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Presenter: Neil Gibson
Neil Gibson journeys through the Baltic States of Lithuania,
Latvia and Estonia and then
to Finland. He begins his journey in
Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
It is the biggest Baltic capital and its large Russian
population means it's hard to forget that until the
beginning of the 1990s Lithuania was under Soviet rule.
After looking around a waste ground full of crumbling
Soviet statues that were pulled down and vandalised
when Lithuania declared its independence, Neil visits
the huge Garunai flea market. Traders
come from all over Eastern Europe and it's possible
to pick up some good bargains - as long as you can pay
in American dollars.
Neil discovers that paganism is experiencing a revival
in Lithuania. He travels to the small town of Kernave
to help celebrate the biggest event in the Pagan calender
- Midsummer's night. |
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Neil Gibson
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Travelling north, Neil makes one more stop in Lithuania
- the city of Siauliai, famous for
its hill of more than a million crosses. He meets a
woman who explains that pilgrims have come here for
over 500 years to leave crosses in the memory of those
who have died. It survived the Soviet era despite being
bulldozed at least three times.
Neil hops on a bus and travels over the border into
Latvia. He discovers an Olympic bob-sleigh track, where
he has the terrifying experience of travelling three
quarters of a mile in just a minute. |
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In Riga, the capital of Latvia, also
known as the 'Paris of the Baltics', Neil buys some
amber, a gem which is washed up on the Baltic coastline.
Just outside Riga is Salaspils, the
former concentration camp. Thousands of Eastern Europeans
were held here during World War II before being transported
to other concentration camps, and the site is now a
memorial to the thousands who died.
Estonia is the next stop and Neil goes to Setumaa
in the south east of the country, home to the Setus.
Since 1940 Setumaa has been divided between Russia and
Estonia, but despite this it is still like a separate
country, with its own language, culture and religious
traditions. The Setus are famous for their unearthly
throat singing, as Neil discovers when he arrives in
time for the Setu Song Festival.
Next Neil hitches a lift in a motorbike sidecar, west
to Parnu on the Baltic coast, where
he stays on an Estonian farm. He then takes a ferry
to the Estonian Islands to visit a famous Shaman, Vigala
Sass. Sass explains his form of Shamanism to Neil and
performs a cleansing ritual intended to keep Neil safe
for the rest of his journey.
After a quick stop in medieval Tallinn,
capital of Estonia, Neil continues his journey to Finland.
After some sightseeing in the capital, Helsinki,
he travels north to scenic Karelia.
Neil spends the night sleeping in a lean-to in the forest
and sets off to meet Finland's most famous bear hunter,
Vaino. Vaino has killed 36 bears and has kept all their
skulls.
Neil's journey ends in Sonkarjarvi,
where the annual Wife Carrying Competition is taking
place. Neil staggers along the course carrying his wife
for the day, hoping to win the prize of a mobile phone
and, the biggest incentive - the wife's weight in beer.
If that is, he lives to claim it! |
