Merkinė, Medininkai & Belmont track

Today was great as well. We decided to go to the ruins of the Pavlovo Respublica. It was an interesting and, for a brief period of time successful experiment in democracy and utopia. On the way we stopped at a very nice church at Turgeliai. On the grounds there were some tall tree stumps. Georgia immediately requested to be put on top so she could pose from this pedestal. We obliged and then some lady from the neighboring yard started to scream that this is a sacred place and you cannot do it. I guess any further desecration from up there (use your imagination) is out of question.  

We got off the pedestal and kept going. Merkinė ruins are very nicely overgrown. Most of us were wearing skirts and were not equipped to go through the thick bushes of nettle. Dan was the best dressed. But curiosity was stronger than a few stings and we got to a few of those buildings. Oh, how we miss having a metal detector. They were awesome, absolutely delectable ruins. With crumbing cellars and everything. And most certainly not the safest structurally to hang around for the complete delight.

Isabella is wearing a proper treasure collecting attire... at least on her head :)

Next, Irina suggested Medininkai castle ruins some 15 km away at the Byelorussian border.

The castle wall and some of the buildings inside are already restored. But the work is still continuing and a lady who was impersonating the dog picture on the gates growled and did not let anyone in. Maybe she is a sister of the Turgeliai’s lady. We walked around a well walked path around the perimeter of the wall. Very pretty. Dan carried Isabella on his neck. As we were leaving we saw that the dog lady was not made of stone after all and let in an old LT sedan with some suspicious people in it. Maybe they will help her to dig for treasure.

There is an old St. Casimir’s church nearby that looks like Pagoda.

On the way home we stopped in the forest on the way and tried some berry picking. The forest was disgustingly dirty: broken bottles, boxes, you name it. It looked like a dumping ground. We got back in the car and drove a bit further and tried the other side of the road. Same thing. Really disgusting. I hope it does not happen to Kernave.

The next stop was Belmont. It is incredibly well developed area with restaurants, playgrounds, waterfall, ponds, gazebos, and other niceties to enjoy your time there. Very popular spot for the weddings or at least taking pictures for those who cannot afford the full package. We saw that a number of new things were added to the complex since our last visit.

But the real treat was the walk at the Belmont park along the Vilnyale river. It offers lovely views and a number of amusements along the way: hanging bridges, sundial, breathtaking cliff for watching and climbing, and more. Totally awesome. Georgia did tremendous amount of walking today. She has quite a stamina. Practically no whining.

Isabella decided to call it day even though it was 6:30pm. We thought we could wing it and rushed home. But then she woke up. And so we went outside for a walk and she walked for an hour outside, and we played at home, and now it is 11pm and she is still playing…

Saw a nice shed along the way. Dan said it is a good subject for demotivational poster: "Try as you might, end result is the same" :) Maybe we should offer it to demotivation.com