Day 55: Riga to Šiauliai

MAY 28 - This morning is taken up with bookings, since I have good wifi, and Odette gets through some math and vocabulary homework. It is cold with periodic rainstorms, not the best day to be walking around anyway. We leave at noon to the bus station, where we camp out in the departure lounge next to a family with a considerable amount of baggage, along with a dog. I suppose they could be Ukrainian, as I hear some vaguely recognizable Russian-sounding words (Ukrainian sounds similar to Russian, as least to my unrefined ear).

In general, bus stations (along with train stations) are an interesting place to watch people. Unlike airports, these transport hubs reflect much more of who is moving around in the local populations. There is a lot of Russian being spoken here, more than I heard in Estonia, as about 25% of the country uses Russian as their first language.

If there is a tension between the Russian and Latvian speaking populations, with respect to the current Ukrainian situation, it is clear who has the loudest voice. I’ve yet to see a Russian flag amidst the legions of Ukrainian flags on every street, and plastered across high rise buildings.

Squeeze on to our minibus and head south. Odette immediately tells us she needs to use the bathroom, though we spent two hours sitting in the bus station beforehand. We tell her she will have to pee in a bottle, and this convinces her to hold it for the 2.5 hour trip.

This time, I see in detail the border crossing. The only way we know is a small sign indicating that we are now in Lithuania, with the EU flag as the background. We pass a silent and empty immigration and customs building. It doesn’t look abandoned, but is clearly not being used for anything at the moment.

More canola fields in bloom. This is one of the only crops I can identify at this point in the growing season.

Today’s route: (A) Riga, (B) Šiauliai.

Upon arrival in Šiauliai, I am struck by the expansive layout of sidewalks and parks. Old, obviously Soivet-aged apartment buildings compete with slick, modern architecture. The vast area of the plazas seems to me a carry over from earlier times, when parades were an important way to rally the people.

In the main plaza of town.

The steeple of Saint Disciple Peter and Paul Cathedral.

On the grounds of the above cathedral. Now we’ve begun to see a lot of wooden religious sculptures, there are many around town.

Sundial Square. This area is full of local meaning. First, the gold gilt archer on top of the column references the connection between the word ‘archer’ in Lithuanian and the name of the city. Second, it is a sundial, in which the word sun is related to an early battle that took place (Battle of Saule*). Thirdly, the original plaza was built in 1986, when stirrings for Lithuanian independence were strong, and this place acted as a center for protest and political discussion.

A nearby park gives a great view of Talkša Lake.

Just stopping by the park to feed their dog to the largest medal sculpture in Lithuania, entitled ‘The Fox’.

My favorite mural in Šiauliai, a few blocks from our apartment.

*More on the Battle of Saule from above. It was fought in 1236 between a coalition of pagan regional tribes and knights of the Livonian Order. The knights were soundly defeated including their commander, and the Order lost considerable territory on the south side of the Daugava River. As a result, the year 1236 is still recognized today as an important commemorative date for Lithuania.

Lithuania Latvia