We took a short ferry ride across the Dane River lagoon to the Curonian Spit. The Curonian Spit is home to Lithuania's national park. We traveled through a beautiful forest following the lagoon. The forest is home to many nesting cormorants and herons in addition to wild boar, elk, and deer. We visited a fantastic area called the Witches Hill. The hill is the highest point on the peninsula, some 42 meters above the lagoon. We followed a trail winding through the forest. Wood carvers and sculptors had been invited to make wood carvings depicting the myths, legends, and stories of the Lithuania. The carvings are fantastic but the stories are even better.
I wish I could share more of these fun, whimsical carvings.
The pettiness and cruelty of the current Russian government can be witnessed in this tiny country. The National Park is the pride of the Lithuanians - they have spent years planting trees and in restoration projects. Now the Russians have threatened to build a nuclear power plant on the portion of the spit within Russia. Further, Lithuania was forced to close their Chernobyl style nuclear plant in order to gain admission to the European Union. They are now dependent on Russia for electricity and natural gas. Russia has raised the prices in an attempt to control the country. For every positive step Lithuania makes, Russia attempts to knock them back.
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Location:Klaipeda, Lithuania
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