{"id":37251,"date":"2017-11-14T19:00:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T00:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=37251"},"modified":"2017-11-12T20:30:24","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T01:30:24","slug":"our-trip-to-the-baltic-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=37251","title":{"rendered":"Our Trip to the Baltic States"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before I start the post today, we want to let you all know that my mother and Jordan&#8217;s grandmother is 91 today.\u00a0 She has been instrumental in influencing both of us on cooking, sewing, crafting, and living.\u00a0 She has made 16 adorable dresses for Little Miss and is still cranking them out.\u00a0 She and Daddy have had some health set backs lately, but they are living life as large as they can.\u00a0 So, Happy Birthday to my dear mother.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37282\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-6-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Baltic States - The 2 Seasons\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-6-768x1024.jpg 768w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-6-242x323.jpg 242w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-6-300x400.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Way back in August and September, Mr. Right and I took a <a href=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/2017\/10\/11\/bicycling-in-russia\/\">big trip to Russia<\/a> and then to the Baltic States of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.\u00a0 Let me tell you now that it was one of my favorite trips ever.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37277\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_9412-e1510532976630-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Baltic States - The 2 Seasons\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_9412-e1510532976630-768x1024.jpg 768w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_9412-e1510532976630-242x323.jpg 242w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_9412-e1510532976630-300x400.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Baltic States are absolutely beautiful, loaded with history, beautiful architecture, and plenty of things to do, but they don&#8217;t have many tourists.\u00a0 That&#8217;s a major plus in our book.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37274\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/DSC00278-e1510532896820-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Baltic States - The 2 Seasons\" width=\"640\" height=\"963\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/DSC00278-e1510532896820-681x1024.jpg 681w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/DSC00278-e1510532896820-215x323.jpg 215w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/DSC00278-e1510532896820-300x451.jpg 300w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/DSC00278-e1510532896820.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We didn&#8217;t see one American the whole time we were there.\u00a0 So, if you have ever even thought a little bit about going there, do it.\u00a0 Those small countries are like Europe used to be 25 years ago before all of the tourists and craziness.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37281\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-5-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Baltic States - The 2 Seasons\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-5-768x1024.jpg 768w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-5-242x323.jpg 242w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-5-300x400.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s still a purity there that we don&#8217;t see a lot of time when traveling.\u00a0 Yes, they appeal to tourists, but it&#8217;s more a European tourist than an American tourist.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37280\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-4-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Baltic States - The 2 Seasons\" width=\"640\" height=\"963\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-4-681x1024.jpg 681w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-4-215x323.jpg 215w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-4-300x451.jpg 300w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-4.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When we were there the weather was beautiful, and the people were out enjoying it.\u00a0 Because they are located so far north, their winters are long, cold, and dark, so they really value the summer months and the outdoors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37279\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-3-780x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Baltic States - The 2 Seasons\" width=\"640\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-3-780x1024.jpg 780w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-3-246x323.jpg 246w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-3-300x394.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We started out by flying to Vilnius, Lithuania from St. Petersburg, Russia.\u00a0 We spent a few days there and then took a luxury bus to Riga, Lativa.\u00a0 After a few days there, we ended up in Talinn, Estonia.\u00a0 Each city was loaded with historic old buildings, a colorful past, good hotels and restaurants, and museums.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37278\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-2-720x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Baltic States #2\" width=\"640\" height=\"910\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-2-720x1024.jpg 720w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-2-227x323.jpg 227w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-2-300x426.jpg 300w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-2.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We really learned a lot about the days the countries were oppressed by communism.\u00a0 We visited spy museums which were so educational yet so depressing.\u00a0 They have just had their freedom about 25 years, and they have embraced it.\u00a0 The people are not afraid of work, and businesses and restaurants are flourishing.\u00a0 We stayed in beautiful hotels and ate wonderful food.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37283\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-1-763x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Baltic States - The 2 Seasons\" width=\"640\" height=\"859\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-1-763x1024.jpg 763w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-1-241x323.jpg 241w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Baltic-States-1-300x403.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our family visited Estonia back in the early 1990&#8217;s, and the hotel we stayed in was run by the state.\u00a0 My husband told little Jordan and Cory that they could buy anything they wanted.\u00a0 He knew that the stores were pretty much empty, and they wouldn&#8217;t find much.\u00a0 We still laugh about that trip and how there weren&#8217;t things for them to buy other than some Russian dolls.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for letting us share this amazing trip with you.\u00a0 I would go back to the Baltic States in a minute, and I hope you will go there one day, too.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Take care.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before I start the post today, we want to let you all know that my mother and Jordan&#8217;s grandmother is 91 today.\u00a0 She has been instrumental in influencing both of us on cooking, sewing, crafting, and living.\u00a0 She has made 16 adorable dresses for Little Miss and is still cranking them out.\u00a0 She and Daddy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":37280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[9,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37251"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37251"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37286,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37251\/revisions\/37286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}