Leaving the ‘Wolfs Lair’ in northern Poland I headed North-east towards Lithuania. With a mixture of small winding roads winding through rolling countryside and extremely long and straight roads through the deep forests, it was a very pleasant ride. Alas, it was grimly overcast this morning, and about 15.5 degrees which was a bit of a shock. Whereas a few weeks ago I was grumbling about the heat, now it’s the cool weather that’s got me grumbling. Be careful what you wish for, they say…
My summer riding gear is packed away and I’m now wearing my ‘European’ jacket and trousers – which are warm. Weeks ago in the extreme heat I questioned myself several times about the warm clothing and why I was carrying it, but now I’m grateful as the weather is now – bracing…
Riding through northern Poland is pleasant on the eye and there are small villages every few miles. Some are pretty with brightly decorated may-poles and paintings of people in Polish traditional dress on walls or fences. Some are like time capsules to history, with their steep roofs and crumbling stone and faded woodwork. The greenery as you ride through the countryside is the deepest and lushest green.
Arriving in Lithuania is over in a moment. With just a few buildings to denote the border, if you blink, you miss it. The landscape is very similar to northern Poland with its many forests, rolling pastures and small villages locked in time.
Today was a relatively short ride of around 200kms, and I got to my campsite at Kapciamieatis at lunchtime. The campsite is free, and sits next to a small lake – and it’s wonderful. The quietness is serene, and the view is spectacular. There are small pontoons where you can go swimming (Er, no…) as well as fire pits and the obligatory drop toilets. There are bird noises around the lake which are utterly strange, like creaking wooden doors, or angry toads. I feel like I’m in a nature documentary. The location on Google maps is: 2J28+QW Kareivonys, Lazdijai District Municipality, Lithuania
Grutas Park: Once the tent was up and a brew had been ceremoniously drunk, I rode about 40km to the town of Druskininkai and to Grutas Park. As you enter the park you pass several enclosures with animals, such as Emu’s that give you the evil eye, wallabies, ducks and geese. Then you get to the main park which stand around 120 statues from the Soviet era. I like art and love the boldness of soviet artwork, which is why I wanted to visit. There were the obligatory statues of Lenin and Stalin, as well as statues about mother Russia. There was also statues of Lithuanians, some who were part of the soviet apparatus and some who died fighting during the Nazi occupation. When Lithuania became independent lots of statues were broken up, but many were collected and eventually put into this park. There was also a museum with lots of artifacts and information about the Soviet days.
Lithuania was an independent country when the Nazi’s invaded in WW2. When the Russians liberated Lithuania in 1945 Lithuania thought they would become independent again, but they were sadly wrong. Initially all the intelligentsia were ‘disappeared’, and then between 1945 and 1952 around 130,000 Lithuanians were deported to Russia, of which around 70% were women and children. They were distributed around Russia but many went to Siberia. The Russians did this to quell any thoughts of independence, as well as being a source of free and disposable labour. Once Stalin died, the Soviets started to let some of the detainees return, with around 60,000 returning. 30,000 were not allowed to leave, and around 28,000 died in exile. Sad. Very, very sad.
