Haus Jouzas Namas Nida

... vom Blitz erschlagenen Sonnenuhr.
Am Strand, wo ich ausgiebig im Wasser rumspaddeln konnte, weil Mössjö el Bücherwurm sich in dieselbigen vergrub oder Bildungsschläfchen hielt und damit praktischerweise auf unsere Sachen aufgepasst hat.
Auch das Thomas Mann Haus haben wir nicht ausgelassen, obwohl es den Besuch nur der Vollständigkeit halber wert war. OK. Und wegen der Aussicht!

Die Verwirrung am Abschiedstag war groß. Ich musste zurück nach Vilnius über Kaunas. Er wollte ...

... Amis sind ja so furchtbar! Offensichtlichere Floskeln gibs ja wohl GAR NICHT! Aber ich bin ja nicht unhöflich: "Where are you from?" - "US. Nice Shirt." - "Thanks."
Gut, dachte ich mir. Was für eine bekloppte Unterhaltung. Er musste möglichst cool wirken, als erfahrener Backpacker, Martina hatte Mühe ihre Augen wieder zuzukriegen, ich glaub er hats gemerkt, aber ich habe an seinen Lippen förmlich gehangen. War ja nun aber auch interessant was der Gute so zu erzählen hatte ...

On our way to Nida we stopped to visited one of the most pilgrimage places I have ever been. It's a Hill of Crosses nearby Siauliai City. People come here, leave crosses, icons and pray - and the energy on the hill is simply amazing.

Nida is a resort town in Lithuania, located on the Curonian Spit. When we visited this ...

It took just over 3 hours to drive from Vilnius to Klaipeda with very light traffic. The drive is a little boring, but comfortable. The Magnisima Hotel is in the new (er) part of town within walking distance from the old town and with a secure parking lot in the rear. The room (#7) is very spacious and tastefully furnished. The street misses a couple of light poles, so gets a ...

I buy my bus ticket to Liepaja, Latvia for Monday. I was planning on Sunday but was told no Sunday trips and while there used to be 3 busses a day, it is now only 1. I infer that the economic downturn has hit the tourist industry pretty heavily.

Since there is no breakfast at the hostel, I stop by a grocery store for some danish and yogurt drink. I am sun burnt from yesterday. My Nivea lotion is ...

... I find a table (few available) and grab a Lithuanian beer which is pretty much like the Polish beer. Great spot for people watching by 8:00 or so (it is still light and I am in my beach attire) people start showing up in evening wear (it is a Friday). I take my cue and go back to the hostel for a shower.

I have consistently found that people in the service industry on this trip have been at best indifferent and generally rude. Not sure if it is being an American ...

One of the natural highlights of Lithuania is the Curonian Spit - a 100km long sand bar that forms a massive lagoon from the Lithuanian coast into Kaliningrad, Russia. The sand bar is constantly eroded by the elements and is slowly shifting inwards (up to 10m a year) and at the same time disappearing as the wind blows the sand away. In fact the villages used to keep having to move as the sand slowly buried them. It is all protected ...

... the day. We ferried over to the Curonian Split and hopped on a bus for the dunes of Nida. On the bus - Mary-ism #13: "Bored-cast". I'm guessing she meant "broadcast". We laughed. I felt a little bit better. After the dunes, we hit the Witches' Hill. Very cool park with neat wooden sculptures. Getting around the Curonian split is a bit of pain without a car - buses are infrequent. Having time to kill before catching a bus back to the ...

... how important food is in my world!). I had a plate of yummy goulash, it was different this time, almost creamy and with dill, and a heaping salad. Two thumps up and I was nice and warm! Went back to wait for the bus, the driver was sitting outside of it at the stop having a beer. Made me giggle. I made friends with a French couple, Helen was a student in France and Ben was working in Minsk so this was her trip to visit him. Got the bus and ...

... and we had a crazy driver do the ride in 30 minutes instead of an hour. The dude was flying. I spent the rest of the day wandering around Nida in the pine forests and on the beach. The pine forests here are really pretty and they give off the best pine smell I have smelt in a while (I think I have been in too many cities). I took a dunk in the really cold Baltic Sea. Nice and refreshing. Ate a ...