Rain and gales, a medieval village and a little devilry in Kaunas

Sunday morning was grey but dry so we had the opportunity for a lovely walk along a field path that bordered the River Neman. The night before had been quiet and the early morning was only disturbed by the arrival of local fisherman at the crack of dawn. This was the closest to Russia we had been on this trip, albeit the enclave of Kaliningrad which forms a little Russian island along most of the border between Poland and Lithuania. Formerly known as East Prussia, the Soviet Union managed to hang onto it after WWII and it remained in Russian hands after Lithuania and Poland broke free from communism. Just downstream from where we had parked, the Neman is actually the boundary between the two countries. 

Neri's river

We drove on to Kaunas, Lithuania's second largest city. After topping up with water at a Circle K filling station, we have found them very handy, we parked up close to the river Neris which obviously means Neri's river. We thought the spaniels had probably had enough exercise so we left them in the van and wandered through the lovely old part of the city. Despite the onset of autumn, cafe culture appeared to be alive and well in Kaunas with citizens sitting outside, wrapped up well and enjoying coffee or something a little stronger. 

Plenty of opportunity for pavement grazing in Kaunas

Our ultimate destination was the Museum of Devils, about half a kilometre from the centre and it did not disappoint. Housed in a rather functional building over three floors, it holds over 3,000 sculptures and carvings of devils of one sort or another. Old Nick himself features strongly but demons from a variety of other folk myths and beliefs are on display including India,  Japan, Cuba and Mexico. 

The original collection was started by a local artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičus, a name surely worth a host of points on the Scrabble board. He began collecting in secret in defiance of the Soviet authorities who had a law against religious artefacts. Over the years many other people left gifts of devils to the museum, one of which is a sculpture showing Hitler and Stalin as devils fighting over the bones of Lithuania.

A comment on the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Lithuania

On the way out of Kaunas we paused for one of our routine visits to a laundrette on the outskirts of the city before heading down the A1 motorway to our planned overnight stop. The road down to the lakeside picnic site had been surfaced in the dim and distant past but now contained more potholes that the Peak District so we made zig-zag progress to the lakeside in the gathering gloom. By this time the rain was coming down and the forecast was looking poor so we made the decision to batten down the hatches and stay there for two nights and sit out the rain and gales.

An early walk with the spaniels along a dripping forest track the next morning confirmed that our decision to stay put was the right one. We spent Monday in the van with Neri doing some housekeeping, before planning our route onwards towards Greece, while Nick caught up on some outstanding family history research for a client. Monday night was the windiest we had experienced so far on this trip, with gale-force gusts causing choppy conditions on the lake and bashing against Florence's sides. 


By morning, although the wind was still strong, the rain had blown through and some sunshine was delivered. We set off for Kernavé, now a village but once the capital of the medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of the natural mounds which became hill forts in an area which has been settled since the 9th century BC. 

A neat medieval pig sty

Archaeologists have discovered burial grounds with rich grave goods, and the remains of an ancient town which had completely disappeared. Lithuania resisted the onslaught of Christianity longer than most of Europe and the area represents a period when Paganism finally succumbed to the swords of Christian knights in the early medieval period. The highlight for us was a reconstruction of a 13th century village, complete with houses, workshops and domestic animal shelters. For the spaniels it was a chance for a run off the lead around the towering mounds. 

A kiln for pottery

It would be a brave enemy that stormed this position

In the late afternoon we set off for our overnight stopping place, pausing at a small village supermarket on the way to pick up some much-needed bottles of wine. Shortly after we parked up our evening was enlightened by a fisherman emerging from a small boat on the nearby lake carrying a huge pike, which he proceeded to lift to show us as he passed the van. He looked exceedingly proud, as well he might be, although the pike looked less than happy. We are just yards from what is claimed to be the geographical centre of Europe.  We will walk there tomorrow

The autumn colours here are glorious