Let’s return to the Baltic! We’ve done Poland, so how about something a bit more unusual? Lithuania doesn’t seem to be very well known in the USA. I certainly know very little about the country.

I do remember what a cookbook I once had, said about new potatoes in Lithuania: when it came time to eat them, it was the custom for the people at the table to pull each other’s hair before beginning to eat! But vodka made from potatoes? I’d rather eat them!

Not rushing through a visit to a café sounds like a welcome change. So does letting kids be kids. As to buses, be sure you buy your bus ticket, or you’ll risk being smacked with a big fine. Perhaps above all, do not whistle! That sounds analogous to the superstition that whistling at sea brings storms.

Aside from “things to know”, how is Lithuania for cycling? See here for 20 possible touring routes. Most are on the intermediate skill level; and mostly on paved roads.

I notice that they all say, “Good fitness required”. What exactly is “good fitness”? For most tours, it seems to mean being able to ride 10-12 mph for several hours. I can do that as long as there’s little or no climbing. And no headwind!

Immer an den Dünen entlang (roughly, “always alongside the dunes”) sounds good. I like the distance; roughly 50 miles in a bit under 4.5 hours. As long as I don’t have to battle a stiff headwind, I think can do that. Bike Path along the River is another fairly short one; not much over 30 miles. But with some climbs!

Some routes lead to the beach; but I don’t know whether I’d want to jump in. Even in the hot part of the year, the water temperature is only about 72 degrees. That’s probably too chilly for me. The Baltic is not the Gulf of Mexico!