If I were to describe the people of the Baltics with just one phrase, I would say that they are very forward-looking. Anyone who feared that these former Soviet republics would be lagging behind the rest of Europe would be in for a surprise. Of course, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are still developing (lots of construction going on at the moment) but for the most part they're about as cosmopolitan as any of their Western European counterparts, only smaller. One thing that Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius definitely lack is diversity - so unlike those travelers of European extraction, there's no way I could blend in like a local here. It's taken me a little getting used to, considering my travels over the last two years were in Southeast Asia, Hawaii, and Australia.

Another way I (as well as my fellow travelers) stand out here is that I am not as well-dressed as the young people here. The shopping drags are lined with Max Mara, Prada, Benetton, Zara and Mango. Even the toddlers here are better dressed than I am...

I have also found it difficult to find local food here. I had a couple of pancake dishes and a "modern" Estonian meal in Tallinn, but in Riga as well as here in Vilnius, all I've really seen are pizza, pasta, sandwiches, salads, Japanese food, and Tex-Mex. I did try an Asian restaurant in Jurmala (Baltic sea resort), that served Chinese, Thai and Indian food. I had some curry, which was quite mild compared with what I'm used to. Last night, I finally got to sample some authentic Baltic food at a branch of a chain restaurant. It was different (ground chicken and vegetables stuffed into a chicken skin and shaped to look like a drumstick) and hopefully I'll be able to try some more new foods before I leave the Baltics in a couple of days.

Language isn't much of an issue in terms of communication in Tallinn or Riga, at least with the younger people. But it sure is difficult to decipher - most of my previous travels were in Latin countries, so even if I didn't speak those languages it was easy for me to pick it up some key phrases and to read, but that definitely won't work here. There seems to be a languge barrier in Vilnius, though. But of all the places I've been in Europe, it's probably the least spoiled and touristed. And it doesn't seem to host the stag parties that Tallinn and Riga do. 

I've been going to the Occupation and Genocide museums in Riga and Vilnius. It's a sad story, to say the least, but somehow the Baltic peoples kept the fight alive throughout all the years that they were a part of the USSR. The day I went to Jurmala, I saw a girl stick a sticker that displayed Latvia's solidarity with Tibet. Considering their common national experiences, I can see why Latvians would understand what is going on over there.