Funny to see somebody pass by my favourite restaurant in the Theatre Square with good Lithuanian dishes at a reasonable price (and a menu in English) and then buy a burger,
Oh my. You are one adventurous solo traveler. To walk 40 minutes in the dead of dark in the hope of finding an “unmarked” and un signposted train station in the middle of the beyond takes some doing. Then to stand alone on a deserted platform with nothing but a blinking lamp for company takes some doing. Thank you for taking us along with you on yet another amazing journey. The destination may not be the most famous and glamorous but it is the better for it. Take care, see you next week. 👏👏👍😀
These videos are not just inspirational but they're going to prove to be an irreplaceable resource over the next few months. In March my son and I are setting off from Cheshire on a 2 month long trip by train (and the odd ferry), taking in every country in Europe that uses the Interrail pass (33) and a few small diversions to tick off the ones that don't. If we should bump into you at some obscure European train station along the way we'll definitely come and express our thanks in person.
I’ve got a 3 month first class pass that I’ll use from April onwards in chunks. I’ll use the home country return on trip 1 then the cheapest flight I can find one way out on the later trips. It was only £702 with a Black Friday offer, amazing! I’ve been to quite a places by train in the past nd my plan is to take branch lines to anywhere rather than the high speed trains. Can’t wait! Norway is wonderful, I took the train from Oslo to Trondheim and then on overnight in near daylight (mid June) to Bodo. A short flight took me to Narvik and then the Arctic Express down to Stockholm. Also the stunning Oslo-Bergen railway with a detour to Fram is breathtaking.
I live in North of Scotland and i just returned from Lithuania! I used the train and was lucky enough to get on a Christmas decorated one! It had a Christmas tree in it! It was awesome
@@steve-marsh Steve maybe you can get on it next year or something! I loved the country and i enjoyed the train so much just viewing the snowy forests and enjoying the Christmas decorations inside! So quiet and clean on them too!
I was watching the video and cheering for you, Steve. I went to Klaipeda 5 years ago, during the summer and it was a completely different environment. It's not a big town, and I recognized almost every place you showed. There were a few times at the beginning of the video when you were looking for coffee and I could see where you were I was all but screaming 'take a left at the corner!' once or twice. Klaipeda is pleasant enough, but the real prize is the Curonian Spit. I stayed in Klaipeda for a week and took that ferry you filmed almost every day and rented a bicycle on the other side. I also found that most Lithuanians who went to school after 1990 speak at least some English, and many speak it quite well. Finally, you found one of Lithuania's hidden joys-the burgers. I found good burgers everywhere, especially in the many craft beer pubs. Lithuania's awesome.
Biking along the Curonian Spit in summer is definitely the #1 highlight in Klaipeda, whereas doing no research on a 3-hour train ride and eating a burger in the cold is definitely not!
Klaipeda indeed is rather empty even for a local. A lot of daily things happen in the residential areas. During winter months and workdays indeed a lot of the city centers become rather empty, but i enjoy that, almost like you have the whole place to yourself.
In James Herriot's last book, he writes about sailing as a vet on board a freighter carrying sheep from Britain to Klaipeda, back when Lithuania was still occupied by the Soviets. That's the only other time I've ever heard of the city. Once again, Steve, thank you for sharing your journeys to the smaller and more obscure (to an American) corners of Europe.
The first time I went to Klaipeda was in autumn too, and I thought it a bit empty until I went to the Akropolis shopping centre. The next time was on a summer Saturday night, and the town centre was very alive!
I' ve always thought of Klaipeda as an old style sea resort town with beaches. I' ve been in Lithuania, but never went to Klaipeda. But I' ve been thinking about it for 40 years. I have a guidebok from 1921 that guides you around Klaipeda. In Lithuanian, so It bought a dictionary in New York,just to be able to understand some of the book
Klaipeda’s beaches are the bests 😮here need arrive at July-August month,in you tube you can find videos about ours sea towns as Nida;Palanga; Sventoji.Palanga have a aeroport,just check please it on Lithuania map ❤
Such wonderful rail and maritime history by the looks l could spend a few days there getting to know locals ...thanks again regards Doc from Down Under
Your experience of Klaipeda was the opposite of mine. In July they have a huge celebration of St Mary Magdalen. People everywhere, a big raucous procession and a lot of fun. Also, the Curonian Spit is certainly worth a visit. It still feels German. Lithuania exceeded my expectations. I loved Vilnius old town.
Steve, I like the way you say “we” when you are talking about where “we” are going and what “we” are seeing in a location. It makes me (and all your viewers) feel like we are there with you. I know that other TH-camrs do the same but it really strikes me with your channel. I’d like to visit Lithuania some day. Love all the sculptures!
Thank you for haring - I have visited Vilnius and Trakai last June (2023). Then next year in May so I have already booked flight to Vilnius and then I will really take a train to KLAIPEDA - Hostel has laready booked. Will be great to explore more of LITHUANIA cause I really like this country a lot. Best Wishes from STOCKHOLM - SWEDEN 😇🌲🌲🌲🌷🌷🌷🌼🌼🌼🌼
Well, youve sold Lithuania to me. Even in November! Looks like such an interesting place. All that artwork ❤ Thank you for making and sharing these videos 👍😃
That looked like a very modern, comfortable train. I’m also impressed with the level of art in these Lithuanian cities. I can’t imagine how many steps a day you average on trips like this one. Cheers and ATB!
