Lithuania - Hill of Crosses and Klaipeda

I got the bus from Riga to Lithuania, stopping off at Siauliai. I had originally intended to head straight for the coast but I had heard good things about the hill of crosses and it was on the way, so it seemed like a good thing to do.

That's a lot of crosses

The hill itself is about 20 minutes out of town by bus, then a 2km walk. I was greeted with quite a sight - a small hill absolutely covered in thousands and thousands of crosses.

There are also thousands of tiny crosses hanging from the larger ones

The tradition of placing crosses started long ago but took on greater significance during the Soviet occupation, when the crosses were removed by the Communist authorities. The villagers would sneak over the barbed wire at night, and risking their lives place a cross as a small act of resistance.

There are some more elaborate statues as well as the personal contributions

I went back to the main town and got the bus onwards to Klaipeda, Lithuania's main port and summer getaway resort. The main attraction is not the town itself, which is quite pleasant and historic, but the strip of land across the harbour.

The Soviet-era factory kind of spoils the town's charm

The Curonian Spit is quite an oddity. A sand bar 100km long and about 4km wide, it stretches parallel to the shore, with the sea on either side. Half way down the spit is split in two thanks to the Russian border with Kaliningrad.

Relaxing by the waterfront

I took the ferry across, then the bus an hour down the spit to Nida, the main tourist hub. After climbing the sand dunes, I rented a bike and spent the day cycling through the forests and along the beaches. It was definitely one of the most pleasant places I have ever been.

On the dunes, looking toward Russia (Kaliningrad)

Back at the hostel, I bumped into Andy who I had met previously in Tallinn and Tartu, and Melanie who I had met in Saremaa. Together we went out to a Lithuanian restuarant and then headed to the town centre, by the river where the midsomer celebrations were taking place.

Bonfire at the midsomer celebrations

There was a free concert with a strange but entertaining mix of rock and traditional folk singing (which I am told is quite popular in Lithuania), along with a bonfire and lots of alcohol stands. We stayed a while then went back to the hostel to get some sleep. Tomorrow we were off to somewhere quite exciting!