12 Apr 2019

Sweden. Walking the tectonic crack

by Vidmante | posted in: Hiking adventure, in English, Sweden | 0

Söderåsen National Park is absolutely fantastic, that is why I was so excited to come back there again, this time for a hardcore hike, stretching exactly 40km from the park to Åstorp. But let’s go to the beginning, where is all started.

Long and lazy winter slumber came to an end and the first spring sun is being reported in one or another part of Skåne. To confirm it we decided to gather a group of hikers and test weather we could get some sun during the hike. To achieve it, we had to plan a full day hike that would cross area big enough to notice weather changes. This is how the first hike of 2019 was created, a challenge to our lazy feet.

The morning in Lund was promising, the sun was trying to break the curtain of the clouds and it seemed that the day would be quite pleasant. Once we all gathered from different parts of the town, sat into almost empty train and started to move more inland, the sun was quickly gone and grey sky just thickened and thickened. By the time we had to change to the bus the morning was cold and humid, with no hope of clear sky.

Six of us and two other serious hikers left the bus to be the first ones to start our trip from the visitor center in Söderåsen National Park, no cars, no other visitors. With no hesitation we went deeper in the valley. It is one of the most beautiful and interesting National parks in South Sweden and weekends are normally pretty crowded here, so we very much enjoyed the freedom of not meeting masses of people on our trail. Söderåsen is home for dramatic views: deep and narrow valley formed by two plates moving away from each other, steep slopes eroded during the previous ice ages, hilly scenery formed by volcanoes, deep and wild forest with lots of rivulets running down the edges and forming cute waterfalls (Swedish said it is not waterfalls, just regular rivers…).

The plan for the day was to complete the hike in 10-12 hours by following Skåneleden. In total, 4 parts of the official hiking trail number 3 were completed: parts 4, 3, 2 and 1. The website of Skåneleden was extremely helpful for planning this hike, which was smooth and easy to follow due to the excellent marking which was done!

The morning weather was not on our side, but the forecast promised a glimpse of us at noon, so without bigger stops we continued to wiggle up and down through and out of the valley. The spring was still early, trees had no leaves, nature was just starting to wake up after the winter. Rivers, on the other hand, we already in their heights: running fast and wide. Some parts of the path were under water so we had to jump from stone to stone, other were muddy as hell. I almost got my shoes wet in first kilometres and only because of a mere luck escaped only with a muddy touch.

Not long after we finally climbed out of the park and reached the beautiful and once straight forest path. It lead almost all the way up the Höjehall, where a cute watch tower is. The view from above did not strike us extraordinary, maybe because of still early and grey spring or because of the cold wind, so few minutes and a snack after we were on the way again. The day was growing older and we still were not reaching the half point of the trek, the pressure to increase our already decent speed was real.

Soon after lunch we came back to the tectonic crack in quite unexpected way: the valley dropped down deep and steep and it became wider by every meter. You almost could have forgotten that the hike is happening in southern Sweden, which is relatively flat. The path was leading alongside the cliff and we were able to enjoy the unusual view, the sun was there as well! Scarfs and gloves went into the pockets as the warmth gave hope of seeing summer again.

The rest of the trip was quick and straight forward, even though the feet were starting to hurt. The last 5 kilometres were the hardest for me as I really wished to see the train station until every turn. Good news were that it was still light and there was a chance of a clear sky to see an amazing sunset.

Åstorp is very much hidden by the forest, so it took me a little bit by a surprise, even though I was constantly checking the route as I was not sure if my feet can survive another step. Obviously it did and we were in a train station. I wasn’t so happy for a long time. Sitting in a train all tired and dirty is always an amazing feeling. “aww, you are so sleepy. I will wake you up at your station” – the train conductor joked. And it was good, we were on a way to a warm shower.

