Where did I leave the last time? Ah, right, at the scene of battle. As I said, just beyond the border in Lithuania, I was viciously attacked. The enemy engaged in overwhelming numbers and my only option was retreat. So, I ran, or in this case pedaled like hell. But still, I was bearing the scars of the fight. Numerous mosquito bites are proof of my valor in battle. As any veteran I will wear them with pride, although, they really hurt.
Maybe you think it’s funny, but not only mosquitos are plenty here, also gadflies. And they all want my blood! 😱
24.07.2023 – Day 7 – Lithuanian border to Druskininkai (65,6 km)
It seems I found a really good spot, bug free, where I pinched my tent. Just moving a few meters further the next day and here they were again. But, I seldom was faster on the bike 😉
I had lunch in Druskininkai and that is a beautiful place. Already under Russian Zars this was a spa town. You can still see many wodden houses from the 19th century. Lunch was outstanding! 😀
In a park outside town I though “this is it”. Well, I have no idea what the passers-by must have thought. Didn’t matter to me.
25.07.2023 – Day 8 – Druskininkai to Ristaku (93,1 km)
What a difficult day this one was! Mostly via sand paths or in their absence head wind. How I love it!
I went through the Dzükija NP and some crossings, like the one bridge, were an adventure in itself. Will it really hold? Obviously it did 🙂
I pitched the tent besides a lake and this was such a peaceful space. Mind you, I waited until I was sure that no neighbor would come.
26.07.2023 – Day 9 – Ristaku to Vilnius (86,4 km)
It was really hard leaving this place. Since I knew that I only had to get to Vilnius I stayed until late morning.
At one point I passed a graveyard with German and Russian soldiers from WWI. A sad thing.
25 km before Vilnius it got hectic with more traffic and just not fun at all. I was glad when I arrived at my apartment, which will be my home for 2 nights.
27.07.2023 – Day 10 – Vilnius
It rained the whole morning, which I didn’t mind. That was exactly the reason why I wanted to arrive in the capitol yesterday. I had planned a relax day anyway.
However, you got to explore the city, which is by some called the Rom of the north. It has a stunning old town with lots of churches (of course!). The Camino de Santiago passes through here (and you would still have a long way to go!).
28.07.2023 – Day 11 – Vilnius to Bijoutonis (72,4 km)
I didn’t want to ride the horrible outskirts of the city again. So, I went to the train station. The train was supposed to leave in 5 minutes and I hadn’t had a ticket yet. No bother, buy it later. I went to the platform and took the escalator, just to realize I am on the wrong side. Hurrying down and up the other side I made it into the train and the doors closed after me and we left. Thankfully, then I bought the ticket online because 5 minutes later I was controlled. Sweet 🙂
30 minutes later I was in Traika, home of a beautiful water castle. However, the entrance admission of 12 EUR and waiting line was too much for me. In any case, what do you remember of those tours? I sipped a coffee and enjoyed the view towards the castle.
I would have imagined that after the resting day I would crank and things would go easy. Far from it, my legs felt tired and my ass sore. Great combination.
29.07.2023 – Day 12 – Bijoutonis to Ringovė (88,8 km)
There is really not much material between me and the outside world. But I feel so safe and protected in it. It rained half the night but I was dry and happy having a tent.
Today’s route passed through Kaunas. Another beautiful city with a quite intact historic town. I spent more time than I planned and my previous goal of 100 km for today wasn’t going to happen.
However, the bike path here along the river was really nice, until the ferry crossing. Afterwards, not so. But I did find a nice spot at the river to pitch my tent. And yes, the water is cold. But man, does it feel great to get yourself refreshed after cycling.
30.07.2023 – Day 13 – Ringovė to somewhere along the Nemuno/Memel river (84,5 km)
Today I had to put the tent together while still wet. I usually let it dry on top of my bags while riding. Didn’t work out much as it started to rain soon after.
Now the route really was a nightmare. I had to ride along a busy road and the Lithuanian drivers are awful, passing so close that I can feel the wind gush. Or even worse, the oncoming traffic passing each other so that I have a car on my lane coming right at me. Fucking assholes. It scared the shit out of me. 🤬
I did find a nice spot to sleep and had a roof over my head, which was good as it was supposed to rain (and did). When I was in the water I could have swum to the other side and be in Russia 😅
31.07.2023 – Day 14 – Somewhere along the Nemuno/Memel river to Silute (76,4 km)
I do use my stove since I have it with me (although I wanted to get rid of it). It feels nice having a warm meal (e.g. eggs) while being outdoors.
The other thing that pisses me off, and is much worse than rain, head wind. I had plenty of this yesterday and today was no different. Well, going towards the sea is seldom a good idea in that perspective.
When I arrived in Silute I realized that I have passed the 1,000 km marker today. Quite an achievement.
Since I wanted to take the ferry to Nida the next day I decided to stay here and get a room. And what a nice room it was 😀
01.08.2023 – Day 15 – Silute to Klaipėda (60,4 km)
How funny life can be. Having a beautiful place (and bed) and sleeping horribly 😅
I made myself a fantastic breakfast and headed over to the ferry. It took us 2.5 hours to get to Nida. While the first part was the nice one through a small park, the second, on the somewhat open sea, was quite rough.
Why was it rough? Because it rained. It will do so the whole day. Nevertheless, I rode and surprisingly saw hardly people on the path 😉
After 60 km I came to the next ferry that brought me free of charge (unbeknownst to them) to Klaipėda. Go another 20 km to the next town or stay here? I was a bit cold and not motivated to go on. So, I stayed.
02.08.2023 – Day 16 – Klaipėda to Latvian border (48,6 km)
In the morning I felt funny. I hoped that I didn’t catch a cold. Took some paracetamol but what really helped was some Schnaps I had in my bag 😀
Today I had a second cyclist helping with the pedaling: Tail wind. And what a help it was. Quite a stretch I rushed with 30 km/h over the Autobahn (yes, it really is an interstate: A11). After about 50 km I reached the border to Latvia and this post will stop here.
What else did I realize in Lithuania?
– They drive fucking horrible towards cyclists (I know, I said it before)
– The fields are much bigger here than in the part of Poland I saw
– I don’t have a very friendly impression of the few contacts I made. Greeting each other on the path is not a custom.
Love,
Matthias