Visiting Rundāle Palace

When I arrived in Riga I had a week left to meet with friends and do daytrips.
I ended up meeting a lot of my friends (yay!) and also had the opportunity to visit Rundāle Palace.
Of all the regularly recommended daytrips (Cēsis, Jurmala, Sigulda, Rundāle Palace) I have done all except to visit Rundāle Palace. Now was the time!

My attempt to go by bike failed as I could not find the way when trying to navigate by the sun.
The roads were also terrible for if you need to go a long way (% sandroads too high). So the next day I went there by bus. Honestly, it was kind of painful as I had done everything by bike before. But my main goal was to reach Riga by bike so I made peace with having at least achieved that goal and went to Rundāle  by bus. Here are some pictures for you to see:

I went and can say I do not regret going. On the way back the last regular bus already passed.
Luckily I could still take the minibus. For future travel, I learned to be more careful to check the timetable of transportation possibilities. At this place you need to get back (or at least start to think about getting back) at the end of the afternoon or else you might get stuck.

Return to Latvia pt. 12: the last stretch

After Kuldīga I went to Sabile, Kandava, Tukums, Klapkalnciems and Jūrmala to arrive in Riga.

In Sabile I had an unexpected and pleasant encounters with motorcylists. I stopped at the supermarket for a rest and bite. There I also saw two motors, with a Latvian and a Lithuanian license plate. A lady on the motor said how they had seen me on the road already four times. I never noticed myself! We had a great little chat. She recommended me to try the local Sabiles Sidrs and gave me an apple of the tree of the brother of one of the motorbikers. When saying goodbye she said we would probably meet again on the road. :) Encounters like these made my trip worthwhile! Unfortunately the Sabiles Sidrs shop was closed over the weekend.

After Sabiles I went to Kandava where I saw some great art, including what looked like Pumbaa from Lion King.

After Kandava I went to Tukums. The first part of the road was good, despite being patched up everywhere. Thereafter, the "bicycle" roads just around Tukums were just plain terrible. My navigation actually stopped working here because I guess I was too far off a main road. The cycling at this time was a heavy burden on my paining left knee. It was a test on my persistence. It was good to know Riga wasn't far anymore.



In Tukums I tried to find an accommodation online but it seemed everything was already fully booked. I also did not notice any camping so I just continued. Having passed Smarde I realized there was only the highway and that was not an option. A kind Latvian stopped with his car and said he could give me a ride to Riga and that my bike would fit in the back. But he understood when I explained that I could not reach Riga this way. So I cycled 10 kilometers back for my final wildcamping. With the mobile network being very weak at this location I had to connect to the provider their network several times so I could book an accommodation on time this time around.

On the final day I woke up early and got an early start as I started to cycle 8:30 AM towards Klapkalnciems. Only 60 kilometers left to Riga. There was quite some rain but at this point no weather (except thunder) could stop me from reaching my destination. The rain cleared relatively soon. In Klapkalnciems I stopped to buy and eat some food as I had barely any breakfast left in the morning.

From Klapkalnciems to Jurmala I cycled straight through glass. Luckily, no flat tire, the last one being in Klaipeda and for which I hoped it to be the last. In Jurmala I saw some great looking buildings (with sometimes deteroriated buildings next to it), art, a clock which reminded me of the Laima clock in Riga and an odd shaped car. Definitely stuff that you won't see just anywhere else.

The last part from Jurmala to Riga was quite a breeze. I The only time I still stopped was to take off my rain-wind jacket because it was too warm now the rain had passed. I arrived in Riga at 12:30 PM with unexpectedly never having seen a sign that I entered Riga. There was not the expected euphoria. The biggest euphoria moment was when I reached Pravieniškės II after two days instead of 2 hours. Yet I could say I completed my trip and I am sure satisfied about that!

Return to Latvia pt 11: making milage

I made a great start into Latvia by having reached Liepaja. The goal by now was to just get to Riga as soon as possible. In other words, making milage/ kilometers. Especially since the weather was great and I did not know for how much longer it would be like that. After a great stay at the camping I headed through Liepaja onwards to Kuldiga via Jurkalne. In Liepaja itself I saw some cool cars on the water.

When I was not even outside Liepaja I noticed how a tick was on my hand. I immediately pulled it off as I did not have my tick pier closeby. Lesson learned: better your packing for future trips. When I stopped I helped a fellow traveller who stayed at the same camping to find her route. After this unpleasant encounter with a tick and helping my new made friend I continued my travel to Jurkalne.

