I was planning on only having two posts for the entire trip, but it just wasn't possible. Each of these places is worthy of its own incense-saturated, Bedazzled altar. So, friends, I take you with me on part two of three of our adventures, in hopes that you, too, are inspired to take a turn unexpected and go for the destination less visited.
xxx,
j
one: cat museum
This was the one thing I requested that we absolutely, positively must do. I'm a dog person, but this place supersedes any such lifestyle preference. After touring three rooms of cat-themed paraphernalia, we were ushered into a separate back room containing a magical menagerie of animals, including a giant Burmese python, a friendly owl, several Caiman alligators, and a sunflower seed-noshing monkey, all unwanted by their owners and now cared for by school children, who also provide diligent, hands-on tours and insightful commentary. The nearly twenty-year old resident cat was a charmingly crotchety host.
two: hill of crosses
two: curonian spit
The Curonian Spit is where birds of flight flock by the thousands, petal-white goats roam, and midsummer is celebrated with dance, drink, and vivid hues. The forest was magical, the ocean cold and roiling, the stretch of dunes gauzy and mystical, and the proximity to a Russian border a bit thrilling.
The path snaking through the strangely compatible pagan and Christian art was a needed respite from the cramped van. After Soviet-themed Grūtas Park, this one's widely-purported quirky quotient was a bit muted for us, but it was still worth visiting.
I'm not particularly into crosses, or religion, and was considering this stop on our itinerary to be a compromise, in an ok, you get the crosses, and I get the cat museum kind of way. I love it when I'm proven wrong. Well, not really, but in this case, it was fantastic.
The Curonian Spit is where birds of flight flock by the thousands, petal-white goats roam, and midsummer is celebrated with dance, drink, and vivid hues. The forest was magical, the ocean cold and roiling, the stretch of dunes gauzy and mystical, and the proximity to a Russian border a bit thrilling.
