Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

If someone ever suggests you go to the Baltic countries for a vacation, tell them ONLY in August! I just returned from what was planned to be a lovely trip across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Considering it was -22 degrees Celsius (-8 F) in the plains the day I left the US, I figured I was pretty used to the cold and could handle a late-winter trip to the region. Color me naïve – and blue with cold! For openers, the ground was covered with snow and ice. The streets (I assume there were streets under all that white stuff) were often down to single lanes with 1-2 meter high banks of plow residue on either side. It was truly a “winter wonderland” … I wondered what had ever possessed me to visit this land in winter!!!

As they say in summer in Kansas, it is not the heat that gets you, it is the humidity. The same is relatively true of cold in Kaunas (Lithuania). Sleet or snow or some sort of moisture fell every day of my trip, heaping bone-chilling humidity onto the cold. It didn’t help that I developed a sinus cold the third day and felt like I was being water-boarded with mucus most of the time. Yes, I know it is a virus and I was likely exposed to it before I left home, but it really made the weather even less appealing. I brought back video of famous examples of architecture and culture, but the subjects are all fairly obscured by snow, sleet or fog. On one of the 4-hour bus trips between cities, I took a photo out the window of a forested area deep in snow. A fellow passenger asked why I would take such an “uninteresting” picture. I told him it was for all my friends back home who would want to know what I saw on my trip. I saw snow.

What made the cold bearable were the genuine warmth and hospitality of the people. I have been in a few European cities where Yanks were not embraced by the locals. The opposite is true of every place I visited in the Baltics. People in general and “dog” people especially were friendly, helpful and even eager to accommodate visitors. I was welcomed into their homes like a family member and escorted around some of the most beautiful cities (I bought postcards so I know what they look like without snow) by warm, outgoing locals who were eager to share the rich history of their locale. I hope I was as gracious a guest as they were hosts. I know I deeply appreciated their cordiality and hope I have earned some lasting friendships along the way. The people I met were truly the highlight of the trip.

I enjoyed some great food (everywhere!) and excellent accommodations (including sauna) that made me feel privileged. Everyone was happy to share what they had – and what they have these days is much less than many other countries. According to Associated Press articles dated March 11, the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania currently have some of the most troubled economies among the 27 European Union (EU) members. The economic output shrunk by 14.1% in Estonia and by 15% in Lithuania during 2009. Their slightly less tech-savvy neighbor Latvia struggled with a staggering 18% drop and 23% unemployment. Latvia is the only Baltic nation that was forced to resort to an IMF bailout to avert bankruptcy. The contrasts of a rich culture and devastated economy were evident in many ways – if you took the time to look. However, instead of shunning outsiders as happens in many stressed economies, the Baltic people seem to realize that opening their doors and hearts may prove to be a clearer – or at least friendlier - path to recovery.

My whirlwind (or do I mean snowstorm) tour of the Baltics taught me a lot. I learned that I don’t want to be there in winter, but the beauty of the culture and the nature of the people do make me want to return for a visit that includes long walks through their historic treasure. The region has been touched by so many different influences over the centuries that Gothic Catholic cathedrals and stately German Lutheran towers stand side-by-side with Russian Orthodox onion domes. Riga (Latvia) in particular is known as the City of Churches. The old town area is a smorgasbord of structures influenced by various religions and architectural styles from past centuries. A stone’s throw away is one of the most stunning modern bridges I have ever traveled. I saw enough that I know I have to drink deeply of its “summer wine” beauty another time – when the warmth of the people matches the climate ;-)