October 6

Today I flung the curtains open with such abandon that I realized that two of the hooks that hold the curtain up had broken. Surely that wasn’t me, what with my flinging things open? Steven managed to stand on a chair and fix them without falling overboard, so that was a good start to the day. Also the sun was shining, so that was an excellent way to greet Lithuania! To be honest, when I looked outside I saw a beautiful, sandy beach with rolling waves and I thought maybe the storm last night had blown us clear to the Caribbean. 

I really had no idea that Lithuania had such beautiful beaches.

All three Baltic countries share a complicated history with foreign rule, but I noticed a distinct difference between Estonia and Latvia, as compared to Lithuania. Estonia and Latvia have a more visible trace of their Russian past, while Lithuania felt more German, maybe due to its closer ties to Poland and Germany, or maybe because as we got off the ship there was a fabulous “Oom-pah-pah” band that sounded like they had come straight from Oktoberfest! What a fun welcome!

Again, it was an extremely short walk to the old town centre, but we spotted this little train that would also shuttle you through the city and give a little commentary on things to see. It was interesting, but wow, those cobblestones combined with those little train wheels were mighty bumpy. We hopped off close to the town centre before our teeth were jarred right from our heads. 

The town we are in is Klaipèda, which is not pronounced “Kly-peeda” as I had assumed, but rather KLY-peda”. The city is almost 800 years old, the Teutonic Knights established a castle here in 1252 and in about the 1500’s the town continued to develop under Prussian and Germanic influence, thus the German feeling. In 1854 a terrible fire destroyed most of the city and there was further destruction during WW2, so the city doesn’t have that medieval magical feeling that Latvia and Estonia did, but it was still a beautiful place.

The town square felt surprisingly ordinary, other than the cobblestones. It was more of a local gathering place with a market-like atmosphere, rather than a grand historic square. There were many vendors trying desperately to sell their wares, as well as so much amber. Every stall had buckets of it, in all shapes and sizes, some made into jewelry and other trinkets,  and some just loose, in chunks, like in Jurassic Park. I didn’t see any with a mosquito embedded inside so I think we’re safe for now. Amber is a massively huge industry in the Baltics. Who knew? The city is fascinating, but we had to walk a bit further to find the beauty.

Note the sun dogs surrounding the sun as it tries to break through the clouds. 

This is the Drama Theatre, the largest theatre in Lithuania. It hosts many concerts and plays, as well as an annual film festival.

So we walked further into the town and discovered a whole different atmosphere. It was like an entirely different city within just a few short blocks.

The Dané river runs through the centre of this part of town, with lots of cafés, shops and restaurants as well as hotels and hostels.

These amazing shrubs were everywhere. 

A park meant for strolling slowly.

• This arch was at the entrance to the park.
• “The small red granite column represents Lithuania Minor.
• The large gray granite portion represents the rest of Lithuania.
• The broken/detached top piece symbolizes lost territories (such as parts of Lithuania Minor in the Kaliningrad region and Poland).”

The only elk he’ll see this year.

The other side of the river (the park is on the left now) This is where all the good cafés are.

Never in my widest dreams did I think I’d be following my husband down a path in Lithuania. Nor did he, in his wildest dreams ever think he’d be walking down a path there either! Just goes to show, you can never foretell your future.

My “Coffee in another Country” moment today included cream filled eclairs. Mine was pistachio and his was chocolate. Needless to say, delicious!. Also, the water bottle was glass and painted with flowers. I’m not sure what it cost, but I think it was likely substantial. But you could prepare baby food with it, so the price was inconsequential! Or, the price was “a moo point” as Joey would say.

We meandered through some of the streets and eventually made our way back to the ship area.

I told you those shrubs were everywhere!

I kept seeing this tower everywhere, but with no visible means of getting there. There was no bridge crossing the water that I could see. A mystery.

Back at the ship he decided to have a rest before dinner, but I was determined to figure out that tower, so off I went. 

I followed this path to the left, as all the maps said, when getting of the ship. I did see this ghostly fellow. I crossed the bridge behind him, which has a crank in the middle of it. When the crank is turned, the whole bridge swings sideways to let boats pass through.