The road to Jurkalne was full of road constructions with plenty parts of gravel. In Jurkalne I stopped at a petrol station to take a rest. There I talked to a local who asked if I came from Liepaja. Maybe he noticed the mud on my bike and knew about the road works. He was a BMX rider himself. He told me I could get water at his place 8 km further and also provided me with a tip for a hotel recommendation in Alsunga. But he also agreed with me when I said it would still be doable to cycle 40 km onwards to reach Kuldiga. After I chatted with another man who offered me beer as he was drinking it. And seemed to have simply gotten in his car afterwards. Memorable encounters.

After I passed Alsunga I continued in the direction of Kuldīga via Ēdole. The route to and Ēdole self had some beautiful sights! When I arrived in Kuldiga I realized it was even more beautiful than I remembered it to be. Because it was dark and there is some delay in the navigation from the smartphone that I bought in Kaunas, I had a hard time finding the bridge where I needed to pass. Luckily, a swiss girl helped me out and even showed me there was still a camping spot available at
the camping she was staying. And then I woke up to this, who wouldn't want that?!
Having made a lot of headway over the past two days (190km+) I knew it wouldn't be long anymore before reaching Riga.

next up: the last stretch

Return to Latvia pt. 10: Latvia here we come!!

After wildcamping for a third time about 12 km from Klaipeda, Latvia wasn't far anymore. In other words: Latvia, here we come!! With the new pump and an inner tire that I had to buy in Klaipeda I hoped most of my bike bad luck would be over.

On the way to Latvia I had a short stop at lake Plaze (Plocis), 8 km to the west of Kretingalė. A fresh water lake of a natural glacial origin that is closest to the sea in Lithuania. Water birds stop at Plocis lake to feed and to rest, during the long migrations located between far located hatching sites. Rather than looking for birds here, for me, it was mostly realizing I am passing special places.

When I arrived in Palanga it took me some time to find lubric for my chain, which was much needed. Two bike shops that I found on Google Maps did not seem to exist anymore. In the end I found what I needed by asking around in a construction market. Multi-purpose household oil did the trick. Lesson learned: do take oil for the chain with you in advance

After I passed Palanga I went for my second session of beach drying. In the meantime I went swimming in the Baltic sea which was a lot of good fun.

Afterwards I continued towards Latvia. As of Klaipeda onwards, the road was easy to find with plenty of Eurovelo 10 route signs. This was a difference with the Nieman cycle trail route, where there were no signs. At the sign of Latvia I made a picture upon which a Lithuanian car which drove into Latvia pressed the horn hah. :)

In Latvia itself it was a straight way across a brand spanking new highway towards Liepaja.
Upon arrival in Liepaja I met a very kind couple who were out cycling with their kid. The man gave me tire seals which I thanked him for but hoped I would not need. He also pointed towards a camping where I could stay. I settled there for the night as it was already late and getting dark soon. I could not have done so without the help of a Lithuanian family who were so kind to call the camping owner for me! I had a pleasant experience interacting with them. And they gave me some Lithuanian candy when I left. :) If you are reading this, thank you. Ačiū!

Next up: making milage

Return to Latvia pt. 9: ferry far away

After having done my second wild camping I thought I would take the ferry to Nidden from the harbour in Minija. Little did I know that what I read about there ferries going 2x each hour only applies to the harbour in Klaipeda. In Minija it is only 2x a day.

Due to still breaking breakfast I missed the first boat.
Then, after finding out there are no ferries running in Vente on monday had to go for the second boat in Minija. I also missed that one. I took a supposedly faster route to Minija but ended up on the wrong side of the water, and there is no bridge.

A meeting with a fellow cyclist on a camping in Ventė sparked the solution. She also had ferry problems and opted to go to Klaipeda as not wanting to wait any longer. I did the same. It just took me about 2 hours or so to cover close to 50 km. Quite the difference with the two days before, where I cycled about 215 km in 2 days (including offroading) but it took up a lot more hours due to adverse weather. I couldn't believe when I got to Klaipeda there was a lot of gravel, being one of the biggest cities in Lithuania.

In Klaipėda I would take it easy and rest for two days, as it seems I needed it. I stayed in a hostel so I could do my laundry. I would have preferred wildcamping again >: Yet, the "Klaipeda hostel" where I stayed comes highly recommended. In Klaipeda there was a lot of rain. With the expected rain in Latvia also I bought a cheap raincoat and extra cycling short at Humanitas, a jogging pants at the market and (dry) shoes at Lidl. A flat tire led me to cancel my 20 km cycle trip in Klaipeda. During these restdays I did still see the Klaipeda university and the launch of an air balloon!

On the day of check out I went to Nida, 3 days later than initially planned. A 50 km cyle after getting across with ferry from Klaipeda. In part I did the ride with two people from the hostel, they helped me to find the right way when I got lost. :)
Then we went sightseeing in Nida together and we could take the bike back on the bus.

