Hidden in the forests in the area I was staying in Lithuania is apparently the site of a number of missile silos from the cold war that have been preserved as a museum. My host gave me rough directions for a shortcut, which I only half listened to expecting it to be well signed. Fool!
There is a turning to it off here?
This must be it, he said it was unpaved .... sand again - yuk!
A Few miles later I decided this direction (if it indeed was correct) was getting a bit beyond me
I retraced my steps - see you can 3 point turn on a rutted sand forest track, it just takes a while and leaves you rather sweaty!
Another couple of false attempts and an hour later, I finally arrived (it was supposed to be a 10 minute journey!)
You can pay to go on a guided tour, which I didn't do. It was chilling enough just sitting here in the silence looking at the domes that formed the cap to the individual silos. Apparently only one of the missiles here was actually aimed at the UK, but even so ...
I recalled what I always found to be a very chilling sequence early in the Terminator 2 film. Children are playing in fields and missiles suddenly launch from silos like these a short distance away, and then the inevitable return volley comes.....
If you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s as I did, it was just one of those things of the time, I suppose every generation has its own defining backdrop. Thankfully that particular one never came to its awful conclusion apart from in film studios.
After a moments more contemplation, I set off agin to continue the trip.
More straight roads ....
.... and then a roundabout with bronze bears and a wagon in the centre, in the middle of nowhere - I had to go around it a few times to get a good look!
The entry post to Latvia was quite small, and then it was back onto the straight roads.
The countryside was largely comprised of either trees or fields of ripe rapeseed, the smell of which I was finding too pungent and giving me a headache (along with runny nose & cough) so I took a diversion into a forested area.
The roads here were still straight and to be fair the forest pollen was only marginally less irritating to my nasal passages. Soon however I saw the road to my next stop, the old town of Cesis.
Cesis is famous for its medieval castle, originally built in the 13th century.
It’s a very pleasant small town to spend an evening.
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