In Klaipeda, I loved the statue of the wee mannie peering round a corner! Lots of great sculptures everywhere. The wee girl blowing kiss out to sea, the ghost guy crawling up out of the harbour- that spikey dragon/lizard on a house wall.... amazing.
Really interesting Steve. I would never have thought of visiting Lithuania, but the train looked very good and Klaipeda seems really interesting. You should have been sponsored by the Lithuanian tourist board !
I'm a new subscriber Steve, and I am so happy that I found your channel. You have such a big friendly personality and your videos are pure joy to watch. I'm working my way through your back catalogue and enjoying every one of them. Some stunning places you've been to, and my bucket list is now even longer than ever. Thanks a million for uploading these :)
Great video Steve. I was in Lithuania in August and arrived in Klaipeda on a ferry from Karlsham (another K!) in Sweden. The Curonian Spit, that narrow strip of land is really beautiful with wild, unspoiled beaches. Well worth a visit in summer.
It's kind of eerie that these cities/towns are so quiet. You are a braver man than me Steve, I don't think I could do what you do on my own. I am however, glad that you do.
He is walking around town in the autumn and in the middle of a working day. All the people are at work and kids are in school. In the summer/weekend it's completely different.
It looks like a beautiful town! That area you are walking around at 15:25 looks really charming. I would love to visit the Baltic states, but alas, I'm on the other side of the world in Australia. It's amazing how quickly the three Baltic states "modernised" and began to look more like their Nordic neighbours once the Soviet Union fell apart and they achieved independence.
It can be fun to visit towns that don't get many visitors, It makes me feel like I'm breaking new ground. I hope it wasn't too much of a long, cold day for you. Thanks for the look at Klaipeda.
I took the train from Vilnius to Klaipeda (formerly German Memel), also in first class, and liked it. The train is a bit slow but the ride is comfortable. The "hill" you were standing on belongs to the former fortification of Klaipeda. It is a bastion and the island in the middle of the former moat is a ravelin, these triangles were build as additional fortification in front of the main wall. There is also the site of the former Klaipeda castle (Memelsburg). Lastly you could have taken the ferry onto the Curonian spit (Kurische Nehrung) where you can visit the Sea Museum built into a former hexagonal Prussian fort, the "Nehrungsfort" and have a short walk to the sand dunes.
@@MartinBrenner It's pretty funny, but I looked deeper and you're right. I grew up in Klaipėda and calling it the Swedish fort is a common misnomer for the place, tied to a legend that the Swedes built it along with an alleged secret tunnel to the mainland. :D
Thanks for the video, Steve. Klaipėda is smaller than Vilnius and Kaunas in terms of population size, and this feature gets more prominenf during the fall and winter because there isn't much going on in the town during the cold seasons. People mostly focus on work, learning and spend their time at home or in the malls. You could find a lot more people in the large shopping mall Akropolis than in the streets of the old town somedays. Simply because there are shops, cafes, a ski rink, a ciname under the same roof. The town gets more busy during the summer as visitors come to visit the area. Hope you come back and experience a more welcoming and lively vibe of Klaipėda someday.
Steve, I hope you do a Christmas/Holiday video by the fireplace, with Alicja, give us updates on your life and present situation, hints of plans for the future, comment on you best/worst experiences this past year.
I just got back from Lithuania and I cant recommend a visit there more. It was very friendly and not overly crowded! The Christmas decorations everywhere and the markets! I was on a festive train! It had a Christmas tree in it! It was awesome! The trains so comfy and nice! I loved watching the snow forests go by from that train!
I enjoy the fact you go to places I would never know or have heard of and somehow these places pique my interest as we get to see the real day to day life. One thing I have noticed from watching a few videos about Lithuania is their love of art and sculptures which you mentioned are all over. It was so quiet there, I hope the rest of the day wasn't too tiring for you while waiting for the ferry.
Just like in many parts of Europe, many city centers in Lithuania lost their liveliness because huge shopping malls were build including cafés and restaurants where people prefer to hang out, leaving the november outdoors to the incidental lost Scotsman ;)
I must say I really like the way this city looks even though there wasn't that much activity when you were there. It also reminds me a lot of northern Germany, maybe with some extra artistic creativity thrown in in the form of sculptures. Maybe I'll get to visit one day.
Ah, a surprise video in the middle of the week. When I think of Lithuania I think of a people who have courage and love freedom. They suffered much because of the Soviet Union and Nazi cruelty.Merry Christmas Steve and a Happy New Year.
@@TakAndrzejPolak Jews should stop destroying Palestine. Furthermore, a ton of Lithuanians perished both under the Germans and the russians. The russians especially tried to wipe out both the people and the language. So to dismiss centuries of suffering like that is insane.
@@TakAndrzejPolak Jews should stop destroying Palestine. Furthermore, a ton of Lithuanians perished both under the Germans and the russians. The russians especially tried to wipe out both the people and the language. So to dismiss centuries of suffering like that is insane.
@@TakAndrzejPolak there is another side of the story... When soviets occupied Baltic states in the summer of 1940 their main collaborators were jews. I suggest i shouldn't describe what happens during that year of occupation before the germans came?
Wow, another interesting town! All those statues throughout these videos are just fascinating. It was great to get so many shots of them, thanks for that! Especially the dark figure emerging from the sea! Some really interest street murals across the river toward the end, just looks like a great place for public art. Another great, video! Thanks!
For me, Klaipeda seemed a charming town. An interesting mix of architecture, a plethora of intriguing artworks, tranquil public spaces. The dearth of people was indeed a little spooky, but perhaps the day of the week{?} had something to do with that. The train journey was not so interesting for me, but a decade of living in Holland put me off flat countryside for ever. I moved from there to Wales - need I say more!
