Windblown Into Latvia

This morning (Monday), we left Panevezys, Lithuania, expecting to bike 44 miles to Birzai (also in Lithuania) and then cycle 64 miles to Riga, Latvia the next day. The weather prediction (which we check carefully every day) called for wind at our back today & into our face tomorrow, so we decided to bike further today & thus leave a shorter distance for tomorrow's into-the-wind ride. Our internet search for lodging beyond Birzai was unsuccessful, so we stopped into a tourist information office on route and they identified a guest house in Vecumnieki, Latvia, 30 miles beyond Birzai. So we rode 74 miles today, leaving only 34 for tomorrow. A special feature was that, when we reached the guest house, it turned out that we're staying in our own 2-bedroom, 2-story house at a cost of only $20!

Our prior 2 nights' towns of Kaunas & Panevezys, in Lithuania, demonstrate the importance of historical preservation in old cities and towns. Kaunas has a wonderful old part of town, and is a thriving town full of tourists who come to visit the historic town center. It is full of excellent restaurants, hotels, shops, and night clubs. Panevezys, on the other hand, was damaged in WWII and then had its old town destroyed by the Soviets, who turned it into an industrial center. It now is full of decaying buildings, has few people on the streets, and the only restaurant choices are a couple of pizza joints.

About a week ago, from June 24-28, Panevezys was the site of the International Youth Basketball Global Games, which included teams from Lithuania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Latvia, and USA.

The one nice feature of Panevezys is the pond near the city center

A Lithuanian babushka commuting to the market

Entering Latvia

A nice dwelling on our route in Latvia

These Latvian kids were fascinated by two Americans in their small town, and enjoyed practicing the few English words they knew (e.g., "What's your name?")

Our two-bedroom, two-story, $20 house for the night