OMG…I’m glad I’m fairly weather resilient and can get about in the rain, soaked to the bone, without too much trauma. Mum and Dads toughen up policy is paying off. I’m also glad that my Airbnb had an umbrella for guests. That helped a bit. I went off and got coffee this morning. The bus was picking me up nearby for my mini-bus adventure to Trakai. I looked at the sky and in my wisdom I scooted off back to the apt and got the umbrella. By the time the bus picked me up it was absolutely pouring already. All the way to Trakai (about 40 minutes), it totally poured. The bus dropped us off in a car park, a good walk from the castle which is on a little island in one of the lakes. Trakai sits surrounded by lakes and is a summer resort where people swim all year. Yes, all year. In winter they cut out a 25meter pool from the ice for the hardy. Also in the winter you can drive across these huge lakes without any additional insurance the ice is so thick. (I can only hope this continues as we get warmer).
Anyway, I digress, out of the bus we got. Everyone chooffed off towards the Castle. Me included of course but at my own pace. Well, as I walked the lightning flashed, the thunder clapped and the rain bucketed like there was no tomorrow. Very disappointing but on I plodded. Then, so superbly the rain eased, and stopped completely just as I got to the castle. I have long thought castles are most beautiful from the outside so I decided not to pay to go into the Museum in the castle, I’d learned all I can fit into my head yesterday about the history of Lithuania. So I went into the courtyard and looked around, then I walked all around the castle avoiding the ponds formed by the rain. It was gorgeous. Photos as usual in WA. Still the rain held out which could be seen as a sign from heaven.
I wandered around the little town. We had 2.5 hours to do our own thing and that was more than enough. Lovely wooden houses and fabulous setting on the lake. I got back to the bus early but it wasn’t there yrt. A Palestinian woman who was there with her brother and mother were also waiting and we started to chat. She was so interesting. A Palestinian from Jerusalem. Poor girl!! I made the mistake of referring to it as Israeli. She said it isn’t, it isn’t supposed to be Israeli but they are taking it without fear of consequences. It saddened her greatly.
By the time the bus got back to pick us up it was pouring torrentially again. The trip back took 1.5 hours as the roads were flooded, cars had broken down and traffic was horrendous. Fortunately our driver ploughed on through it all but it was a massive flood. I came straight back here to dry off and put my one and only jumper on.
I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so out I went again. I’ve given up on my hunt for a decent Lithuanian restaurant. The lovely woman guide on the bus (who took her own little paying extra group to the castle) said that Lithuanian food is potato and meat or meat and potato. She said Lithuanians aren’t like the French and the Italians, food is not creative but rather they eat for fuel to get through the long winters. So, I found a Portuguese Restaurant which was cosy and dry and expensive but I guess you can justify that by only eating one meal a day. And it was delicious (octopus and, you guessed it, potato) and 2 expensive glasses of Portugese wine.
Plans for tomorrow with more to see. Then the next day will be scatty. My flight for Milan leaves at 8.15 pm. But they can only keep my case here until 2.30pm so it will be an early trip to the airport.
The Baltics are nearly over and they have not failed to live up to expectations in any way at all. XXXXXXXX