Our Baltic cruise on P&O Aurora would take us to Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Denmark and Norway.
On Wednesday 17th May we docked In Klaipeda. This was our first Baltic State of the cruise
Klaipėda
Breakfast was again a late affair this time in the buffet (Horizon restaurant) where I had an excellent freshly made-to-order omelette. The shuttle bus took us from the dock into Theatre Square. The tourist office was just around the corner and there I picked up a couple maps of the town.
In the square there was a market with stalls selling locally made craft items.
Next to the fountain the folk band had set themselves up and were entertaining everyone in the square.We wandered around the stalls looking at the knitted items, the carvings and lovely artwork made from driftwood and paintings.
On the banks of the Dane River
From Theatre Square we walked to the river. Along its banks were new buildings built in the style of old warehouses that were either offices or restaurants. Across the river we could see a path with sculptures and statues. We walked along the bank past the new buildings and crossed over the road to follow the bank to have a look at the sailing ship moored there. The Meridianas was used for training purposes and is now a fish restaurant.
Behind us was the statue of a chimney sweep up on top of the building’s chimney. This is above no 8 on Kalviq Street.
Below on the wall was his ‘button’ that if touched will bring you luck.
Down the side street past the chimney sweep was this cat on a wall.
Back walking up the river side we came to another of Klaipėda’s statues. This was a money box with money cascading down the pavement. This is at the site of the first Memel Savings Bank.
Over the Dane River
We crossed the river and walked back along the other bank to look at the metal structure there. All around the sphere were padlocks again for luck and perhaps for love.
Behind us and towards the road were these ‘bugs’ with bodies covered in plants.
Below the bridge there was a mermaid down at the level of the river. Here I am sitting rather uncomfortably next to her.
(image by Linda)
On the wall by the steps was this stenciled street art.
(Compare to the stenciled screaming woman in Gdynia)
Time for lunch
Through the back streets we reached Theatre Square and went into one of the cafes there for lunch. I tried creamy vegetable soup followed by potato pancakes stuffed with sausages and cheese.
The local beer that accompanied the meal was also very good.
More sculptures in Klaipėda
After lunch we walked down Turguas Street and went into one of the amber galleries. Next to the jazz club we found the a sculpture of a small mouse. This was made from bronze and stone and like the chimney-sweep’s button has magical powers. Whisper your wish into its ear and your wish will come true!
Next we found the cat with a man’s face …
… and some more street art and stencils.
This street had a series of small park squares with sculptures around them. A photo shoot was taking place using houses along the street as a backdrop. This interesting decoration was over an outside light.
Crossing back across Turguas Street we found the dragon sculpture climbing down the wall opposite an art gallery. Rainwater can pour down out of its mouth and into the huge footprint below.
Close by was a small supermarket that was our opportunity to stock up on chocolate.
Back to Aurora
Back at Theatre Square we caught a shuttle bus back to the ship. We chatted to a couple who had been in St Petersburg many times before and had travelled with our chosen tourist company. It was reassuring to hear how good their tours had been earlier. This trip they planned a one day private trip before joining one of the regular tours for the last day.
On the quayside by Aurora were two more statues. This composition is called ‘Childhood dream’ and consists of a waving child and a dog.
Once back on the ship we watched the comings and goings as passengers and new crew came on-board. We now could see one of the bridges over the River Dane where we had walked so perhaps next visit we will walk into the town rather than riding on a shuttle bus.
We joined friends in their cabin on the opposite side of the ship where we could now see across the lagoon to the opposite bank which was covered in trees. When Aurora left her berth we looked over the small ferry terminal for Smiltyne. Further down stream there were three boats on display as examples of the past work of the shipyards of Klaipeda.
At the mouth of the river we could then see the sands that stretched for tens of kilometres to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
The Baltic was once again calm and Aurora’s wake rippled away across the sea. After the pilot left the ship these were the fumes from Aurora’s funnel.
Dinner was once again in the main dining room. I chose my standby of sirloin steak (with extra mushrooms). I stayed with a prawn cocktail for my starter but for dessert I had a rocky road sundae (another new addition to the menu).
This cruise was proving very difficult to find somewhere to have a quiet pre-dinner drink. This evening was no exception as in the Crows Nest there was once again a band playing so loudly that we all left and went to Anderson’s Bar. Not unsurprisingly this bar was packed.
After dinner we opted to go to the syndicate quiz again.This was not our best evening and apart from answering a very difficult question on anatomy we missed out on some simple questions such as the name of the bar in the film Casablanca (Rick’s Bar).