Day 2 - Thursday 22 July 2010

Pervalka, Lithuania to Klaipeda 43km; 9 hours 45 minutes Weather very hot

A great day's walking. Fortunately, we left early, at 06:45 and had shade for a few hours till the sun rose too high. It was hot from the start, but later in the day when we were exposed to the full force of the sun, Jānis and I were pleased that we were as far advanced as we thought we were.


In fact, I had miscalculated and we walked about 5km further than we anticipated. After I left Jānis at his hotel in town, I had a further 3 or 4 km to my hotel just north of Klaipeda where the Baltic Sea beaches start after the Curonian Spit.
I had arrived at the hotel (described as a B & B which is more accurate) disgustingly hot and sweaty. Roland, the host, welcomed me but left it to the chef, Regina, to settle me in, as her English was excellent. She assured me that I could certainly swim at the beach, and so it turned out.
The beach was packed. I left my few belongings and headed for the water. I took my sunglasses and hat and paddled around for some time. However, when I returned to the spot where I had left my things (next to the girl with a black bikini reading a book), a (fearsome-looking) family was in occupation and my shirt, sandals, mini towel and hotel key were gone. Fortunately, I didn't question anyone (a pointless exercise I thought). Anyway, as I started for home, I found my little pile 40m up the beach – next to another girl in a black bikini (though she was not reading a book).
Today we also experienced the beaches on the Curonian Spit. We followed the bike path most of the way to the ferry. The path ran either through the mainly forested middle spine of the Spit or ran along behind the dune which hides the Baltic Sea.
On a couple of occasions, where there was legal access, we went onto the beach and walked along the compacted sand near the water. Generally, access is not permitted on the dunes or beach, but opposite the five east-coast settlements (on the lagoon side), there are corresponding beaches on the west, sea shore.
I say beaches because, as became embarrassingly apparent, there are separate beaches for families, for women and, I think for men. We had to beat a hasty retreat when Jānis suddenly realised what the picture of a woman on a sign on the beach meant.
There was a slight breeze on the beach and the walking was softer on the feet. We both got bruised soles from pounding along the 30km or so of bitumen bike paths.
We walked for nearly four hours before we had our breakfast of black bread, cheese and tomato sandwiches and a banana. We had lunch on the ferry, at about 15:00 of, yes, black bread, cheese and tomato sandwiches. We each drank about 5 or 6 litres of fluids during our walking.
Tomorrow, I walk alone. It will be hard without someone to talk to – Jānis and I had many good conversations. He is off to the Baltic Beach Festival at Liepaja, which apparently attracts huge numbers to dance the weekend away.
Tomorrow, I plan to stay just over the Latvian border in the small (Latvian) settlement of Nida. It will probably be a long way again though I will try and set off even earlier.
Jānis heard by text from his mum, Linda that, thanks to Jāna, we made it onto the front page of one of the Australian published Latvian newspapers with a photo of us leaving the Mežaparks' house.
I heard briefly from Anita who has been at Jurmala (the seaside strip about 30km north-west of Riga) to meet our friend Anna and hear all the latest political news and to report on some potential litigation that successfully concluded in Melbourne only days before we left. When Anita phoned she was waiting to see if she could get into a play tonight.
I finally spoke with Juris today - I had been ringing his number with a * in front rather than a +. I sent him the start of these blogs in a series of text messages, but the balance will have to wait till tomorrow night, when hopefully I will be within range of the Latvian provider and will have an internet connection again. Photos might take a little longer until Jānis is back in Riga on Saturday.