Kaunas, Birštonas, and Riga, Oh My! The Tail End of My Baltic Tales

Monk's Bunks, my Kaunas hostel entrance

If you read the entire title of this post, you can probably deduce that I've been on the move.  I didn't have too much time to explore the Baltic States, but what I did see and experience was a great "taste test" of the region.  

I wanted to soak up as much of the Baltic culture as I could before my arrival in Stockholm last Tuesday, and I think I did decently for myself.  At least I have some pretty entertaining stories (not unlike the rest of my travels) such as the stag party I accidentally became a member of, or getting propositioned and subsequently groped by an elderly Lithuanian man in the spa town of Birštonas that I was invited to visit by a hostel friend.  

Oh, traveling!  You always leave me with something new and crazy. 

Over the past week, I have been having an incredible time exploring Sweden and catching up with my wonderful friend Johanna.  I honestly have not felt inclined to stop our fun to recap my Baltic adventures in detail, so I apologize to those of you who are holding your breath for my Lithuanian and Latvian reviews.  

On my final leg of the trip here I was finishing a book by my favorite author, and in one of his essays he shared an experience of his pertaining to international travel.  I think my experience in the Baltic States can be summed up by a short excerpt: 

"And isn't that the joy of foreign travel - there's always something to scratch your head over.  You don't have to be fluent in order to wonder.  Rather, you can sit there with your mouth open, not exactly dumb, just speechless."

If you don't know what to get me for a present, here's a clue!