Dec 27 – Frankfurt
Dec 28 – Krakow,
Dec 29 – Weliczka
Dec 30 – Lviv
Dec 31- Jan 2 – Drogobich
Jan 3 – Vilnius
Jan 4 – Riga
Jan 5 – Tallinn
Jan 6-Jan 7 – Copenhagen

Though our journey had started in Germany – namely, Stuttgart–Esslingen–Frankfurt – the story is to begin from the moment we landed in Poland.  A short bus ride took us straight to the heart of Krakow – it’s old medieval Market Square. For a moment, the surroundings seemed as an old postcard – with the brick Gothic Basilica of Saint Mary and the Town Hall Tower in front of us, and the prominent Renaissance Cloth Hall dominating the square, which was filled with liveliness and bordered by historic buildings.

As the dusk was settling in, the city became animated by street lights, sounds of church bells, and nonchalant pedestrians. We strolled inside of the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) – a place where traders used to gather from all across Europe in the past, and which has retained its function as a market to the day. We had Gluhwein at the adjacent Christmas Market and took a walk around the square.

How fortunate we were to come across the International Cultural Center – an exhibition space at the Market Square. The Center invited us to view an exhibit: “Lviv, 24th June 1937. City, architecture, modernism”. Intrigued, we entered the gallery and found dozens of artifacts dedicated to Lviv in era of the Second Polish Republic. At that time, Lviv was among the leading centers of Modernism, in the whole region of Central and Eastern Europe. Apart from architecture, the display illuminated many works of avant-garde artists, photographers,  designers and  journalists, who turned the city into a creative thriving hub. The exhibit urged us to contemplate on the 20th-century history of Poland, Ukraine and Europe.

Afterward, we headed along one of the historic streets towards the Florianska tower, the remaining one of the original 39 towers that used to protect the medieval city from invaders.  While approaching the tower, the Saints Peter and Paul Church stood out. The façade of this Baroque-style structure struck me by its sculptures guarding the gates. Finally, having roamed enough along the historic streets, we swung by  “Gospoda Koko”  to have a traditional meal and enjoy an amusing interior.

The following morning, we traveled to the Wieliczka Salt Mine to explore the national historic museum deep beneath the ground. 8 hundred wooden steps took us underground, where we discovered long corridors of salt. The most spectacular chamber was the Chapel of Saint Kinga, filled with religious reliefs, including a replica of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”, and featuring magnificent chandeliers – all made of salt.

After the 3-hour-long tour of the underground, we continued to our next destination – the district of Kazimierz, also known as Krakow Ghetto, where the Jews of the city were forced into a walled zone from the 13th century onward. A number of old synagogues still survived to this day, and the most precious of which is the Old Synagogue, which is a rare, surviving example of a Polish Fortress synagogue.

Upon crossing one of the bridges over the Vistula river, we left the neighborhood of Kazimierz behind and took a long walk back to the historic center. There, we swung by a small restaurant with traditional Slavic interior and meals. Of utmost delight to us were draniki and carp, served just like for the Wigilia feast – a traditional Polish Christmas supper.

Next, we set off towards the city of Lviv by riding an overnight bus across the border. However, instead of 7 hours, we traveled for 11. Although we were exhausted and sleep-deprived,  the day in a charming city of Lviv turned out to be memorable and delightful. As we dropped our luggage at the Danylo Inn at the edge of the historic core, the exploration began.  Lviv is more than 760 years old and has layers of history to uncover. Having been a part of different countries, Lviv borrowed some parts of culture from them, which is represented by the city’s architectural forms. There are Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, Classicism and other styles. While strolling through the historic center, urban details reveal imprints of Polish, Jewish, Ukrainian, Armenian and German communities, all of which have had an influence on the city’s architectural formation.

The first landmark on our way was a unique, late Renaissance Chapel of the Boim family adorning Cathedral Square (Georgiy Boim was a Hungarian merchant, who was Lviv’s burgomaster). Built in 1615, the façade of the chapel is entirely covered in stone carvings featuring the Passion and the figures of Saints Peter and Paul. A statue of the grieving Christ in Gethsemane, asking God to let him avoid crucifixion, sits atop the chapel’s dome. This subject, quite often represented in painting, is indeed unique in sculpture.

