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.🇱🇹 

October 5

 Flung the drapes open this morning to see Latvia! And some pretty grey skies…we are not going to be five-for-five today. It wasn’t raining, but it felt like it might. My hair is always a good indicator of the weather and it was fuzzed out like a Brillo pad. Who knew it would be humid in October in Northern Europe? 

The ship was docked almost on the grass. I am so happy that none of these stops need a tender to get to shore, it’s a joy to just be able to walk off and on whenever you please and not have to wait for those cramped little boats. 

We had our usual breakfast and then left the ship to walk to town. The skies seemed threatening so I tossed an umbrella into my little backpack, just in case. 

It literally took less than 7 or 8 minutes to get to the edge of the old town. There were two ways to go, one was longer and confusing and course that’s the one I chose. *sigh* I even had a map and still went the wrong way, but we ended up in Doma Laukums, which is the name of the town square, in minutes, so it all worked out. (We did pass a Circle K though, just outside the city walls, which seemed weird) 

Not sure if all the police cars here are electric, but this seemed like a good time to stage a heist as not only was it plugged in, there were no policemen anywhere in sight. Plus, one could dash down those tiny little twisty back lanes where no car could fit. Or, even if they could, it would be like those scenes from bad comedy movies where the doors wouldn’t open.  I resisted the temptation though, and besides I don’t know how to yell “This is a robbery!” in Latvian.

There were a multitude of souvenir shops on each side of the street, of course they all sell basically the same things at basically the same prices, but I did notice that the ones here offered a pleasant change from the usual souviner fare, there seemed to be an emphasis on craftsmanship and locally inspired pieces. Treasures rather than trinkets. I did buy some locally made touques.

Heading down the cobblestone streets towards the town square. 

I found the Latvian people to be very quiet. Their friendliness was expressed different than at home. They are not cold by any means, but definitely reserved. I had read about that prior to our arrival here, and it’s quite true. They don’t feel the need to smile and make small talk with strangers,  which is really rather refreshing. Their culture is often described as valuing privacy and personal space. A haven for us introverts! 

The country does have a complicated history with the Soviets, a time when a person didn’t say anything to strangers, and they only regained their independence in 1991, so I suppose that is a lingering effect. In any case, I absolutely loved it there.

We carefully picked our way to a coffee shop in the town square so that I could have my “Coffee in Another County” moment and watch the passersby. 

In Riga you see black cats everywhere. Not actual live ones, but in every souviner store you see them on paintings, jewellery, dish clothes, postcards, key chains and so forth, they’ve become one of the city’s most famous symbols. The story goes that a wealthy merchant applied to join The Great Guild and for whatever reason, he was refused admission. He was furious and so he had 2 large metal cats places on his roof, with their backs arched and their rear ends pointing towards the guild, a snub if there ever was one. There ended up being a court case as the guild was so offended, and the merchant was eventually admitted to the guild if he promised to turn his cats around, which he did. All’s well that ends well, and now you see black cats everywhere. I bought a wee watercolour of one.

The town square was surrounded by some pretty impressive buildings. Thank goodness as you get off the ship at each port, there are little tourist stands with maps with explanations of the different places, as well as where public toilets are and whether or not you need to pay for their use. So far I we just utilized the bathrooms in the places where I had my daily coffee…win-win.  

This was originally a bank, but is now a radio and weather station.

This was originally a stock exchange, built in the early 1800’s and is now an art museum.

The town square is surrounded by buildings built from as early as the 1200’s right up until the early 1900’s. The bottom floors are mostly cafés and restaurants. Lots of little stalls selling handmade goods are scattered in the square as well as lots of benches and flowers. 

This is the Riga Cathedral, construction started in the year 1211! The pipe organ inside was, at one time, the largest in the world. It has 6,718 pipes and the outer casing was crafted in 1601. I’d love to hear it, they play quite often, but the timing was wrong for us today. 

We did some more wandering down the little back streets and eventually worked our way back to the ship. 

He decided to have his afternoon snooze and I was going to read on the balcony, but man, that old town was so close that I had to go back.

Can’t sit here and read when secret places are so close! It’s still not raining, so it’s now or never. 

You can see the spires of the old town right there, it’s a couple of minutes walk down the path you can see to the right of the highway, then you cross a bridge and there you are!

How can you not enter that passageway? Just look at those old city walls!

Is he pointing me in the right direction?

I stood there wondering if I should dash across the street and risk my life, until I realized there was a crosswalk just ahead, so I decided to not break any laws and do the right thing.

This is the Evangelical Lutheran Church, started in 1209 (1209!). It was badly damaged in WW2, but has been carefully restored.

This is Our Lady of Sorrows, and its spire is easy to spot from anywhere in town. It was right near the passage that I came in through, so I figured as long as I could see it, I could find my way back. These streets are so twisty and all look very similar, it’s so easy to get turned around and lost. 

Little cafés and bars are foud at the ends of so many alleys. It’s magical!

This park was across from the Royal Palace. Green and shady (if it were sunny!) with a lot of benches,  and very welcoming. 

Just a modern store in a very old building,

Little restful spots everywhere. I had read that Riga was a wonderful place for rest & relaxation, and it truly was.

As I walked, the buildings became more of an Art Nouveau style, many with modern stores on the ground floor, apartments and offices in the higher floors. I want to live in that turret.

I guess….if you’re a shoe person….

Hmmmm. Not my church…no cross on top. Am I lost?

I don’t recognize these cobblestones. Shoot, maybe I am lost?

I backtracked a bit, spotted “my” church and headed back to the ship. Crisis averted.

That night we went to the second of the Main Dining rooms, the Four Oceans and while I had a good dinner, his was questionable. I had potstickers for an appie, cordon bleù for a main and carrot cake for dessert. He had an Asian noodle salad, brisket for a main and cannoli for dessert. The brisket was unlike any brisket either of us have ever seen/tasted and I do not mean that in a complimentary way. It was SO tough that the knife could literally not cut it. This likely means a trip to the buffet later on. 

The entertainment tonight was Detroit Motor, and while the actual costumes and performance were outstanding, Motown is not my favourite music. There were a couple of songs I enjoyed, but I wouldn’t go again.

Another early to bed night, but we ran into a storm somewhere in the sea and holy, was the ship a-rockin’. It didn’t bother us, at least not as far as sea-sickness goes, but the motion was like someone shaking the bed and I wanted to holler “Will you just lay still?!” Getting up at 3am to go pee was an adventure in itself. I seriously wondered if I should put my shoes on in case we got called to “Man the lifeboats” in the middle of the night. I was truly a little bit nervous. Steven never moved all night.