In general Skåne is not very famous for its forests as most of the fertile lands are used for farming. Sure, more northern part of the region is more forest rich, but come closer to coast or southern side and landscape will have less and less trees. To my surprise this trail lead more or less the full way in the forest and if you zoom out the map, it is visible that this is the only green tunnel in a region around. I think making a hiking way though it was very genius as I got convinced that i was in endless forest (well, except of one small agricultural part).

If you are interested into this trail yourself, feel free to use the coordinates from here.

24 Mar 2019

Germany. Empire of sandstone

by Vidmante | posted in: Germany, Hiking adventure, in English, Tales about mountains | 1

Where in Germany would you go to catch the best view?

I really hope Schloss Neuschwanstein was not your first thought, and it if was, then you need to read this article more than anything as I will tell you about the land of sandstone and breathtaking views that is not requiring the last drop of sweat to be sacrificed. Actually it is requiring only a day or two and maybe some good friends to keep a company.

It was a long weekend, meaning that every German would head somewhere outside the town to collectively enjoy nature (Sorry, Germans, but it is true). But we are smarter, that is why I kicked guys out of their warm and comfy beads at 4:30am, so we would catch almost the first train and avoid the tourist crowds. The morning preparation, quick breakfast, last packing and we are almost running to the train (‘cuz of course, we are late), 1h nap in a train and we exit to the unknown.

Well, actually, we exited in Bad Schandau. Our train tickets included a ferry ticket to an other side of the river Elb as well but the ship was nowhere to be seen so we started our hike with the ‘exciting’ way through the village and the bridge. We walked without a real plan or goals, and to be honest, I did not really expected anything much from Saxony.

Getting out of the town took quite a bit, for those who are more patient I would recommend waiting for the ferry as it would safe some kilometres. Although, the town walk gave its own advantages – bakeries and fresh bread. After second breakfast we finally hit the road for real and started our tour called Malerweg (way of the painter).

We followed an easy road below the rock walls rising on the surroundings, met no soul and after a short stroll the way became much steeper, actually it became so steep that we had to climb stairs and then a ladder. With our fully packed backpacks we barely squeezed though the rocks, yet I found it to be rather fun. As our way turned towards Schrammsteine, more people started to appear. It is a popular viewing point as it is easily accessible and does not require too great of a hike, also, once you are up on the top, it is easy to access other points of interest by following Gratweg. Schrammsteine is a group of several rocks and the main viewing point is over 400m above sea level. It is pretty cool to visit as it gives a wonderful view to the valley, but not so many visible rocks. Without a longer hesitation our company started to squeeze through the hiking way, it followed the tips the the rocks, small passageways though the naked stone, ladders and views more and more impressive.

Enjoying the marvelous weather the path laid itself under our feet and the map was forgotten, until we reached the dead end at Kleines Prebischtor. We had a choice to go back several kilometers to hit the right way or … Of course we did not go back :D. My OS (OpenStreet) maps showed a tiny shortcut going through the valley nearby and with a little bit of convincing we followed a barely visible trail down the hill. It was amazing. First we slid down the rocky and pretty steep slope, holding scarce tiny bushes for stability and fighting against backpacks dragging us to the bottom. After falling several times and unwillingly sliding on the butt, the inevitable discussion weather to turn back arose. Luckily we did not give up and continued our exciting way down. Once we reached the valley, sun was hiding behind the dense, tall and old forest, sandstone cliffs also casted a thick shadow over us, it was dark, humid and cold down there. I would say even a little bit spooky as the trailing ways and signs were long forgotten and seemingly not so many adventurers step in this place anymore. The way out of the valley did not seem that obvious as well. After following vague trail we ended up loosing it as at all. Another chance to turn back and go around, yet my Garmin was convincing that it was not more than several hundred meters till the route we wanted to reach. The only problem was that we were not sure if the rocks are passable. The only way to know is to go and try to pass it one way or another.

Sandstone was coming closer and closer together, ‘pathway’ was rising. Not recommended for claustrophobic people: cliffs were so close to each other that we could touch both of them at the same time (no squeezing though). It was surely exciting and despite the tiredness, all of us smiled. We emerged out of the darkness and reached our goal like heroes: heavy breathing, sweaty and with red cheeks. We made the best shortcut ever!

