Had a sleep-in this morning as our tour did not begin until noon. After a large breakfast, we enjoyed watching our ship dock. As luck would have it, we managed to have the scenic view across the Curonian Lagoon to the National Park. On our shore excursion we took a ferry across this lagoon along with multitudes of Lithuanians on foot, on bicycles, and incars as it is the weekend and their weather had turned sunny and warm - 80 degrees today. Finally, I was able to break out my summer clothes! We had a look at the many citizens risking skin cancer as they sun bathed on the beautiful beaches on the Baltic side of the peninsula. From there we drove to Witches Hill to hear about the fairy tales and legends of witches and devils. It was a beautiful walk through a forest where we encountered many wooden sculptures that depicted some of the characters in the legends. Many of them were quite grotesque and I think I have a picture of every last one of them! We also visited a church built in the late 1800s and a gallery with one toilet for the 50 people on the bus. Most of our free time allowed here was spent waiting in line however, we did managed a taste of amber tea and amber brandy. On the way back, we decided to leave the bus and visit the old town with the usual cobblestoned streets and walk back to the ship.
Lithuanians are noted for their green fingers, beautiful flower and vegetable gardens. They visit their forests for picking blueberries and mushrooms. To say they do not like Russians is an understatement. Our guide explained that they were trying to undo the damage of modern Russian architecture which reminds me of the Claridge buildings on Lebreton Flats in Ottawa. They are desperate for tourist dollars. I lost count of the number of times our guide pleaded with us to return.
We are enjoying a rest and plan to hit the Italian restaurant for dinner tonight.
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