This year we decided to do our holiday away with the kids as a camping holiday in Lithuania and Latvia. We drove with the kids and the dog in a very packed car, with 4 bikes on the back and a completely full roof box for what was supposed to be a 2 weeks of camping across Lithuania and Latvia.
I am no stranger to long drives and so when we were planning our holiday, I didn’t even think twice about booking the trip to drive there. It seemed the obvious way to get there and allowed us to use our huge family tent, take the dog and also take the bikes. The previous year away, Kieran had finally picked up cycling on our summer holiday to Germany and we were hoping this year Sam would do the same.
In the planning phase we found out that none of the camp sites in either Lithuania or Lativia allowed you to actually book a spot in advance. They all just said to show up and there would be space. In theory this is ok, but we have a large tent and it left us a little concerned. But we took a chance, advised them we were coming and left it like that.
We left Switzerland on a Friday night after work and headed off into Germany. This involved a lot of motorways and nothing really exciting happens during these times. We stayed in a convenient hotel at the Baden airpark, the B&B Baden Airpark (Inexpensive accommodation in Baden-Airpark I B&B HOTELS (hotel-bb.com)). It was close enough to the motorway, had a self-check-in that we could use at any hour, plenty of parking and was dog friendly.
The next day was a long uneventful journey through Germany on the motorways in the heat. When we got into Poland, we stopped at the motorway services MOP Krasnik Dolny where we had a really good menu of Polish foods. Vanessa overordered but we all felt nice and full and Voodoo was able to sit inside with us while we ate. The weather was getting worse, and we headed back to the car to make the final part of the journey on to the ATAL towers in Wroclaw.
When we arrived in Wroclaw the weather was miserable. It was raining so hard, and we had a little bit of a mission to find the find the entrance to the hotel and somewhere to park while we unloaded the car. The hotel itself was nice and in what seemed like a nice area, but we ultimately would not really check out the area as the weather in the morning was still shit. Thankfully as well there was a proper parking lot just around the corner with good lighting and although it was normally paid parking at the time we were there it was free.
So, with the weather still shit in the morning we decided to just head on to Lithuania. We had some nice motorways to start with which made for easy driving, but they quickly turned into single lanes roads in both directions with a lot of traffic and some very sketchy driving habits from all the Polish drivers. They either all have a death wish with their overtaking manoeuvres or they still had a lot of Vodka in them from the night before.
At this point we were still relying on the satnav from the Landover, but when it suggested we needed to take a turn off what seemed like the main road, down the road with the sign to Belarus, we decided to have a quick look at google maps and online and found out that the border down that way had been shut since the war started in Ukraine. We decided to go the longer way staying in Poland until we got to Lithuania. It was also at this time that we saw a lot of military vehicles, troop carriers, tanks, trucks and other logistical vehicles. We later read that Poland had mobilised 20,000 troops to the border area that we were driving through in case the Wagner group tried to move across the border into either Poland or Lithuania. We very briefly asked out loud if maybe we had made a poor decision in our choice of destination, but we soon decided it would all be fine.
Just before we left Poland into Lithuania we stopped for some food and drink and Vanessa found this really cute roadside restaurant and shop that did Polish delicacies, and she was all giddy with her purchases when she got back to the car. We also stopped at this nice little war mamorial just after this stop.
Next stop was Vilnius. We arrived quite late and settled into the hotel where we would stay for a couple of nights. I would have to work one day while we were at the hotel. It was a really nice hotel in the middle of the old town call St-Palace Hotel. There were some lively bars nearby, and lots of restaurants. There were a few issues with the hotel though, including an air conditioner that was leaking a huge amount of water into the room. The bucket under it would need emptying every few hours. There was also a huge wasp nest out on the balcony (we would encounter a lot of wasps on this trip).
After settling in Vanessa put the kids down while I took the dog out was a walk to the local park that was near to the hotel. There were a lot of other people taking their dogs here, not all of them cleaning up after them, and the bars were all very lively at this time. Strangely when we got back to the hotel right outside on the street in the old town Voodoo and I found a hedgehog. Of course, my huge brave dog was more scared of the hedgehog than it was of him.
The next day I had to work and so Vanessa took the kids out to do a few things. The weather was best described as torrential rain, leaving her with a strategy of mainly café hopping and trying to avoid the kids going stir-crazy. Highlights for kid-friendly cafes and restaurants were: Jurgis ir Drakonas on Pylimo – a fantastic pizza place in a very central location (pop into Rastine round the corner for Japanese stationery if that’s your thing, and a coffee and place to read a book); Coffee Circus Piano (quirky interior and excellent bagels); and our overall favourite – Snekutis – a buzzing bar with the heartiest Lithuanian food, great vibe, mega dog-friendly and ridiculously affordable to match. Try the Cepelinai – gloriously podgy dumplings made from grated potato – washed down with a beer from their
The next day, we were heading up to the Curonian Spit, which is really slim bit of land that sits between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon and is connected to Kaliningrad. On the way we stopped in the village of Trakai to view the Trakai Island Castle. It was a nice little village with loads of stalls (highlights being the ice cream stalls) along the waterfront and a well maintained castle. Inside there were many rooms set up with good displays. The kids especially liked the animals on display.
