Chasing the Last of Eastern Europe: A Baltic Adventure

May 2022: Touchdown in Lithuania

In May 2022, I boarded a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Budapest, Hungary and landed in Vilnius, Lithuania just around noon.
This trip marked a personal milestone — the Baltics were the final piece of Eastern Europe that I had yet to visit.

Mapping Out the Journey

From Vilnius, my plan was to take the train north to Siauliai, then continue by bus all the way to Tallinn, Estonia.
It would be a trip built around a few specific goals: visiting sacred sites, exploring historic cities, and uncovering relics of the Soviet past.

Highlights I Hoped to Experience

One of my main motivations in Lithuania was to visit the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai, a haunting site where thousands of crosses stand as symbols of faith and resistance.

The Spirit of the Trip

This Baltic adventure promised the perfect mix of mystery, history, and exploration — a fitting way to close my chapter on Eastern Europe.

A Quick Dive into Baltic History

The Baltics — Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia — may be small, but their history is anything but quiet. Over the centuries, they’ve been ruled by powerful neighbors like Sweden, Poland, and Russia.
Lithuania even once built an empire of its own.

Russian influence was especially strong, first under the Tsars and later the Soviet Union. It wasn’t until the early 1990s, after the fall of the USSR, that all three countries regained full independence.
Today, the Baltics are proud members of the European Union and NATO, blending centuries of rich history with a modern European identity.

My route across the Baltics

Into the Heart of Lithuania: The Journey to the Hill of Crosses

Riding the Rails Through the Lithuanian Countryside

From Vilnius, I traveled north by train, selecting a window seat to soak in the countryside — and I’m glad I did.
Vast forests, wooden villages, crumbling communist-era buildings, and the occasional smoke-belching factory blurred past my window.
The weather had turned gloomy and rainy, finally breaking my lucky streak of sunshine during the trip, but it somehow fit the mood of the landscape perfectly.

Chasing the Long Days

Thanks to the late Baltic sunset — nearly 9:30 PM — I had plenty of daylight to make the most of my afternoon.
Arriving in Siauliai in the late afternoon, I immediately jumped into a taxi bound for one of the highlights of my trip: the Hill of Crosses, located about 10 miles outside of town.

The Hill of Crosses: A Symbol of Endurance

The Hill of Crosses is as much a symbol as it is a sight.
Originating in the 1800s, it has been a rallying point for Lithuanian resilience through countless wars and occupations. Despite repeated efforts by Tsarist and Soviet authorities to dismantle it, locals always rebuilt — each new hill standing as a quiet act of defiance.

Today, it’s estimated there are around 50,000 crosses on the site.
Visitors often bring their own crosses, not just to honor Lithuanian struggles, but broader causes of independence around the world.
One Taiwanese tourist even left a cross for Taiwan’s independence — an act later caught in a viral controversy when a Chinese tourist destroyed it on video.

A Gloomy Yet Beautiful Visit

When I arrived, the Hill of Crosses was soaked in rain and wrapped in a solemn, misty atmosphere.
The weather had chased away the crowds, leaving me alone with the endless sea of crosses — a haunting, moving experience that made the long journey feel even more rewarding.

Hill of Crosses

Me at the Hill of Crosses

A Night in Siauliai

Checking Into a Soviet-Era Stay

After visiting the Hill of Crosses, I returned to the town of Siauliai and checked into my hotel for the night.
The building itself was a relic of the past — tucked inside a row of communist-era bloc apartments, a reminder of Lithuania’s Soviet years.

My room was simple and austere, but it suited my needs perfectly.
At under $40 USD per night, it offered great value for a budget traveler, and the spartan surroundings only added to the feeling of stepping back in time.

My Hotel Room in a Communist Bloc Apt Building

A Wild Night in Siauliai: Birthday Eve at the Bar

Setting Out for a Simple Meal

On the eve of my 45th birthday, I decided to find a local bar for a quiet beer and some dinner.
I walked into the first place I spotted. At first glance, it seemed almost empty — just two friendly blond bartenders, who greeted me with the warmth I had come to associate with Lithuanian hospitality.

I ordered a beer and a plate of fish and chips, expecting a peaceful evening. But as soon as I sat down, the night took an unexpected turn.

Unexpected Company

From the back of the bar, a group of older, visibly intoxicated men emerged and crowded around me.
One of them immediately asked if I was a NATO soldier. When I said I was just a tourist, he didn’t believe me — he was certain I was NATO, citing a nearby military base.

He introduced himself as a Lithuanian oligarch and insisted on buying me drinks and food, despite my polite refusals. His idea of personal space was nonexistent, and our entire conversation happened within just a few inches of my face.

Then things escalated. He pulled out a small bag of cocaine, tried to shove it toward my nose, and enthusiastically suggested we party like rock stars with all the girls.
The bartenders laughed at the scene unfolding.

A Parade of Characters

Eventually, my “oligarch” friend staggered outside to indulge in his cocaine, only to be replaced by another drunken character — an elderly man who was so inebriated that he fell to the floor before clumsily finding a seat next to me.

For the next 30 minutes, he grunted through an unintelligible conversation, proudly managing to articulate one crude English phrase: “You suck my…,” which sent the entire bar into fits of laughter.

A Sobering Conversation

Finally, the bar owner came to my rescue, striking up a real conversation in fluent English.
He confided his fears about the war in Ukraine, the constant roar of NATO jets practicing overhead, and his worry for the future of Lithuania.
While proud of Lithuania’s independence, he admitted the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia left him deeply unsettled — especially as a father.

A Discreet Exit

After a few hours of unforgettable local interactions, I knew it was time to leave.
Fearing my new “friends” wouldn’t let me go easily, I quietly slipped out the back door and made my way to bed.
I had to catch a 3:30 AM bus for a 7-hour ride north to Tallinn, Estonia — and the next chapter of my Baltic journey.

A Sleepless Night and a Long Road to Estonia

Restless Hours in Siauliai

Sleep was nearly impossible. Throughout the night, drunk revelers gathered outside my hotel window — shouting, laughing, and in some cases, vomiting with reckless abandon.
By 3:00 AM, I gave up on any hope of rest, grabbed my pack, and walked through the cold, dark streets to the bus station.

Inside a nearby gas station convenience store, I waited with a friendly cashier girl who helped pass the time until the bus finally arrived.

Boarding the Cross-Border Bus

When the bus pulled in, I was the only passenger boarding at this stop.
It had been traveling all the way from Poland, and as I climbed aboard, I found an elderly babushka woman fast asleep in the aisle seat of the two seats I had reserved.

I had paid for both seats — wanting extra space and a front-row view for the long ride — and after informing the driver, he gently asked the woman to move to her assigned seat, which she did without issue.

Rolling Through the Baltic Countryside

For the next seven hours, we traveled through Lithuania, Latvia, and finally into Estonia.
Out the window, I watched idyllic villages, endless forests, and occasional moose crossing signs flash by — scenes that made me wish I could stop and take photos at every turn.

I had read that Estonia is home to thriving populations of wild wolves, bears, and moose, and looking at the untamed forests, it was easy to believe.