A trip with my family to the Curonian Spit peninsula – a popular vacation destination in Lithuania. May 2004.
S and I near a restaurant in Nida (Lithuania) in May of 2004. The sign above our heads advertises “Svyturys” (“Lighthouse”), the most popular brand of Lithuanian beer. In most restaurants or bars in Lithuania that’s what you get if you order “a beer” without specifying what kind. That is, except in the places that don’t carry Svyturys at all due to contracts with competing brands (kinda like the Coke-Pepsi rivalry on a miniature scale). That’s Curonian Lagoon in the background. The Curonian Spit peninsula separates it from the Baltic Sea.We are eating in a tiny family restaurant in Nida in May of 2004. The restaurant had no more than 4 tables and appeared to be converted from the owner’s family living room. The menu came in three languages — Lithuanian, German and Russian (there are lots of German tourists and vacationers in Nida, some of them even have their summer houses here) and was full of typos, some of them comical. For example, one of the dishes had peas among ingredients, and its Russian translation was misspelled to say “gunpowder” instead of “peas” (those two words differ in just one letter). Somebody suggested that this was actually a warning of what happens to you if you eat those peas… 🙂 Regardless, the food there was excellent! They had awesome fish dishes, as well as “regular” food (e.g. meat). If I recall, the name of the restaurant is “Po vysniomis” (“Under the cherry trees”) and I would recommend it to anyone who’s considering visiting Nida. Clockwise from the left: my dad, my sister M, her boyfriend P, my brother’s son J, S and I.dscf2759 On top of a dune in Nida, left to right: my sister M, mom, S, and I. Nida is a small town in the KurÅ¡ių Nerija (Curonian Spit) peninsula in the Baltic sea, known for its beautiful dunes and peaceful landscape, dotted with fishing villages.My family in Nida, walking down a dune towards the Curonian Lagoon KurÅ¡ių Marios).dscf2745 Dad, Mom, S and I in the driveway of their vacation house in Palanga, about to get in the red car and drive to Nida.dscf2751 To get to Nida, we had to take a 10-minute ferry trip from KlaipÄ—da, a port city, to the Kuronian Spit peninsula. In this picture, S standing on the ferry behind “our” car (which could have belonged to my parents, or my brother, or my sister’s boyfriend — I don’t remember).S and I on Nida’s gorgeous dunes. The Curonian Spit peninsula (where Nida is located) is flanked by two bodies of water: the KurÅ¡ių Marios lagoon, and the Baltic sea. One of them is visible in the background, but I’m not sure which one.dscf2754 My sister M and her boyfriend P at the observation point at the top of a dune, with a nice view of the Baltic sea (or the KurÅ¡ių Marios lagoon — I don’t know which one) behind them.dscf2767 Me walking down the stairs on the way back from the top of the dune in Nidadscf2768 My sister M with a view of KurÅ¡ių Marios lagoon in Nida (Lithuania) in the background.The whole family at the top of the dune in Nida. Left to right: my brother J, my sister M, her boyfriend P, my mom, me, S, and my dad.