Back to the main trail we met plenty of people, all rushing to one direction: Carolafelsen and Idagrotte: two superstars in the region (of course, after the Bastei Bridge, which we avoided because of tourists flocks). Carolafelsen is a famous viewing point, almost always packed with tourists, yet it is not a bad spot for having a break and enjoying the scenery, but Idagrotte is for sure very interesting place and for me it was one of the most impressive places I have seen in Saxonian Swiss. Grotto is a little bit hidden from the pathways, so reaching it is an adventure itself and for sure it is not for light fainthearted. The tiny path is leading around a rock cliff, not wider than necessary for one person to pass, having a wall one one side and a vertical drop on another. But the view is worth it, once you pass the tricky part, you would reach a natural made cave, that is one of the biggest in the region. I heard a story, that stone age people used it as a camp and for sure they could not have picked a better place for a shelter: not obvious location, not easy to access but easy to defend if needed and the view from the grotto reaches wide and far, also it is massive enough to provide roof for many people.

It was a time to decide where our camping place shall be, as the sun was already on a route of setting down. In Saxonian Swiss National park hikers are allowed to spend a night in the park, but only in officially approved ‘boofen’, which are some kind on natural caves that happen to have flat and sandy flooring and are on one end open. There are several lists of official camping places, one of them you could find here.

As the weather was marvelous and extremely warm as for a spring day, it generally was a good idea to avoid the most popular and accessible boofen, so after consulting our paper map (yes! We are that old-school) we decided to head towards Kanstein. It actually was a distance to go but two of caves were close to this location. In reality it is way farther than I have thought, it took a while to go down the stone range, the view was incredible though. And then a longer part of forest roads, straight and not very exciting.

Closer we got to our boofen location, the more hikers with sleeping gear we saw. Now it was time to get nervous, because if the cave is too full, it means we would need to go and find other place for overnight. We decided to head straight to the farther one of the two to not waste time, as most likely the first one would already be taken. We hurried and spent the leftovers of our energy to race up the hill to gain advantage over other groups. Opponents seemed not to really care about our route and left track earlier, direction of the first boofen, so more relaxed we followed the map. The track got smaller and smaller, barely visible and seldom walked. It made us nervous, that maybe there is a mistake on the map, and actually there is no second cave. We followed the slope and almost at the impassable end we saw a boofen.

Oh, what a disappointment it was to find out that it was not actually a real cave and it had so little space that 4 of us could never fit there, and even if we tried it would be quite dangerous as is ended with a steep fall down the hill. Sad and even more tired we had to turn back in search of a sleeping places, the only option was to go back and hope to find some space at the first shelter.

Luckily someone on the sad way back noticed a small pathway leading around the Kanstein. The intuition told that following it might lead to a boofen, yet it was going uphill and all of us were exhausted to the point that another accent with so results could lead to frustration. One of us volunteered to scout the path, left the backpack and disappeared in between the boulders. 10 minutes later we received good news: there was an actual, comfy and spacious boofen nearby. With new energy the party kept going upwards until the final stop of the day.

The evening and dinner brought the spectacular scenery. We ate dinner at the top of the Kanstein, carried hiking kitchen, pots, food, sitting mats. It was fantastic to finally take off the shoes, enjoy the sunset, the food and the breathtaking heights, connecting rock and forest dance. Nobody else joined our remote and hidden cave, we had the rock and stars all for ourselves.

If you are interested in seeing the full track of the trip, you can find it here.

P. S. There will be a part two, as the trip went forward and we explored plenty of other wonderful places!

14 Jun 2018

Lithuania. Happy birthday and what to eat once you are here (3/3)

by Vidmante | posted in: Food, in English, Lithuania | 0

2018, when Lithuania is celebrating its 100th birthday, is THE time to visit and re-explore the country you would be surprised how many people do not know. And I can tell you one thing, whatever your stereotypes and expectations for this ex-Soviet country are, just forget it, because Lithuania is far more interesting, than people might think.

