troopytracks

We stayed at a campsite outside Riga yesterday next to a small lake. The lake was great for a quick swim before dinner as it was a really sticky evening. Later another massive thunderstorm! It really seems to be the pattern, clear days then thunderstorms at night. In the morning we decided to let the sat nav guide us to the Riga campground. It took us on a shortcut around the airport which was just muddy tracks and eventually popped us out onto a major road into the city. The city camping at Riga is just behind the exhibition centre and is very good. You can easily walk the 2.5km into the old town.

The old town in Riga is very pretty and the streets outside the old part of town are all smart, clean and tidy. It is all very well maintained, roads are good and there is very little litter on the streets. In general there is less litter in Latvia and Lithuania than at home.

The buildings in the old town squares have been renovated to a high standard and are beautiful.

Walking around the town you see the normal stalls selling souvenirs, but sometimes the quirky ones catch you eye. This is an old traditional souvenir with a new slant!

Running along the edge of the old town is a canal which is surrounded by grassy areas where people just relax, sit and chat and eat lunch. You can also go on short boat trips in boats that look like they have been here for a while.

If you follow the canal it takes you to Central Market which is housed in four old Zeppelin hangers. Each hanger has a different type of product. Certainly worth wandering around for a while.

Having spent the last seven hours walking to Riga from the campsite, we decided to call it a day and walk back. On the way we saw a display of drawings by an artist called Bisofs. They were intended to give an insight into Latvians and the country. One was a useful reference to the different signs or symbols used to show male and female toilets. Once Marjool had to ask which one was the ladies as she was confused by the sign ….

Moving on from Riga tomorrow, but I am sure that we will come back. It is a great place for a city break!

Our last evening in Lithuania was a memorable one.  We headed over to the festival at around 5pm to watch music and dancing by locals. When that finished a traditional Lithuanian band started playing. They were really good and the lead singer was really enthusiastic and lively. We enjoyed it even if we couldn’t understand the words.

Gradually the place filled up in anticipation of the fireworks and disco.

The fireworks were great and the atmosphere got more and more lively. We left them to it and headed back to the camper where we could still hear the music well enough (it was only 50 m from the stage!). The party carried on until around 6.00 am.

The next morning it was time to head off, and so we said goodbye to our host Venantas …… another really nice person that we have met on our travels! Thank you for your hospitality (and book).

The Hill of crosses was about 80km away, just north of Siauliai on the A12 to Riga. It is an amazing sight as you drive towards it, it is just so unusual. It has been a place of pilgrimage since 1863 and since this time Catholics and tourists have come here to place  crosses, rosaries, and other offerings to commemorate people’s suffering, hopes and gratitude. The hill is saddle shaped and has a walkway along the ridge and small paths in between the crosses. It is supposed to have over 100,000 crosses there.

Almost every space is taken up …..

A local lady helps look after the hill.

Every statue or cross is used as a support for more.

The walkway across the hill gives you a chance to take in the scale of this place of pilgrimage.

We could not leave without adding our own, with thoughts of all the good people that we had met so far on our trip and all our friends and family.

As we headed away from the hill of crosses towards the Latvian border we reflected on Lithuania and its people.

Lithuanians are rightly proud of their country and have a strong national identity. There are flags everywhere and tee shirts with the Lithuanian colours are very common. The countryside is lovely and is very sparsely populated with only 3.5 million people in a country twice the size of Belgium. The people seem really family orientated and love to spend time outside on the water or in the woods. In general they do not tend to open up to strangers very quickly, but as soon as you engage and make an effort they do open up and are very kind and helpful as we have seen over and over again. It is obviously only a snapshot of the country, but we love it!

Roads are great and we also like all the woodwork …. buildings and sculptures!

We’ve also decided that we would  like to have  our own cow.

Goodbye Lithuania.

And on into Latvia!

We have not got to the hill of crosses yet as we stopped for lunch at a village called Alsedziai, in a sort of village green area. When we got there we could see them setting up for some sort of village event. We asked someone who spoke German and he said that it was a traditional Lithuanian village music festival and that we should stay to see it! He invited us to park in his garden which was next door.

It was only 2.00pm and the festival was not due to start until 5.00 so we walked around the village, which is almost all nice old wooden houses and small farms.

The program for the festival which starts at 5.00pm and finishes at 3.00am

The event started with games for the children, firstly a flipper race!

Time for us to go now, our host has just given us a reminder! Wonder what it will be like?

The final day at Sventoji was spent doing the washing, checking the fluids on the vehicle, crawling underneath to grease the propshaft and rearranging a few bags. I am sure that after seven months everything will be where we want it ….. maybe! Once the jobs were done we headed off to the beach for an hour. The weather is still great, with completely clear skies.

Before we leave the campsite we wanted to record a few of the bits that we like. Maybe one day Tom (our eldest son) will find a nice bit of land and build his own. I know he has lots of ideas already, but just in case!

