Let's mix it up and fill in some experience gaps: RTW 2015

[JohnM]

I arrived in Klaipeda, Lithuania's third-largest city and a large port on the Baltic yesterday afternoon. Nothing particularly special about the city; it used to be Memel, the capital of Prussia. Lots of brawling over the years has seen various groups booted out and a lot of of destruction.

The old town has the biggest cobblestones I think I've ever seen. Rough to walk on. I found it hard to find anywhere to eat in old town that wasn't a pub or a cafe. Eventually had dinner at a wine bar/pizza place of modern style (browse the bottles on the shelf and grab one that takes your fancy type of thing.) It was pretty good casual stuff. There's a rather nicely renovated sailing ship nearby that functions as a restaurant but I'm always sceptical of those sorts of places. May check it in more detail tonight.

The main reason to come here was to spend today on the Curonian Spit, a World Heritage listed long sandy spit (an island really as a very short car ferry ride is needed to get there.) Yesterday was very cloudy with a strong cold W wind but, true to the forecast, today was a divine mild windless autumn day; could not have been more perfect!

It's a major recreation area and must be a zoo in summer. I expected it to be busier than what it was, being a Saturday. Just goes to show how folks here start to really shut down for winter in early October.

The spit is narrow (about 1-2 km and about 100 km long.) The S section is part of Kaliningrad, the Russian Baltic outpost.

Geologically, it's totally a long sand dune that formed 5-6000 years ago. Deforestation in the 16th century caused the sand to start moving, swallowing 14 villages over the following 300 years. In the late 18th century a massive replanting effort got under way. Now there is only a fairly small dune area, but it is still moving.

The W side is a pretty standard-looking beach with the dunes rising fairly sharply. The E side is flatter, sheltering a channel into Klaipeda and providing extensive bird habitat. A very calm lagoon-like place. There are a couple of quite attractive villages along the E side.

Lithuanians are very keen on sculpture. There are sculpture parks everywhere. Some of the older ones look a bit soviet but many of the more modern ones are pretty good IMO.

Walking in the pine forest woods with a damp sphagnum-like ground cover, the abundance and diversity of mushrooms and toadstools was quite astonishing. Many people were out mushrooming.

A bunch of pics will follow to put some imagery to this text.

Haeding to Vilnius tomorrow.

 

[JohnM]

Russian border.

 

[JohnM]

Fascinating daily/monthly/annual sundial.



Displays of traditional weathervanes.



Poignant sculpture of Germans being kicked out in 1923.

 

[JohnM]

 

[JohnM]

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Thanks MrM... Love a good fungi
Maybe we need to start a "View of my Favourite Fungi" thread...

 

[JohnM]

Drove to Vilnius today. About 3.5h from Klaipeda, mostly on a good 130kph motorway. Detoured into central Kaunas about 2/3 of the way for a look.

A bit of a festival going on (entertainment, dog show, horse rides, folk dancing, police dog unit display). Another perfect autumn day. Very pleasant interlude.

Pics from my phone will follow.

 

[JohnM]

Town square with the Palace of Weddings (former town hall.)

 

[JohnM]

Strolled around Old Town Vilnius this afternoon.

A few pics to follow that can do their own talking without describing in all cases what they precisely are.

 

[JohnM]

 

[JohnM]

 

[JohnM]

A few night pics in Vilnius. They light sights up like Xmas trees. Hope they turn out OK.

 

[JohnM]

A few views from Gediminas Castle, the original site of Vilnius. Overlooking Old Town which again is World Heritage listed.









Another glorious day, so about to jump in the car and get out into the countryside.

 

[JohnM]

Some scenes of the 15th century castle and more modern manor on the lake at Trakai, about 30km outside Vilnius.

 

[JohnM]

 

[JohnM]

OK, last night in the Baltic States and I feel like a good dinner. Problem: it's Monday night and the restaurants that have been recommended or I scope as very good (including one about 50m down my street) are closed. Consult TripAdvisor; the Bistro at the Radisson, overlooking the main square, gets good - albeit slightly mixed - reviews. Hmmnn, my golden rule is generally: avoid hotel restaurants - and, as the old saying goes, those that overlook water .

Let's go for it. Scope the wine list. Hmnn, a glass of Deutz Champagne to start may ease the worries. Never tried Deutz before that I can recall; hey, I'm impressed - one of the finest beads in a Champagne that I can recall. Nice mouthfeel; no great complexity - but just very nice. Great aperitif. Life is suddenly looking good!

Right, next choice is the food and wine. Go for the Pate Foie Gras and the entrecote (aka Scotch fillet). Wine is a challenge between a a Cahors Malbec (the home of Malbec in France but now a mere shadow of Argentina), a Pomerol (Merlot) or a Cote du Rhone (a GSM). Go for the the Cahors. One reason is that the the entracote is described as 'Argentina' - BUT - do they mean FROM Argentina or Argentina-STYLE? Reason I think this is that some of the other steaks were 'USA'. Surely they don't import cuts to suit from each country? Also interested in trying a (hopefully good) Cahors, as impsossible to source in Australia.

Service is very definitely hotel-restaurant style. Lovely people, but they know zilch. There are 500+ Euro bottles of wine on the wine list but the glasses on the tables are all small white wine-style. When she arrives with my (mid-upper priced Cahors), I ask about a bigger glass. Ah, ah - I'll ask at the bar she says. Comes back with something reasonable. Things are looking reasonably promising.

Pate arrives. Hey - pretty good, even if slightly twee presentation (pics from my phone to follow). Wine is going nicely.

Steak arrives. Asked for rare - got rare. Comes with Cafe de Paris butter - excellent! Super-tender; just perfect! Totally bistro-style: pommes frites and salad. 10/10! - absolutely straight Bistro stuff. The Cahors works a treat! (Hey Steady, if you're watching, mate, I think you'd love this wine. It would go nuts with some of that food out of your wood-fired oven .)

Pics follow.

OK, get to the end of the main course and savour the last of the Cahors.

Normally I don't eat dessert. BUT, that Deutz Champagne is hovering in my memory, Dang!, I want some more of that! I'd better have something to eat with the half-bottle I order . Creme brulee it is! And - the best creme brulee I've ever had! Trick was that they put it in a largish shallow dish so lots of very good caramel on top relative to the amount of custard.

All-in-all a very good meal to finish off the Baltic States .

Pics from my phone follow.

 

[JohnM]

Pics of dinner.

Deutz Champagne to start. Hmmm - I want more of this!



Cahors. Note back label - a splash of Merlot and Tannat really made this wine sing. Inspired winemaking IMO.




Food.




Cont...

 

[JohnM]

Rare is rare.



Now looking at the Champagne price list. Whoa! - these guys know how to charge in a country that is generally quite cheap!



Cop the Sir Winnie price - guzzling the 2004 SYD-DFW never felt so good!



And to finish.





Cool night!

 

[JohnM]

Addendum.

Had to laugh - the guy driving this MX5 pulls up outside, jumps out and presses the lock button - while leaving the roof down.

Redundant?

 

[Steady]

Also interested in trying a (hopefully good) Cahors, as impossible to source in Australia.

The Cahors works a treat! (Hey Steady, if you're watching, mate, I think you'd love this wine. It would go nuts with some of that food out of your wood-fired oven .)

I am indeed watching (and enjoying your TR) - but it seems you are just teasing me