Hi Steemit,
This is our 6th day of our road trip. Today we woke up in the capital of Poland, Warsaw.
Since our last post, we drove from Kaunas (Lithuania) to Lomza (Poland):
- Helsinki > Tallinn (Ferry 2h)
- Tallinn > Pärnu > Riga (Car 4 h, 308 km)
- Riga > Kaunas (Car 3:30 h, 266 km)
- Kaunas > Lomza (Car 3:40 h, 261 km)
- Lomza > Warsaw (Car 2:05 h, 143 km)
We were expecting somewhat bumpy and difficult road, but the European route E67 has turned out to be in excellent condition. The drivers in the Baltics are slightly crazier than in the Nordics, but nothing too bad.
Crossing borders by car has been unnoticeable, thanks to the Schengen Agreement. We've literally missed border several times, because the transition between the countries is so fluid. Great stuff!
Poland has been the first country where we have been unable to pay with euros. Card payments are widely accepted though, even in the smaller cities, so no problems so far. Food, accommodation, gasoline, alcohol and clothes have been ~50% cheaper than in the Nordics. Branded clothes seem to have similar prices though.
The best parts of the trip have been the smaller cities, like Pärnu, Kaunas and Lomza. There's something idyllic and authentic about them. This also highlights the benefits of travelling by car: it's unlikely we would have reached these smaller places by plane.
Changing the location each day takes its toll. It has been researched that you tend to sleep worse in new places, a phenomenon called the first-night effect. So it might be a good idea to spend a few extra days in the same location.
We still have over 10 days to go. We are interested about Vienna and Prague, but they would add quite a lot of driving, so we might skip them and head straight to Berlin. Lets see where the road takes us! :)
Keep on Steeming,
Alex & Hanna