The covered picnic areas worked really well so that people could still cook, eat and chat whatever the weather. They all have power and lights so that people could charge phones, cameras etc. There is a good sized kitchen as well that has cookers, tables and chairs, fridges, and washing up facilities.

There is also some little rocking horses for the children, a wooden play house, slide and a swing seat.

Thanks for looking after us we enjoyed our stay!

Around 8.30 we went out for a stroll on the beach to see if there was going to be a good sunset. As we walked along to the old pier (now derelict), we saw some really pretty sand sculptures, formed by letting the wet sand run through your fingers. Someone had been at the beach a long time!

On the other side of the pier we found people digging in the sand for amber. It is supposed to be really easy to find here.

As the sun went down, the pier looked totally different …

Planning to go to the ‘Hill of Crosses’ tomorrow, but who knows what we might find on the way …..

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!!

Woke up again to a clear blue sky. It seems that although we are a long way from home, the weather is just about the same! Spent the first part of the day finishing the awning ties and fixings to the car. We only got it made at the last minute and so did not really have time to do the little finishing jobs before we set off. We have also had a bit of a leak from the roof which sent drips of water onto the driver when negotiating tight right hand bends. Only happened after heavy rain but was annoying, so I wanted to put some sealant where I thought it was coming in.

I was pleased to be able to justify all the handy bits and bobs that I had brought with me …. well at least some of them!

It is always really difficult to know how many tools and spare bits to bring on a trip like this. I think I may have gone over the top ….. maybe not for the first time! In addition to the tools shown below, I have two socket sets (1/2 inch and 1/4 inch drive) a torque wrench, hi lift jack, ordinary bottle jack, a small axe, an army trench spade (full size) and a small folding spade …… yes well over the top!

Enough of that boring practical stuff ….. After the maintenance work and Marjool’s washing we headed down to the beach. We started to turn right but an older man on the nudist side of the invisible boundary was playing football a little too enthusiastically for Marjools liking … all those sudden changes in direction were a little off putting! So we headed off in the opposite direction for a pleasant stroll along the beach. Walked for about one and a half hours on a nearly empty beach. A little different from Palanga.

Hoping to rent bikes tomorrow to get a bit more exercise. Seems like we are sitting down a lot.

Woke up this morning to a clear blue sky and packed away for the trip up the coast. We stopped for a while at Palanga beach, which is the main resort on the short Lithuanian coast. It was really busy as you would expect at this time of year. It was full of bright colours and people having fun, and so just walking along the waters edge was surprisingly pleasant. A great place for people watching as there were so many to choose from!

We sat for a while watching the local volleyball players, just checking to see if the standard of our home team is up to scratch …. We concluded that we still have some lessons to learn!

Further along the beach I was happily snapping away with the camera, when I suddenly thought … hmmm that person is wearing a skin coloured bikini (not a very tight one either?). As I panned around I realised that not only were all the people naked, but they were all ladies! We had paddled across a stream which, unknown to us, was the boundary of the ‘ladies only’ beach. We quickly did an about turn and guiltily put the camera back in the bag … not before getting a very grumpy look from a lady laying just by the stream …. whooops!! I hasten to add that I did not take any pictures …. before you all think I am a bit pervy ….

Marjool was in two minds whether or not to stay, but in the end decided that without her factor 150 it may be a bit risky!! We later learnt that men are not allowed to hang around on a ladies only beach, but are allowed to access the water by going in a straight line to the sea (and back). Ladies on the other hand are just not allowed on a men only beach at all.

On to more practical matters, we saw that people tend to make themselves comfortable on the beach on waterproof bean bags (great idea) … maybe we have just lived a sheltered life, but we have not seen them on beaches before. We did not see any in the nudist area … maybe for hygiene reasons?

We carried driving up the coast as although we enjoyed visiting Palanga, it was not the place we were looking for to spend a few days. At around 2.00pm we stopped at a really nice campsite just on the southern end of Sventoji. We would strongly recommend it to anyone as it has a lovely grassy area, covered picnic huts, nice showers, great kitchen and wifi included. It is only about 150 m across the dunes to the beach. You can see the details on the following website.

http://www.osupis.lt

We are intending to do a few jobs on the car here and catch up via e-mail, and so will stay here a few days. If you need to contact us, now is a good time!

For the first time today we have had trouble getting the phone to link with the computer to update the site. It seems that the number of bars on the phone signal indicator have little to do with how easy it is to get data through the phone. I am sure that things are going to get more difficult in Russia, so maybe it is good that it does not work too smoothly now ….

More rain today as we headed out of Vilnius in completely the wrong direction (travelling west rather than east ….. not the wrong road!) towards the Baltic Coast. We thought that we still have time for the detour as we are not due to cross the Russian border until 15th August. The first place that we got to was Vente which is right on the tip of land on the Kursiu Marios, which is like a giant lake formed by a long sand spit (98 km long) that runs south from Klaipeda and is half Russian and half Lithuanian. I had not really taken in the fact that there is a bit of Russia called Kaliningrad which is completely separate from the rest of the country which borders Poland to the south and Lithuania to the north. Look on a map …. its odd and I am sure is a story worth reading!?

