Cycling route Kaunas - Nida

 This time  I cycled from Kaunas to Nida, covered 220 kilometers in a day, reaching the Curonian Spit and its main settlement, Nida, by ferry from Vente... My plans also included celebrating the Joninės holiday, swimming in the cold Baltic Sea, and running, thus having a mini training camp before the triathlon in Trakai...

Map of the route...

  Leaving home at 5:30, I reached the Vilkyne ferry. They start working at seven...

  On the other side of the Nemunas River, the further cycling route continues...

 Behind my saddle on the trunk I had a tent, sleeping bag, inflatable mattress, thermos, salad-making supplies, a knife, a spoon, a bicycle repair kit with a spare tube, shorts, thermal clothing, a towel, a bike lock, and some other small essentials for three days by the sea... The total weight of the pack with the trunk was about 6 kg, which didn’t hinder my speed a lot...

  Crossing to the other side of the river, I continued along the route by the Nemunas River... 

  On the way, I met a couple of Lithuanians on an electric motorcycle traveling through Poland and Lithuania... We chatted, and they told me a bit about their trip... With three spare batteries, each lasting 40 kilometers, they leisurely travel the scenic roads of Poland and Lithuania, stopping overnight at campsites to recharge themselves and the batteries for electric motorcycle...

  After covering 150 kilometers, I reached the village of Mikytai, where I stopped for lunch... 

  The Minija River...

 Reaching the settlement of Vente at three o’clock, I still had two hours before the ferry to Nida...

  The ferry...

   Departing at five, we reached the port of Nida in an hour and a half... 

  Settling in the campsite and setting up my tent, I left my things and went to the supermarket for groceries... My main food for the next two days was salads, primarily consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, feta cheese, and olive oil, paired with fresh buns... 

  The next morning, I went for a run... It was my birthday, so after the run, I went to the sea for my traditional birthday dip...

  Since moving to Lithuania, I have been taking a birthday dip every year for six years... This time was no exception; despite the rain and strong wind, I went into the Baltic Sea...  

  I spent the rest of the day at the campsite, resting and reading a book, not wanting to go to town due to the rain... In the evening, when the rain stopped, I went to town for the Joninės celebration... It was the fourth time I celebrated Joninės and my birthday in Nida... So, it was as usual: a festive concert featuring folk ensembles and ending with the lighting of the bonfire and dancing around it...

  Large bonfires, symbolizing the sun and its life-giving energy...

  Making and wearing wreaths of flowers and herbs is a common practice. Women and girls typically make wreaths from wildflowers, while men might use oak leaves. These wreaths are worn during the festivities and sometimes floated on water as a form of divination.

  After crafting their wreaths, young women go to a nearby river, lake, or stream to float them on the water. This usually happens in the evening or at night, under the mystical ambiance of the midsummer celebration...The way the wreaths float can be interpreted as a form of fortune-telling, especially concerning love and future marriage...

  The next morning, I started my run as always from Parnidis Dune, stopping at the observation deck to listen to the morning performance of  "Gong sounds", held annually at dawn the day after Joninės...

   Immersed in the vibrations of the gong and meditation bowls, combined with the unique location of this event, and spending about an hour with other enthusiasts of these positive vibes, I continued run my usual morning route, not forgetting to visit the sea... 

 After checking out from the campsite, I went back to the beach...    

 The weather was beautiful that day, so I decided to spend a few hours there...

  At four o'clock, I left Nida, heading towards the ferry to Smiltyne, from where I planned to reach Klaipeda by ferry...

  In less than two hours, I reached the ferry...

  Crossing to Klaipeda, I went to the bus station to take a bus back to Kaunas...

  Despite the bad weather over the weekend, I had a great time and enjoyed nature... It was also interesting to cover more than 200 kilometers by bike in a day, something I had never done before, and it turned out to be not so difficult...