Zydroji Liepsna Palanga

... 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."<br>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 ...

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 ...

... publicly until the late 1980s. So, although not many people know, you can go and ask the ranger to show you the remains of the base, the control room and the massive diesel generator used to run it, the 25m deep silos, and the slide back mounds on top (yes, very Bond in Thunderball!). Awesome. Imagine trying to see that prior to 1991 when the country was under Russian rule.

... Palanga pier which is mainly for meeting and people-watching. There were some brave souls in the water (wetsuits would have definitely been legal) and others laying on the sand but most were curled up behind the sand dunes seeking shelter from the wind. I guess for Lithuanians they come to the beach to vacation, good weather or not. Even I had a hard time withstanding the frigid conditions that first day. Fortunately the other 2 days were warm with a gentle breeze; just ...

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 ...

... s been flattened inside a Panini press. It was tasty - we wanted to eat it on the beach, but I gobbled down most of it before even getting there. The beach was chilly but still nice. We sat for awhile as we ate the kebabs, followed by some chocolate. We walked back up the busy promenade - it's got a bit of the vibe you'll see in the Costa del Sol in Spain, despite being much colder here. No Lithuanian ...

... 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 ...

... up. We raised an eyebrow... as the first "shed" contained tools, next door to our "self contained accommodation". We wondered what were we in for ... a little surprised, as it wasn't cheap. Christie reassured Glenn, "Let's wait and see" and so we left Christie's bag with them and headed out to get some lunch. Not far from our place, we found a restaurant and had a great lunch. Ok, so it was not all bad. There was a great view out over the lagoon, and although a little windy ...