Joan
 Ubide
 Photography
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 few
 sounds

And still going on!

At a swift pace, following our route towards Russia, we have crossed 3 new countries, which I lump together in these lines, as they have all made a very similar impression on me.

After leaving Elk, in Poland, we caught a train towards Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. In Vilnius we had to go by bus to Riga, the capital of Latvia. From there, we caught another train to Tallinn, capital of Estonia, bordering the EEC and, personally, the most interesting one of them.

We have spent 6 days moving from here to there, it has been crazy! The reason why we’ve haven’t stopped is that our visa for Russia is only for one month, and we want to be there the first day, as we’re not very sure if we will be able to find tickets for the trans-Siberian. I hope we are lucky, now it’s the holiday season and I read on the travel guides that the trains are packed…

I can say that these three capital cities have left a very good impression on me. You can get to know them a little bit more thanks to the pictures in the portfolio. I thought that the “Eastern countries” and their capital cities would be grey and poorer, and not a very nice place to visit as a tourist. But I found that the three capitals and probably the other cities are safe and ready to receive tourists.

I think that the most interesting thing is that these cities have two sides. The first one is a zone strictly for tourists, and like in a fairy tale, everything is pristine, you can sense welfare, money, and a lot of places to spend it at the same prices as in any European capital. The second one, nearly always separated by a river or a train station, is the real city, the city where the majority of people live. As you have seen in my previous pictures, I like to visit hidden corners and “abandoned” places whenever I can. I really like markets, where you get to know everyday life. It is a great experience, you see lots of things and people are usually very nice.

In those places you find people selling what they grow or produce with their own hands. You can find large stands with a good assortment of produce, but also the typical old lady selling potatoes, honey or garlic gloves. She’s been standing there since 6 in the morning, next to a 1 x 1 table and three jars. If she manages to sell everything she will get 5 or 10 Euro at the most. You can also find another lady selling an old doll, clothes-pins and handkerchiefs she herself crafts at night, after feeding a whole family. These are good people, working people who will go to the market as long as they can, until they depart this life.

You see, that’s how things are over there… Right now I’m on the train, it’s getting dark. My mate, Gadea, is asleep, and I’m writing these lines while listening to “Lágrimas Negras” by Bebo Valdés y el Cigala…

Alcohol addiction is a sad issue in the Eastern countries. It is rather spread, and you can find many people drunk on the street, at all times. They’re not dangerous people, they only ask you for a few coins, if they can keep their balance while talking to you. It’s hard to see this situation, but it’s real. You can see it in some of my pictures. It’s not a matter of morbid curiosity. I only want to show the reality and criticize it from this website.

By the way, in those streets, quarters and markets, eating like a king will cost you only 2 o 3 Euro, instead of the 12-15 Euro they will charge you in the places for tourists. I personally prefer 1 Euro courses to the more expensive ones, although sometimes they rip us off. Maybe they notice we are tourists?

That’s all for now. When you read this text we will be in Russia, looking for the famous salad.

Thanks for following our adventures, I hope I am offering you interesting and useful moments to have a break from your daily life.

Uhmm… sounds great… Bobby Womack is singing “He’ll be there when the sun goes down”… so, I’m going to sleep.

You can see the pictures in the Albums sections

See you in the next lines, and regards to all the new friends we’ve made on the road!