Redemption of the trip of Palanga

When I arrived  in Klaipeda, I still did not feel like riding the bike, so I took loaded it onto the local bus and made my way to the rental shop.  I was returning the bike more than 12 hours earlier than I had planned and they refunded the difference.  A very nice surprise.  And then off to home and a night sleep in my own bed.

When I awoke the next day, I decided that I was still on vacation.  Ah - what to do?  Well first off, I rolled over and went back to sleep.  When I finally got up, I went down to my favorite bakery for a chocolate croissant and then  to the market to replenish my supply of fruits and vegetables.  Back to the apartment to study Lithuanian for a couple of hours, a very enjoyable time.  Then I decided to do the tourist thing and go see a museum or two.

Off to the castle museum. The main part of the exhibits are inside this mound, which I think is supposed to represent some of the battlements erected for protection.  I learned that Klaipeda has not had an easy history.  The Christian Teutonic Order gave permission for the building of the castle in 1252.  This was a wooden castle that was destroyed by fire.  Over the next several centuries the castle and Klaipeda came under the rule of the Teutons, the Prussians and the Swedes.  Not an easy atmosphere in which to develop a culture.



During one of the reigns of the Teutonic Order, the craftsmen of Klaipeda were allowed to organize trade guilds.  These guilds tended to congregate on particular streets. (So much for a varied shopping district)  In 1588 the Bakers Guild was given a charter and settled on their street.  I live with that history as the address of my apartment is Kapėju 11, or 11 Baker Street.

The rest of the museum consists of the excavation of the castle's stonework foundations.

This section is covered by an excellent, reasonably flat roof that seems to be just the place for this young man to practice his martial arts.








From here I went to the History Museum of Lithuania  Minor, so named because, in the back and forth of conquest, areas of what is now Lithuania were the rule of different people at different times.  So the museum covers the area around Klaipeda, a minor part of Lithuania.  Two things I learned: 1) Populated shortly after the last Ice Age receded, this area had a very sophisticated culture; I would say even more so than the Indians of North America, though that is hard to say since that culture has been so obliterated. 2) In the early 19th century, the furniture makers around Klaipeda were making distinctive pieces, including a very practical bed that could be pulled out to make room for one more sleeper.

After all that culture, and still being on vacation, I decided that I would rest at one of the many side walk cafes in Old Town.  I had the incongruous combination of ice cream with chocolate sauce or ledai su šokoladu, and alcoholic sparkling cider.  Very refreshing.  This is the view from my table.  The Lithuanians may have a short summer, but they have flowers every where.  Notice the hanging baskets.  The day was different than it would have been had I been able to stay in Palanga, but it was redeemed.