Page 210 - Discoveries Await in 2022 & 2023

Itinerary medieval Lithuanian capital. After a boat ride to lunch in the private tavern of a local family, visit
Trakai Castle, we’ll meet with some local Karaims, an amber workshop for a hands-on demonstration
who belong to an ancient Turkish tribe brought of the uses for this fossil resin found along the
DAY 1 • Depart U.S. here in the 14th century as castle bodyguards. Baltic Sea.
You depart today on your overnight flight to Vilnius, Then, enjoy a Karai cooking demonstration B,L — National Hotel Klaipeda or similar
Lithuania. before returning to Vilnius to visit the Museum
of Occupations and Freedom Fights—also called DAY 7 • Klaipeda • Riga, Latvia
DAY 2 • Arrive Vilnius, Lithuania the “KGB Museum” as it occupies the former KGB On our way to Latvia, visit Lithuania’s Cold War
Upon arrival in Vilnius, we meet travelers from the headquarters. Museum and legendary Hill of Crosses, a grassy
pre-trip extensions to Poland: Krakow, Auschwitz & B,L — Congress Avenue Hotel or similar double hillock blanketed by several thousand
Warsaw and New! Copenhagen & Odense: Denmark’s crosses. We’ll arrive in Riga later this afternoon.
Cultural Capitals. Later enjoy a discovery walk in DAY 5 • Rumsiskes Open-Air Museum B,L,D — Hestia Hotel Jugend Riga or similar
Uzupis, a Bohemian neighborhood dotted with • Klaipeda
street art and installations. On our way to Klaipeda, stop at Rumsiskes, an open- DAY 8 • Riga • Home-Hosted Dinner
Congress Avenue Hotel or similar air ethnographic museum of rural dwellings and After a conversation about contemporary Latvia
farmsteads from Lithuania’s past. We’ll also stop from a local expert, enjoy a city tour of Riga,
DAY 3 • Explore Vilnius by a yurta, one of the dwellings used by Lithuanians beginning at the city’s Art Nouveau Museum.
Our city tour of Vilnius will focus on the restored deported to Siberia, and at one of the original Then, explore Riga’s Old Town, whose collection
Baroque buildings and medieval charm of Old railway cars used during deportations in the 1930s. of gargoyle-adorned buildings and restored
Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll also B,L,D — National Hotel Klaipeda or similar 17th-century architectural treasures are a UNESCO
view the linked courtyards of 16th-century Vilnius World Heritage Site. This evening, join some local
University, and speak with a local resident about DAY 6 • Klaipeda • Curonian Spit • Hill of families for a Home-Hosted Dinner.
emigrating from Lithuania to the European Union. Witches • Amber workshop B,D — Hestia Hotel Jugend Riga or similar
This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner at the hotel. Begin today with a visit to the Curonian Spit, a
B,L,D — Congress Avenue Hotel or similar UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we’ll hunt for DAY 9 • Riga • Controversial Topic: Status
some of the amber—known as “Baltic gold”—that of Latvian Russians • Optional tour to
DAY 4 • Vilnius • Trakai • Karai culture • washes up on the beaches during storms. Then Rundale Palace
KGB Museum we’ll hike to the “Hill of Witches,” a forested path Our tour of Riga continues at the Salaspils
After a conversation with a local expert about through the dunes filled with unique wooden labor camp and stops at sites such as the World
Lithuanian independence, we’ll visit Trakai, the sculptures based on Lithuanian folk legends. After War II monument. Afterward, learn about the

Meet the people who call
the Baltics home

Karaim People of Lithuania : On Day 4,
we’ll journey outside of Vilnius to Trakai,
the medieval Lithuanian capital, where
we’ll meet with some local Karaims to
learn about their ancient culture and
enjoy a cooking class before sitting
down to a lunch of traditional Karai
specialties.

Latvian Locals : On Day 8, we’ll mingle with Latvian locals as we explore
bustling Riga, winding through ornate Old Town. And later in the day, we’ll
split into even smaller groups to join some local Latvian families for a Home-
Hosted Dinner.

Estonian Villagers : On Day 12, we’ll experience what life is like in rural Estonia
during A Day in the Life of a Kose village, a recently added feature. You’ll
get to meet students at a nearby local school and enjoy a lunch of locally-
grown farm-fresh fare with a village family who has renovated an abandoned
homestead using traditional methods.

Explore the Central Market in Riga, Latvia, on Day 8.

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