So say ‘happy birthday’ to Lithuania by learning a tiny bit more about this mysterious land of forest and swamps, visit it and share the word with your family and friends. Let me seduce you with the stories and pictures but once you come and see it by yourself, I promise, you will not be disappointed.

Black bread. Lithuanians are proud of three things in their life: Lithuanian language, Lithuanian history and Lithuanian black bread. If you do not believe me, ask any other Lithuanian you know. We have bread for as long as history remembers and it became more than food, it is part of the culture itself. During pagan times we even had a god dedicated to bread. People would sacrifice bread to Gods, sacrifice it to mother Earth before spring seeding, during the harvesting and after the season is gone. So obviously it was valued. A lot of fairy tales are about bread, children in family and school are thought to value the everyday bread, respect it, do not throw it away, do not let it fall on the ground. It is considered to be a great sin to throw bread to garbage.

Apple cheese (obuolių sūris). You would ask: what is this animal? And you would be very right to wonder because Lithuanians are the only ones that could make a dairy product out of an apple. Actually it is a dessert which is a culinary heritage in Lithuania and a small part in Poland. Apple cheese can be only hand made, the process is long and requires a lot of patience of a cook. It takes about 1-1,5 months to make this dessert. Out of 5kg of apples you could make about 1kg of cheese.

But actually it used to be not a common food. It requires sugar and honey, which used to be expensive so only noblemen were able to enjoy it. The first time the recipe of apple cheese was mentioned in 17th century, by a cook of Radvila family.

Šakotis. It is the most funky looking cake in the world! And it is another traditional sweet of Lithuania. The recipe of Šakotis came from Germany, similar cakes were known since 15th century. It was usually baked in monasteries and the recipes were kept in a secret. It reached Lithuania around 20th century. Now there are about 60 different recipe of Šakotis and it looks a tiny bit cooler than German version called baumkuchen (which is basically a cylinder…). Our cake looks like a small Christmas tree and we are very proud of it.

Mushroom cookies (Grybukai). Why do we call our desserts in a strange way? Don’t ask, I don’t know. But these cookies are absolutely the best souvenirs you could bring anyone from Lithuania. I basically grew up with my grandmother baking them for Christmas and I do not imagine any family gathering without them. The truth is that they are fairly easy to make, the only trick is the shape of a mushroom that gives jazz to it.

Curd snack (varškės sūrelis). Another dessert as we eat only sweet things. This is a culinary business card of Baltic countries. If you go to any supermarket, anywhere in Lithuania, half of the dairy section would be hundreds of different curd snacks. They are extremely popular and vary in tasted, shapes, colors or anything else you can imagine.

Lithuania could introduce you to a new culinary universe if you let yourself be surprised by new and unusual tastes. We love dairy products, honey, fresh berries and mushrooms. Some other ideas of what to eat (or drink) in Lithuania:

Try beer. I heard it is one of the best beers you could find in Europe. But, please, don’t tell it to Germans and Czechs.
White curd cheese. Fresh and comes in hundreds of tastes.
Kvass (gira) is similar as beer BUT it is not an alcohol. Also, depending on the brewery could be more sweet.
Mead (midus) is alcohol beverage made from honey.
Šaltibarščiai, or better known as a pink soup, is the best food you could be eating in a hot summer day.
Cepelinai. When I tell people it is meat/curd/mushrooms inside a potato, they imagine a very different thing and then I have to explain how do people actually make them.

