We are still enjoying Sventoji and so we are not moving until Saturday! The campsite is a lovely relaxing place to stay and the owners take such a pride in the campsite, that we can’t drag ourselves away. It is actually really nice to spend a few days in one place without doing any driving … anyway, what’s the rush? This is not ‘The Long way round’!
This morning the owner had set up a stall with cakes and pastries on and so before we headed off to pick up the bikes we enjoyed apple turnovers and coffee.
We were tempted by the cakes that looked like Christmas trees, but they were far too large for just two of us! They are a Lithuanian specialty so it was a shame not to try them.
We then walked into town and tried to hire the bikes. The first place wanted either our passport or 800 Ltl deposit. We never let the passports out of our possession as the visas would be a nightmare to replace, and we were going into Latvia soon and so did not want to get more cash out. We tried the next place and a very friendly young lady who was keen to practice her english helped us resolve the issue by accepting our driving license as a deposit instead. I was also reluctant to let this out of my sight, but she promised to guard it with her life! The bikes were great and soon we were riding along Cycle Route 10 which runs right along the coast all the way up to Latvia. Not sure how much of it is traffic free, but certainly the section between Sventoji and Palanga is. It runs along smooth tarmac in the partial shade of the fir trees that grow on the dunes. What is lovely is that even though the two towns are developing fast, the strip of dunes (maybe 500m to 1km wide) cannot be developed.
As you cycle along the track, there are a series of paths through the woods to the sea. It is lovely!
When we first arrived at Palanga we cycled around the Botanical gardens past the Amber Museum. This area is famous for amber being washed up on the beach.
A shady spot was called for then as the sun was strong and we needed to top up with water and suntan lotion.
From the botanical gardens we cycled down the parade (Basanaviciaus) to the pier and the beach again for a quick look. We both love all the colours, and although it is really busy, there is a great atmosphere! On the way there we saw a busker playing the accordion. For a while we wondered if Mick M from Trusham had sneaked a quick fishing trip to the Baltic!
My favorite image was of a really relaxed man who was on his second beer, and looked like he was in heaven. Even with his eyes shut he was still smiling.
A gentle ride back and then it was time to cook dinner. A great day!!
troopytracks 