Kungis Kastonis Palanga

... nach zu urteilen, war er der litauischen Sprache wenig bis gar nicht mächtig, aber keine Ahnung was fürn Landsmann. Gut, ich kenn da ja nichts, ich also rund heraus:"You're not from here, are you?!" - "No..." - "Where you wanna go?" "I thought about the Curonian Spit, but I guess today it's to late..." - "What??? Why? C'm on! I'm going there either, may I join you, Ive already been here, thats not far!!!" - "Why not... Danny, nice to meet you!" - "Martina, nice to meet you ...

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 ...

... the waterfront, stopping occasionally. At one point, I notice a lot of nude people. As I observer more closely, it is all women. I had passed onto the border of the women only zone. I quickly turn around. There is a sign at the entrance in Lithuanian. No pictorial sign like I had seen before. Oops.<br><br>Lots of wind kept people against the sand dunes. There is a network of sand areas inside the dunes ...

There is a 6:35 and a 7 AM bus to Klaipeda, a beach town on the Baltic Sea. I wake up at 5:30, before my alarm. I rush to make the earlier bus but I am told to go on the later one. English is not widely spoken. The ticket person knew numbers. The bus is a nice one, double decker and I am on top. 3.5 hours. <br><br>As I walked to the bus station, I passed a bar. Several people were there having their breakfast beer.<br><br>My back has been acting up. Had some issues before ...

And now to one of the most bizarre things we've gone to see on this trip. In 1960 the Russians, who occupied Lithuania at the time, built a nuclear weapon facility in the middle of a forest. It took 10,000 people to build it over 2 years, all done in secret. Much of it had to be done by hand because of the noise factor - in fact it was so secret the local population didn't ...

... starting to think my place wasn't that bad after all. We inquired at several more places without any success before heading back to town for early morning drinks. I had my usual while they had green tea. I got a lecture about soda not being good for you but I countered with the benefits of smoking so we quickly moved on to other topics. I knew that my best shot at finding a deal in town was with these guys since Lithuanians get prices about 50% less than other tourists and ...

Ignore what we said about the worst campsite this beats the lot - toilets were holes in the ground, the shower was invented by the local made professor and was patented trust me when i say no one will by buying it!. As for Palanga it deserves better a great beach resort with loads to do and see, cheap and good fun for a few days or a week well worth a visit. While we were their they were holding a ...

... det er det jo ikkje alle som veit. Klaipeda var ein gong i tida yttergrensa til Prøyssen. Landet høyrde til Tyskland heilt fram til 1919, vart då sett under administrasjon av Folkeforbundet heilt til litauiske troppar åtaka byen og erobra den i 1923. Og sidan det har den vore ein del anten av det sjølvstendige Litauen eller av Den litauiske sovjetrepublikken, alt etter kva tidbolk ein har levd i. Litauen ...

... keen to go out. I go for a walk to get my bearings and scout out sights for the next day. Its Sunday the streets are virtually deserted and poorly lit, this old port town has clearly seen better days and feels more rundown than anywhere else I´ve been. Given all of this I don´t feel totally safe walking around alone and head back to the hostel and watch "Carlito´s Way" with the German guys who seem to know all the words off by heart. Day 14 Leipeja ...

... 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 ...