The world’s longest spit
Trip Start
Jul 18, 2011
1
22
28
Trip End
Nov 16, 2011
Where I stayed
Klaipeda, Lithuania
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The next morning we caught a ferry out to the Curonian Spit, which is a giant sand bank 98km long, half owned by Lithuania and half by Russia and drifting slowly into the Baltic Sea by 4m a year. We met with a local guide and boarded a public bus. We stopped at Witches Hill, a section of forest containing wooden sculptures depicting local legends that were carved around 30 years ago and are dotted around the trails. It turns out that some of the group are superstitious – at the sculpture that was supposed to depict the "Gateway to Hell", Anthony and I were 2 of only 4 people to enter through the gate “into hell”. Also, nobody else wanted to pretend to play cards with the wooden devil.
We stopped for a coffee break at a small café after the walk. Stefan bought some of the local smoked fish for which the area is known and we all had a pick at it; it was surprisingly good. We then climbed the largest dune on the spit for some great views over the ocean and of the Russian territory and it was great to run around the sand barefoot.
A small group of us went to dinner at Cili Kaimos; an unusual place with a fish pond and some live chickens in a small enclosure to greet you as you enter. Fried bread and cheese is popular here so we had some for starter, it was way nicer than it sounds despite being a heart attack waiting to happen.
