Journey: Redens – Karosta – Liepija – Baltic Mythology Park (Lithuania) – Sventoji – Palanga – Karkle
The Baltics has such fascinating history and there is so much dotted around to explore. This morning was all about Forts. We first went to Redens (old forts), which are in the woods and have some amazing graffiti hidden inside them some of which you can only see with a torch. We then picked some apples and headed to the beach at Karosta to see the sea defence forts, many of which had succumbed to the sea. There was sadly no information plaques about either, but they were interesting visits.
After lunch a rather unusual guided tour of Karosta military prison. With so many different people sent from different places, the way to tell people apart was from their belt. If they had no belt you knew they were being ‘re-educated’. My tiny bladder couldn’t cope in prison, there was 2 toilets for 250 people and you were only allowed to go twice a day at 6am and 9pm in your allocated 30second slot! They also had a solitary cell where you were made to march for hours on end in the pitch black.
After a quick look at the cathedral we drove to Liepija and had a walk around the town. It’s got a vibrant music scene and impressive modern concert hall. We had a lovely coffee at a quirky bar in the Fontaine Hotel and planned more of Lithuania.
Our first jaunt across the border was to the Baltic Mythology Park, which was great! Lots of beautiful sculptures from the old pagan Prussian mythology. We had a walk around with the pups then I did my run around it and saw a tiny shrew that let me stroke him. My Strava map is hilarious as I also did the labyrinth 😂
Conscious the pups love a beach, I’d found a potential bedtime spot in Sventoji, but on arriving it was a bit like a Butlins town, karaoke was blaring from the bars and dogs weren’t allowed on the beach. And so we went to Palanga – the nightlife capital of Latvia. Haha I don’t mind a bit of Yarmouth type seaside but at 10pm it was heaving with tourists, tacky souvenir shops, every naughty food outlet you could ever dream of, arcades and background music that blurred Shakira, soft jazz and tap dancing into one. Mark was not impressed 😂 and nope dogs not allowed on the beach…
My final attempt is in a quieter town of Karkle, I’ve got my fingers crossed they will be allowed on the beach but won’t find out until the morning. Today’s certainly been varied.
SofaWolves 