Riga and Vilnius (through the places inbetween)

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Blog for the 23^rdonwards

Phew, what a mammoth couple of days. Putting my feet up in Vilnius (in the dry) has presented the first chance to fully unwind since I’ve left Riga.

The last time I spoke to you I was unequivocally pessimistic about the chances of seeing the Old Town of Riga at all. With prompting and prodding from both mum and dad to brave the weather I decided to take the chance, and without a doubt I am glad I did. I had such a great afternoon wandering the cobblestoned streets of Riga and looking at all the grandeur of the architecture mixed with the delicacy of the decoration. The Russian Orthodox Church was a particular highlight despite the fact that I wasn’t actually able to enter due to the fact that I was wearing shorts. In today’s day and age you for some reason or another expect those rules to be more lenient, and for them to still be so strict is strange, neither necessarily a negative nor a positive. The weather had improved somewhat, but there was still an overwhelming sense of moisture in the air, and the distinct possibility of precipitation. I then, fortuitously, stumbled upon the Latvian museum of occupation. It documented the oppression of the Latvian period throughout the time of WWII and extending all the way to the end of the Cold War in 1991. What I found fascinating (having a particular interest in Estonian history) was the incredibly strong link of the Baltic histories. All three countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have only very recently come out of a terrible period of multiple occupations (both from the Soviets and the Germans). These countries were helpless in the powerhouse’s pursuit of European domination. After that unforseen little gem, I went to replenish my energy with ‘Latvia’s finest beer’ (as I was assured by the bartender). I was not disappointed and even found a bar with live music who payed homage to ACDC with accordion and double bass. It had suddenly turned into a beautiful afternoon sitting in the sun but I decided to head back to the campground, grab some dinner and get a good night’s sleep. As I was preparing dinner out of the elements I got talking to tw German guys who were also cycling from Riga the next day. Jaan and Martin were headed south towards Kalingrad (out of my way a little) but I decided to join them, at least for a little while. So the next morning we were up at the crack of dawn in the hope of making it to Auce, a little town just north of the border of Lithuania. We took our time getting out of Riga due to the frustrating lack of street signs, but once we were out, these guys really got going. After the first 10 km I had serious doubts about whether I would be able to keep up with these blokes, they were absolutely flying right into a head wind. Luckily by the afternoon their legs or their senses had started to speak to them. The mornings ride brought us into the city of Jelgava, about 55 km from Riga. Here, we stopped for an hour or so to grab a bite to eat. They liked to stop longer than I do so I was growing restless to get back on the road. We finally made it back out on the bitumen trying to cover the 60 km or so left to Auce. It became increasingly clear that we were going to struggle to make the distance in a timely manner, the wind, rain and poor condition of the road conspired to make the cycling slow going. About 10 km away from Auce we stopped in a town called Bene (?) to pick up some supplies for the night, namely some beer chips. While we were stopped outside the store the town drunks and delinquents approached us, so Jaan thought it would be a good idea to ask these upstanding citizens where a good place to camp would be. Turns out it was a good idea, as we were able to sleep in a cosy little hut for the night. Being out of the wind and the rain is such a relief, and provides a much more profound sleep. I’ve found that people in the Baltic States are more than willing to help one out if one finds oneself with a problem, this family were extremely welcome and let us stay free of charge (a super bonus). I had decided to part ways with them in the morning as they were heading to far west for my liking (taking me out of the way on my trip to Vilnius) so we parted sadly had to say our goodbyes in Auce as I headed south over the border.