12 Jun 2018

Lithuania. Happy Birthday and what to see once you are here (2/3)

by Vidmante | posted in: Car trip, in English, Lithuania, Sightseeing | 0

Biržai. This town is my absolute favorite in Lithuania and I have been there more times than I could remember. Biržai is the hidden treasure of Lithuania, that has quite enough points of interest to be a valid day (or even a weekend) trip. It is a great place for history enthusiasts, as there is Biržai castle, which was build in 16th century and survived many wars in the region, and a beautiful Astravo manor, which you could reach though Širvėnos bridge (it is the longest wooden bridge in Lithuania!). But wait, the town itself is very good looking: it has 4 churches, nice parks and a lake with lovely beaches where you can swim in summer time. Also, in warm season there are plenty of festivals and free concerts, which might be interesting to see.

For local food and beverages fans, there is a wonderful restaurant that is a part of a brewery (Biržai district is known for a very good beer). If you go there, I would recommend craft beer tasting. They even offer excursions in the brewery or full day trips around Biržai town.

If you want to have more of a nature retreat, Biržai could offer unique landscape of sinkholes. There are hundreds, if not thousands, in the region. The most scenic ones are Kirkilų sinkholes as they formed a funny shaped lake and has a marvelous (and free) observation tower, which is constructed to look like a boat! Another one, Karvės Ola might be interesting mostly for geologists but there is a full (and safe) hiking trail nearby.

Biržai is usually quite far from the most popular touristic sites in Lithuania and there is no train connection to a other cities, and bus ride takes a while (as it is in a north of Lithuania) but if you have a car, Biržai is right on the way from Vilnius to Riga. Also it is a perfect destination for people wanting to see real Lithuania, as most likely there will not be a swarm of tourists around. As well, it is a really cool destination!

M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art. Which is in Kaunas. And yes, I want you to see art because this guy was a genius. Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis is the most famous composer and artist that ever lived and walked Lithuanian land.

There are two museums in Lithuania dedicated to him and his works, one in Druskininkai, where he lived and worked and one in Kaunas. Art museum contains his paintings, photography, music, as well as small introduction to his life. This museum is a must and a main reason (in my eyes) to visit Kaunas as the art will impress beyond expectations.

Aukštaitijos National Park. You already know what to do there from my previous post but the nature is not the only thing to see in the National Park. The town of Palūšė has unique wooden church, dated back to 1750. The most interesting is eight-edge bell tower, it is the only one like that in Lithuania! Church complex is architectural heritage (more about wooden churches here). Also in the territory of the park there are 6 ethnographic villages: Salos II, Šuminai, Strazdai, Vaišnoriškės, Varniškės II and Krėtuonys. It is like a museum under the sky, as these villages are protected as architectural and cultural heritage, some of them have people living, some not anymore but for sure it would give a feeling how Lithuanian countryside used to look like! And of course there are more than that! One can also find old water mills: Minčios, Ginučių, Pakretuonės, Gaveikėnų, Brukninės are examples of some rather interesting places to see (well, maybe not all of them as once, unless you really like water mills).

Lithuania has about 1000 hill forts, which are an important relic of pagan Baltic culture in the region. Of course there are several ones in Aukštaitija National park! The famous one is Ginučių piliakalnis. it is thought, that in 9-12th centuries there was a wooden castle (first mentioned in 1373, burned by Livonian Order in 1433).

If you like honey, you will like Lithuania too! Besides of having great quality of honey products (basically anything you can imagine) there are several beekeeping museums, one of them is located in Aukštaitijos National Park so be sure to include it into your bucket list!

Of course, the National Park serves the purpose to protect the nature so you could expect to see one or two nice views. Also, I will tell you a secret: this region is rich in water! So many beautiful lakes but too little time. Here you can find some amazing water routes though the lakes and rivers. It is magnificent during the good weather and if you decide to take the boat, consider visiting Ladakalnis (it is a hill), from there you can see at least 6 lakes! If you are more like a hiking or biking type, then there are plenty of opportunities to explore surroundings on land. For example this route.