After the stop we moved along again to the ferry that would take is out onto the spit. It is frequent ferry that is relativly inexpensive and takes only a few minutes to cross (it takes longer to load).
The camp site we booked in the town of Nida was a little busy when we got there, and our tent is huge, but we eventually found a space to set it up. Voodoo and the kids were pretty happy with this location and once we were settled in, we headed off again to find something to cook.
The village was quite touristic, but it was really cute and had a decent supermarket where we bought way too much polish sausage that kept us going all week. We got the other necessities we needed and went back to the camp to finish settling in.
The next day we got the bikes out and took the kids for a little ride to see what was nearby. We went over to the Baltic seaside to see what the beach looked like. There was a nice bike path we were able to follow all the way to the beach and we let the kids go down to play on the sand. There were a lot of people on the beach and in the water and our kids would have gone in if we had let them, but we had decided it was too cold for them.
We left the beach and continued down the cycle path and found a group of restaurants that Vanessa at first turned her nose up at but in the end we got some really good pizzas and she got some noodles. The sun was stronger at this point, and we were away from the wind, so we sat here for a little while and enjoyed the lunch. I even managed to watch some of the women’s world cup (not that I can remember who was playing). We also faught many battles with the wasps in the area and took score to see who killed or captured the most.
On the way back to the campsite we went via some lookouts and although it rained a little bit, we still climbed this lookout tower and set the drone up in the air just to see what we could see (and because I know how much Vanessa loves it when I set the drone up).
We then moved from the lookout up to the lighthouse that was our intended destination all along. From the top of the lighthouse, we were able to see most of the spit in both directions, including Kaliningrad and the sand dunes that are all along the border region.
Back at the camp we watched some more football, and the kids went over to the giant chess set and played on that till it was dark and then played games with us in the tent.
The next day Vanessa really wanted to go for a drive and see a few places on the spit. We first started by driving down the road towards to the Kaliningrad boarder, which was shut unsurprisingly, a long way from the actual boarder.
We turned back and headed for Juodkrante. On the way we stopped at the Colony of Grey Herons and Great Cormorants. We were not that close, and we had left the binoculars at the tent (if you plan to go, take binoculars and have patience).
We parked up at the start of the village and had lunch at the mini spot and just over the grass from there was a nice climbing statue on the waterfront that the kids played on for a bit before we continued to walk down the waterfront.
While here we went to the hill of witches, which had loads of cool wood carvings while walking through the dunes. It was a really nice walk with the kids and dog, not too strenuous and a pleasant way to spend 45 minutes.
The following day we went for a walk all of us, including Voodoo, up to the big sand dunes that were just behind the camp site. Most of the tour groups that were up there only went as far as the giant sun dial and did not go to the end of the boardwalk where it allows you to go out onto the dunes. So, for the most part, we had the dunes to ourselves. The kids played in the sand, the dog roamed about, I buzzed everyone with my drone, and we all enjoyed being out in the sun. It was a nice and relaxing, but we eventually left the dune and went back to the camp site for some lunch.
As we had taken the bikes all this way, we decided that after lunch we would go on a long bike ride. Up until this point Sam had only really done super short cycling on her bike but we were ambitious and set off down the cycle path for a town that was about 15km away. I had told Vanessa that I did not think we would make it, but we set off. Kieran was doing so well on his bike and because Vanessa is not very patient, she cycled ahead with him and stayed back with Sam who was doing amazing. The cycle path was mostly flat, wide, and well maintained. It went through forests, along the waterfront and through a few little villages. I was proud enough of Sam and her cycling to get my drone out and get her cycling along. She loved the attention and we got into a good rhythm.
We eventually came to the town of Preila with a little playground, and we stopped to let the kids have a play and recover from the ride. We were about 10kms into the ride at this point. We found a little place to get some food and some after food ice-creams. By this point though the day was getting along a bit and so we started heading back. It was back along the same route which is never as much fun it meant we knew exactly what we were in for. Sam kept on peddling along, singing songs she was making up as we were going. A quick stop at another playground and then we were arriving back into the village where our campsite was. It was getting dark and close to dinner time and the camp site was up an annoying hill and not that close. I left Vanessa with the kids and cycled back to the camp site to collect the dog and car and then went back to join them for dinner at the restaurant next to the supermarket. After dinner I took the kids (with their bikes) and Voodoo back in the car while Vanessa cycled her bike back to the campsite.
It was after dinner when Vanessa took Sam off for a shower that I heard some screaming and crying coming from the shower area. Vanessa had just discovered the first of the skin lesions that Sam had on her inner thigh. This only made Sam’s cycling even more impressive because she had not complained about these sores all day despite riding her little bike for 20km. I set about trying to put a cover on these as best I could, and we calmed her down for bed.
