When we recently visited Tallinn, it made me remember the very first time I visited Estonia. I (Helena) have been digging through the photo albums and today I'm going to tell you about a trip to the Baltics in the 1990s.
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Train journey in Eastern Europe 1996
Travelling by train was popular when I was young, and when I heard that the Interrail card could take you to the eastern parts of Europe, I was intrigued. Exciting! But who would want to go on such a journey? My childhood friend Johanna from Skåne perhaps? I, who turned 21 this summer, now lived in Stockholm but contacted Johanna. And yes, she wanted to come along!
At that time, the most eastern countries you could experience with the train pass were Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. But we also wanted to experience the Baltics. No sooner said than done, we took a ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn and then travelled slowly south through the Baltics.
Estonia: Tallinn - not many dishes to choose from
Our first destination on the journey was Tallinn. I have no notes from this trip, except for a few brief notes in the photo album, but some memories linger.
I remember, for example, the limited choice in restaurants. We pointed to something on the menu and the waitress shook her head no. The next thing we pointed to gave the same result. So what do you have? The waitress pointed to only one of the dishes, and we just had to "choose" what was available.
What did we get to eat? I have a vague memory of tinned ham with boiled potatoes. I also remember a hamburger, which did not feel cooked through, and which we did not really dare to eat. And sausages with bread with "everything" on it, that is, even cabbage and carrots. But it may have been in Poland, the memories are slipping together a bit ...
In particular, I remember buying small buns or pies with filling at the bakeries. We couldn't read the signs and the staff didn't speak English, so we had to guess and point. Some buns contained jam, others a piece of sausage. We often laughed out loud when we bit into the unexpected. Would it be jam or sausages this time?
According to the photo album, we also visited the ruins of the Birgitta monastery in Pirita on the outskirts of the city, together with Swedish friends of Johanna.
Estonia: Pärnu - beautiful beaches and shabby dormitories
The journey continued to Pärnu on the coast. Here we got to experience the fantastic sandy beaches, and I think that one and other Original Long Drink slipped down. I remember staying in a sort of dormitory, which probably qualifies for the list of the crappiest accommodation I have ever experienced. I have one memory of an extremely stained mattress, and another memory of a bed that curved so deeply in the tail that it was as good to sleep on the floor.
Latvia: Riga - several families in the same flat
From Estonia we continued to Latvia and the capital Riga. Johanna had a Latvian friend here, Renate, who had spent a year in school in Sweden, as a kind of scholarship holder. Renate showed us around her city, and also gave us the opportunity to experience the country a bit more as "a local".
We visited Renate's parents, who lived just outside the city centre, and got a glimpse of what could be considered extremely luxurious in Latvia at the time: telephone directories and a second-hand vacuum cleaner from Sweden.
Renate's parents had also managed to arrange accommodation in the centre of Riga for Renate, so that she would have somewhere to live while studying. What was different for Johanna and me, coming from Sweden, was that many families lived in the same flat. To get to Renate's room, at the back of the big apartment, we had to pass through several other rooms, with one family living in each room.
Latvia: Engure - idyllic in the countryside
Renate's family also had a summer house in the countryside, in Engure. We came here and experienced the peaceful and idyllic countryside. By Swedish 1990s standards, life here was very simple, and I remember being served, for example, fried potatoes or pelmeni - a kind of ravioli-like dish, with small dumplings in soup.
At the same time, life here was fantastic, with peace and quiet and beautiful nature. I remember picking blueberries and eating honey directly from the family's beehives. The family's hospitality meant a lot to us and contributed to a fantastic experience of Latvia.
Lithuania: Vilnius - begging children and visas to Belarus
After Latvia it was time to continue to Lithuania, with its capital Vilnius. I remember that this city felt worn at that time, and that poverty seemed widespread. Outside the churches, children sat in worn clothes and begged. We had not seen that before during the trip.
The strongest memory of Vilnius is when we suddenly realised that the train we were going to take, from Vilnius to Warsaw, was going to pass through Belarus, or Belarus as it was called at the time. Although we didn't plan to get off the train, we needed a visa!
Trains through Belarus (Belarus) - smuggling in the passenger compartment
As I recall, we were in a mad rush to get to the Belarusian embassy, which amazingly issued us a visa in a hurry. We stopped a taxi driver on the street and signalled train by mimicking the wheels of the train with our arms and making train noises (no, not a single word of English worked!). And yes, we got on the train!
The train journey is a story in itself. The elements (or whatever they were) were turned up and goods to be smuggled were stuffed down. The guards came in and checked the beds - no contraband there. Now the elements were unscrewed and the goods were hidden in the beds. The guards came back and turned up the radiators - no contraband there. Everything seemed to work like a well-oiled machine!
We passed a station in Belarus - I think it was in Minsk - before the train continued towards Poland.
Continuing the train journey in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic
Our train journey continued in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. That part of the trip was also fantastic, and I have many fond memories. But, I also remember that it felt like we were now coming back to Western Europe. Like the most different part of the trip, we had left behind.
Did you also visit the Baltic States in the 1990s? Or do you have any other early travel memories that meant a lot to you?
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Snows says:
What fantastic travel memories but think how much has happened in the Baltics. My cousin's child was studying to be a doctor in Riga and lived very nicely.
I also travelled by train but only to more traditional countries in Europe. It was an experience to travel like that and at that time it was common to have toilets that were a hole in the ground, at least in the French countryside. Northern Italy was incredibly run down. A lot has happened there too.
