape and architecture is varied.
There are many idyllic cobbled streets and magnificent churches, as well as art nouveau structures.





Vilnius, Lithuania ๐ฑ๐น
The next stop on my trip was Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
It has a beautiful baroque old town, and is another UNESCO world heritage site.
The old town is full of cobbled streets and cute little alleyways, and there are many church buildings with a variety of different styles. I took myself on yet another walking tour and then stopped for lunch at Trakai castle, which is a 15th century castle on an island just outside the city. It looks picture- perfect, almost like it could be a jigsaw or something ๐





Change of Plans in Poland
I had always planned on travelling through Poland, but when one of my English students, Aga, asked a couple of weeks prior if I wanted to meet, I decided it was an opportunity not to be missed. Plus, she is my best student and super cool ๐โ๐ผ
You know what people say about meeting up with random strangers youโve been speaking to on the internetโฆ So I told her several times what a weirdo I am but she was adamant she wanted to meet ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
She had signed up for a half marathon in her city of Wrocลaw so we were going to meet the day after. But then she asked me if I wanted to run it too, to which I said โAbsolutely not, noโ and quickly laughed it off. After her asking several times, and me point blank refusing several times, she said โGo on, itโll be funnyโ. And that was the clincher. From that moment on, I was running a half marathon, in an unknown city, at night time, where I donโt speak the language, having done absolutely no training. What could possibly go wrong?! ๐คฆ๐ปโโ๏ธ
So I headed to Warsaw to meet up with her and went on another walking tour whilst she was at work.
Then we travelled to Wrocลaw and whilst I was there, I met up with my old work colleague Hubert and we went for lunch which was lovely ๐






Spontaneous Half Marathon
So, just after 10pm, I set off as part of the half marathon runners round the city of Wrocลaw.
Everyone knows how much I hate running, so I just wanted to get it done as quickly as I could ๐
In all honesty, I had no idea what pace I was running throughout as my Strava was off from the km markers, so I just focused on the road in front of me and kept running.
It wasnโt until after Iโd finished that I realised Iโd actually beaten my previous PB! 02:06:58 ๐
Aga also got a great time, finishing 16 seconds ahead of me. Which she is taking great delight in reminding me every 10 minutes ๐





Iโve really enjoyed wandering round such a historic part of Europe, with such varied architecture and interesting sites.
The next part of my journey takes me to the Polish Tatra mountains, and Iโm really looking forward to getting back out in nature.
Although, not sure my legs will cope with any mountains right now ๐ซ
Who can predict what other surprises lay in store for me next, although no more half marathons. Please ๐๐ผ
Live Laugh Love โ๐ผ
Travel Stats:
- Days: 46
- Countries: 12 (๐ซ๐ท๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ธ๐ช๐ซ๐ฎ๐ช๐ช๐ฑ๐ป๐ฑ๐น๐ต๐ฑ)
- Distance driven: 5,924 miles (9,533 km)
- Distance hiked: 84.5 miles (136 km)
- Half marathon PBs: 1 ๐

Only you!!! Well done on the PB and stunning pictures as always
Love you lots xxx
Haha got to love a spontaneous half marathon ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ๐
Oh my word Hart. Thatโs absolutely blimmin marvellous. Well dinner you. And โฆ. How nice to meet up with one of your students and an ex colleague. Brilliant! Photos stunning as usual especially the glass ball. Love that glass ball. Must get one! Xx Very much looking forward to your next blog adventure. So so good! Xx
Thanks Selma! Yeah, it was so nice to be able to meet up with people along the way!
Get yourself a glass ball!
โฆ. Kat not Hart ?!xx although you are a sweetheart! Xx
Absolutely brilliant!
You’re very brave (or crackers) running a half marathon without any training.
Like the castles!
Poya xx
Haha omg trust you!! Thatโs an amazing time for a half! And without training! ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ๐๐๐ nice one!! Love it. X
Haha trust me ๐
Thanks Dad! Always be prepared for such possibilities! ๐
Another great blog & photos ! Well done on the half
Marathonโฆ.I didnโt know you could run !!!!!
Ha thanks Tony, not like me to do any running on the pitch eh? ๐
Such a pleasure to read of your exploring and exploits! What a treat for you to be making so much of your time and ensuring a lifetime of memories! Onwards gal xxx
Thanks Yvonne, gotta make the most of it! ๐
I’ve been able to focus on nothing but โcreamy poo pasteโ
Ha I can just imagine your face when reading that! ๐
What Hannah said ๐ฑ
Amazing Kat, wonderful pictures. What an adventure! Xx