nPostednon June 14, 2016
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nThenSoviet Union just swarmed the much-smaller Baltic nations withnsoldiers…
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nAndnthen announced that the U.S.S.R. had taken over those states…
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nAndnthen deported many Baltic families, sending them far away to remotenareas of the Soviet Union. Places like Siberia.
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nThesendeportations were done secretly, quietly, and quickly. And ennmasse, which means that a LOT of families were deported—hundreds,nnot just one or two.
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nThenfirst of these terrible deportations occurred on this date in 1941.nOf course, now the Baltic states are independent countries, and thenSoviet Union no longer exists. All three celebrate June 14 as a daynof remembrance, a day of mourning, and even a day of hope that thisnkind of thing will never happen again.
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nBalticnStates?
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ThenBaltic nations are the three small countries on the eastern coast ofnthe Baltic Sea: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.nThe three nations cooperate with one another in several ways.nHowever, the people and languages of Latvia and Lithuanita are morenalike, whereas the people and language of Estonia are “Finnic,”nmore closely related to the people and language of Finland than tontheir Baltic neighbors.
ThenBaltic nations are the three small countries on the eastern coast ofnthe Baltic Sea: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.nThe three nations cooperate with one another in several ways.nHowever, the people and languages of Latvia and Lithuanita are morenalike, whereas the people and language of Estonia are “Finnic,”nmore closely related to the people and language of Finland than tontheir Baltic neighbors.n
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nHerenare some things about each of the Baltic nations that sparkedninterest for me:
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nEstonia
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nThenValleynof Vanajõe (above) has high, sandy banks and clear (as opposed tonmuddy) brown water. And Estonia has bogs (below) that are clean,nswimmable water. Don’t you always think of bogs as mucky?
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nThenKukka Stone is just a large boulder. Now, I happen to really likenlarge boulders, but I think it is interesting that this is listed asna tourist sightseeing spot, as one of Estonia’s largest boulders. Andnthat it gets its own ladder!
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nKerlinis a musician with some amazing music videos—and she sings innEnglish!
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nTallinn,nEstonia’s capital, looks cheery and colorful!
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nLatvia
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nLatvianhas a song and dance festival that is held every five years (I thinkn2018 is the next one) – and it’s supposed to be epic!
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nGutmansnCave is the highest cave in the nation and the largest in the Balticnstates. It has inscriptions that people carved into its walls datingnall the way back to the 1600s.
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nVentasnRumba is not very high, but it is the widest waterfall in all ofnEurope.
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nLatvia’sncapital, Riga, is supposed to be wonderful – it was even named thenEuropean Capital of Culture in 2014.
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nLithuania
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nNinthnFort is a reconstructed prison meant to remind people of pastnhorrors.
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nThenHill of Crosses is not a graveyard, as I first assumed, but a placenwhere long-ago people erected crosses to represent their hopes fornindependence. Apparently, there are tens of THOUSANDS of crosses onnthis one hill!
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nTrakianIsland Castle…is a castle…on an island! You gotta love that!
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nLithuania’sncapital city is Vilnius, which has Europe’s largest Baroque Old Town.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nChildren’snDay in the U.S.
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nMagicnCircle Day
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nFamilynHistory Day
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nLiberation Day in the Falkland Islands
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nFlagnDay in the United States
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nBirthdaynof John Bartlett of “Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations”
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nPlannahead:
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Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nJunen holidays
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nJunen birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in June
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nJulyn holidays
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nJulyn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in July
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