Lithuania. Dunes
Our first acquaintance with the Curonian Spit, which divides the salty waters of the Baltic Sea and the freshwater lagoon, and its main attraction - the sand dunes. We visited Nida, the most picturesque settlement on the spit, as well as two main dune areas - the Valley of Death and the Grey Dunes.
The name "Curonian Spit" comes from the name of the Curonian tribe that once lived on its territory. Nida is the administrative center of the resort town of Neringa, which includes three more villages -Juodkrante, Pervalka, and Preila. Upon reaching Nida, we immediately went to walk among the dunes in the Valley of Death. This name comes from the burial place of prisoners of war from the French camp located in the valley in 1870-1872. But now this name does not at all fit the description of the beauty of the dunes...
Walking around the valley, we moved from the realm of sand to the pine forest. Such a contrast...
In the afternoon, we went to get acquainted with the resort settlement of Nida more closely. The former fishing village is famous for its style...
The lagoon is loved not only by tourists, especially many Germans, but also by birds...
And here is the main example of Nida's architectural peculiarity. Thatch roofs with typical decorative elements...
In one of the yards, we saw in all its glory a specimen of an old sailing fishing boat, Kurenas. It was on such boats that people sailed in the Curonian Lagoon until the mid-20th century. The boat, made of oak, could be up to 14 meters long, and its main feature was a flat bottom. The draft in the water was only about 40 centimeters, which allowed it to navigate the shallow waters of the Curonian Lagoon.
The main feature and tourist attraction of Neringa is the "Curonian pennant." This is a weather vane (a device for determining wind direction) that used to be attached to the single mast of a Kurenas boat. Interestingly, each village had its own weather vane. The purpose of these identification marks was to simplify the control of fishing rules. The initiator of their introduction in 1844 was the fishing inspector Ernst Wilhelm Beerboom. This is how brands are created. Now it is one of the main souvenir products that immediately catches the eye and is very photogenic.
One of the main attractions is the house of the famous German writer Thomas Mann, who lived here with his family for three summers...
Nearby, we found a great example of bookcrossing—a street cabinet with books for free reading...
Cultures intertwine so quickly now that you can see a sample of an Indian tuk-tuk anywhere...
In the evening, we were once again awaited by the sunset over the sea. Hiding from the wind in a small depression of a picturesque dune, we watched as the sun, breaking through the clouds, painted the horizon with orange shades and meekly set beyond our sight...
To preserve the delicate surface layer of the dunes, it is only allowed to walk on equipped paths and a designated route, which is about a kilometer long...
At the top of the dune, at the end of the allowed walking zone, there is a monument...
Panoramas of the dunes and the lagoon...
We concluded our exploration of Neringa city tour with the Grey Dunes and hitchhiked to the Smiltyne area, from where we took a ferry to the main part of Klaipeda...
The city was founded by German knights in 1252 and was called Memel until 1923. The most beautiful part of Klaipeda is located along the Dane River...
The sailing ship Meridianas, which was formerly a training vessel, is now one of the city's main attractions and houses a restaurant...
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