Visaginas-Molėtai. 12-13 September 2015

    First and last ride that autumn. As usually, I took the bus to go out of Kaunas and start my bike trip. This time - in north-east part of Lithuania, otherwise - lake land :) I was very ambitious so, I started from the biggest Lithuania lake - Drūkšiai, close to Visaginas. But when I went there, I saw that the biggest doesn't mean the most beautiful... My next stop was very important object for Lithuania in the near past - Ignalina nuclear power plant, which made about 60-70% electricity of Lithuania, but was closed in 2009. Now you can feel complete emptiness there, but in the same time the feeling that people will fill out the place soon don't leave the mind.

Former Ignalina nuclear power plant

    I didn't stop there for long time and continued my trip. In this part of Lithuania roads are quite empty and you can cycle hours only meeting few cars.

Sculpture "Ignas and Lina" in Ignalina

     Counting lakes and churches around the way I reached my Saturday final destination - Palūšė. From first minute I came there, I knew - I will be back to this place one day (or few days)! Cute wooden church, big lake alongside - tranquility and harmony :) Photos can't convey these feelings, but I took some:

Church in Palūšė

View from Palūšė church to Lūšiai lake

    

Dinner in front of Lūšiai lake

    I am very grateful to Tiki Inn guest house owners, that they let me stay in they camper in front of Lūšiai lake. They were so nice and accommodating, that despite I payed to stay there, I felt like at friend's home. Also thanks to their advises, I made a little nice tour around lake before going to sleep.

Home for the night

      Sunday morning the rain woke me up. Sad to leave this nice place and good people I went of with a hope that it will not rain all day. Happily, the rain stopped soon and I could stop near the lakes (lost the number of crossed lakes and stopped to count them:) ), to take some berries in the forests and enjoy the hills.

Labanoras lake

Labanoras

Labanoras

Stirniai

Lake "Baltieji Lakajai"

     After crossing Labanoras forest, I found the object I wanted to visit the most - Mindūnai view tower - the highest view tower in Lithuania (36 m). After 214 steps I was on the top and stopped there for a while :).

Stairway to sky - Mindūnai view tower

On the top

View from the top

Sinking island

     From Mindūnai I had not much way to go. Just about 10 km and I was in Molėtai where I needed take the bus to come back to Kaunas. I stopped in town center to buy cold drink and then sited back on my bike to make a tour. But something was wrong. When I looked back, I saw my back tire completely empty! I understood, that the pump will not help this time and I must to do the tour by foot. Despite that, I couldn't be angry. I spent great week-end, cycled about 150 km and only at the end I had flat tire.

Molėtai

Molėtai

     The finish of this trip was not like I imagined, but every obstacle give some lessons!

Sometimes it finish like this. Home

The trip

Manors and castle. 26 July

   One day someone asked me how I choose the destination of my trips. There is one of the stories. I just saw the photo of one manor somewhere in the book or internet. It was Lentvaris Manor and looked like this: https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentvario_dvaras#/media/File:Lithuania_Landwar%C3%B3w_Palace.jpg I thought: "it's in Lithuania and I never seen it? I must to go there". It was the decision. After that I just looked on the map what is near by to visit by bike and waited for good day to cycle.

   26 July. As usually, I took the bus to start my trip and get out near Vilnius where I started to cycling. I was not very confident about the way I chose to go forward, when it turned in the dark forest and seemed to go nowhere (although in the photo it looks better:) ).

The way through dark forest

Crossing railway

Somewhere

     After good "rebus" of not marked roads and paths I finaly reached my first place to stop - Trakų Vokė manor surrounded by nice park around, designed by french landscape designer Édouard André.

Trakų Vokė manor. Backside

Trakų Vokė manor. Front side

     Next stop was Lentvaris Manor. The place I wanted to visit the most. It was impressive! Not only the manor, but also others buildings and park (designed by the same french landscape designer as Trakų Vokė manor's park). But it is very sad, that the owners of this manor keep it in so bad shape.

Lentvaris manor

Lentvaris manor

Lentvaris manor

In Lentvaris manor park

     With the hope to see these buildings renovated next time when I will be there, I left Lentvaris to go to Trakai, to visit the castle there which is probably the best-known castle in Lithuania. But it happened that I didn't went there directly. After another "rebus" of the small ways, I accidentally found a cool trail in the wetland and a shelter to stop for the lunch, because it started to rain slowly. Ah! And do not forget that I eat a lot of blueberries there :)

Varnikai cognitive walking way

Lunch under the roof

Natural grace

The way through the wetland

Wetland

     When I came to Trakai, the weather was not very nice already, so I didn't stop there for long time. Just passed in front of the castle and went forward.

Trakai castle

Flowers in Galvė lake

     Despite the rain, I decided to visit one more manor in other side of Galvė lake - Užutrakis manor. Interesting fact, that owners of all three manors I visited that day (Trakų Vokė, Lentvaris and Užutrakis manors) in XIX century was the same - counts Tiškevičiai. They had to be very rich! :)

Užutrakis manor

     After little stop, the rain started again, so I decided to rush a bit and take a bus in Vievis to go back home as soon as I can. So, next 20 km was just fast cycling in the rain and I came to bus stop just about 5 min. before the bus. Despite all, I was surprised to enjoy this part of my trip - wet fast cycling :) There is the map of my trip. The distance - 69 km.

Grigiškės - Trakų Vokė - Lentvaris - Trakai - Užutrakis - Vievis

    

Cycling near Kaunas. 7 July

      7 July.

      It was the last day of my summer holidays and I decided to cycle a bit. Long time ago I wanted to find the better way than crowed road to go to one small town near Kaunas - Kulautuva, so it was the time to discover Kaunas surroundings :)

      Firstly I cycled on the nice cycling path along the river, but later I needed to cycle on pathways through the fields.

Can you see the path? It is there :)

Sometimes it's good to go out of better roads, to see more beautiful view.

Found a great new cycling path where I didn't expected. Great to see more and more paths for cyclists!

Sometimes it is better do not trust in your navigation system, because it can put you in the river :)

When you travel alone, you can have fun just trying to take a photo of you...

      In the middle of the day I arrived in Kulautuva. It was so peaceful time, only with few people around. I spent the time making some tours around when looking what they have there and enjoying the smell of the pine forest.

Kulautuva

Kulautuva

Kulautuva

Kulautuva

Kulautuva

Kulautuva

       Later I ate my lunch at the small boats quay. Don't break my tradition to eat lunch with a nice view :) And then started my way to go back to Kaunas.

Small boats quay in Kulautuva

Going back to Kaunas

      On my way home there was a nice castle in Raudondvaris, so I stopped there for a short break.

Raudondvaris castle

Raudondvaris castle

Raudondvaris castle

Raudondvaris castle

      Despite my thought to make a short local trip, I cycled that day about 75 km.