Out on the road with no fixed plan.Went to Nordkapp from Helsinki for a warm up ride,rains greeted me with open arms for couple of days.But that is how the start of this summer has been in Finland.

Till Oulu and beyond it was little bit boring to ride on the straight roads.But be ready to be surprised by the thick forests,beautiful lakes and lot of mosquitoes as you enter Lapland.Have to pitch tents in lightning speeds with all the gears ON.

There is this river which runs along Finland and Swden border which is ideal for fishing and other activities,it accompanies you all the way till Norway along the E8 highway and then disappears somewhere in the mountains. Heading to Nordkapp from Kilpisjarvi through Norway was a good idea,I had planned my return through Rovaniemi for quick a chit-chat and coffee with Santa.










Ride went pretty well except the weather became quite bad as i reached Nordkapp and there were lot of tourists around including me ofcourse











Cheers
Biru

Some more from the Nordkapp side of the world









Returned back to Lapland as i was missing the giant mosquitoes a lot,had a brief stop at Rovaniemi and selfie with Santa and i was off to Oulu.







To make things interesting on the way back to Helsinki i took some help from best biking roads site and it turned out to be pretty good.I was riding around some country roads with spectacular views.Not to forget lot of clean water lakes,lush green forests and the bad weather



Next weekend we move to Estonia in the next post

Cheers
Biru

Tallin is two and a half hour by Viking Line or Silja line cruise,viking line being the cheapest AFAIK.The other option is to go thru the pain of getting a Russian visa and ride all the way by land and enter Estonia through Narva. Finished my work for Friday and took the 9 PM ferry to reach Tallin.Being bit late for the Friday night,all i could do is check-in in a hostel and grab some to make up for the lost party time

Over the weekend i moved to Narva-Tartu-Parnu-Kuressaare and back to Tallin.Weather played spoil sport at some sections but who cares.

Quick detour to Jagal Juga





Accidentally bumped into this war memorial ceremony,Follow the brown sign boards as they say.There was very tight security around and i was checked thoroughly before i could go inside and figure out what exactly is going ON.But,it was quite interesting to see,how people respect the freedom they have been awarded these martyr's who laid their life for better future.





Narva was pretty good,specially the fortification,its location and again a beautiful river acting as a border.While i took the tickets for visiting Narva fort,i was presented with this small coin by which i could buy anything in the local shops inside the fort complex.









Reminds me of Pink Floyd - Division Bell - All time favorite.



Cheers
Biru

I was surviving on Hot Dogs during the day and during the night,And this was the first time i noticed that there are two sorts of Hot Dogs.One American and another is French.French ones usually have the closed bread and sauces are filled inside it and american one comes with a open bread and we have a choice to fill in some more fillers.Well that was just an observation which i converted into my understanding.
Noticed lots of cops cars and bikes around the Tallin-Narva route.As i was in Tartru for the night i planned to go to the Tartu Cathedral in the morning.







Some countryside landscapes.





At last made it to Kuressaare.Frequest ferries are there to connect Virtsu and and Kuivastu.There was huge line of cars waiting to go other side at Virtsu,more than 1-2 Km i think.Same was the case on the other side at Kuivastu.Weekend is to be blamed i think,i didn't waited for the queue and went ahead as our sweet little motorbikes can be easily tucked in any tiny little corner without hassling with the car park spaces in the ferries.



I always wanted to visit Kuressaare,such a rich history it has.Starting from Danish rule,Swedish rule and then russians came along and then world war.You can see all the pieces of history very well presevered,explained and properly stored with all the details in Kuressaare castle.

This one made me think a lot,such a distraction it can become



Outside the castle











Returned back to Tallin with this last stop.Had to bang my head on the keyboard for the next few days,Until the weekend arrives.




Next post coming up for the weekend adventures in Latvia and Lithuania.

Cheers
Biru

This weekend and following weekdays i am riding around Poland,Have gone through lots of thread in HUBB about Poland and i could figure out the coastal part around Gdansk is amazing place to be and not to miss the architectural heritage of Warsaw,Wroclaw and Krakow.If you see a fat bloke riding on a old CB500,don't forget to say 'Juley'

Cheers
Biru

Great read and photos...but I can not see the last posts photos, just getting a picture of a camera with 600 underneath it. Might just be my connection

Wayne

__________________
The Balkans
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/poi_entity/8417

Another week went by and i had the same Friday viking line cruise booked for overnight arrival in Tallin.Unlike last time i decided to ride ahead 100 Km or so and rest for the day.But,only a rider would understand how difficult it is stop once we are one with the bike and the road.

Good Morning Latvia


I crossed over the border and made my way to Turadia castle.I was too early here,like two hours before the castle gates open.How to kill the time,i tried to take a power nap while sitting on the bike.But failed miserably.

Finally the gates opened and i could go and pee in the restroom instead of fertilizing the wild plants out in the open.

I was told at the reception that this castle was abandoned after a fire in the medieval years.All the things i will see in pristine condition in the campus is restored/rebuilt.Best thing about Turadia was the main tower,where you can climb till the top and enjoy the spectacular landscapes of Gauja National park and Gauja river.







Another popular castle known as Cesis castle is in close proximity and should not be missed.I was bit lucky that when i reached at Cesis castle,there was some festival in progress.Lot of traditional activities were going on.I managed to mingle in with the gentleman who has these armors on display.We exchanged some knowledge of our histories and where the world is heading today.Meanwhile i tried some armors and it only made me feel like a midget..every armor was quite loose.








I found Latvian countryside landscapes quite beautiful and appealing







I had heard a lot about Liepaja and the beautiful coast this city has.But due to shortage of time,i had to return from Kuldiga.Kuldiga has this widest waterfall in entire Europe popularly known as Ventas Rumba



This old bridge has some history too,but i don't know much..so google has to solve the mystery here.



Spotted these beautiful dolls made of clothes next to the road leading to Kuldiga.It was in Sabile as far as i remember.Also found this gem lying around in the middle which tickled my motorcyclist fantasy to stop and lay my arse on the saddle.



I wasn't the only who was affectionate about this Ural



I came back to Riga and left my bike at the airport.Had to go back to Helsinki for the rest of the week to work and plan for the next weekend ofcourse
Approximate charge for parking for 4 days was around 15 Euros with a free pick up and drop facility.

Cheers
Biru