Klaipeda, Lithuania and then on to Latvia

Klaipeda is the third largest city in Lithuania and the country's only sea port.

Its strategic ice-free location at the entrance to the Akmena-Dane River has made it attractive to many regional powers. At various times the port has been controlled by the Teutonic Knights, Prussia,  the German Empire and, at the end of the First World War, an allied occupation force consisting primarily of French troops, pending a decision on its status by the League of Nations.

In January 1923 a revolt staged by nationalists established a pro-Lithuanian administration in the city. This was formally recognised by the League a month later.

A humiliated Germany was forced to accept this but refused to forget. In March 1939 the Nazi regime issued an ultimatum demanding that the Lithuanians give up the city upon threat of immediate invasion. None of the signatories of the 1924 Klaipeda Convention (the UK, France, Italy and Japan) - which had guaranteed Lithuanian sovereignty in the area - offered any assistance. Lithuania therefore had no option but to relinquish the region in what was Germany's last territorial acquisition before its invasion of Poland at the start of World War 2 several months later.

Such was the glee with which Memel (the German name for Klaipeda) had been retaken that Adolf Hitler himself turned up to address the crowds - most of whom were German and delighted by this development - in Theatre Square.

As the Soviet Red Army pushed back the Nazi forces in the march towards Berlin, however, the town's German population fled en masse. For much of the ensuing Soviet period Klaipeda's sensitive role as  a major port rendered it largely off limits to foreigners.

Today's Klaipeda has a very arty feel to it, not least because of the huge number of sculptures to be found around the place. These are generally proper sculptures too, not your "modern art" rubbish!

116 (or 117 - depending on which leaflet you look at) stone sculptures are in the Sculpture Park which was created in 1977 on the site of a former cemetery that had been cleared by the Soviets.

The remainder were bronze (we think!) and each had a little story to go with it. Some are pictured below:

A Childhood Dream. His mission is to great all arrivals and give a friendly farewell to those leaving

The Black Ghost. Seen by one of the castle's guards in 1595. Apparently.

Slibinas (The Dragon). 

The Chimney Sweep. Touch one of his suit buttons on the wall below for luck!

The Pot Full of Money. Placed on the site of  the first "Memel Savings Bank" 

The Old Town Cat. Rub its tail and your wishes will come true!

Old Town Little Mouse, Whisper good wishes into his ear and they'll come true!

Mermaid. Apparently when the river floods a beautiful and sensual girl with a scaly tail appears

Girl with bird. One of many benches with a sculpture in avenue Martynas Mazvydas

Er... Jo. In the Sculpture Park

Not all the sculptures were frivolous though. There's the monument honouring Martynas Mazvydas, author of the first book to be printed in the Lithuanian language - The Catechism.

Martynas Mazvydas

Then there's The Arch Monument to the United Lithuania, which commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Klaipeda region joining with Lithuania (1923). The smaller red granite column is the symbol of Lithuania Minor (the Klaipeda region) and the larger grey column is the symbol of Lithuania Major. The upper part of the monument - and this bit I don't understand given the context - symbolises the Kaliningrad Region which now belongs to the Russian Federation. The inscription translates to "We are one nation, one land, one Lithuania".

The Arch

There's also Klaipeda's Soviet war memorial, dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Great Patriotic War (which is how the Russians refer to World War 2).

Klaipeda's Soviet War Memorial

Another part of the Soviet War Memorial

Jo had been given a book to bring with her on this trip called Baltic Lenin by Keith Ruffles (thanks Belinda!). The author travelled the Baltic States and found accommodation by "couch surfing". We'd never heard of such a thing, but apparently you register on a website and people put you up in their spare rooms or on a sofa for free. Rather like ebay, they then leave feedback on you so that others can decide whether they'd like you to stay with them or not.

From what we read, it seems like a great way to meet locals and find out what a place is really like. In the book, the author asks his host whether she felt any sort of connection with the Soviet War Memorial and whether she'd go there on May Ninth to remember the war.

He writes "She almost seemed bemused by the question. 'Only the old people come here,' she said. 'Russians.' "

From Ruffles' writing, there appears to be an 'us' and 'them' culture where ethnic Russians living in the Baltic States are concerned. I suppose that's unsurprising, given the history of the place.


Klaipeda's not just sculptures though. Here are some more views from around the place:

The River Dane. The entrance to Old Castle Harbour, where we stayed, is up on the right...

... through this swing bridge...

... which is operated by hand. Keeps them fit I imagine!

Then around this tight corner and our berth is half way along on the right

Theatre Square. Adolf Hitler addressed the crowds here in 1939

The oldest and tallest fachwerk warehouse in the city

The Culture Communication Centre and the Ethnic Culture Centre

Meridianas. Built in 1948, used by the Klaipeda Navigation School for training purposes and now a fish restaurant!