We were in Klaipeda a number of years ago as part of a Baltic cruise. Vastly different from Riga (the previous days stop). We wandered around the old section on those cobbled streets and found an open air market and a serious display of wrought ironwork.
Klaipeda looks like an awesome place to visit in the summer. Lots of green spaces, lots of well kept cobbled streets, lots of art to discover...it looks like it could be a wonderful destination.
You need to revisit in the summer, it's a completely different place, with markets and festivals. Take a trip to Palanga and Šventoji during the summer and see the lovely coastal towns with beautiful beaches
Thanks for the nice video! Can imagine the situation when a blogger from India comes to England takes train a few times and train conductor in the train recognizes him (especially when the blogger speaks scottish and not the local language). Then blogger from India conclude: "now we can understand how small this country is" 😀People are at work, fixing something in the household, studying, exercising, etc. In Lithuania the people usually do not roam the streets without purpose special on workdays
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Glad you had a little sunshine in part of your day here, how really really interesting, as were your respectful observations, thank you for this video!
You were correct in saying that you can see everything in Klaipėda in 2-3 hours. It's great for living though, small, but has everything you need and the sea is nearby. If you ever visit Lithuania again, you must visit the Curonian spit with it's dunes. Best to do that in summer. Great video! Cheers!
You just never know what you will learn from Steve Marsh. I bought some boots on ebay from Lithuania. Often wondered where this place was, so thanks Steve for this top bonus video and enlightening me on the source of my swish boots.I 🤣🤣👢👢
Lovely video. Peaceful and relaxing. Came across your channel yesterday and am now binge watching as I grow my own vlog channel. Also liked your Scotland videos.
Mate!, those statues and artifacts were awesome!..i loved the hooded lanterncarrier that crawled out of the water..thanks for another great upload..very informative and educational even! Keep it up..all the best! 👍
10:27, yes you can take a taxi, but i would recommend using the buses in Klaipeda because one bus ticket costs 0.50 cents, so what i did last year is: I went to klaipeda by train, ate some sushi, got to my hotel, explored the city and on the next day, i took the bus to the beach, stayed there for like 6 hours and took the bus back to my hotel. And the whole trip to and from Klaipeda + Hotel cost me 85€.
Hello Steve. Another good video. It’s good to see these places that a few years ago we wouldn’t have been able to get there. I used to work for BT until I retired a some years ago. Because in the early days when I started in 1967 it was the Post Office Engineering Department. I had to sign the Official Secrets Act and a senior manager was there reading the rules, virtually threatening death to transgressors! At that time for me to even visit the Eastern Bloc countries I would have to have special permission to go there. About 5 years ago I visited Finland and took the ferry to Tallinn from Helsinki and spent the hight there. It was much better than I expected. It felt strange to be in an ex-communist country. I felt the same in Germany a couple of years back. The old Berlin still had differences from East and West and Dresden was amazing.
@@ihavegreeneyes14 Steve. I realise that they were made to be Soviet ruled states. I, as a Civil Servant (the Post Office was then) and I was not able to visit these countries without a senior engineer’s permission. Now BT engineers do not require permission, except visiting USSR, China. My background with respect to these unfortunate countries forced to be Russian is very old fashioned. I knew their history following WWII. Our Annual Leave application forms had room for your holiday address, partly to inform them where you were going in case of emergency.
I think in a town like that, where all the crossings and houses are rectangular and looking the same, the sculptures are needed to help you navigate or follow directions, like "turn right at the serpent". I remember Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, where I would have needed such landmarks in order to not get lost.
In Summer 2010 desperate to go to the loo in Klaipeda i headed in to the toilet block just off the beach,woo it looks unusual inside,,,but needs must,turned out id just left my biz in the centre drain of a communal shower room.
Great video Steve. An interesting city, with a fascinating history. Was known as Memel for most of its history. It was also temporarily the capital of Prussia during the Napoleonic Wars.
The next time you have some hours to kill in Klaipeda, take the ferry to the Curonian Spit. There should be a bus, take it to Juodkrante to take a look at the hill of the witches. It's a bit of forest full of very cool wooden statues of figures from lithuanian mythology and fairy tales. I was there 20 years ago during a summer holiday, but I'd wager it looks even cooler in slightly misty November weather.
Another great video I love the Baltic States, have been to Estonia & Latvia a few times but not yet to Lithuania, it’s most definitely on my to do list 😊
What a wonderful quiet place .enjoyed your video very much....look forward to the next one...sculptures are amazing.trains are impressive.take care steve.🌲🎅
Hi Steve 🤗🥰! Always in for a surprise, eh 😘! My late father was talking about the Curonian Spit (Kuhrische Nehrung in German) quite often, raving of how beautiful it was back in the day (guess he was stationed there in WWII 😒)! Can’t tell you how glad I am he got out of what I consider just another proof of human madness alive 😮💨! I watched some documentaries on German TV on this topic and I am quite intrigued to go and visit that beautiful region myself, we‘ll see if that’s gonna happen someday 🤔🙄! Hope you had a nice and calm sail to Kiel! See you soon on this channel and take care 😘!
What I still find amazing is the fact that a British citizen can walk freely around a place that just 35 years ago was still part of the USSR. As a child of the Cold War, I visited Estonia in 2006 and clearly remember being quite emotional about the very fact that I was able to do just that. The world has moved on a lot since the 1980's!