The riding in Lithuania came extremely easily. As I was trying to figure out what had changed, other than the country, I understood that the wind was no longer billowing in my face. Instead it was assisting me in my quest for quick kilometres. I flew through the first few km and found myself often using gears on my bike that I didn’t know I had. Alas my good fortune was not to last as I came a cropped on the way into Siauliai. It had been raining all day, luckily for me it was always just falling ahead of me, never actually on me. I had made good progress through the morning and so maybe was feeling a little complacent as I made my way into town, crossing the train tracks, my front wheel got caught and down I went. I’d like to say it happened in slow motion, but sadly it happened all to fast for me to do anything about it. I only sustained minor wounds on my knees, which I quickly saw to. I feel blessed that there were no cars around so 1) that I couldn’t get embarrassed, and 2) I couldn’t get run over… (Which one is more important I wonder) I was so frustrated with myself for being so careless that I pushed through, stopping would have just made it feel as though I had been beaten. It was about 60km to the next big town so I decided to make for there and hopefully find a suitable place to camp along the way. Again I made super progress thanks to Mother Nature, and the literal and metaphorical wounds I had sustained were soon far from my mind. At about 7:30, with the sun still shining bright in the sky I pulled off to find camp. Due to the days rain it was a struggle to find somewhere that was suitable. I managed to find a semi suitable spot, one just off the side of the road. I was, however, extremely exposed and the wind throughout the night threatened to blow my tent from its place. It didn’t, and I was able to get a decent night’s sleep despite the gale.

I woke this morning to heavy clouds and a sprinkling of rain but was still excited to be back on the road nice and early in order to make a great stride toward Vilnius. Instead, I had the worst moment of my trip to date. I’d somehow got a flat tyre the day before. It certainly wasn’t burst and must have only been leaking slowly. I thought, ‘ok I know how to change a tyre, easy stuff’, not so when the spare tube turns out to be a dud. On top of that I struggled to get the back wheel on and off and did some mechanical damage in the process I’m sure. So it looked as though walking to Panevezys was my only option (23km away). So I started on my way, hoping someone might show some compassion on a cyclist in distress. About an hour and a half in, someone did. Limbious (I think that was his name) offered me a lift in his truck. I gratefully took the offer up. He spoke pretty good English and said he stopped because he enjoyed cycling himself. He was making his way to Ukmerge, to drop off his furniture, and offered to drop me off there. I really enjoyed just talking to him about Lithuania, it’s the people and their generosity that make a trip like this worthwhile. He dropped me off at the bike store where they promptly went about putting in a new tube and fixing some other problems with the bike as well (some caused by the crash). The service only set me back 5 euros, and I even scored two apples in the process. So, armed with a new rear tube, I started on my way to Vilnius, about 70km away. Lithuania, unlike its Baltic brothers is a little hillier. It makes for more tiring riding, but almost certainly more interesting riding. The afternoon was spent in the saddle, as I slowly chipped away at the km toward my destination. The wind had turned, and was true to form once again, and was blowing in my face as I am becoming accustomed to. Getting into Vilnius it was time to try and find a hostel. Which becomes really difficult when one has no access to public Wi-Fi (take me back to Tallinn), so I was aimlessly wandering around in the hope I would stumble across one. I looked at the top choice in the lonely planet guide and decided it must get a top rating for a reason. It’s called Jimmy Jumps Houses and is located right in the city. It’s not easy to find in the rain though, and I was greeted with the news that only a private room was available (30 euros or so, a lot more than I was hoping to pay). But as I had been sleeping rough the last few nights I decided it would be just easier to take it. I did, and it was lovely for the 45 minutes I was in there for until I was asked to move as two people had just showed up looking for a double room. I was more than happy to oblige and have moved into the ‘couch area’ (in other words it’s very cheap). I am planning to stay here until at least Sunday (maybe till Monday) just to get a feel for the place. I’ve been on the go so far and so it hasn’t really felt like I’ve seen what’s been on offer. I’m looking forward to seeing what Vilnius has on show.

So, that’s a lot of info to take in. I hope you guys are getting an impression of the places I’ve been, the people I’ve met and the types of emotions I’ve been experiencing. Today was a day that started off in an incredibly angry and dispaoointed fashion but has ended with me feeling content and excited about what the next few days have in store.

Hope everyone is well.

Cheers,

Tikka

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