Enjoyed another large breakfast at the hotel buffet, I’m going to miss this semblance of comfort.

We were eventually directed towards the bus, but it didn’t leave for another hour. The trip has been a logistical disaster, I forgot how much I prefer to travel alone or in a small group. I used the time to blog and prepare for the forthcoming stop.

Nida is one of four towns that lie within the Lithuanian portion of the Curonian Spit, a sandbar that formed at the beginning of the Bronze Age. Widely considered to be Lithuania’s most prominent geological feature, the Spit is about 60 miles long and 2 miles wide. It has Prussian origins like Klaipeda, but is presently divided between Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia.

In the late 19th century Nida became a popular resort town for German writers and artists including Thomas Mann. It is still a very popular summer destination for Lithuanian and German tourists.

The usual crew decided to recover from last night, so I toured with Pauline, Thomas and other French kids. We started at the harbor, which lies on the Curonian Lagoon (divides the Spit from mainland).

From the harbor we had an amazing view of the Parnidis Dune, which reaches a height of almost 200 feet.

We encountered some lovely homes on the walk to the Dune.

Thomas and Pauline found a swing.

After a semi-strenuous climb we had a breathtaking view of the city and lagoon.

At the highest point stood a belvedere with an unbelievable view of the ‘Valley of Silence’, which divides the Lithuanian and Russian portions of the Spit.

Slowly made my way down the hill to the bus.

The ride home was extremely frustrating. We made two unnecessary stops that took unnecessarily long, and the Italians screamed and sang the entire drive. Arrived at Olandu before midnight.