Our journey through the Baltic States continued with a stop today in Lithuania. Unlike our focus the last few days on the old, historic cities of the Baltic, today was more about getting out in the countryside and enjoying a more remote aspect of this part of the world. Once again, we divided into different interests and set out in smaller groups to focus on these different aspects.
A large group decided it was time for some exercise. We climbed aboard our fleet of bikes and set out for a guided journey. We even boarded a ferry and crossed onto the Curonian Spit. From here, we went along some nice bike paths through some gorgeous forest, a bit like the rainforests of the Pacific NW of the United States. We stopped at a cafe for some local treats, which certainly were delicious.
Others went for a very interesting tour titled “The Hill of Witches.” Here we also drove along through some very scenic forest but the destination was a bit stranger. Interesting wooden carvings were open for interpretation, and we were enthralled by the many stories. As our guide claimed to be a 143 year old witch, it was an entertaining afternoon.
And our final group visited the Venti Ornithological Research Center. This started as a bird banding station in 1929 and has been going strong ever since. Situated on a prominent point, thousands and thousands of birds are caught every year and banded. This has led to amazing discoveries of various bird migration patterns and distances. We were lucky to get a tour by the lead ornithologist, who has personally banded 710,000 birds! One of the nets for catching birds here is the largest in the world with a height of 75 meters.
Many of us ended the afternoon by exploring the old part of Klaipeda while others returned to home sweet home, the National Geographic Orion. Soon, it was time to head back out into the Baltic Sea and on to Poland.