Inside the Castle Museum 

Yet another anniversary of my birth passed whilst we were in Klaipeda - how did I ever get to be this old - which was "celebrated" (seems odd to celebrate getting ever more old and warty!) with a meal at a local restaurant. I decided to go for traditional Lithuanian fayre - our chosen restaurant was certified by the Culinary heritage Fund, don't you know - and chose beetroot soup (which had some meat and mushrooms in it) followed by roast bacon. The latter was pork belly served with mash, sliced beetroot and pickled gherkins. It was nice enough, but the meat was basically two slabs of pork fat with a very thin sliver of lean running through the middle. I needed a glass of whisky on our return to the boat to clear my pallet! Jo had the same starter but went for the safer option of fried chicken and chips for her main course, Probably wise...

   

We decided to stay an extra day to travel to the Curonian Spit; a 60 mile long sand spit and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's just a 10 minute ferry ride across the Curonian Lagoon from Klaipeda - a ride which, at a cost of just 0.80 euros return, remained affordable after the £ had been dealt a further blow by the UK election result...

Our transport across the Curonian Lagoon

The Lithuanian part of the Spit (further south it becomes part of Kaliningrad) is covered by the Kursiu Nerija National Park. This was established shortly after independence to protect the unique ecosystem of the region. The Spit is just 400m wide at its narrowest point and about 2 miles at its widest. 

We took a bus to Nida which is just across the border from Kaliningrad. It's an attractive resort that was at one time the preserve of the Communist Party and Lithuanian elite, but thankfully they'll let anyone in these days! 

Attractive shops in Nida

Nida House with old Eastern European car. Looks a bit Skoda(ish)

We had one of those! Neval with military sidecar. Remember off-roading Laura?!

Pretty, huh?

World's largest gnome?

Waterfront. The Curonian lagoon freezes to a depth of up to a metre!

Windvanes

Looming 52m above Nida, the Parnidis (Great) Dune is one of the highest points on the Spit and offers stunning views - including views over Kaliningrad. This gave us the opportunity to poke our tongues out at those responsible for our detour around firing range 117, although we can't be sure that they saw us.

Parnidis Dune. Adjacent to Nida

In the 17th century when the forests on the Curonian Spit were cut down to fuel industry and supply various military campaigns, the mountainous dunes were released. The sand started to shift up to 20m a year in places, burying entire villages in the process. It was not until the 19th century when vast numbers of trees were planted to reforest the area that the moving dunes were stopped.

That's a lot of sand...

... an awful lot of sand...

... yup!

Kaliningrad's over there. Ready...

... plthhhhhhhhhh (raspberry blowing sound!)

Is it my imagination, or is Jo getting smaller?

On 9th June, after 4 nights in Klaipeda listening to the revving engines, squealing tyres and in-car hi-fi each evening (a curious trait of those with motorbikes here is to start their engines and then hold them on the rev limiter for a few seconds before allowing them to idle) we were ready to move on. Our destination was Liepaja, Latvia, a distance of about 60 miles, which was completed almost entirely under engine due to lack of wind.

Leaving Old Castle Harbour

An uneventful trip saw us enter Liepaja harbour soon after 1800. It's big, and has a lot of wood!

That's a lot of wood!

The Tirdzniecibas Canal that leads up to our mooring place

View en route...

... and another. How old's that train?!

One of many abandoned factories. Liepaja used to be a centre for womens' underwear manufacture

Cyclone on her berth. Note proximity of hotel...

We were hoping for a peaceful mooring in Liepaja after our time in Klaipeda and early signs were good. We would be staying for a Friday and Saturday night so we thought there may be some partying but it was surprisingly quiet when we turned in at about 2300 (note to youth of Liepaja. That's a sensible bedtime!).

It would appear, however, that the young of Liepaja have a different idea of what constitutes bedtime to us. Not long after we were in bed, the band at the night club in the local hotel struck up and the partying started.

As in Klaipeda, there was no malice involved - just people enjoying a night out. But wouldn't you think daylight would draw matters to a conclusion? Well, it didn't. Not by a long way. In fact we saw people walking past our boat after 0900 Saturday morning who were presumably making their way home - drinks still in hand - making the "argghh!!" sound (blokes) and "wooo!" sound (girls) that's come to be associated with the consumption of copious booze!

On Saturday night we went to bed with earplugs in place and fortunately managed to sleep through what I imagine would have been a repeat of the night before.

We wanted to move on to somewhere quiet on Sunday, so this was to be a whistle stop tour of Liepaja. Our first destination was Karosta - a military harbour built by the Russians during the late 19th century and used as a Soviet submarine base after World War 2. Off limits to civilians, in its heyday it housed some 40,000 personnel,. It now seemed rather quiet and, in parts, abandoned.

You reach Karosta by crossing the Oskars Kalpaks bridge. Built in the years leading up to the First World War, this is one impressive feat of engineering. It swings open to allow ships to pass up the Karosta Canal.

