JUNE 2 - Head to the train station. A limited number of rail lines connect the country, forcing us to retrace our route back to Šiauliai, then continue west to the coast. A family enters the carriage, hovering around the seats near us for awhile before sitting down, with bulky, sort of random luggage. I’ve seen enough of this now to know that they are Ukrainian refugees. Based on fragments of their conversation with the ticket collector (in Russian), it appears they bought their tickets at the last minute without seat assignments. Everyone eventually finds a seat and we are off.
I unexpectedly I see a fox on a hill beside the tracks, standing at a burrow in a hill. When I tell Odette, she spends almost an hour looking for another to no avail. We get some heavy rain during the 3.5 hour trip.
Disembark in Klaipėda. It is thankfully sunny, but about 10 degrees colder than Vilnius due to a brisk wind. The apartment we are staying in is only about 10 minute walk from the station, but hidden in a complex where every building seems to have the same number. Eventually find the right door and plug in the entry codes.
Klaipėda is a compact city, with main streets paralleling the coastline. As such it is really easy to navigate. It is the third largest city and the largest port in Lithuania.