We again decided to stay in a little campsite. We are either getting soft, or maybe just cant resist what seem to us as cheap campsites. Other than the two city campsites we have not paid more than about £10. When we got to this one, which is right on the water and very close to the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsular, the skies started to clear.

This tip of land has bird traps used to catch and ring the birds to survey migration and numbers.

We then walked along the beach. The sea tends to be fairly calm as it is protected from the open sea by the sand spit. This means that the shells that are normally broken down to form sand are still almost whole.

All around Lithuania we have noticed all sorts of outdoor wooden carvings. Every park and most villages have sculptures of all sorts. This campsite is no exception and has at least ten.

Tomorrow we head up the coast to Klaipeda and beyond to spend a bit of time at the seaside. Maybe have a couple of days in one place, while we search for amber along the beach …. there is supposed to be lots washed up after storms.
I’m sure its going to be sunny!!

We had a fairly disturbed night at our picnic spot, as just as we got into bed a load of local youngsters arrived for a Saturday night of music and socialising (and who can blame them!). In a way it was quite funny as we were smugly saying only moments ago how lovely and quiet it was by the lake. It all went quiet at about 12.30am and so we got in a few hours sleep before the local ‘recycle team’ came from one of the small villages nearby to sort through all the bins looking for aluminium tins and bottles. They started at about 4.30am. Again you have to laugh…. On the plus side it was free, had a portaloo and lots of bins!

The coordinates for a city camping site were then put into the sat nav and we made the short journey (about 27km) to Vilnius (capital city). It has a population of only half a million, and although lovely in the centre, the outskirts have many old Soviet era concrete tower blocks which are not particularly pretty. I am sure that gradually over time these will be improved as the rest of the city has been. This is not really any different from the outskirts of most east european cities.

We took the trolley bus from just outside the campsite to the central station (2.5ltl). Then as we got further into the centre we started to see why people are so enthusiastic about Vilnius. Both the new business and shopping areas and the old town are certainly worth visiting. There are lots of buildings in the old part of the town which have been renovated and now look beautiful.

In order to get an overall view of the city we wandered up to the top of Castle Hill, where there has been a castle since 1316. It has been destroyed and rebuild many times over the years, but always on the same site. There is a great view from the top.

The cathedral in cathedral square.

As you walk out of the square into Gedimino prospektas, which is the road with all the high street stores (even has M&S!), you pass the National Drama Theatre and walk under three figures symbolising Drama, Tragedy and Comedy.

We headed back to the campsite and cooked up chicken in a satay sauce with garlic and onion. Fresh new potatoes out of Marjool’s parents back garden. Desert was rice pudding (made from yesterday’s left over rice) with fruit yogurt and a sprinkle of sugar….mmmm we know how to live it up!

We are leaving for the Baltic coast in the morning, feeling guilty that we have not spent enough time in Vilnius. It is obviously a city with so much to look at and we have given it barely one day. It deserves more but when we only have a week to spend in Lithuania you have to make some compromises.

We started the drive north from our abandoned school towards Vilnius past more lakes and through beautiful rolling hills and rural countryside. Just before we left we watched a lady milking her cow. A nice start to the day! The roads are much better than Polish roads with far less bumps and potholes. There are also lots of stopping places for a quick drink or picnic and the other drivers do not tend to overtake in quite the same enthusiastic way! The roads are also very quiet and in the area south of Vilnius and the side roads to the small villages are often unpaved. There are a lot less new houses than Poland in this area.

Just off the the A16 we saw a brown sign for a monument. It turned out to be a hill that used to have a fort on. Once on top of the hill there was a nice view of the river below, winding its way through pine woods. We had just stopped along the road to take yet another nice house picture and a man stopped next to us to ask if we needed help. We explained that we had just stopped for coffee and he insisted on escorting us to a good spot. Just goes to show that the Lithuanians are just as friendly as the Polish … great start!

We had seen a photograph in a guide book of a nice looking castle at Trakai about 27km west of Vilnius, and as we had had a special request from John FL in Bridford Devon for a castle with round towers, we thought we ought to get a couple of pictures! It turned out to be a lovely place with a great atmosphere. The castle is on a little island and on a sunny Saturday it was a popular place for locals to visit.

There were lots of weddings and hen parties everywhere. Everyone was smiling and laughing and it was great just to sit and watch people go by.

Walking along through the stalls on the side of the road were all the normal tourist bits, but one was a bit more unusual. It was just filled with ex military uniform hats and gas masks. Not sure where from, but it made a change!

Black clouds started to roll in in the evening, which has been a bit of a pattern over the last couple of weeks, so we headed off to a picnic area by the lake where Marjool cooked a tasty rice dish (Nasi Goreng). Another day gone already!