Here Here! Another child of the Cold War here, and I remember still having to pass through the Soviet checkpoint into East Germany to visit Berlin when I was stationed in West Germany in 1989 - to think that a few years later I saw the Berlin Wall come down on TV, still brings tears to my eyes 🙂
Whenever I go to some city, I try to get to the tourist information facility at the airport, at the train terminal or the follow signs to the one in the central city or other locations to get a paper map if I don't have a book or pamphlet already. That way I don't miss some key features of a city, maybe some history, info on when museums or other attractions are open. Yes, it was very quiet in Klaipeda, but sometimes, you need that experience like you shared in this video in a place that isn't overrun by tourists and had some interesting features.
Hi, Steve. I just want to let you know that I'm an American whose ancestors all came from Lithuania, Germany, England, and Scotland. I doubt very much that I'll ever be able to visit any of those countries, so I'm grateful that you've shared experiences from all of them. Here's wishing you and yours a happy Christmas and New Year.
@@Oberschutzee Age and money, to name a couple of reasons. (There seems to be an inverse relationship where, as age increases, the other becomes more scarce. (I'll soon be retiring.)) I long dreamt of traveling to Europe. I even studied German in high school for that very reason. I figured I could get a crash course in Lithuanian from family when the time came... Unfortunately, those that knew it have now passed. Thankfully, as the likelihood of that trip happening has diminished, the Internet has allowed me to see more of it from afar than ever before. It's not the same as being there, but at least there's more to see here than what has been available in books and periodicals over the years. I'm especially grateful that everyday people I can relate to share their thoughts and feelings in their travels -- and Steve is my absolute favorite in this regard. I look forward to seeing Steve's most recent experience every Saturday morning (Central time in the U.S.) -- and was pleasantly surprised to find this new, 'extra" video on a Tuesday morning. 🙂 Merry Christmas...
I love the way you turn up in a place Steve - not much at all in the way of research. I'm a keen runner, and the Kenyans have a saying: 'Let the run come to you'. I feel like you are the travelling TH-camr version of this, where you let the place come to you. Some come willingly, or enthusiastically. Others, like Klaipeda....not so much! It's wonderful to watch.
Everything looks so clean and tidy!
Funny to see somebody pass by my favourite restaurant in the Theatre Square with good Lithuanian dishes at a reasonable price (and a menu in English) and then buy a burger,
every place looked most uninviting, if open at all
Oh my. You are one adventurous solo traveler. To walk 40 minutes in the dead of dark in the hope of finding an “unmarked” and un signposted train station in the middle of the beyond takes some doing. Then to stand alone on a deserted platform with nothing but a blinking lamp for company takes some doing.
Thank you for taking us along with you on yet another amazing journey. The destination may not be the most famous and glamorous but it is the better for it. Take care, see you next week. 👏👏👍😀
Thanks Andrew! :)
We are a safe country.
My goodness, it looks like Klaipeda has a lot of public art. Very nice!
These videos are not just inspirational but they're going to prove to be an irreplaceable resource over the next few months. In March my son and I are setting off from Cheshire on a 2 month long trip by train (and the odd ferry), taking in every country in Europe that uses the Interrail pass (33) and a few small diversions to tick off the ones that don't. If we should bump into you at some obscure European train station along the way we'll definitely come and express our thanks in person.
I really hope you get a chance to go to Slovenia - it’s on the line between Venice and Budapest. Get the train down to Bledski Grad… breathtaking
It's on my route between Austria and Croatia as I head down to northern Greece.@@gibsonms
You Interrailing all the way down to Turkey?
I’ve got a 3 month first class pass that I’ll use from April onwards in chunks. I’ll use the home country return on trip 1 then the cheapest flight I can find one way out on the later trips. It was only £702 with a Black Friday offer, amazing! I’ve been to quite a places by train in the past nd my plan is to take branch lines to anywhere rather than the high speed trains. Can’t wait! Norway is wonderful, I took the train from Oslo to Trondheim and then on overnight in near daylight (mid June) to Bodo. A short flight took me to Narvik and then the Arctic Express down to Stockholm. Also the stunning Oslo-Bergen railway with a detour to Fram is breathtaking.
33 countries in two months sounds like a challenge. Good luck!
I live in North of Scotland and i just returned from Lithuania! I used the train and was lucky enough to get on a Christmas decorated one! It had a Christmas tree in it! It was awesome
I wish I'd been on that one for the video :)
@@steve-marsh Steve maybe you can get on it next year or something!
I loved the country and i enjoyed the train so much just viewing the snowy forests and enjoying the Christmas decorations inside! So quiet and clean on them too!
You really lighten the heart of an old lady in Arkansas, USA. You make me laugh and I love your journeys. God bless you Steve.
I was watching the video and cheering for you, Steve. I went to Klaipeda 5 years ago, during the summer and it was a completely different environment. It's not a big town, and I recognized almost every place you showed. There were a few times at the beginning of the video when you were looking for coffee and I could see where you were I was all but screaming 'take a left at the corner!' once or twice. Klaipeda is pleasant enough, but the real prize is the Curonian Spit. I stayed in Klaipeda for a week and took that ferry you filmed almost every day and rented a bicycle on the other side. I also found that most Lithuanians who went to school after 1990 speak at least some English, and many speak it quite well. Finally, you found one of Lithuania's hidden joys-the burgers. I found good burgers everywhere, especially in the many craft beer pubs. Lithuania's awesome.