Having passed few blocks, we discovered a quarter, which used to be an Armenian settlement from XIV century onward. The architecture of the area, especially the Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, portrays the original spirit of this Eastern Christian culture. Then, one of the streets took us to a pompous Neo-Renaissance Opera House on Svobody Square. It had very complex and diverse façade forms. Not far from it, we observed a late Baroque Dominican Church on Muzeyna Square. It is the Greek Catholic Church, which replaced the 13th century Dominican Monastery. Afterward, we visited Rynok Square, which is surrounded by unique historic buildings. The square illustrates architectural ideas of many artists and of many centuries. While all the stone buildings are different, the entire composition conveys harmony.

After a climb up to the Town Hall Tower and getting a fantastic view over the city, we stopped by a Pharmacy Museum, which was filled with dozens of curious alchemist relics. As the day grew completely dark, we headed for a well-deserved dinner at Mons Pius.

Next morning, we reached Drohobych. The following two days filled my soul with warmth and peace, because we stayed with the family, having nowhere to rush to. I hardly could believe the New Years Eve was coming – so bright it was outside. In the afternoon, we went for a walk and visited the Church of St. Yura. The church, dating from 16 century, has unique frescoes and iconostasis.

With a Christmas tree and Sovetskoe Champagne in our hands, we returned home to celebrate the New Year in a family circle, which was the most harmonious way to be.

On January 2nd, we left for Vilnius. It took us almost the whole day to reach it by train, plane and bus. No wonder it was already dark – we kept moving North and it was the darkest time of the year. But cities display their peculiar beauty at night, and so was Vilnius.  We entered through the Gate of Dawn and roamed the narrow, curved streets and intimate courtyards of medieval old town, seeing multiple churches and buildings of many different architectural styles. At the Cathedral Square, we enjoyed the Christmas market and the neoclassical Vilnius Cathedral.  The city rhythm seemed very hasteless and quiet. As it was getting cooler and cooler, we grew more silent. That was about time to delve into a pub, and fortunately, we found a gem, called Būsi Trečias. At this bar we enjoyed the moment by warming up at the wooden bar, sipping good quality beer and eating a meal named Bremensky Musicians  – layers of various meat with draniki (again) and delicious sauce on the side.

Next morning, we strolled a bit again, and took a bus ride to Riga. We hadn’t known, that a city so bustling and vibrant was awaiting us there. Though medieval at its hart, it was stood out contemporary, dynamic, and prosperous. This dense city sometimes reminded of New York with its energy and pace.  That evening and the following day, our hunger for Art Nouveau architecture was satisfied. Refined examples comprised a whole district of imaginative elements, smooth curves, uniquely decorated window frames, and magical sculptures on buildings’ facades.  From the House of Blackheads to St. Peter’s Church, from Riga Cathedral to Peitav Synagogue  – we walked and explored until evening. This time, we had no draniki, but instead – tasty dumplings, viski and beer.

Apparently we weren’t tired at all, because we have agreed on a spontaneous day trip to Tallin. We hopped on a bus , rode for four hours, and there we were. It was even darker than before. The northern sky’s darkness is immense. We reached the hotel room, which exemplified the Scandinavian interior design ideas in every feature – the material, the form, the function.

Next morning, hen we entered the old town of Tallin, we realized that all old towns have become the same to us. We needed to experience a different setting. Estonian Open Air Museum outside of the city center was precisely what we looked for: a life-sized reconstruction of a village, with examples of Estonian vernacular architecture of the past two centuries. The site overlooks the Gulf of Finland and has the most relaxing vibe of a remote rural setting.

Next, we aimed to time-travel straight into the Soviet era, by visiting a large concrete structure -Linnahall (the Palace of Culture and Sport), situated on the harbour, just beyond the walls of the Old Town. Linnahall was built during preparations for the Olympics in the 1980, which were hosted in Moscow (Tallin was in charge of the sailing event stage during the games in 1980). Lastly, we headed inside the Old Town to take get lost in winding streets with little alcoves and tiny courtyards. I think, Saint Catherine’s Dominican Monastery became a highlight of the Old Town for me. Upon descending into the cellar, where monks worked from 13th to 16th century, we discovered an enormous fireplace and a display of oil paintings by an artist Aleksandr Savchenkov. The energy was magical there.

Lastly, we wanted a traditional Estonian meal. We entered through a nondescript hallway and descended down into Karja Kelder – an atmospheric cellar bar, which clamed to be the oldest in town. We absolutely loved the beers and a delicious Nordic dish for dinner.  It was about time we had to leave for Riga again (because our flight to Copenhagen was from Riga).

That bright sunny morning, we had dumplings. A brief bus ride took us across the city and passed the outstanding modern building of the National Library of Latvia. Riga’s spirit breathed with dynamism, freedom, and progressiveness. Off we were to København!