Day 262 Wed 4 Jul 2007 Vilnius, Lithuania to Riga, Latvia

Another day another country, although here they’re not much bigger than tablecloths. Actually we are surprised to discover that they aren’t really that small, bigger than Denmark, Belgium or Eire for example, or even Victoria. Still, we get through them pretty quickly and the rear window is filling up with flags. En route we detour to visit the lakeside castle at Trekai and then attempt to find the world heritage site at Karnave. Traki is a redbrick castle set amid pine forests and lakes whilst Kernave, a series of hill forts some of which date back to the iron age is a Lithuanian state secret with no signs or information. However we eventually find it and tick it off the list and make tracks northwards to Riga stopping briefly at what Lonely Planet says is the must-see site in Lithuania, the Hill of Crosses. We think its a bit overrated, its a hillock crammed with thousands of wooden crosses and statues of Jesus, which has become a bit of a pilgrimage place, but which is in need of some order and tidying up. Apparently the tradition of erecting crosses there goes back to the C16 and when the Soviets occupied the place they tired to bulldozed them every day only to find the locals re-erected them each night.

We reach Riga at 8.30 and locate the Riga B&B in the north of the city. Turns out to be a series of apartments in an old block with no breakfast. However the apartment’s spacious with a large ceramic stove in the corner. Nearby is a brewery restaurant where we feast on pork knuckle and salmon.