Klaipėda & Curonian Spit, Lithuania
It was interesting along the drive to see signs for the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad - a little parcel of land smaller than Wales sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. Annexed by the USSR from Germany in 1945, the territory was a closed military zone throughout the Soviet period. In 2013, Russia deployed short-range Iskander ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads in the region, in what it said was a response to US plans to deploy a ballistic missile defense system in Europe. Königsberg, as the city was once known, was founded by Teutonic knights in the 13th century. It became one of the cities of the Hanseatic League and was once the capital of Prussia. The philosopher Immanuel Kant spent all his life in the city and died there in 1804. The area's German population was expelled or fled after the end of WWII.
Klaipėda was called Memel until 1925. Founded in 1252 by the Teutonic Order, it was a key trading port from the 15th century until 1629, when Swedish forces destroyed it. After the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, it became part of Prussia and stayed in Prussian hands until WWI. At the end of that war, the city (and some of the surrounding area) were separated from Germany as an "international territory". It remained stateless until 1923, when Lithuanian troops marched in, annexed it, changed its name. Germany reclaimed the city during WWII and the city served as a Nazi submarine base. The city's strategic value ensured that it was all but destroyed during the war.
I can't say that I saw very much of the city. I drove right to my hotel (a great boutique hotel in a converted warehouse -- right next to the passenger ferry to Curonian Spit) and spent the late afternoon sitting outside & reading -- enjoying the sunshine.
On the 9th, I spent a wonderful day at Curonian Spit, a quick ferry ride from Klaipėda. The spit is known for its breathtaking views of sand dunes against the backdrop of pine forests. The area is home to the highest moving sand dunes in Europe. The average height is around 100-115 ft (30-35m) however some of them exceed 200 ft (600m)!Curonian Spit is an almost 100km long narrow sand spit and barrier system separating the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. The sand spit is only 400 meters wide at the narrowest spot and a few kilometers at the widest. The northern part of the spit is located in Lithuania while the southern part is part of Kaliningrad.
And more on my ongoing attempt to try Lithuanian food specialties. Click here to read more about them (I had them all -- except for the hot beet soup and the kugelis).
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- Šaltibarščiai (Lithuanian cold beet soup) - refreshingly delicious on a hot summer day. And it appears that Lithuanians love dill -- I think it was in almost every savory dish that I sampled (fortunately I love it too!).
- beets, dill, sour cream, buttermilk, cucumbers, chives
- Continued on my vegetarian theme for dinner -- excellent quiche and salad (not pictured)
- ok, I didn't really just eat vegetarian the whole day -- what's not pictured is the smoked fish & rye bread that I had for lunch ☺
- and this obviously isn't a Lithuanian specialty -- except maybe for the use of dill ☺
- Varškėčiai (Lithuanian curd cheese dumplings) - a bit strange as a breakfast dish - but they were delicious!
And this was my lunch on the 8th -- not a lot of options while driving through the countryside. The menu was only in Lithuanian -- fortunately the counter person spoke excellent English -- and this was her recommendation (I think the cafe specialized in fried food ☺). Fried chicken & fries smothered in a fantastic garlic sauce (and the pickle / cabbage side was also excellent!),
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