Biking along the Curonian Spit in summer is definitely the #1 highlight in Klaipeda, whereas doing no research on a 3-hour train ride and eating a burger in the cold is definitely not!
Funny, I was there 5 years ago as well and loved it. I brought back some wonderful photos, too.
Klaipeda indeed is rather empty even for a local. A lot of daily things happen in the residential areas.
During winter months and workdays indeed a lot of the city centers become rather empty, but i enjoy that, almost like you have the whole place to yourself.
In James Herriot's last book, he writes about sailing as a vet on board a freighter carrying sheep from Britain to Klaipeda, back when Lithuania was still occupied by the Soviets. That's the only other time I've ever heard of the city. Once again, Steve, thank you for sharing your journeys to the smaller and more obscure (to an American) corners of Europe.
There are Memel streets in London, Glasgow and Belfast. The ex-norhternmost "the german" port Memel is nowdays Klaipeda.
Lithuania looks to be a lovely country & all the statues were great but yes just quiet which would be nice.
The first time I went to Klaipeda was in autumn too, and I thought it a bit empty until I went to the Akropolis shopping centre. The next time was on a summer Saturday night, and the town centre was very alive!
yes, the best time to visit Lithuania in general is summer
Everyones indoors when it's weather like that, as usual.
It looks like a great place to be in June or July.
I' ve always thought of Klaipeda as an old style sea resort town with beaches.
I' ve been in Lithuania, but never went to Klaipeda. But I' ve been thinking about it for 40 years.
I have a guidebok from 1921 that guides you around Klaipeda.
In Lithuanian, so It bought a dictionary in New York,just to be able to understand some of the book
Klaipeda’s beaches are the bests 😮here need arrive at July-August month,in you tube you can find videos about ours sea towns as Nida;Palanga; Sventoji.Palanga have a aeroport,just check please it on Lithuania map ❤
I've spent around 6 months in Lithuania and it is such a wonderful place. I am always happy to see Lithuania being shown some love.
Such wonderful rail and maritime history by the looks l could spend a few days there getting to know locals ...thanks again regards Doc from Down Under
Your experience of Klaipeda was the opposite of mine. In July they have a huge celebration of St Mary Magdalen. People everywhere, a big raucous procession and a lot of fun. Also, the Curonian Spit is certainly worth a visit. It still feels German. Lithuania exceeded my expectations. I loved Vilnius old town.
I'd love to see it then! :)
Welcome to Lithuania in the summer ❤
Steve, I like the way you say “we” when you are talking about where “we” are going and what “we” are seeing in a location. It makes me (and all your viewers) feel like we are there with you. I know that other TH-camrs do the same but it really strikes me with your channel.
I’d like to visit Lithuania some day. Love all the sculptures!
Thank you for haring - I have visited Vilnius and Trakai last June (2023). Then next year in May so I have already booked flight to Vilnius and then I will really take a train to KLAIPEDA - Hostel has laready booked.
Will be great to explore more of LITHUANIA cause I really like this country a lot.
Best Wishes from STOCKHOLM - SWEDEN 😇🌲🌲🌲🌷🌷🌷🌼🌼🌼🌼
Hej! Hoppas på att ni kommer tillbacka och besöker Klaipėda någon gång. Staden har en härlig atmosfär i sommaren. Öskar er en riktig God Jul! 🎄
Hope you'll enjoy it! It's a lot more lively when it's warm and sunny out 😊
Watches Scott's vid for two seconds, falls asleep. OUCH right in the heart.
Well, youve sold Lithuania to me. Even in November! Looks like such an interesting place. All that artwork ❤ Thank you for making and sharing these videos 👍😃
That looked like a very modern, comfortable train. I’m also impressed with the level of art in these Lithuanian cities. I can’t imagine how many steps a day you average on trips like this one. Cheers and ATB!
In case I don’t ’see’ you before, here’s wishing you and Alicja a Merry Christmas!
I'll always get through the comments eventually. Merry Christmas Erin and thanks so so much for all your support!
Lithuania seems to be one of those countries to put in a bucket list! I have found those cities beautiful despite the weather! Thank you for the vlog!
Find guide to the LIthuania. Trakai - our old capital, Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda. Please visit in the summer to enjoy our nature in full.
@@magnumass Thank you so much!! I'll do it as soon as I can! Meanwhile I wish you Happy Holidays!
In Klaipeda, I loved the statue of the wee mannie peering round a corner! Lots of great sculptures everywhere. The wee girl blowing kiss out to sea, the ghost guy crawling up out of the harbour- that spikey dragon/lizard on a house wall.... amazing.
I'm sure the mannie round the corner was a reminder of "the state is watching you" perhaps back to Soviet days?
@@mikemccormac9368 Could be! They certainly love their quirky sculptures!
I absolutely love Lithuania. Plain in places but very good vibes everywhere.
Really interesting Steve. I would never have thought of visiting Lithuania, but the train looked very good and Klaipeda seems really interesting. You should have been sponsored by the Lithuanian tourist board !
That was a lovely town, thank you for sharing this trip with us.
I'm a new subscriber Steve, and I am so happy that I found your channel. You have such a big friendly personality and your videos are pure joy to watch. I'm working my way through your back catalogue and enjoying every one of them. Some stunning places you've been to, and my bucket list is now even longer than ever. Thanks a million for uploading these :)
I really appreciate it and welcome aboard!
Great video Steve. I was in Lithuania in August and arrived in Klaipeda on a ferry from Karlsham (another K!) in Sweden. The Curonian Spit, that narrow strip of land is really beautiful with wild, unspoiled beaches. Well worth a visit in summer.
