Monday, 10 June Week 07

We start the day by climbing the observation tower in the port of Räpina. We've stopped counting. The fact is that we've climbed countless observation towers and lighthouses on this trip so far. We've probably climbed up and down about 2000 steps.

As we continue our journey, we spontaneously stop at the sandstone caves of Piusa. A colony of bats now lives in the caves. To protect these animals, we are no longer allowed into the caves, but also because the walls of the caves could collapse at any time.

We love old castles and so we stop at Vastseliina Castle. Once again we have the whole area to ourselves.

And then the moment has come; we climb Estonia's highest mountain. Suur Munamägi rises 312 metres above sea level. To improve the view even further, there is an observation tower on the "mountain summit" and so you are another 35 metres higher.

We are so exhausted from the climb that this time we take the lift to the observation deck and not the stairs 😉 (Until now, no tower has had a lift!)

Almost in a state of high spirits, we drive on to Rouge and climb the next observation tower. The 30-meter-high Pesapuu looks like a cross between a stork's nest and a Mexican sombrero.

Our goal was actually to park for free again today. But we don't like the parking spaces along our route today. We don't want to park along the street just because it's free, even though there's usually almost no traffic at night.

So we end up at the small, park-like campsite in Rouge next to the observation tower.

We share the area with two Germans.



We enjoy the view of a lake and the tower. The tower is actually lit up at night, but it doesn't get really dark here. Well, we'll wait and see.

Tuesday, June 11

Of course, we still use the large showers with wonderfully warm water today.

Finally we set off and drive further south. Today we are entering Latvia again. Our destination is Aluksne. We want to spend this sunny day here by the lake. The campsite is very simply equipped, there is not even a waste disposal facility, but it is beautifully located by the lake.

We're never interested in toilets anyway, and we don't care about showers either.

We finally unload our e-bikes again and ride along a good bike path into the nearby town. There is also a viewing tower on a peninsula, which we of course have to climb.

Yes, and then we had the idea of going around the lake. At 25 kilometers, it's not a trip around the world, but the dirt road that we encounter for many kilometers is mostly loose gravel. I, Heidi, have trouble driving on it. And the locals drive past in their cars at full speed and the cloud of dust that they leave behind is huge. Unfortunately, consideration is a foreign word.

Just a brief interim report. We find the locals in the Baltic States to be very distant people, even more so than the Finns, Swedes or Norwegians. They never greet you, and if you show consideration for people who are already climbing or descending a tower, for example, you never get a thank you, not even a friendly nod. Many people also avoid any eye contact. But you will be examined or stared at, and with a rigid expression.

Now we're back at our motorhome just in time for an aperitif and are enjoying the sun by the lake. Here too, the weather forecast is predicting rather unsettled weather for the next few days.



We will see and take it as it comes.

One more addendum to yesterday's interim report: The campsite operators and their employees are always friendly and helpful. Often, pleasant conversations arise.

But now to today.

Here too, the operators of the site are nice. The junior boss also chatted and told us that he worked briefly in Switzerland in 2022. His wife at least gave us a friendly nod. What was interesting here was that the boundary between the private life of the owners and the guests of the site was fluid. The family also spent most of their time on the site. So not to work, but to sunbathe, eat, chat with the grandparents, etc.

What we found negative was that for the 15 euros there wasn't even a waste bin. For fresh water you would have to go to who knows where with the operator, but we didn't need any. And of course there is no toilet disposal here either. But the location is nice and it is very quiet.

Our goal for today: to simply drive south at a slightly faster pace. We plan to stop in Aglona. The impressive Basilica of the Assumption of Mary is an important place for many pilgrims and believers every August 15th.

And Aglona also has a restaurant with good burgers and the French fries are excellent.

The search for a suitable place to stay overnight is once again a little difficult today. The freestanding pitches in Aglona do not appeal to us at all. Sometimes we shake our heads at the things marked as places to stay overnight on p4n. So we drive on to Kraslava. Since we don't feel like looking any further for an idyllic freestanding pitch, we head for the first campsite. Unfortunately, it is not on the Daugava River and for 20 euros it does not offer toilet disposal.

The next place is in the middle of nowhere, not our world at all, there is nothing more to write about it.

One more attempt to camp in the wild, a parking lot on the Daugava. But that too is in the middle of the forest, the river is nowhere to be seen and there is a party going on at the barbecue area. No thanks.

About a kilometer later, the next campsite comes up, and that's it - our perfect spot for the night. Right by the river and the owner shows us the perfect spot for us, as students stay in the bungalows here and it's not quiet everywhere. We're standing right at the back, slightly elevated above the river, absolutely quiet. Thank you.