These lesions only got bigger and weepier overnight and when she needed to go to toilet it was a real ordeal for her and the parent who took her. She was distressed by the whole thing but allowed me to clean and dress the wounds for her each time. But they were getting obviously bigger quite quickly.
We spent our last full day on the spit by going for a drive in the car up to the northern end of the spit and seeing all the things along the way that we didn’t have a chance to see from the bikes. We left after lunch and went to the aquarium at the very northern tip. At the aquarium we saw the dolphin and seal show which was fun for the whole family, and we also wandered through the aquarium exhibits that were both interactive and quite interesting. The aquarium is kind of a combination aquarium/nautical museum. We didn’t get to see it all as we were a bit late arriving and then the Dolphin and seal show was not the best timed for us arriving. I believe it is possible to book tickets in advance, which we did not do, and we had to join a very large line to get tickets to go in. At least you can buy combination tickets for both the show and the aquarium.
On the way back to the camp site we stopped at the famous dune lookout. I was not so impressed with this as for conservation they had planted a lot of vegetation on it, and it was definitely not as impressive as just a big sand dune would have been (which is what you can see it use to look like in the historic photos on the information board). Lastly, we stopped at Pervalka Beach to enjoy the last of the day and the kids played in the sand. They also didn’t listen to us when we told them not to go in the water and so they were wet and covered in sand after. But worth stopping on the final day.
Back at the camp site Sam was getting more and more upset about her sores. We agreed that the next day when we left, we would stop in at the hospital in Klaipeda to get Sam cleaned up, bandaged up properly and then head on up to Latvia to the next campsite we were going to.
The story of what happened next to Sam is told best in the blog post Vanessa did (sirens, airplanes and ambulances in a Rega baltic medical adventure (peberdoo.ch)) but she ended up needing to stay in the hospital for 2 nights and so Kieran and I went to the hotel not far away. But we first went to the wrong hospital and were directed back to the Childrens Hospital.
Kieran and I went for a walk through the old town of Klaipeda with Voodoo to get some dinner at Kavinė Klaipėdos Senamiestis, which Vanessa had recommended to us. We were able to sit outside with Voodoo and then after dropping Voodoo at the hotel went back to see Vanessa and Sam before the visiting hours ended.
Knowing that Kieran and I would need to keep ourselves amused the next day while Sam was in hospital, I booked a charter fishing trip for Kieran and I for the following day.
In the morning after going to the pool for a swim, we walked back toward the hospital and discovered a little bakery on the corner that did some donut muffin thing and other local types of food, so I picked up a bunch of things to take to the hospital which were appreciated by Vanessa mostly. As I had planned an afternoon excursion for Kieran and me, I took one for the team and sat in the hospital with Sam and Kieran while Vanessa went out alone to explore the town around.
When she came back, Kieran and I went out to get some pizza before our fishing trip. The pizza place had a variety of stuff (not just pizza) and so we both found something to eat. Just outside the pizza place Kieran and I found some electric scooters and took one down to the docks to go out on our trip.
Sam and Vanessa made it out of the hospital and sent us a pic while we were getting ready to go fishing.
The charter was not private, which was fine by us as it made it cheaper ????, and we met the rest of the group that would be joining us. They were a group of older Lithuanians who seemed to be on the boat more for the social side of things. They really enjoyed trying to communicate with us and sharing out the food, drinks, and booze. It made the trip pass pleasantly. This was Kieran’s first-time fishing and he caught loads of fish. They were all rather small, but I think he caught the most on the boat that day, and he took great pleasure in reminding me that he caught more than me. He was most proud of the fish that he hooked through the eye, and the one where he was just reeling in his line and discovered that he had caught a fish without realising. It was a fun afternoon out of the boat.
We went back to the hospital again on the scooter to share all about the afternoon and had something to eat there before finally going back to the hotel via a little supermarket to get some meat sticks for the drive home and some ice cream.
The following morning, we had another quick swim before loading up the car again and going back to the pizza place for another meal before going to the hospital to wait for Sam’s ambulance to arrive to take her and Vanessa to the aircraft that would take them home. As soon as they departed it was time for Kieran and I to get back into the car and to start driving home.
The drive home was long and uneventful. We ate a lot of meat sticks, staying in a couple of roadside hotels. Ate junk food. But mostly I remember that it was sooo hot. The air conditioning in the car was not working and it was 38 degrees outside. We were driving at points on the motorways at 140-150kph with the windows down and it was so loud. Kieran is also not as interesting to talk to on a long journey at the moment than his mother who normally sits next to me (although she is not always awake or talking to me ????). At some point on this journey home, we also stopped for a break from the heat and for lunch at the exact time that the Australia vs England game was on and while the result was not great, it was a really well spent break from the car and heat.
