Days 6 and 7: The Curonian Spit

Okay all you Americans out there.  Geographically speaking, ours is a pretty large country.  As a result, we have a tendency to be a bit insular in our knowledge.  I'm going to take a gamble and guess that many of you have no idea where the Curonian Spit actually is.  I certainly didn't.  The Curonian Spit is this 61-mile long sand dune separating the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea.  Half of the spit belongs to Lithuania and the other half belongs to Russia.

Did you realize that Russia is not contiguous?  There's a tiny piece to the southwest of Lithuania.  Lithuania also borders Belarus and is currently facing a massive influx of refugees.  As a small nation of roughly three million people, it's easy to understand why they keep their finger on the pulse on international affairs.  Lithuania has a rich heritage, but their history is replete with would-be invaders.

For our final adventure in Lithuania, we drove all the way from Vilnius in the east to Klaipeda on the west coast in less time than it takes to drive to southern Utah.  From Klaipeda, we boarded a ferry and found ourselves on the Curonian Spit.

What a fascinating place!  We arrived in Juodkrante and discovered a slew of sand castle creations dotting the promenade.  If anyone knows how they hardened the sand, please let me know.  I'm intrigued!  It had just rained and they were still standing, so obviously something is different.

Farther down, some of the sculptures were more permanent.  And form-fitting, at least for the adults.

I loved seeing the cranes in the lagoon.  Apparently common in Lithuania, they were a treat for us Utahns.

Annika stuck to Egle's side like glue, pulling her into imaginary games whenever she could.

Eli mounts a fish.

This "Me versus We" sculpture was pretty fun as well.

Anyone seen our flock?

Time for lunch!  I'll be honest, we were pretty grateful for our translators.  When it comes to Lithuanian, there's no smile, nod, and pretend you understand.

A few rounds of Down by the Banks, then pizza and gazpacho.

Our AirBnB was lovely.  Our families had apartments right across from each other on the top floor, so we could leave the doors open and wander between.  So many thanks to Lina for finding this great place.

After a short rest we headed out in search of Juodkrante's cormorant colony.  While most of the birds must have been out fishing, we could tell this is where they usually nest because their acidic poop kills the trees.

We then went for a hike through the incredible sand dunes.  These "wandering dunes" completely buried villages in the past as they crept along, but now conservation efforts are trying hard to keep the dunes from disappearing into the lagoon.

You can actually see into Russia from here.  I've included a photo of our car GPS as well, where the black line shows the border crossing.

Made it the to the windy trail's end.

Family photo time.

Windswept and happy.

From here, it was just a short drive across the width of the spit to get to the Baltic Sea.  Looks pretty choppy.  Do we dare swim?

Of course we do!  

This picture cracks me up.  Photographing the photographer photographing the photographer.  

All photo credit to Talia for this one.

It takes a lot of courage for me to put on  a swimsuit, but the balmy Baltic was well worth it.  The water was surprisingly warm and as Brooklyn described it, only "lightly salted."

Pure bliss.

Wave jumping at its finest.

Taking a break from the water to create a sand track for the soccer ball.

You know, Jason said we really needed to take this trip now because our kids were growing up too quickly.  He was absolutely right.

Since we'd had a late lunch, we then headed into Nida to pick up some groceries for supper in the apartment.   What a delightful fishing town!  Lina bought this delicious smoked fish for us all to share.

It was also a great place for a thumb war.

Sadly, we needed to check out the next morning in order to get back to Vilnius in time for our evening flight.  Before we left, both Jason and I went for a run through the Hill of Witches in Juodkrante.  Not knowing what to expect when I wandered out, I was delighted by dozens of elaborate wooden sculptures.  This collection of folk art and fairy tales is a treasure.

The three witches themselves, followed by a brave knight battling a dragon and a tender marriage scene, complete with lively musicians.

On our way back home, we stopped in Klaipeda so that Annika and Eli could get Covid-tested for our flight back into Italy.

Amazing how kids can make a jungle gym out of anything.

After seeing this photo, I'm glad we didn't have to squeeze a trip to the ER into the itinerary as well.

Sharing the crochet bug.

All too soon, it was time to bid farewell to our Lithuanian friends/family.  Kes, Lina, Liepa, Egle, and Vytis, thank you ever so much for such a marvelous visit!  We will always cherish the time we got to spend and the beautiful places we experienced together.  Ačiū!

In the airport, Annika wasn't quite small enough to pass as hand luggage, but they let her on the flight anyway.

Looking out over Italy as we draw near to Milan.

Pack light, because whatever you carry, you're going to carry for a while.

And drum roll...our Peugeot rental car.  

The rental car specs said it seats seven, but let me tell you, it sure doesn't seat seven with luggage!  Annika had to squeeze in this tiny cubby with the seventh seat put down.  You should have seen it after we grocery shopped.  A tight squeeze, but no matter.  Makes for richer memories.