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I liked today. I would like to thank the Gods, so, as they say in Lithuanian: achoo (thanks).

Day 14. 145 km. Калининград – Nida. Map and gpx

The lady at the hotel in Калининград was excited about my trip and gave me all her best wishes. She waved at me out of the window on the 7th floor as I left. Very sweet. 🙂

The recommended bike route took an amazing detour first to the west, and then along the coast, adding about 50km to the distance. The roads were mostly quiet although not always the best quality. I can only imagine that the big detour was made to avoid the A192. When the route finally joined the A192, it was moderately quiet and easy cycling. The new freeway has been finished recently and I think all the Formula 1 drivers were on the freeway.

I passed through fields of purple.

And lots of big white flowers.

Sometimes the road surface was good, and it was lovely cycling.

And sometimes it was a sand or dirt track. In the blazing sun and temperatures above 30C, it was a sweaty affair.

But the fun started on the Curonian Spit. A long road through the forest. Leave the road on the left and the are amazing beaches.

A fully clothed swim kept me cool for a while.

On the right you have forest and sandhill cliffs.

Then the dark clouds rolled over and the thunder started. It tried to rain but never truly succeeded. And then I made it over the border to Lithuania. I was swatting a fly in this photo. The effect was quite amusing.

Crossing the border converted the people. Other than the woman in the hotel in Калининград, I found people in Russia cold and irritable. They didn’t ever smile, and made me think they were sick of everything. In Lithuania they all smiled. Nida is a lively tourist town with lots of nice infrastructure and a cute town centre. The towns in the Russian side barely had a shop.

I was taken by a pension owner from the tourist information office. She spoke good German, and gave me an enthusiastic run down of the sights as she walked me there. As I arrived at the door there was a massive clap of thunder and the skies lit up. The Gods were happy. Achoo.

It is a festival long weekend in Lithuania. Actually, I think everywhere in the Baltic. Midsummer is coming. Yay!