After a week of rides that were nearly 70 miles in length each day (quite a bit longer than our preferred length of 55 miles per day), our ride today (Saturday) was a nice respite at 36 miles in length. It was a pleasure arriving at our destination city of Kaunas at 1 pm, giving us time to wander around the marvelous old part of the town. Our preliminary sense yesterday that Lithuania is a hip, trendy place was certainly borne out today. Not only do the young and middle-aged people dress extremely fashionably, but even the elderly generally dress in modern garb (unlike the old women in Poland, whom we saw most often dressed like "babushkas").
Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania, with a population of about 400,000. We entered it by crossing the Vytautas the Great Bridge across the Nemunas River. For a few years around 1800, it was said jokingly to be the longest bridge in the world, since one side of the bridge was in Prussia and the other in Russia. It therefore was the boundary between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, in effect making the short trip across it take 12 days (since the two calendars differed by 12 days).
According to the official Kaunas tour guide, one of the attractions of the city occurs on Saturdays, when the numerous weddings on the town square are a sight to behold. We saw at least five weddings going on during the hour or so that we were around the square. Each one featured a beautifully dressed bride and groom, a large party all decked out in the finest clothes, and at least one stretch limo.
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| One of the many nice houses we passed in the countryside today |
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| Most, but evidently not all, Lithuanians have melded well into the modern world |
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| The "longest bridge in the world" |
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| A happy view of Kaunas from the bridge |
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| The main square in the Old Town section of Kaunas |
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| A wedding party in the square |
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| Bride and groom from another wedding |
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| Street scene from our outdoor lunch table |
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