Inside Soviet Spy Centre in Latvia.

105 km yesterday from Koldava to Riga airport, whence we cheated and hired a car today to visit the fascinating former Soviet Cold War eavesdropping station at Irbene – once so secret that from its inception in the mid-60s right through to 1989, the Americans had no idea it was there. And yet, it was […]

Klaipeda, Lithuania, to Kandava, Latvia, 310km

This from deepest Latvia, with 320km further on the clock in last three days, from Klaipeda (Lithuania) to Kandava just short of Riga. (Route here. ) Photos below (with captions) speak of Europe’s longest (definitely not highest) waterfall, in Kuldiga; of truly beautiful Baltic coastline; of old stately homes; local pride at being member of […]

Kaliningrad to Klaipeda – 220km or so in 2 days.

Blimey – having an interesting time on FB in Klaipeda putting photos into an album and creating and ordinary post. Looks a right mess at this end, and probably even worse at yours. Pouring with rain outside with 800km ahead of us to Tartu in Estonia, where we’re now thinking of taking a train for […]

Leaving Kaliningrad – with mixed feelings.

As old Soviet hands (Jutta and I did after all first meet in Moscow 43 years ago in 1974 when we were both working there), we head out of Kaliningrad/Koenigsberg towards EU-member Lithuania today with mixed feelings. The Russians we’ve met here since crossing on Daisy from Poland five days ago, have been unfailingly kind […]

Grom Gusev to Kaliningrad through Friedland – with added Napoleon surprise

Here’s our route over the past two days from Gusev/Gumbinnen to Kaliningrad/Koenigsberg – and a mighty interesting one it was too. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/1918353884 178 km, average moving speed of 14.7 kph, and a completely delightful overnight stay (after late-evening thunder run to nearly 10pm) at new private Amelia Hotel in Pravdinsk (terrible name), formerly Friedland. Hugely […]

Back in the USSR? First full day in Kaliningrad Oblast

Fascinating to have arrived in Kaliningrad Region – looks, feels, smells even so much like the Russia/Soviet Union Jutta and I knew so well. Our two-day slow route in mapped on the right, from Mauerwald with its crazy WWII bunkers, to Gusev/formerly Gumbinnen.

Norovirus Rules – but, Kaliningrad here we come.

First, a couple of Garmin map links if you’re interested in our exact route, and speeds, and elevation and all the rest. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/1909929009 https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/1909906242 If you check, you’ll note that the first one suddenly picks up speed dramatically after Rozogi. And yes, from that point we were no longer trundling sedately along on Daisy, but […]

One Day In, and Careful What You Eat

Jutta’s stomach – norovirus? something she ate? – forcing a one-day pause, rather early in the proceedings. But hoping to continue tomorrow.

Chopin and Changing. Daisy’s here…

All’s well, British Airways finally delivered Daisy safely if 36 hours later to Warsaw’s Chopin airport (sorry for the terrible, and obvious, pun in the headline…) and we set off north tomorrow. First though, an open-air Chopin concert in Warsaw’s Lazienki Park. And this is how Daisy arrived, her plastic packing somewhat compromised from her […]

Tandem Warsaw to Tallinn

So, after a satisfying if brief dalliance with electric bikes in the south of France in May, it’s time again for some serious cycling, with Daisy our tandem some 1300km from Warsaw up through Russia’s Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad and Riga to Tallinn, the Estonian capital. I’ll see if I can embed here a rough […]