Oskars Kalpaks Bridge

Having read about it in "Baltic Lenin" I wanted to visit the military prison in Karosta. This offers a "Behind Bars" experience where you can bed down in a cell for the night and other activities such as a "Day in the Army" or a "Day in Detention Quarters". They even cater for stag parties. You can take part in a team game in nearby fortifications called "Escape from the USSR" where groups have to rescue a friend from under the noses of patrolling guards and attempt to reach a submarine that would facilitate escape! We just opted for the guided tour...

The prison was originally built as a hospital but then served as a prison right up until 1997. Our guide was at pains to point out that it was a correctional facility used by successive regimes to re-educate errant service personnel. Dressed in military uniform, he marched us all along and slammed cell doors with us inside. All part of the fun!

The most sinister period in the prison's history was during the Nazi occupation. Locals who had refused to give up their warm clothing for the benefit of the occupying soldiers, or had tried to escape conscription, were locked up here overnight before being tried, found guilty and either shot or sent to the front where survival chances were about 2%.

Karosta Military Prison

Our guide

A cell. There was no furniture. Or ensuite!

Prison corridor

The prison also housed a small museum, including what we think were an anti-radiation suit and pram, manufactured in the 1980s.

Bizarre!

Right in the centre of Karosta is St. Nicholas's Orthodox Cathedral. During the 1930s, under the Latvian government, this was adapted to meet the needs of the garrison's Lutherans. Then, when the Soviets took over after World War 2, it became a sports hall and cinema! The Soviet military left the cathedral in 1991 and the first liturgy in the recovered cathedral was held in December the same year.

This beautiful and ornate building is surrounded by Soviet style apartment blocks.

St. Nicholas's Cathedral...

... and again

The Cathedral's neighbours...

... and the two together

From Karosta we took the bus back to Liepaja's old town centre where we found the tourist information centre and picked up a walking tour. A few highlights from the tour are pictured below:

These towers used to house the butchery in Rozu (Roses) Square

One of more than 50 plaques dedicated to Latvian musicians in the Latvian Musicians Walk-of-Fame

Large wooden houses on Kungu Street

This might look like a shed to you but, in 1697, Tsar of all Russia Peter 1 stayed here!

See?!

17th century wooden carcass construction built on a low stone plinth. 

Kursu Square. A market since the 16th century

1910 market pavilion

Gauda Street 50 - Former Communist Party Committee house

Liepaja State Gymnasium

Boatman Sculpture (I think). Or early vandal...

Concert Hall "Great Amber"

I promised to keep this blog post brief didn't I? Clearly I've failed, but it's really hard! If it's any consolation, it takes me much longer to write it than it takes to read it.


Our next destination after Liepaja was scheduled to be Pavilosta where we expected to sit out a few days of windy weather in peace and quiet. We were sailing so well soon after leaving Liepaja that I opened my big gob and said something along the lines of "At his rate, we could make Ventspils and save the additional stop". Having decided to do this and travel the 60 ish miles to Ventspils, naturally the wind dropped and we soon needed assistance from the engine. Then the fog rolled in and it was on with the radar and out with the foghorn.

Fog

Thankfully we were a safe distance from land and there was no other shipping about. The only target we picked up on radar during the foggy episode was an isolated danger buoy that wasn't marked on our chart. Perhaps this was marking a recent wreck? Whatever, it gave us confidence in our equipment and ability to use it.

The fog lifted as quickly as it had arrived and we were soon basking in glorious sunshine. The wind picked up as we neared our destination, enabling us to give the engine a rest.

Hello Mum! Remember that call?

Standard sandy beaches and trees en route

Entrance to Ventspils Harbour

The downside of the increased wind was that a crosswind made for a rather messy mooring experience. This was our first bows to a pontoon and stern to a buoy since 2015 - and unfortunately it showed!

Cyclone on her mooring at Ventspils

Founded in 1290, Ventspils has long been a trading centre and was a member of the Hanseatic League. In the 18th century, war and plague ravished the city, but it later thrived as part of the Russian Empire.

A hub for Russian oil tankers until recently, Ventspils is now very much a tourist resort. There are lots of parks, fountains and flower beds that give the place an airy feel, as well as a large number of bovine sculptures that were left after the 2012 Cow Parade! Naturally, there's also a massive sandy beach.

I'm getting tired of typing and you're probably tired of reading, so I'll finish with some photos from our walk around Ventspils yesterday:

One of those pictured is the Travelling Cow!

Livonian Order Castle, dating from the 13th century

Part of Ventspils market, dating from the 17th century 

Town Hall Square...

... and the Town Hall itself

Is that Stalin and co? We're not sure

Flower Cow

Cowlosus

A Midsummer Night's Levitation of an Entrepreneur above a Kurzeme Blue Cow

Flower Clock

Bobsleigh Team

Underwater World

Lielais Square and the Frigate "Whale" Fountain. This was big!

A lot of the side streets were like this... 

... and this, whilst the main streets had the large Soviet apartment blocks

Dunes by the beach...

... and the beach itself

We'll be in Ventspils a little longer as the wind's a bit strong at the moment. Then we'll probably make our way down to Riga with a stop or two on the way.

But that could all change of course!

Thanks for reading.