30th January 2010 began with a sufficient breakfast consisting of bread, orange juice and omelet. Plan for today: spend the day in the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit, Neringa (the other part belongs to the Russian Federation. Neringa is the smallest and westernmost municipality of Lithuania and it is accessible by ferry only.
And true to our plan, at 9.53 am we found ourselves on the ferry from Klaipeda's New Ferry Terminal to Smiltynė. It was grey, cold, windy and snowing but somehow this added to the atmosphere.
Smiltynė is located on the northern tip of the Curonian Spit, next to a narrow strait which connects the Curonian Lagoon to the Baltic Sea. Ferries daily transport vehicles and people between the Smiltynė and Klaipeda across the strait, because there is no connecting bridge.
Smiltynė is located on the northern tip of the Curonian Spit, next to a narrow strait which connects the Curonian Lagoon to the Baltic Sea. Ferries daily transport vehicles and people between the Smiltynė and Klaipeda across the strait, because there is no connecting bridge.
Once we arrived in Smiltynė, we drove south towards Nida, the westernmost point of Lithuania and the Baltic States. It is also a holiday resort.
The road to Nida:
There were a few places we wanted to visit, e.g. the Sundial and the lighthouse on the hill of Urbas, but unfortunately due to the condition (e.g. the weather) we could not visit them. We had to be content with exploring the waterside of Nida.
The walk around Nida left a deep impression. It was bitingly cold and bleak. We were utterly surrounded by wind and whiteness. If I did not know it was Nida, I could have sworn we were on some kind of deserted waterside. A perfect scene for a winter horror movie.
An interesting contrast was that we saw almost no one but we also saw one person paragliding on the frozen Curonian Lagoon.
The first picture below shows how deep the snow surrounding the ship was. It also shows that underneath the snow there was ice. You can not imagine how cold it was or how could it had been if you were not there to experience it yourself.
The second picture below shows how the waterside looked like. Very icy and deserted. All the ships seemed to be frozen in time. And it felt like that to me at that time.
The third picture below only gives us a better idea about the intensity of the snowfall the last few days. You just need to see how thick the snow covering the car and that the wheels of the car were almost not visible.
Nida:
On the way to Kopgalis:
After lunch we decided to drive to the other side, all the way to Kopgalis at the northernmost point of the Curonian Spit to see Lietuvos jūrų muziejus (Lithuanian Sea Museum). The museum is established in a former fortress.
To my amazement, we drove past someone dragging his bike. Yes, in this winter weather!!!
Kopgalis Fortress:
After spending quite a while at the fortress, we decided it was time to drive back to the ferry port. We had a ferry to catch.
By 5 pm we were already back in Klaipeda, wandering around.
Klaipeda:
We ended the day by having dinner at Piceriju tinklas SUBMARINE (Pizzeria Submarine).