This is The Black Ghost of Klaipeda, and he is clawing his way out of the harbour, inspired by a 16th century legend. Apparently he would appear to warn the townspeople of impending shortages of food, making him a sort of guardian of the city. Although his appearance did mean that bad times were coming.

Klaipeda is known for having many hidden statues and sculptures, but I didn’t find very many.

This was right at the dock, hard to miss. It’s so that everyone who is either coming or going can have a proper “hello” or “goodbye”. Rub his snout for luck.

This one is called “Cat with the face of a Gentleman”, looks like the Monopoly Man to me.

There was no way of getting to that tower from here, I was getting further and further away. I headed back to the ship and looked to the right this time. A path was right there. I followed it for maybe two minutes, and “surprise” the tower was almost in front of me. Sheesh.

Turns out that it’s a whole museum complex, both above ground (in the Tower) and underground as well. It was fascinating.

History Lesson: The Castle of Klaipeda was first built in 1252 by the Teutonic Knights, who were similar to the Knights Templar. They both protected pilgrims who were travelling to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. The Templars became famous for operating a very sophisticated financial and banking network, while the Teutonic Knights built castles, conquered land and fought wars in the name of spreading Christianity.

The Castle has obviously been rebuilt from scratch, but archeologists are excavating the ruins of the original castle. They have opened up the underground passages and tunnels to the public and they are incredible. Also very maze-like. 

Part of the original castle.

This is the entrance to the museum, and all the passages branch off from there, both left and right. They go for thousands of feet with multiple branches but before you enter the tunnels there is a large display which explains what and who the Teutonic Knights were. It was both creepy and amazing. 

The buildings that you see behind these fellows was a movie screen, so it really seemed like you were there, in that timeframe.  I was the only person in there…not sure if I was totally at ease or not. The music was eerie and it was super cold in there. I was sort of nervous to stare at these guys for too long in case they moved. I’ve seen too many movies with this exact plot. 

A Teutonic Knight! They had a black cross on their tunics, whereas the Knight Templar have the more famous Red Cross.

Into the tunnels from almost 1,000 years ago. The flooring and lighting are a bit newer though.😊

What’s that? (Stops and listens…) Do I hear footsteps behind me? Ah, shit, I knew there was someone inside one of those statues and now I’ve obviously seen something I shouldn’t have. I started walking a little quicker and the footsteps behind me became more rapid. (Heartbeat accelerates to an unhealthy level) Dammit, although I guess being stabbed with a medieval dagger in a passage in Lithuania isn’t the worst way to go. I turned a corner, but alas, it did no good. I heard a voice calling out and I turned to meet my fate. 

It was the ticket man, breathless, as he chased me down because I forgot to show my ticket. 

After I wandered through there, wondering if I was going to come across a Minotaur, I found my way out and went over to the tower. 

It’s 7 stories high, with a glass elevator in the centre. You can get off at each floor and walk through museum displays. The 7th floor has wonderful views of the complex and the city. I made sure I showed my ticket before I got into the elevator. 

Views from the top of the tower.

Looking down 7 stories down the elevator shaft and wondering what would happen if everyone went home and no one realized I was here. Maybe the old ticket man has a grudge and will just say he saw me leave. This thought made me call the elevator and get down while it was still daylight. It’s one thing to be alone, but it’s something else to be left alone in a tower when you don’t even know how to holler “Help” in Lithuanian. 

I thought this crane looked like a creature from War of the Worlds. I half expected it to lift up its huge legs and come lumbering after us. 

Sometimes I think I’ve watched too many movies.

Back to the ship for dinner at the specialty Italian restaurant; La Cucina. 

It was so good! I had a sort of capresé salad, but with burrata cheese instead of mozzarella, salmon and a pannacotta for dessert. He had calamari, veal scallopini, and cannolis for desert. We treated ourselves to an excellent Reisling.

The entertainment that night was a magician/comedian who was actually very good. A lot of ship entertainment is pretty cheesy as it has to please, and not offend, so many different people.

Early to bed (after a quick visit to the casino) as we have an early day tomorrow.

Goodnight from fascinating Lithuania.🇱🇹