Vilnius - Day 7

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It's the last day and we all had a sleep in as we weren't expected until 11am at Green Hall to pick up the bikes - which was nice as the last few days had left their marks on different parts of my body (those dratted Mosquitoes didn't help!). We decided to walk and took advantage of the fleeting sun as we wound our way down one of the main streets. At least a dozen Lithuanian riders (mostly from Barclays) turned out including Karolis and Vitas from my team. Gintares was still the photographer and escort for the day so he was driving up front. We attached Rugute flags to the bikes and gently approached the Rugute house after about 5km ride through Vilnius. We were met by the familys and friends of Edita and Dianoras at the Rugute lodge and I was amazed at the quality of the facilities especially the attention to detail to make the place comfortable and ideal for recuperation. We were all very proud to hand over a sizeable cheque of £5000 (thanks everybody!) to know that this very worthwhile cause to add some sunshine and a favourable wind for the captains (the kids) to cross the stormy seas. It was an emotional affair but I held it all together. We headed off with a sizeable escort on an alternative route back to the Novotel Hotel (excellent hotel especially as they supported us for two nights) and had a tour of the old town (arranged by Rugute). We learnt a lot about the history of the town and the buildings whilst tip-toeing through the weddings that were taking place. Finally, we had a meal with Gintares and most of his family (his Dad was ironically in London) to say thank you for supporting us over the last week - he has been a star and probably the slowest driver in Lithuania. We managed to take our bikes apart in the lobby (how cool is that!) and prepare for the early start (3:45am) the next day by heading out to town and having a few Ekstras (light beer) plus a plate of Cheesy toast...lovely. Finished early because the week had caught up with us and none of us managed to watch the Eurovision Song Contest. What a week - we loved seeing places in Lithuania that most people who live here don't get a chance to see and finding the hidden (and not so hidden) treasures like the Storks etc...but mostly to meet the children the families and show our support to Adita and Dainoras (still struggled getting that one right).

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Photos

Me & Boris
I show Boris (the bear) around Vilnius

Vilnius Sign
We stopped by the Vilnius sign...