The beaches and the forest on the way from the ferry are really nice places to visit during the summer. Welcome back!
Lithuania looks lovely bit like scotland top vid thanks for mid week vid bro
It's kind of eerie that these cities/towns are so quiet. You are a braver man than me Steve, I don't think I could do what you do on my own. I am however, glad that you do.
Merry Christmas to you.
And to you mate!
He is walking around town in the autumn and in the middle of a working day. All the people are at work and kids are in school. In the summer/weekend it's completely different.
Very good thanks for going to places I cannot go to at my age. Very much appreciated. Thanks once again.
It looks like a beautiful town! That area you are walking around at 15:25 looks really charming. I would love to visit the Baltic states, but alas, I'm on the other side of the world in Australia. It's amazing how quickly the three Baltic states "modernised" and began to look more like their Nordic neighbours once the Soviet Union fell apart and they achieved independence.
One of the best videos. Really enjoyed it. So looking forward to the road trips!!
Nice! Glad you treated yourself to a comfy seat. Enjoy!
It can be fun to visit towns that don't get many visitors, It makes me feel like I'm breaking new ground. I hope it wasn't too much of a long, cold day for you. Thanks for the look at Klaipeda.
It's a tourist city, just the wrong time to visit, because of the Christmas holidays and usually it is quiet on the daytime.
I took the train from Vilnius to Klaipeda (formerly German Memel), also in first class, and liked it. The train is a bit slow but the ride is comfortable. The "hill" you were standing on belongs to the former fortification of Klaipeda. It is a bastion and the island in the middle of the former moat is a ravelin, these triangles were build as additional fortification in front of the main wall. There is also the site of the former Klaipeda castle (Memelsburg). Lastly you could have taken the ferry onto the Curonian spit (Kurische Nehrung) where you can visit the Sea Museum built into a former hexagonal Prussian fort, the "Nehrungsfort" and have a short walk to the sand dunes.
It's not a Prussian fort, but a Swedish one.
@@justasjagminas1362 No, Nehrungsfort (Neringa Fort) was built in 1860 by Prussia.
@@MartinBrenner It's pretty funny, but I looked deeper and you're right. I grew up in Klaipėda and calling it the Swedish fort is a common misnomer for the place, tied to a legend that the Swedes built it along with an alleged secret tunnel to the mainland. :D
Thanks for the video, Steve. Klaipėda is smaller than Vilnius and Kaunas in terms of population size, and this feature gets more prominenf during the fall and winter because there isn't much going on in the town during the cold seasons. People mostly focus on work, learning and spend their time at home or in the malls. You could find a lot more people in the large shopping mall Akropolis than in the streets of the old town somedays. Simply because there are shops, cafes, a ski rink, a ciname under the same roof. The town gets more busy during the summer as visitors come to visit the area. Hope you come back and experience a more welcoming and lively vibe of Klaipėda someday.
What a lovely place to have (almost) all to yourself for the day. Thanks for the extra videos this month!
Steve, I hope you do a Christmas/Holiday video by the fireplace, with Alicja, give us updates on your life and present situation, hints of plans for the future, comment on you best/worst experiences this past year.
Lithuania may be small but it is rich in history and beauty. The mist is very atmospheric!
Was one of the largest countries in Europe back in the day when it was Grand duchy of Lithuania
I just got back from Lithuania and I cant recommend a visit there more. It was very friendly and not overly crowded! The Christmas decorations everywhere and the markets! I was on a festive train! It had a Christmas tree in it! It was awesome! The trains so comfy and nice! I loved watching the snow forests go by from that train!
I enjoy the fact you go to places I would never know or have heard of and somehow these places pique my interest as we get to see the real day to day life. One thing I have noticed from watching a few videos about Lithuania is their love of art and sculptures which you mentioned are all over. It was so quiet there, I hope the rest of the day wasn't too tiring for you while waiting for the ferry.
Just like in many parts of Europe, many city centers in Lithuania lost their liveliness because huge shopping malls were build including cafés and restaurants where people prefer to hang out, leaving the november outdoors to the incidental lost Scotsman ;)
Thank you. This was where my mom and grandmother were from.
To me the statuary shows that city has a soul. Thanks for sharing it, Steve.
Stumbled on your channel a week ago. You've hooked me, love it. Keep travelling.
I love the support you and Scott have for each other! (WiFi test)
I must say I really like the way this city looks even though there wasn't that much activity when you were there. It also reminds me a lot of northern Germany, maybe with some extra artistic creativity thrown in in the form of sculptures. Maybe I'll get to visit one day.
Ah, a surprise video in the middle of the week. When I think of Lithuania I think of a people who have courage and love freedom. They suffered much because of the Soviet Union and Nazi cruelty.Merry Christmas Steve and a Happy New Year.
I'll spoil the good mood a bit...
Jews have their own opinion about the suffering of Lithuanians...
ooo, to prawda. nigd neliube prawdy. sorry about my Polish@@TakAndrzejPolak
@@TakAndrzejPolak Jews should stop destroying Palestine. Furthermore, a ton of Lithuanians perished both under the Germans and the russians. The russians especially tried to wipe out both the people and the language. So to dismiss centuries of suffering like that is insane.
@@TakAndrzejPolak Jews should stop destroying Palestine. Furthermore, a ton of Lithuanians perished both under the Germans and the russians. The russians especially tried to wipe out both the people and the language. So to dismiss centuries of suffering like that is insane.
