KAUNAS, LITHUANIA
Dates: 12.10.2019 – 13.10.2019
RIGA – KAUNAS
12.10.2019: The main mission of this trip is to buy an MTB bike. Originally, the plan was to get a Bianchi Kuma, but yesterday the guy sent me a text saying he had already sold it to someone else. What a move.
Since the accommodation was already booked and paid for, I had to find an alternative. In the end, it actually worked out pretty well – a Cube Attention.
Madara still has to work today, so we’re leaving in the late afternoon. She manages to get away from work a little earlier, so I pick her up at around 4 PM and off we go. We’re taking Baltušs’ Ford because I don’t trust my own car enough for a trip this long. Better not end up stranded somewhere halfway! 🙂
KAUNAS
12.10.2019: We arrive in Kaunas even a little earlier than expected. Our accommodation is basically just one room with a bathroom, but honestly, we don’t need anything more for one night. We park the car and head out for an evening walk.
We’re staying quite close to the city centre. We walk towards the Old Town along one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe – Laisvės Avenue. The tourist season is clearly over, and almost the entire street has been dug up and is under construction. At least it should look nice by next season. Slowly, we make our way to Kaunas Castle. There are also huge, brightly lit KAUNAS letters next to the castle, which look pretty impressive in the dark.
We had read that Kaunas has quite a lot of buildings covered in graffiti – the good, artistic kind – although in the darkness it’s not exactly easy to see much of it.
On the way back, we stop at a small bar. We have some rather average beer but an absolutely delicious burger. That’s it – we’re ready for bed.
GARLIAVA
13.10.2019: In the morning, the guy messages me again asking whether I’m definitely not going to bail on him, because he still has to drive over from Marijampolė. Everything is going according to plan. At 9:00 AM we meet just outside Kaunas in a smaller town – at a petrol station in Garliava.
To be fair, I don’t really know that much about what exactly I should be checking on a used MTB bike. It has a few small scratches, but at first glance everything seems fine. No point overthinking it – I’m taking it. Now I’ll finally have something to ride through the forests during autumn and winter.
KAUNAS
13.10.2019: We decide to start with Akropolis shopping centre, where we should be able to buy some šakotis. One for Baltušs as a thank-you for lending us the car, and one for ourselves.
After that, we drive back to the Old Town, because we should probably see it in daylight as well. On Sundays, you can park right next to Kaunas Castle for free, so that’s where we start. We take a walk around the castle park. There don’t seem to be many people around, but fair enough – it’s still Sunday morning. Walking back into the Old Town, we finally see some of the graffiti we had read about. There are a few interesting ones here and there.
We rent electric scooters for a while, but apparently riding over cobblestones shakes Madara’s brain a little too much, so after about 20 minutes that idea is abandoned. We stop at a small café for some pastries. The coffee is good, of course, but when it comes to baked goods, the Lithuanians still have some work to do.
I’m actually quite surprised by the selection of CityBee cars available here. Tiny Fiats, Golfs, RAV4s, Minis and even BMW X3s. I wonder what the rates are like? Back home, we can basically only drive around in little Fiat 500s.
KAUNAS – RIGA
13.10.2019: Before heading home, we stop at Lidl to buy some small snacks for the road and a few random bits and pieces. Somehow, though, the most valuable purchase turns out to be cat litter. Back home, we unload the bike and then it’s time to return the Ford. Car returned and “payment” made in the form of a šakotis. On the way home from Baltušs’ place, Madara gets to try the “little bee” for the first time.