Klaipeda

Pronounced 'clay-pah- DAH', this is the third largest city in Lithuania and the only port city for Lithuania so, of course, the industry here is ship building and transporting coal. Lithuania's history and the city's history are very similar to the other two Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia so I won't repeat it again.  As in Riga and Tallin, Klaipeda's old town is a UNESCO historical site as is the national park located across the lagoon from the city on the peninsula called Curonian Spit.

The Curonian Spit is 98 km long and has four small communities on it, the largest is Juodokranie or in English its called Black Shore because when seen from the lagoon, the forest and hills make it look very dark. The communities are connected by one road and lots of walking or bike trails.  It is a favorite place to spend a nice afternoon.

Before exploring the village of Black Shore we got to dabble our toes in the Baltic sea on the north side of the spit of land that seperates the sea from the lagoon.  In Blak Shore we stopped by a small Lutheran church that was built here in 1885.  During the war it was a Catholic church for the Germans, then the USSR used it to store wood.  When Lithuania gained its independence in 1991 it was again refurbished to become a Lutheran Church but because the conregation is so small, it is shared with the Catholic church so both kinds of services are held here.

We also stopped at a weather vane gallery to see weather vanes used on fishing boats.  These vanes are designed so that they tell the story of the fisherman like how many boys are in his family, what is home is like and his courage.

The highlight of this tour was Witches Hill.  Created by artists in 1975, the forest on the hill has pathes running through it with carved oak pieces that represent the tales, stories and fables of Lithuania.  Most of these stories use the devil or witches as the bad guys, hince the name "Witches Hill".  One story is about a girl names Naringa who growes to be a giant of a woman who can walk out into the lagoon and save ships and people from storms. The name 'Naringa' is synonomus with Curonia.  

We left the tour when it got back to town so we could explore it on our own and then stop for a beer and snack before getting back on the ship.