@@TakAndrzejPolak there is another side of the story... When soviets occupied Baltic states in the summer of 1940 their main collaborators were jews. I suggest i shouldn't describe what happens during that year of occupation before the germans came?
The Baltics really are a gem. I've spent many happy times there and am dreading the day that the chavvy chaps and slaps sod it up
Wow, another interesting town! All those statues throughout these videos are just fascinating. It was great to get so many shots of them, thanks for that! Especially the dark figure emerging from the sea! Some really interest street murals across the river toward the end, just looks like a great place for public art. Another great, video! Thanks!
For me, Klaipeda seemed a charming town. An interesting mix of architecture, a plethora of intriguing artworks, tranquil public spaces. The dearth of people was indeed a little spooky, but perhaps the day of the week{?} had something to do with that. The train journey was not so interesting for me, but a decade of living in Holland put me off flat countryside for ever. I moved from there to Wales - need I say more!
We were in Klaipeda a number of years ago as part of a Baltic cruise. Vastly different from Riga (the previous days stop).
We wandered around the old section on those cobbled streets and found an open air market and a serious display of wrought ironwork.
Looked a comfortable journey, Steve👍. Your vlogs are always good, never bad!
What a charming working port city. Gem!
01:19 I always knew you were from the wrong side of the tracks! 😉
Klaipeda looks like an awesome place to visit in the summer. Lots of green spaces, lots of well kept cobbled streets, lots of art to discover...it looks like it could be a wonderful destination.
Yeah I'd love to return for a closer look and see the contrast
You need to revisit in the summer, it's a completely different place, with markets and festivals. Take a trip to Palanga and Šventoji during the summer and see the lovely coastal towns with beautiful beaches
At 16.25 look like a bastion or bulwark of a Star Fort. The best preserved is the Town of Palmanova in Italy about 100Km east of Venice.
Thanks for the nice video! Can imagine the situation when a blogger from India comes to England takes train a few times and train conductor in the train recognizes him (especially when the blogger speaks scottish and not the local language). Then blogger from India conclude: "now we can understand how small this country is" 😀People are at work, fixing something in the household, studying, exercising, etc. In Lithuania the people usually do not roam the streets without purpose special on workdays
Looks like a lookalike Welsh dragon 🐉
as someone who prefers the old to the new, the places you go really appeal to me
hi Steve................................Kiel is beautiful....................I live there and next year I am in Scotland☘☘☘
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Glad you had a little sunshine in part of your day here, how really really interesting, as were your respectful observations, thank you for this video!
You were correct in saying that you can see everything in Klaipėda in 2-3 hours. It's great for living though, small, but has everything you need and the sea is nearby. If you ever visit Lithuania again, you must visit the Curonian spit with it's dunes. Best to do that in summer. Great video! Cheers!
Thanks so much! And well said :)
You just never know what you will learn from Steve Marsh. I bought some boots on ebay from Lithuania. Often wondered where this place was, so thanks Steve for this top bonus video and enlightening me on the source of my swish boots.I 🤣🤣👢👢
Another great video! Thanks again.
Lovely video. Peaceful and relaxing. Came across your channel yesterday and am now binge watching as I grow my own vlog channel. Also liked your Scotland videos.
Hi Steve the town square is beautiful in the summer we love it there and great cafes thanks again steve and safe travels 👍
Mate!, those statues and artifacts were awesome!..i loved the hooded lanterncarrier that crawled out of the water..thanks for another great upload..very informative and educational even!
Keep it up..all the best! 👍
Cheers mate!
I enjoyed that, it did look like a ghost town but those sculptures are great, I'm sure it would be a nicer place to visit in Summer.
That town had The Specials - Ghost Town playing in the back of my head indeed! 😇 I bet it's a lovely place to live in, though. 🤗
Well you certainly found another interesting town 😀 quirky indeed thanks for the tour 😀
What a classy looking train interior. It looked great. Smashing vid as always.
It really is mate! Although I remember the last time it was PACKED so not as much fun on that trip!
Yay! A mid-week video ❤
Thanks for reviewing my city, good job, Merry Christmas to your homes 🎄🎄🎄🎅, Greetings from Klaipeda 😎✋🇱🇹
10:27, yes you can take a taxi, but i would recommend using the buses in Klaipeda because one bus ticket costs 0.50 cents, so what i did last year is: I went to klaipeda by train, ate some sushi, got to my hotel, explored the city and on the next day, i took the bus to the beach, stayed there for like 6 hours and took the bus back to my hotel. And the whole trip to and from Klaipeda + Hotel cost me 85€.
Hi Steve and Alicja just to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New year and what will the new year bring. 🌲🌲🌲.
Hello Steve. Another good video. It’s good to see these places that a few years ago we wouldn’t have been able to get there. I used to work for BT until I retired a some years ago. Because in the early days when I started in 1967 it was the Post Office Engineering Department. I had to sign the Official Secrets Act and a senior manager was there reading the rules, virtually threatening death to transgressors! At that time for me to even visit the Eastern Bloc countries I would have to have special permission to go there. About 5 years ago I visited Finland and took the ferry to Tallinn from Helsinki and spent the hight there. It was much better than I expected. It felt strange to be in an ex-communist country. I felt the same in Germany a couple of years back. The old Berlin still had differences from East and West and Dresden was amazing.
