Nail-biting moments began on arrival at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport… Women in semi-military uniforms lead me around the terminal and then leave me standing in corners like a bad boy for extended periods. My crime was to arrive six hours ahead of the starting date inscribed on my visa. Later, we will be warned never to venture onto the streets without carrying passport and foreigner registration papers.

Fortunately, Russians out of uniform (apart from sales assistants) prove considerably more welcoming than the guardians of state security.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: not yet names to conjure with, but each of the three Baltic sisters is asserting its distinctive cultural heritage as it shrugs off the shadow of the old Soviet Union. In the Baltic one can venture onto the doorstep of Mother Russia without challenges of visiting Russia itself.

Most images were taken with Nikon D70 (6.3 mpx) in RAW format, images from the Balic in 35mm transparency.

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