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Sweden felt like home
My Swedish friend of many decades picked us up from the ferry. Everything in Stockholm felt so familiar and English – even TV. The ice cream is even better though. Who can beat the epic taste of liquorice and raspberry ice cream by 3 Friends / 3 Venner? All plant-based. After an overnight in Stockholm…
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Being a dog on a ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm
The Tallink ferries between Tallinn and Stockholm are dog friendly. They also stop off at the Finnish island of Aland at 4am on the way to Sweden. Just remember that if you want to get off in Finnish territory, you need to have a vet administered worming treatment in the days leading up to it.…
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Tall tales and tails in Tallinn
Baspie the Railway Dog found Tallinn Estonia a relaxing city for a dog. Away from the mosquitos of the forests, and lacking in crowds in early June, despite a cruise ship with numbered tour groups doing the rounds. People like dogs in Tallinn, so Baspie got plenty of attention. We took it easy in the…
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Wild camping in Estonia
Estonia is fabulous at wild camping. The RMK app (with an English option) is the national resource for telling you where all the best facilitated wild camping spots are and what is there. Often there are composting toilets and fire places, complete with firewood. All for free. Some are accessible by track, others you have…
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City stress travelling with a dog
Cities just aren’t so fun with a dog, let alone for a dog. Many of the pleasures that may have been enhanced by a human companion are not shared with my dog, from beautiful architecture to restaurant cuisine. I’ve actually avoided stopping in some big cities Interrailing with my dog. Railway Dog and I avoided…
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Railway Dog travel rules in the Baltic states
Dogs and other pets travelling by train, bus and tram have different rules wherever we went in Europe. However it was generally not as problematic as it appears on paper. Rules are sometimes applied more fully than at others. Here’s what Baspie dog and I found in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania Dogs are tolerated…
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Sigulda and the Gauja River National Park, by train
Only just over an hour on the train from Riga, the capital of Latvia, is Gauja National Park. It’s a combination of native forest and river. It’s fabulous and accessible by public transport, so would be easy to do a day trip. To access the national park, the train station choice is to get out…
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Train times in the Baltic States – distinguishing fact from fiction – and a dog’s perspective on alternative transport
Trains in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia seem rather left off international rail apps, or even worse, have their trains listed incorrectly. Whether it’s Rail Europe, Rail Planner (Interrail/ Eurail) or Google maps, they are either empty or unreliable. Lithuania, which does have trains listed on Rail Planner, doesn’t have many of those trains in reality,…
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Cheating at bird watching – a beginner’s tale
I’m new, this week, to birding. Railway Dog and I were hiking with some lovely people from Germany and their dogs in Nida, Lithuania, a few mornings ago. I’ve downloaded the apps one of them recommended: Birdnet and BirdLasser, and in the process found Merlin. Merlin seems to combine the two, with both identification and…
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What to pack for 3 months Interrailing
This morning in Riga, Latvia, I surprisingly had a weighing scales where I was staying. So I could weigh my pack. It is down to 15kg if I’m wearing my boots and jacket and only carrying 1 litre of water and a light meal for us. Apart from food and drink, much weight is camping…