Foto: The sand dunes of the Curonian Spit (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Lithuania - Last night the driver asked Karen in Russian if we had rain gear with us. That doesn’t bode well. The weather forecast for today is showery. Today is a free day in Nida. We don’t let the weather get us down and rent bicycles in the center of the village. On the grassy area, several rental stalls are set up. A few bikes in a row, a parasol, and a folding chair. We rent our bikes from the stall closest to the hotel. Convenient. We first cycle through the center heading south. The bikes work well and look good. The bike path just outside Nida turns into a sandy trail. We follow this path to a wooden staircase. Here we park the bikes and climb up. The stairs are next to the highest sand dune on the Curonian Spit peninsula. From the top of the dune, we have a view of the bay and Nida. We walk a bit further into the dunes. Here stands a large sundial and from here you can see the Russian border. It is the Russian border with Kaliningrad, a small piece of Russia wedged between Poland and Lithuania. It’s strange that this piece still belongs to Russia while the Baltic States separated themselves. This is probably why it is practically impossible to cross the border here between Lithuania and Russia without being caught. Back down, the raindrops fall harder, so we first order a coffee on a terrace. When the weather clears, we continue northward.
Hill of Crosses in Siauliai
Lithuania - Near Šiauliai is the Hill of Crosses, where the first cross was placed in 1847. Today, this hill holds hundreds of thousands of crosses, making it a unique and impressive place. During the Russian occupation of the area, the Hill of Crosses became a ...
The Cathedral of Vilnius
Lithuania - Just behind the museum, we take the funicular up to the castle located at a higher elevation. Only one fortress tower remains, rising high above the city. From the top of the tower, there is a beautiful view over old Vilnius. With the travel guide in ...
The Water Castle of Trakai
Lithuania - We drive for about an hour to the village of Trakai. As we drive through the main street, the brightly colored wooden houses catch the eye. You would expect wooden houses to suffer greatly in the cold winters. However, Trakai is mainly famous for the ...