Most time I spent in the Curionan Spit on the beach letting my clothes dry. Luckily it was possible as there was close to no rain! where a lot of rain was expected again. Because of the late departure I reached Nida quite late.  In retrospect I would have reached Nida a lot earlier if I would have done another sleepover at the other harbour. But at that time I did not know there were no ferries going directly from Klaipeda to Nida anymore.

In the end, Nida was short and sweet. After the return to Klaipeda I would move on a little bit up north to wild camp for the third time. Knowing that for the next day, with all the delays, I finally could say:

Next up: Latvia here we come!!

Return to Latvia pt. 8: route 141

After Kaunas I took the route 141 in direction of Šilute. The first stop was the castle in Raudondvaris. Then I went off track a bit to pass through Kulautuva as a recommended place. My initial plan was to visit it. However, due to the amount of rain I opted to stick with just one quick stop to make a photo along the Memel river just before Kulautuva. Later I saw a great wooden sculpture in Seredžius. A little bit further I read about an interesting history piece regarding rafting, which included:

RAFT-WAY The River Nenumas has been used for rafting for several centuries. The Nemunas used to be the main trade route to Prussia. We admire Raudonė and Panemunė Castles but not many people know that they were built by merchants who made a fortune trading in wood and ashes. The sight of rafting or stored rafts used to be an integral part of the landscape along the River Nemunas. Rafts tied as “beds” or “packs”, carried by current or dragged by a boat – they used to slither on endless. “raft-ways” on the Nenumunas riverbed. This is how raftsmen used to make a living. “Don’t you dare coming home, if you drown”, - used to tell mothers in order to discipline children who used to consider log convoys as their playgrounds.

 Sculpture RAFT-WAY is a sign of respect for the ancient traditions of the people who used to live along the River Nemunas. It’s a sign of respect of today’s roadmen to the then former main communication and trade route, i.e. the Nemunas. The sculpture symbolizes rafting on the Nemunas and the old Panemune road slithering along.
Project Author: Darius Linkevičius Constructor: UAB ,,SYVTEJIMAS” 2013m.. 2013 Construction: State Enterprise, ,,TAURAGES REGIONAO KELIAI”

As it was raining for 7 hours this day I basically just cycled on to get to my goal for the day: Jurbarkas. I set up my tent close to the river I passed for my first wild camping in the Baltics. I went asleep very proud for having made it through the adverse weather.

After Jurbarkas my goal for the day was to reach Šilute. I passed this amazing park Viešvilė on the way. I ended up reaching Šilute and completing the Nieman cycle trail. Not much time to celebrate, as I still needed to find a place to sleep. Accommodations were scarce so I wildcamped again. I went into the field with tall grass and set up my tent just next to some bushes and small trees.

The morning after I would try to get on a ferry to Nidden.

Next up: ferry far away

Return to Latvia pt. 7: cycling in and around Kaunas

On the train that I took back to Vilnius they did not only have wall sockets in 2nd class but also a screen where you could see exactly where you are on the railway track and how fast the train goes. We don't have these cool things in 2nd class in Dutch trains! In Vilnius I changed my bike for a better one and took the train back to Kaunas two day later. On the train ride to Kaunas I found out that they have a very convenient way to store bikes. Who would have thought Lithuanian trains would be so modern! I didn't ever see this in Latvia whilst I was still living there.

In Kaunas I stayed at the Monk's Bunk Kaunas hostel and got good sightseeing tips. The great owner and host gave me a tip to check out the food trucks that would be nearby that day in the nemuno sala park. There I had a bite, talked to a local couple and talked to cyclists who were also there. There was also some great lightning, which refers to a Kaunas basketball team (Lithuanians are big on basketball). Asking for cycling recommendations they told me I could go to Kadagių slėnis if I didn't mind to cycle a longer distance. Little did I know I would also be crossing rail tracks as my navigation told me this was the way to go.

After I came back from Kadagių slėnis I visited some more places. Not before the hostel owner told me Kadagių slėnis is a place where the air is still completely fresh and visited for healing purposes.

Whilst I already covered 50 km after Kadagių slėnis that didn't stop me for seeing more from Kaunas during the late afternoon and evening. I went to Santakos parks, and the westernmost tip where there is the confluence of the rivers Nemunas and Neris.

And the highlight of my trip, going downhill fast 46 km/h+ on the three girls bridge crossing the Nemunas river to the massive Basanavičius park. This was one of the places recommended by a Lithuanian girl I met in the supermarket. This park is like a track for go karts but then for bikes, totally awesome. Even a gym is included, as in more Kaunas parks.

Besides the parks I also had a good time at Energy Food, a small and trendy café that came recommended to me. After 2 nights in Kaunas it was time to really to make some distance on the Cycleway Nieman Cycle Trail again. I would take the route recommended by the cyclists and also the hostel owner.

Next up: route 141