Pažaislio monastery. It is the largest monastery complex in Lithuania and is the one of the most fascinating Baroque architecture examples in North and East Europe. Founded in 1662 by Lithuanian Grand Duchy nobleman K. Z. Pac, the monastery was built for the order of Camaldolese monks. But wait until you see the church, the main accent of the monastery, which is a proud work of Italian artists and architects. The monastery is still working and has nuns living there, so the visitations are allowed but restricted to certain days, be sure to get the information before arriving there. During the summer there is an opportunity to attend Pažaislio muzikos festivalis (music festival) and enjoy classical music (the prices are really affordable).

Still hesitate if one monastery is worth a visit? Actually, it is. Also there are great places nearby too, so it would be a great opportunity to visit Rumšiškės, which is an open air Lithuanian ethnographic museum (and is one of the largest in Europe!). It would introduce to Lithuanian Ethnographic regions: Dzūkija, Aukštaitija, Žemaitija, Suvalkija and Mažoji Lietuva. They organize very interesting events for Lithuanian celebrations, like midsummer, mardi gras and others, so inform yourself and you might happen to be in a middle of a massive celebration! Modern music lovers could attend the weekend festival for music from pop to rock.The best part of this festival is that it takes place exactly at the museum premises. Yeah, so why not.

Ventės ragas. As the majority of Lithuania’s visitors most likely you would plan to visit Nida, which is the piece of heaven on Earth, so put the Ventės ragas on you map as well, as it is right on the other side of lagoon. You could go there by boat from Nida itself or come by car from Klaipėda. Ventė is the piece of heaven on Earth pt. II, especially for those who like birds as you could find one of the biggest ornithological station in Europe. Scientists predict that more than 3 millions birds a day fly though this region, so chances to spot one that you like, are quite high. But this place is not only for bird lovers. You could find there the oldest lighthouse in Lithuania (well, we have only 7, so…) built in 1863.

Fun fact, in 1360 Teutonic order build a castle and a church here, but it was destroyed by lagoon, later on the stones from the ruins were used for building another church there but soon after the waters destroyed it as well. So people took the leftover stones and brought them to Kintai, to build a church there.

The nature is outstanding there and it is one of the best places to see a sunset in Lithuania. There is a lot of water ways in the region, so it is very cool to rent a kayak and travel around, or visit some swamps (yes, we Lithuanians love swamps). Aukštumalos swamp is the biggest in Western Lithuania. You could visit it as there is a small educational pathway for visitors. It is a famous one too, as it was the first bog to be described in a scientific monogram: C.A. Weber, 1902: Über die Vegetation und Enstehnung des Hochmoors von Augstumal im Memeldelta mit vergleichenden Ausblicken auf andere Hochmoore der Erde.

P. S. Try some fish in this region. It is delicious!

Of course, these are not the main destinations in Lithuania to visit. At the top of the most popular sights you would find Vilnius old town, Nida, Trakai, The Hill of crosses but I would like to encourage you to explore unseen places and make your own pathways. Create your own experience and your own trip through Lithuania (and thank me later!).

Some other places worth an interest in Lithuania:

Palanga amber park museum. We are the country of amber, after all.
Rokiškis manor happens to be out of the way for most touristic routes but that doesn’t make it less attractive. Also the is a nice church in the town!
Plungės manor that also hosts an art museum for Žemaitija art.
Strėvos įgriuva. I can not believe I have not visited it myself yet! It has a cute corner of a sunken house still visible!
Plateliai missile base. Now it is a museum letting tourists inside the underground nuclear missile base (the first one in Soviet Union).
Verkių parkas, situated right in Vilnius and hiding amazing views.
Medininkai is home not only for a massive former castle and beautiful church but also has a highest hill (Aukštojas, 294m) in Lithuania nearby.
IXth fort museum is one of the most impressive museums in Lithuania. Absolutely worth a visit. Also, impressive monument for victims of fascism is nearby.
Kernavė was the first capital of Lithuania.
Another bog close to Trakai with amazing touristic pathway.
Krokų lanka is the only marine origin lake in Lithuania.

Yes, I am a fan of my own country.

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