The weather forecast called for rain starting at around 11 AM today, so I headed out around 9 to walk across the island to get to the Baltic Sea. Predictably, it started drizzling, though was better once I was in the woods. And then I noticed the winds were picking up. By the time I got to the coast, the rain had paused but the wind gusts were so hard I could hardly stand up at some points on the slippery boardwalk through the dunes as I headed down. Some say you can find bits of amber washed up on the shore. I didn't have time (or sufficient hair controlling devices) to allow for that, though I did pick up a souvenir seashell that probably won't make it home.
As I was heading out of the woods (a national park, I should note), past the signs to the women's nude beach and an odd one with must mean a dog beach or dog swimming or something, I noticed I'd just missed the ferry that would take me to the mainland for sightseeing. Doh! Well, that doh was premature, as what I learned when I consulted the ferry schedule was not only that the next ferry wouldn't arrive for another hour, but also that the first ferry of the morning doesn't depart until 7:15 AM. That's a problem since my target train to Kaunas leaves around 6:30 AM and the next one isn't until around 5 PM and the journey takes at least four hours. DOH!
Soooo..... I checked out of my hotel (unclear whether I will be charged for the second night) and got onto the next ferry to the mainland and checked into another hotel, The Old Mill, which I knew because it was right near the ferry. While I was early, they gave me a really large and bright room with a nice seating area and slanted skylights and a sink capable of washing more than one sock at a time. I hung out here for about an hour just drying out and recovering from the rain and wind I had already experienced before heading out to explore. In the rain. Without a hat or umbrella (the latter would have been useless in these winds). It's currently 53 F with winds at 30 mph, for those interested.
I hit the old town, grabbed some snacks when I stumbled upon a small grocery store, and will spend the rest of the day doing laundry, reading a book, and drinking my EUR 0.34 for 20 bags peppermint tea. While not planned, this downtime is exactly what I needed. (Full disclosure: snacks also included a wedge of brie -- for only EUR 1.49 -- some seed crackers and a half bottle of Spanish red, so there may be a happy hour before I head to dinner at the restaurant.)
So I am over half way through this adventure and no comments from readers. Is this helpful? Do you prefer history, statistics et cetera or more the experience of being here? How can I make the posts more useful?
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