Leg 2 of my epic journey seemed an excellent opportunity to grab some sleep. Wrong. It seems the Polish and Lithuanians haven't quite grasped the the meaning of an open border. (here's a hint guys, it means you don't have to check the passports of everyone on the bus at 2am, innit magic?)My passport photo has started upsetting officials again. I usually alleviate the problem by adopting the friendly and amicable expression in the photo, but having being woken ...

While Tallinn merely hints at it's Soviet past and Riga shows a hugely Western makeover, Vilnius still seems largely unaffected by the collapse of the Wall. Perhaps my view of it is tainted as time restraints only allow me a coach tour through the suburbs, interrrupted by an hour at it's bus station, but the only photos I have managed are of tenements blocks, as well, that's all there is... Leg 1 of the epic journey to Kiev is complete, just waiting on my first...

I made it to Riga and there is cider here! Happy days! I need to enjoy the bed tonight as it is the last I will get for a while. Tomorrow afternnon I catch a coach to Vilnuis then an overnight connection to Warsaw arriving at 5.40am. Wander around Warsaw for a bit then a train to Krakow, where I have an hour to work out how to buy a sleeper ticket to Lviv arriving the next day. Then I have to learn Cyrillic to buy another sleeper ticket to Kiev, after which ...

Things you need to know: Honey beer is awesome. Boar meat is awesome. Tallinn is awesome. The Old Town is easily the best preserved medieval town around and they really make the most of it. Towers, churches, taverns abound and with loads of people in costume it's well worth a visit. How can you not love a place that has a museum called Kiek In The Kock? I also think I've found something I love more than a woman who brings me beer; a woman who brings me...

The advice I'm given in Stockholm?"Estonia is cold, man, you'll freeze."Great, that'll be fun tomorrow then.Buying some cold-weather gear in a country with huge choice and where English is widely spoken probably would've been a good idea, but I was far too busy oversleeping way past the checkout time and desperately trying to find my way to the harbour to catch the ferry.Still, I made it here, even if the guy in my cabin does have a regular slot in the ...