The girl at the hotel had recommended cycling 50 odd km down the beach to the Lithuanian border. I was quite tempted as the road out of town looked quite busy.
I followed her instructions down through the Jurmalas park cycle path. Rather than leading to the beach it suddenly turned onto the main road. As there were no vehicles in sight in either direction it seemed safe enough.
As it is a coastal road it is quite flat and made for good cycling. There were some beautiful views out to see, but most of the time it drifted inland.
Near the border I pulled into Rucava to spend my remaining Lats and ended up buying a giant bar of milka as there was nothing else to get.
A strange old guy then started checking out my bike. Instead of some peace to eat lunch he insisted I went to his museum of music. While the museum is nothing special, the guy can play almost any instrument. He played songs on the accordion, the saw and a crazy nose instrument. Well worth a visit, though he doesn't speak English.
More fast paced cycling through the wooded border area took me to Lithuania and the tiny Palanga airport, which housed one bus as I rode past.
It would also seem Lithuania and Latvia are about to enter a dispute with the country's airbus right on the border.
Palanga is a local holiday resort. The picturesque main boulevard is all cafes leading down to the pier, which is full of people fishing, and the rest of town is cheap hotels.
The highlight is the botanical garden. A myriad of paths lead to ponds, flora and fauna and a chapel on the hill in the centre.
The Baltics are full of people aged 15-21 and I put this down to the optimism following the revolutions. Wherever you go there are young people out doing things, which is nice to see.
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