Tallinn, Estonia Aug 12, 2025 They may sound like the lead characters of a fairytale, but they are actually the names of a pair of defense towers. Twenty-six towers once studded the encircling wall of Vanalinn old town. Today we know the town as Tallinn. Heavily bombed in March of 1944, much of the walls, … More Fat Margaret & Tall Hermann
Riga, Latvia Aug 7, 2025 They are scattered around Riga, reputedly some eight hundred of them. But there is one street where they seem concentrated, one after the other in a row. The buildings on Alberta street are all art nouveau, built largely in the early 1900s when Riga commanded a privileged position in the … More Where Bizarre Reigns Supreme
Vilnius, Lithuania Aug 1, 2025 In the not-too-distant past (mid-14th century CE) a wooden fortress on a small hill in the center of present day Vilnius was abandoned and a fortified brick castle built on the plain below the hill. It was the residence of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, related to the Polish kingdom … More Inside a Ducal Palace
Krakow, Poland July 26, 2025 Krakow, I was told by every local I spoke with, is a jewel and the best in Poland. It is an absolute must-see; go, they urged. So here I am, wandering in the market square of the old town. At four hundred square meters, this market square is deemed the … More The Jewel of Poland
Gdansk, Poland July 22, 2025 Situated at the mouth of the Motlawa river, 14th century Danzig was a major port on the Baltic Sea, especially for grain. As a leading member of the Hanseatic League, Gdansk, as it is now called, saw immense amounts of grain flowing through it. This necessitated granaries; in fact so … More On Granary Island
Warsaw, Poland July 17,2025 The Royal Route stretches from the Wilanow Palace in the south all the way to the Castle Square in the north, the entire street being on the Historic Monuments register. At the south end is a large statue of Copernicus presiding over a paved square with the solar system engraved on … More A Wander Through Warsaw
Torun, Poland July 15, 2025 Established in the 13th century CE by Teutonic Knights, Torun soon grew wealthy on trade. Goods were traded up and down the river Vistula and burghers built their lavish houses. Soon outgrowing the Old Town, it enveloped the area that used to be for craftsmen and merged with the newer … More Within the Walls
Torun, Poland July 13, 2025 Born into a wealthy family in 1473, Nicolaus Copernicus studied fields as diverse as astronomy and astrology in Krakow and law and medicine in Italy. An original, he had the conviction and courage to challenge the geocentric model of the universe that was then in vogue, to replace it with … More Homage to an Original
Wroclaw, Poland July 9, 2025 Gray skies, spitting rain and blustery wind accompanied the bus ride from Berlin into Wroclaw. It may not be the best for travel, but flip side is using the fleece and rainjacket I have been carting around for a month and a half. A large town like all the others, … More To Market to Market
Prague, Czech Republic June 24, 2025 The river Vltava runs through the middle of Prague, separating the east and west banks. Among the many bridges spanning the river, the oldest is the medieval one of stone arches called Charles Bridge. It is so called because it was begun under the reign of King Charles IV … More Across the River
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 