Blogs from Kaunas, Lithuania, Europe

The day started nice and bright and I was optimistic about the journey as we were turning out of the wind. Unfortunately, the wind had a different idea and my favourite flat, nice road was a real slog plus the end hill was a killer. My left knee was now really swollen and I was getting twinges in all joints now...lost feeling in fingers too. Nick had to bail because his knees had given up and I know he was upset to sit in the van and watch us struggle on. We were unable to stop at Smallininkai as there was no place to eat so we soldiered on to Jaburkas. The hills kept on coming into Kuanas and the roads worsened though we did get some speed on one very steep down hill...followed by another ... read more

Lithuania. From the moment the plane skittered on the airstrip I realised these ex soviet citizens stood for no nonsense. The presence each person held clearly demanded awe and reverence. The women immaculately dressed. The men were solid and serious. I was visiting Matas in his home city. I was nervous as I was to be meeting his family and friends for the first time. As soon as I was inline for immigration I frantically threw my bag down, rummaged for the 'top up' essentials, deodorant, comb, gloss, perfume, mints... all in a feeble attempt to look effortlessly fresh and gorgeous. Matas collected us both (not noticing my effortless freshness I might add) and we headed to his family apartment. The inner suburbs... looked... old. Its really the only was I can describe it. Picture a ... read more

We set off from Gatwick yesterday and everything went to plan: no problems with check in or baggage and found myself pleased to be standing in a departure queue with many blond kin. We boarded and everything was going well until we came to land: in the final metres of the descent the pilot decided to suddenly accelerate , sending us back into the cushioning of our seats and the children into fits of screams and tears. Afterwards he announced that the "tail wind" was too strong. After a nervous few minutes, we rushed back up into the sky, banked hard and had another go at it. Second time lucky. Stepping off the plane, we were immediately greeted by the surprising heavy heat in the air. We ran to get bus from airport to town center. ... read more

Sometimes I get to a blank computer screen and think, what on earth am I going to write about? Not because there's nothing to write about - there always is - but where to begin. When I left Vilnius, or should I say when I tried to leave Vilnius, it was another late start. By the time I'd run around to get groceries and another piece of that pastry (!!) it was well past 10. Add to that getting my bearings completely wrong and cycling in the absolute opposite direction to my intended one (having dismissed the taxi driver's assistance with way-finding (shame on me) and not only was it a late start but it didn't put me in the best of moods. Trying to find the A16 amongst all the other signage seemed to be ... read more

Got up early and headed out in a cold and overcast day that had seen rain and promised some more. We knew this would be hilly so we started at a leisurely pace of around 14mph with a drink stop every 30-45mins. The road improved and we started to get into our groove. The road climbed as predicted and we where all amazed at how much easier we were able to tackle the tough bits. We met up with Vitas along the way and when John stopped for a number 2, Nick and I decided to carry on up a monster hill. John came screaming past at 22mph when we where nearing the top - typical. Gintaras wanted us to try a local delicacy in Trakai which was very nice plus the castle (that we missed ... read more

"What's screech wobble then?", asked the security clerk at Gatwick Airport as I walked through the metal detector in my "Ich herz screech wobble" t-shirt. "It's a type of music", I responded. "Oh really?", he bemused. "I've never heard of that, what does that sound like?" "It screeches and wobbles" I was on my way out of my homeland after spending a week there, marking the end of my former job and my graduation ceremony from university, and on the way to Lithuania, where I had been invited to play a show. Since there was no flight back to the vicinity of Prague until Sunday morning, it was one of those rare occasions where I would see a new place without choosing to, a place where it was obviously necessary for me to go for some ... read more

When I first began writing this blog, my main objective was to keep in touch with those whom I don't necessarily keep in touch with very often. Often when i would write I'd write with my grandparents in mind, knowing that either they would be reading my blog or that my dad would be taking them hard copies to keep up with their grandson bouncing around the world. As I've settled into a more 'sedentary' lifestyle over the past year, I've found less time to write on my blog and, moreover, every time I think about writing I think 'no, that's not very interesting'. When you find yourself engaged in the same activities from day to day, in the same job, etc., it is easy to think that what you are doing is uninteresting. Most often, ... read more