continuing...

In Lithuania - starting on the Curonian Spit. Obviously a favourite holiday area in the summer but we were a few weeks after the end of the season, when it was much quieter.

Fish for dinner, still warm from the smokehouse. Not sure what sort the large round flat one was, but there is a salmon on top of it.

 

  The view from Europe's highest sandhill

 Walking back to Nida. The weather looked threatening but the sun continued to shine. As it did for almost all of our trip.

  Trying out the seesaw on the path to the sandhill

 In the town of Nida

 Sign for the Hill of Witches - a very pleasant walk through magnificent woodlands or forest

 

 with huge wood carvings either illustrating traditional legends or made into playground equipment and seats - some intricate and delicate, some chunky and quirky

 

 Another huge sandhill area with a sad history, is under UNESCO control.

  Some straw (?) sculptures on the water which were to be burnt in a celebration a day later.

 

Travelling to Trakai - rain in the distance

 

 Kernave, the site where the first settlers to the area came around the ninth millenium BC.

 Lovely gardens in the nearby monastery

Lady selling very small quinces

 Trakai Castle

 

Houses in Trakai with 3 front windows - favoured by the Tatar people who came to Lithuania probably after the collapse of the Mongol Empire

 On to Vilnius, the capital. Along the way we tried dumplings cooked in different ways - boiled, uncooked content and fried, and cooked content then fried, and even managed to negotiate some salad. Not so keen on the boiled (not shown here)

Our spacious apartment had beautiful old furniture and fittings with 'modern' touches - flashing and coloured lights everywhere (we couldn't find switches to turn some of them off!) and Marilyn Monroe sheets and the cushions below

Went out to the Square and found huge crowds lining the streets - waiting to see the Pope as he was just about to leave the country after a short visit. Bronnie snapped at the right time -

 The Cathedral and Bell Tower

 

 We bought some lavender cheese - tasted lavender but looked green

 Took an Old Town tour, dodging a bit of rain.

 

   Next day we flew to Warsaw in Poland, for a whole new adventure.