JUNE 5 - Some homework and other administrative tasks get done this morning, before humping the gear down to the train station. Today is a long haul on two different trains.
Sit next to an engineering student nearing his final year at university in Vlinius. He is from a small town in northern Lithuania. He says his way of speaking Lithuania is more like Latvian, due to the proximity of his town to the border (‘we are the Scots of Lithuania’ he muses). We talk a bit, but don’t dwell on, the current situation of Russia and their threats in general to the Baltic States and Finland. There just isn’t much to say, the problem is clear to all. He says in school, for languages, he was offered either Russian or German. He chose German because it seemed like the more logical one to learn for future job opportunities.
“So you didn’t learn Russian?”
“Oh, my Russian is better now than my German anyway. Even though I never took it at school.”
On our second train ride, it is open seating so there is a rush to find space. Not our ideal situation, as the luggage has to get crammed into some corner or another. Eventually on our way. The only excitement on this ride is an enormous wasp, which enters at some point and causes a minor panic before someone smashes it against the window with a shoe.
Into Kaunas and walk 15 minutes to our apartment. It feels hot here, it is at least 20⁰ C. The city is like a ghost town on this Sunday afternoon. The host meets us at the building address, which is a good thing because we may never have found the room. Eat the worst pizza in the world at a place called American Pizza, then I trudge off to Maxima grocery store (open until 22:00!) to get breakfast stuff.
Lithuania