Blogs from Lithuania, Europe - page 16

We had a very early start this morning. We had breakfast at 07:00 and were on the road for 07:50 heading out of Kaunus and south. The starter was a real wake up call, firstly over a load of cobbled roads and secondly up a fairly steep hill away from the river that runs through Kaunas. Then we entered some typical country roads with gentle climbs heading for the Baltic Highlands where Vilnius resides. We had about 90+ miles to cover today and needed to be in Vilnius for 17:00. The day started well and got better, we made excellent time and with regular breaks had soon put 30 miles under our wheels. This ensured we pasted Preniai very quickly and headed out on the A16. We hit the highlands with a vengence after about 30 ... 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

Sorry for the lack of updates but internet access has been a challenge to say the least. Just waking up in Taurage on Thursday morning. After a quick visit to the Hill of Crosses Tuesday was an interesting day with our first major incident being a puncture for John about an hour after we had set off. The countryside continues to roll by and the morning was good going. In the afternoon we started to climb steadily into the 'highlands' not really hills but a series of very steady climbs. By the time we had reached our destination (Plateliai) we knew we had been cycling uphill for a while! We were met by a local lady who took us on a guided tour of a nearby ex nuclear missile facility built by the Russians in 1960/62. ... read more

Had a reasonably good sleep though snoring wars between myself and Nick are still not fully resolved. John joined the fray but was pitiful and he slept soundly albeit a bit of footsie was fun. My sunburn kicked in just great...deep red down my left or right side of my leg. The journey to Taurage was quite eventful as we left the lake after a photoshoot on the jetty. The roads were hilly then started to level out. We are getting the hang of the roads and working together...drain, pothole, no road! and we are generally good. We went to Silale and had a great lunch in a greasy spoon cafe - steak and cheese. We kicked off at 20mph after that. We met up with Rimus (chaplian from army base) and he escorted us to ... read more

Today was a long ride. The morning went well as per my previous entry. The afternoon was tough with the total distance taking its toll. The evening was unbelievable where we visited another Rugute family. They fed us home made chicken soup which was bubbling in the pot on the garden fire when we arrived. We were also treated to a private performance from the children who were playing traditional Lithuanian instruments. It really did bring a tear to the eye. The evening finished with some tea and cake and some played football and basket ball. yet another humbling experience from these amazing people. The weather today was super with blue skies all day, tomorrow promises more of the same! Just hope the legs hold up, still were a quarter of the way round now.... read more