That's what travelling is all about. It's not always sunshine and roses, but sometimes it's a bit of a hassle. We enjoy the evening and plan our onward journey.

Thursday, June 13

We start a bright and beautiful day. Before breakfast we walk to the small museum village of the Old Believers. It's really quaint but we like it.

Today we are heading south again. And today we decide not to take any detours, but to simply head straight south.

Well, and then we come across the worst construction site and therefore the most terrible stretch of road of the trip so far. 24 kilometers of mostly single-lane gravel road, bumpy, full of holes and with long waiting times at numerous red lights.

We understand very well that the road is being renovated, because many of the remaining kilometers are also a disaster to drive on.

We finally reach the center of Europe, much late. We are happy to take this break. At 2 p.m. we finally enjoy a yogurt for lunch.



And then we tackle the drive through Vilnius, luckily we get through quite well and arrive at our intended parking spot shortly after 4.30 p.m. A beautifully landscaped park-like spot in the middle of nowhere. That's perfect!

Friday, June 14

A new thing on this trip – it rained all night!

But it stops right on time in the morning. That way we don't get "pre-showered" on the way to the showers 😉

Our first and possibly last destination for today is Birstonas.

Here, the highest tower of the Batikum is waiting for us to climb it. The tower is 55 meters high and there are 300 steps to the top. The view is wonderful and we can enjoy it in peace and quiet. We read on the Internet that in summer there can be waiting times of over an hour. Only 40 people are allowed inside the tower at the same time, including on the platform at the top.

Back at Pfüdi we first have a delicious salad. Then we do some shopping at Nofra in Birstonas, but we don't find everything we would like.

How should the day continue today? Should we go to the campsite or drive a little further?

The decision is made, we drive to Druskininkai and first stop at the Maxima XX and find everything that was missing.



The campsite is also sparsely occupied here. We enjoy the peace and quiet. In Maxima we bought two cutlets for 2.50 euros (460 grams) fresh from the butcher's counter. They are now going on the grill. They are very juicy and tender. Add grilled vegetables and penne and our feast is ready. No, a glass of wine is also part of it, of course.

​​​​​​​​​​Tagestrecke:Rudiskes - Druskininkai

Distance: 162 km

Average consumption: 8.5 liters

Average speed: 55 km/h

Travel time: 2 hours 55 minutes

​​​​​​​Pitch costs: 26.50 Euro, including water/electricity

We're staying! Our mobile home needs an interior cleaning! And we'll do that right after breakfast.

But we also want to explore this spa town with thermal baths today. And we are completely surprised. Tarmac cycle and walking paths criss-cross the large forests. I was already afraid that I would have to ride on a bad gravel road again. There are many covered picnic areas along the way that invite you to take a break. We are on e-bikes and there are also a few others with us on bicycles, scooters, electric carts or even walkers, etc.

Finally we end up in the town and are once again completely surprised. A promenade, beautiful parks, many restaurants, interesting churches and buildings. Here too, many locals are enjoying this sunny Saturday. We treat ourselves to a delicious lunch.



This break from driving today is just the right thing and is twice as much fun in this beautiful place.

We climbed a total of 15 towers on this trip. That actually amounts to about 2,300 steps up and of course 2,300 steps down again.

So far we have been hiking a lot more than cycling.

Today is also time to take stock of the weather.

We haven't had a single day of rain so far! Once it rained in the morning and actually stayed rainy until about 4 p.m. And only one day was completely without sunshine!

After 5 ½ weeks we are leaving the Baltics today and entering Poland again.

But first we stop at Maxima XX in Druskininkai. We need bread again and a few small things. And while we're at it, we can also buy a bottle of our favorite wines from the last few weeks. One rosé and one red.

The cashier then explains to us that alcohol is only sold from 10 a.m. and now it is only just after 9 a.m.! Well, different countries, different customs! We realize that she doesn't quite understand either, and when I tell her that I have something to report on the blog today, she responds with a smile.

We gondola towards Poland in beautiful weather and soon cross the border.

And then comes the next surprise! We are stopped on the Polish side. Two border police officers ask for our passports, vehicle documents and driver's license. They are nice and courteous, and are amused by our fellow travelers. But they still take our papers to their vehicle and subject all documents to a thorough check.

With thanks and all the best for the onward journey, we get the papers back and are allowed to continue on our way. A first for us!

We decide to drive to the boat lifts on the Oberländer Canal.

A total of five lifting devices overcome a height of 99.2 meters. Very interesting and we can actually watch 4 ships on their way over land.

However, the further we drove west, the bright and beautiful day disappeared and it actually started to rain!

Almost 7 weeks of summer weather are behind us. Hopefully we can take it with us!



The next few days will show.