Don't call the Baltics Soviet or Eastern Block - we never had any choice and we did not want to join! 😅
@@ihavegreeneyes14 Steve. I realise that they were made to be Soviet ruled states. I, as a Civil Servant (the Post Office was then) and I was not able to visit these countries without a senior engineer’s permission. Now BT engineers do not require permission, except visiting USSR, China. My background with respect to these unfortunate countries forced to be Russian is very old fashioned. I knew their history following WWII. Our Annual Leave application forms had room for your holiday address, partly to inform them where you were going in case of emergency.
Lithuania 👍👍👍
Certainly like your train journey s steve plenty of statues and similar views hopefully you managed to fill your time in before your next trek sir .
"It was a dull, misty old morning." Translation ' Moody, atmospheric, and scenic morning"
I think in a town like that, where all the crossings and houses are rectangular and looking the same, the sculptures are needed to help you navigate or follow directions, like "turn right at the serpent". I remember Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, where I would have needed such landmarks in order to not get lost.
Nice looking town - they have some awesome public art works!
In Summer 2010 desperate to go to the loo in Klaipeda i headed in to the toilet block just off the beach,woo it looks unusual inside,,,but needs must,turned out id just left my biz in the centre drain of a communal shower room.
Well it’s alright we will see you at the end of the line great song.
Great video Steve. An interesting city, with a fascinating history. Was known as Memel for most of its history. It was also temporarily the capital of Prussia during the Napoleonic Wars.
The next time you have some hours to kill in Klaipeda, take the ferry to the Curonian Spit. There should be a bus, take it to Juodkrante to take a look at the hill of the witches. It's a bit of forest full of very cool wooden statues of figures from lithuanian mythology and fairy tales.
I was there 20 years ago during a summer holiday, but I'd wager it looks even cooler in slightly misty November weather.
I had a blast looking for those little hidden figures. There are a bunch of small bronze figures and such all over old town.
Another great video I love the Baltic States, have been to Estonia & Latvia a few times but not yet to Lithuania, it’s most definitely on my to do list 😊
Oh boy! Can’t wait to see this video when I get home from work! 😉
What a wonderful quiet place .enjoyed your video very much....look forward to the next one...sculptures are amazing.trains are impressive.take care steve.🌲🎅
Hi Steve 🤗🥰!
Always in for a surprise, eh 😘!
My late father was talking about the Curonian Spit (Kuhrische Nehrung in German) quite often, raving of how beautiful it was back in the day (guess he was stationed there in WWII 😒)!
Can’t tell you how glad I am he got out of what I consider just another proof of human madness alive 😮💨!
I watched some documentaries on German TV on this topic and I am quite intrigued to go and visit that beautiful region myself, we‘ll see if that’s gonna happen someday 🤔🙄!
Hope you had a nice and calm sail to Kiel!
See you soon on this channel and take care 😘!
What I still find amazing is the fact that a British citizen can walk freely around a place that just 35 years ago was still part of the USSR. As a child of the Cold War, I visited Estonia in 2006 and clearly remember being quite emotional about the very fact that I was able to do just that. The world has moved on a lot since the 1980's!
Here Here! Another child of the Cold War here, and I remember still having to pass through the Soviet checkpoint into East Germany to visit Berlin when I was stationed in West Germany in 1989 - to think that a few years later I saw the Berlin Wall come down on TV, still brings tears to my eyes 🙂
Greetings from Lithuania. I love your travels. I am from Lithuania.
I took the train from the port to the capital in 2012. Snowing heavily. Love winter in Europe.😅 Greeting from Australia.
Whenever I go to some city, I try to get to the tourist information facility at the airport, at the train terminal or the follow signs to the one in the central city or other locations to get a paper map if I don't have a book or pamphlet already. That way I don't miss some key features of a city, maybe some history, info on when museums or other attractions are open.
Yes, it was very quiet in Klaipeda, but sometimes, you need that experience like you shared in this video in a place that isn't overrun by tourists and had some interesting features.
Hi, Steve. I just want to let you know that I'm an American whose ancestors all came from Lithuania, Germany, England, and Scotland. I doubt very much that I'll ever be able to visit any of those countries, so I'm grateful that you've shared experiences from all of them. Here's wishing you and yours a happy Christmas and New Year.
Why not?
@@Oberschutzee Age and money, to name a couple of reasons. (There seems to be an inverse relationship where, as age increases, the other becomes more scarce. (I'll soon be retiring.)) I long dreamt of traveling to Europe. I even studied German in high school for that very reason. I figured I could get a crash course in Lithuanian from family when the time came... Unfortunately, those that knew it have now passed. Thankfully, as the likelihood of that trip happening has diminished, the Internet has allowed me to see more of it from afar than ever before. It's not the same as being there, but at least there's more to see here than what has been available in books and periodicals over the years. I'm especially grateful that everyday people I can relate to share their thoughts and feelings in their travels -- and Steve is my absolute favorite in this regard. I look forward to seeing Steve's most recent experience every Saturday morning (Central time in the U.S.) -- and was pleasantly surprised to find this new, 'extra" video on a Tuesday morning. 🙂 Merry Christmas...
@@BobG127 Merry Christmas to you too
An absolute pleasure Bob!
Love, love, love your overnighters😂. You make it so much fun.
What a lovely town, where are the people? Those sculptures might look ok after a few 🍻 🍺 🍻 😅😂. ❤ From Canada 🇨🇦
Great Video Steve
I love the way you turn up in a place Steve - not much at all in the way of research. I'm a keen runner, and the Kenyans have a saying: 'Let the run come to you'. I feel like you are the travelling TH-camr version of this, where you let the place come to you. Some come willingly, or enthusiastically. Others, like Klaipeda....not so much! It's wonderful to watch.