11 January 2025 - 8:32
Helena says:
Yes, a lot has happened, really! We were in Tallinn recently, which is now very modern and hip in every way, and that's when I remembered this trip I made in the 90s... Here is our new report on Tallinn: https://www.freedomtravel.se/2024/12/gora-i-tallinn/
Interesting with memories from southern Europe in the past too! Can imagine that the difference there is also very big between then and now!
11 January 2025 - 9:03
Orsakulla mum at 20 - Dala life, fine china & poodle life says:
What memories and so fun to be able to look back on even though you have a lot of crazy things to experience. That thing with the food had probably scared me a bit.
11 January 2025 - 10:19
Helena says:
Very different from the food in the Baltics today, with lots of Michelin restaurants and hip hangouts 😉
11 January 2025 - 16:17
Channal says:
Hi Helena! What an exciting trip! Fun memories! Old pictures are the best! Glad to come along! I have never been to Estonia. Would be fun to see how it is there today.
It is one to have old photos! I have always taken photos. My first own albums are from the 70s taken with my instamagic camera! So fun to sit and browse these old photo albums.
Yes, imagine how popular it was with train trips and boat trips in the 80s. In the 90s I had a house with children and Volvo 🥰
KRAM to you! Anna
11 January 2025 - 8:47
Helena says:
Isn't it fun with old pictures and photo albums! A lot has happened in the Baltics really. We were recently in Tallinn which is a very modern and nice city today: https://www.freedomtravel.se/2024/12/gora-i-tallinn/
11 January 2025 - 9:05
Monnah says:
Wow, fun to read! I understand that your love for travelling started early, just like my travel blog sister.
My first trip was to my mum's best friend in Italy in the early 80s. Fresh rosemary, lasagne, aunts with strong perfumes and endless fields of grapes - the love for this country so different from my own has endured. No, maybe I wouldn't have wanted to live there, but I'm still fascinated by the smells, flavours and temperament.
11 January 2025 - 9:01
Helena says:
What wonderful memories of Italy in the 80s! Thanks for your vivid picture! 🙂 And yes, I have understood that Annika is your sister, fun! 🙂
11 January 2025 - 9:07
Åsa says:
Fun and interesting to read about travelling in the past, like travelling in time too. It was different back then when you couldn't google and translate on your mobile!
I travelled by train twice in the 90s, but mostly in Western Europe. I also ended up in Budapest, where it was impossible to make myself understood at all. I had intended to continue to Transylvania, but did not dare. I travelled alone.
11 January 2025 - 9:25
Helena says:
So nice to hear from you Åsa! Me, it was certainly different travelling in the past ....! Interesting to think back on! Glad you also travelled by train during this time! 🙂
11 January 2025 - 16:19
Susjos says:
Amazing how it was there not too long ago! Exciting reading and great photos.
I have not been to Estonia, but we have done a cruise to Riga when the kids were little, remember cobblestones and cheap booze, haha!
Have fun!
11 January 2025 - 15:11
Helena says:
Yes, the change that has taken place is absolutely enormous. Today it's super modern, there are lots of Michelin restaurants etc. A completely different world!
11 January 2025 - 16:20
bmlarstravellingblog says:
Imagine how much has happened in the Baltics. One trip that came to mind was when we travelled to Berlin in the spring term of year 9 (1970). The journey through what was then East Germany was like something out of a black and white film from the 30s and 40s. Then we stayed in a hostel that had definitely seen its best days. When we were about to leave West Berlin, we little 15-year-olds had to get off the bus and in front of us walked soldiers with machine guns while they searched the bus and luggage, LP discs with modern music were confiscated and we had an experience we will never forget....
11 January 2025 - 16:27
Helena says:
Yes, the change is incredible, in a relatively short time anyway! And wow, what an interesting trip you made to Berlin, back in the 1970s! I understand that you have not forgotten these experiences!
11 January 2025 - 19:44
Anette says:
I was on a study visit to Tallinn in autumn 1994. The health centre I was working at had a "friend health centre" to which we sent materials that we would no longer use but that they needed.
The health centre was big, like a small hospital, but it was almost deserted. They saved on electricity so it was dark and cold. Poor patients must have been very cold when they were examined.
I remember they renovated several streets in town but it was nice, especially the older part of town.
11 January 2025 - 17:00
Helena says:
But oh what an interesting journey, and story! This is not too long ago after all, and so much has happened since then!
11 January 2025 - 19:46
BP says:
I remember taking the boat over to Tallinn in the early 1990s. It was like a culture clash, I can say. It was a weekend cruise and at that time almost everything was closed in Tallinn. We found a single open restaurant in the old town, where there was also only one dish, namely jiggling pork legs in a soup. The staff (of course) did not speak English and were very unfriendly.
Then we were tipped off about a shopping centre in a Tallinn suburb. Various software was being pirated there. Well, it worked perfectly. The guys knew English, we gave them a list of programmes we wanted and an hour later we bought the CDs from the guys for 20 kronor each. In the shopping centre there was also a kind of McDonald's...
Riga a few years later was a completely different story. They had made much more progress with 'development' towards the West. And the Jurmala-Majori coastal strip was absolutely marvellous. We returned there several times.
11 January 2025 - 17:47
Helena says:
If you travelled in the early 1990s, I can definitely understand that you found it a culture clash! Interesting about the pirated programmes! Now Tallinn is just as modern and hip as ever, really different!
11 January 2025 - 19:48
The Adventure of the Future says:
What a wonderfully exciting spontaneous trip you and your friend made. Glad you have photos from that time, photos that still hold the colour. Thanks for this, I myself have only been to Estonia and Poland in that part of Europe.
11 January 2025 - 20:38