Saturday night fever - or it could have been without the Rivers stowaway parka in the camera bag - not to mention the pullout cover for the camera bag to keep it a little drier. Cos it did get a little wet here later today - in fact the light rain started about 6pm and was around while I climbed the hill to the fortress tower Gediminas Castle. However when I walked down and into the bottom of the town main street leading up to the main square it really started to pour down - and it was heavy man! I sheltered under a shop awning for some 15 mins or so - then it started to ease off so though I had better make good getting to the chosen restaurant. The In Your Pocket guide ... read more

Kaunas Hotel Magnus 11.40am 4 Sept just across the road from the bus station - very handy - and as train is some furtehr distance away bus to Vilnius is def. the go from here. After previous night in Klaipeda I went by train 3 hrs after very early breakfast, to Siaulai and the Hill of Crosses - its a pilgrimage sorta place with a small hill just covered with crosses. Bit underwhelming in terms of size - but its the details - thousands of crosses on every inch of it. Met on the train an Aussie woman/orig. Kiwi bloke on the train, Mark and Asher who now live in East Anglia and were visiting her Lithuanian rels. nr Klaipeda. Good to share the cost of a taxi out there - 12kms out of town - ... read more

this is the (almost) final Riga instalment (30-31 August) - being written on the bus Liepaja-Klaipeda (in Lithuania)- while battery holds out. (and no pics as takes too long - now in Lithuania its 3pm on 2 Sept. and I want out of my hotel! gee it is starting to get difficult to remember whats what from the Travel Blur! What di I do on 30 August? - well I do remember Diana at the K&G must have helped me with some more Latvian travel details re buses etc - the Rundale palace ones which went to waste (see later). I headed off down and efore I had gone far saw a shoe shop with a sale on (they all do) - myt cheapo Indian travel sandals are on their last legs as heel has worn ... read more

late night Riga 10pm+ rainy Sat. nite 29 Aug.two blogs in one day - this is truly net addiction! - cos I can, as I keep saying. Having posted the earlier entry and finally got out of the K&G at about 4pm - call this being a tourist?! - fair dinkum, its like the Leunig cartoon of the people inside watching the sunset on TV while its actually happening outside! in a way I welcomed the opportunity to come back "early" to the hotel as it was raining - the real reason I stopped for dinner at 7pm was I was really busting busting - and eating earlier was a good thing as well - rather than at 9pm+ and then coming back and blogging and the whole midnight thang - its not good for you, ... read more

Riga lunchtime - 1.30pm (but I don't eat lunch, so I do not turn into a blimp as Melita suggested) The bus to here left Tartu (Estonia) at 6.45am and the hotel gave me a little lunch/breakfast polystyrene box of sandwiches and a bottle of orange juice - wasn't that nice, as leaving too early for breakfast. There was seriously hardly anyone staying there - and I had both the one breakfast and dinner I had there alone. Anyway having left Estonia some alleged facts about it - Estonia has the worst traffic accident fatality rate in Europe - and the way they hoon around the streets of Parnu I can believe it. Although I do not think I was the subject of a "crime" re loss of money some Brit posted a piece here (now ... read more