Publicēts: 14.06.2022
I know it. You're on the ferry for 20 hours, rocking and enjoying the Dolce far niente. Then comes the entrance to the harbor, the passengers gather in front of the parking deck and before you know it, the mighty ship's belly spits you out like the whale did to Jonah in the old days in the Bible. Suddenly the hustle and bustle of a port city, an unfamiliar country, a different traffic culture, and different traffic signs. Then the navigation system gives up and you're already in reduced mode.
But the adaptation succeeds, after 30 minutes I slowly find my way and I'm already approaching the first planned destination.
The streets in Klaipeda are three-lane magnificent streets, but in partially deplorable condition. In any case, later I checked all the screws on the roof tent rack... And depending on the preference, the third lane serves as an emergency lane or bus lane. By the way, the Lithuanians are speedy drivers :-)
Everything doesn't fit perfectly and so I find myself on a narrow bumpy path that leads me further and further away from the destination. I can't turn around and there's a Volvo behind me. Eventually a sign for campsite/restaurant/hotel appears, in the middle of the wilderness, but so what? I stop at a house and let the Volvo pass. It also stops, two small curious children and a young woman get out. We start talking in English and it turns out that she is the owner. We quickly agree on a deal. Actually, the facility is closed, but Urte* (that's the name of the young woman, appropriately) prepares a room for me and I spend the first night in a cozy guest room instead of the airy roof tent. Not bad, a stroke of luck and Lithuanian hospitality. It's nice to have a little more time, so I just cook some bagged rice and then make myself a Bialetti coffee before going to the warm room. That's a promising start to this adventure.
*) Urte is the Lithuanian abbreviation of Dorothea, which means God's gift (Doron = gift, Theos = God)