Day 14 – August 29, 2016 – Polish border-Wrocen

In the morning we crossed the border to Poland. Instantly the tarmac started and so we could move forward faster. We drove over Suwalki and Augustow to Biebrzanski national park. In this park there is one of the largest swamp areas in Europe and the landscape along the river Biebrza there was dominated by a vast flat plain. At the camping spot Dolina Biebrzy our day ended. Sadly there was no power for our phones here but at least we had fresh water. 

Jonas and Lukas

Day 13 – August 28, 2016 – Kaunas-Polish border

From our camping spot at the river Memel we rode into the city center of Kaunas. After a short look to the remains of a castle and two churches we left Kaunas straight in southern direction. Over Marijampole and Kalvarija we came near the Lithuanian-Polish border. At a small lake near Rūdninkai we stayed for the night. In this region of Lithuania the plains generally encountered in the Baltics end and hills started to dominate the landscape. Fortunately the sun didn’t shine the whole day, so it wasn’t as hot as the day before and even the wind came down.

Jonas and Lukas

Day 12 – August 27, 2016 – Pociūnėliai-Kaunas

Today was a hot day like the day before and probaly the following ones. We drank a lot of water and by a lot I mean over 14 liters. At one point of our route we lost the way and so we needed to haul our bikes through a forrest which seemed more like a jungle. In the future we’ve learned to turn around instead of loosing so much time and get stressed out. After that we we followed the river Nevezis through a nice valley. This river flows into the river Memel. The night we slept at a site where these two rivers joined near Kaunas. Because of the weather we shortened our tour and are going to look into Kaunas tomorrow.

Jonas and Lukas

Day 11 – August 26, 2016 – Zeimelis-Pociūnėliai

On this day we cycled through the countryside from village to village along fields and woods. It was the main time to harvest the grain. So we saw many combine harvesters and tractors. We started near the border and in the evening we were in central Lithuania at another lake. On the way we told our story to other people, one cyclist and one costumer of a shop in which we bought something. This was a welcomed exeption to most other days in the Baltics. We think its because relatively few people here speak English and maybe people are a little more reserved towards foreigners.

Jonas and Lukas

Day 10 – August 25, 2016 – Riga-Zeimelis

We said goodbye to our beds in the hostel and got back on our bikes. First we went to Alberta iela, the part of Riga with many buildings in Art Nouveau, hopefully the last sight in Riga we hadn’t seen. Then we rode out of the city in southern direction. In Jelgava we had our mid day break and then went further on the main road. Because in Latvia the Autobahn have no separate bike lanes, it was necessary to cycle on the road alongside many trucks. But the other half of the day we used dirt tracks to get forward. So there were only main roads with lots of traffic or small tracks with a lot of potholes. So there are better conditions imaginable but the on small roads you can really see the countryside and get a sense of adventure. In the end we passed the Latvian-Lithuanian border and made camp in a village called Zeimelis.

Jonas and Lukas

Day 9 – August 24, 2016 – Riga

Today was our day of regeneration with sightseeing in Riga. After a good night in a warm bed at the Gogol Park Hostel in Riga we washed our clothes. At this day we saw the Riga Old Town with the Central Markt, Riga Castle, Riga Dom and much more. Riga is the biggest city in the Baltics and also a hansa city located at the Daugava river. Because Lukas doesn’t bother so much with sightseeing, Jonas went up on the 17th floor of the Latvian Academy of Sciences alone and watched the panorama of Riga. In the evening we planed the tour to Warszawa.
Jonas and Lukas

Day 8 – August 23, 2016 – Rakari-Riga

In the morning we lit up the fire again and warmed us after the rainy night. After warming up we were ready to start and rode some kilometers on the main road A1, then we decided to go back to the coast on smaller roads. But it was the right decision. We found some sandstone outcrops and a beautiful beach. This wasn’t the fastest way, because we had to carry our bicycles down some stairs to the beach and the road turned into a path sometimes. Today our batteries went low and our phones shout off. So we faced some difficulties to find the way. But in the end we got to Riga in the afternoon. But to find the hostel, we booked earlier we needed some electricity for our smartphone. After looking around in Riga for some time we were lucky and found a charger for electric cars in a multi-storey car park. Astonishingly it also charged smartpones. So in the end we found our hostel and it was perfect to have a shower and a bed after a long time on the bike.
Jonas and Lukas

Day 7 – August 22, 2016 – Baltic Sea Beach-Rakari

In the night it was raining so the morning was cold and wet. Therefore we decided to get on our bikes quickly. In Häädemeeste, a village at the coast of the Baltic Sea we stoped to buy some things. Unfortunately it started raining again. We made a break in a bus stop and waited. Next was our first bordercrossing by bike, the Estonian-Latvian border between Ikla and Ainazi. In the next town of Salacgriva, with a port, we bought our dinner. Like the days before we had chose out of a variety of local soups we hadn’t really heard of. Luckily we found a nice camping spot near a river after that. Here we lit fire and had our soup. The camping spot was vast compared to the previous ones, but on this day we were alone there.
Jonas and Lukas

Day 6 – August 21, 2016 – Saeveski metsaonn-Pärnu-Baltic Sea

The first highlight of the day was the Soomaa National Park. It consits of 4 mires, rivers and woods. As we rode through it, the rivers had high water partly submerging our track. The floods are special for this national park and was spectacular to watch. The next stop was Tori, a village with a nice church and a shop to buy water, desperatly needed by us. After the next 20 km we reached Pärnu, one of the bigger cities in Estonia. It’s located next to the Baltic Sea. We explored the city center with some churches, the central street and the Pärnu river, which released its black waters into the Baltic Sea. We left Pärnu by the road to Latvia. Unfortunately there was no seperate bike lane by the road, which is also a frequently used European Cycle Way. We set up camp right next to to the Baltic Sea, on a dune. We watched the fantastic sunset and swam in the Baltic Sea for the first time on this trip.
Jonas and Lukas

Day 5 – August 20, 2016 – Järvi Pärnjärve telkimisala-Saeveski metsaonn

We followed a road in the forrest to reach the main road number 5, which lead to Pärnu. In Paide, a small town next to this road we had our mid day break. Our goal was the Soomaa National Park. We only reached a nice camping spot next to river, in the middle of the woods. Here was not only a nice cabin to sleep in, but a dad with his son on an adventure trip. So we slept downstairs and they were upstairs in the cabin. To sleep there was a bit better than in the tent, because we had more space and in the morning our tent was dry.
Jonas and Lukas