If it is Wednesday it must be Latvia!

Countries: 6 (Lithuania and Latvia)

Distance so far: forgot to look and the bikes are in an underground garage - but somewhat north of 2500km

Our UK registered bikes stand out from the crowd!

It’s a dilemma. Shall I start counting? How sad do I want to be? Well, to be honest that has never bothered me before. But it turns out I have only visited 31! Now 33 (out of 50, and with the 34th on schedule for tomorrow). Maybe I won’t bother. Belarus is included and something tells me I will never get there. Apparently Azerbaijan is in Europe and Scotland doesn’t even count! But a bike trip through the Balkans sounds appealing. Watch this space.

So, back to the trip … After our relaxing night by the lake near near Olsztyn (I just managed to avoid crashing the wedding party), at which one of us (modesty ensures I don’t mention who) became the Polish pool champion on possibly the worst pool table we have ever played on (turns out, Steve, you would not have loved it!), we headed further into the north east close to the Russian border to visit the Wolf’s Lair. This was Hitler’s war time headquarters, built for the invasion of the Soviet Union. The place at which the assassination attempt by Claus von Stauffenburg took place on 20 July 1944.

That it failed appears to have been primarily due to someone simply, and innocently, moving his briefcase to the other side of the table leg while Stauffenburg was out of the room. There in lies one of the crossroads of history. Above what it looks like now. Below what it did look like.

We had been expecting a rambling arrangement of old bunkers and upturned concrete. And to some extent that was what was there, but the displays, the audio guide and the presentation were superb. Herman Goerrings’s bunker - intact enough to enter.

Hitler’s bunker

The headquarters had been built to support/facilitate the invasion of Russia and although Hitler apparently only intended to spend a few days there, he actually ended up there for approximately 800 days, most of the last three years of the war. The houses and bunkers of the architects of the misery perpetrated by the Third Reich seemed in some way prosaic, compared to the power held by those that effectively lived there. Special mention though for Martin Boorman, whose capacity for hatred of anyone not like him seems to have been endless. The “lair” was eventually blown up by the retreating Germans when the loss of the war was becoming inevitable, before Hitler retreated to Berlin where he committed suicide.

But one surprising fact that came out was that the Allies almost certainly knew the location of the Wolf’s Lair but chose not to bomb it. The audio guide did not explain why but I wonder if it is because by the time the knew, Hitler was becoming increasingly irrational, but with his unshakable belief in his own propaganda and genius for strategy, the Allies decided it was better to leave him in charge than have him replaced by someone sane! Just a thought.

The visit concluded with a quote I rather liked, although I do not know to whom it is attributed. It was on audio so I might be paraphrasing.

“All totalitarian regimes based on lies, oppression, cruelty and criminality are destined to crumble eventually.”

I hope so. There are one of two around the world right now that could do with crumbling sooner rather than later.

A quick stop at the Boyen Fortress in Gizycko, punctuated our remaining kilometres on some great roads into Lithuania but other than a very nice ice cream it turned out to be barely worth the stop. They seemed to be caught between providing a historical educational visit and returning it to nature, it was so overgrown. But it was massive and a hot walk all the way round the huge walls, in motorbike gear, did at least justify the ice cream.

From there Lithuania beckoned and we headed for Kaunas, its second city, with stops only for fuel and leg stretching. And what a beautiful city Kaunas turned out to be. I am not exaggerating when I say the main city centre avenue is possibly one of the most beautiful streets I have had the good fortune to visit.

The evening saw us find a bar to watch England limp past Serbia in the Euros and the morning saw me in a beautiful cafe typing the start of this junk, while Rob and Eric headed off for the castle. (I needed the Caffeine - it does what it says on the tin!)

It was a beautiful inside.

A castle, a sign and a pair of idiots

As the sun continued to shine on the righteous (or not so much) we started our journey north through the Baltic states we have never visited. First stop Kuldīga for Europe’s widest waterfall.

And one of Europe’s longest brick built bridges,

… where inexplicably Jesus is paddle boarding under it!

And one of its quirkiest hotels. Yep, the bed is up there,

…there are no curtain on the windows, and at this latitude in June it is light until nearly midnight!

Should be a recipe for a restful night. (As it turns out I slept like a log and didn’t fall down the spiral stairs in the middle of the night). And to be honest it was a lovely little town in which we found a very welcoming restaurant/bar to eat, drink and play stupid card games!

And act the fool! (Eric was clearly doing something sensible)

Nope, no idea who he is either.

A shortish day from there to the Latvian capital Riga for our “day off the bikes”. And not only have we chosen a beautiful city to do it in we have also chosen the only day of rain to spend it in, looking in museums and listening to organ recitals in cathedrals. All part of the planning of course!

We have found a lovely old city centre hotel, surrounded by cobbled streets, old buildings, and welcoming bars and restaurants. Rob has found us an organ recital in the old city cathedral which was nothing short of magnificent.

And the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia was simply inspiring. I am ashamed to say that I was largely ignorant of the Hitler-Stalin Pakt of 1939 that allowed the Soviets to first occupy eastern Poland and then the Baltic States, initially with Hitlers agreement, until of course he changed his mind and invaded the Soviet Union and was then defeated at Stalingrad (see Wolf’s Lair above). I wonder how Europe would have turned out if Hitler had not done so. For 50 years the Soviet Union denied the existence of the secret protocols in the pakt. And to this day Russia continues to justify them as a necessity. Europe, simply divided between two totalitarian dictators.

Anyway the museum provides an excellent historical visual explanation of subjugation, resistance and ultimately freedom from persecution for the proud Latvian people. The picture below is of “The Baltic Way” - from Tallinn through Riga to Vilnius. 1.5 million people holding hands and singing in protest at Soviet rule. This was 1989. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and independence was declared in Latvia (and Estonia and Lithuania). Inspiring. But this was after the cruelty of the Soviet empire in which 18 million people were sent gulags in the east. Almost unimaginable.

Latvia: screwed by the Soviets, the Germans and then the Soviets again. But now a proud member of the European Union, a republic and a free democracy. (I won’t mention Brexit, other than a brief conversation with a Dane last night who noted it had not done us any favours. No, really!?)

I think that will do for today. A few pictures, especially of the very photogenic Riga, most taken in yesterday evening’s sunshine.

Tonight we hopefully dine in some local bar/restaurant before watching the Scots recover their virtually hopeless Euro ambitions against Switzerland. If I can stay up that late. We are now two hours ahead. And there is the small matter of the Latvian Shithead championship! We are having one per country - so far Eric is the champion of Poland. I’m sure you will all be hanging with baited breath to know who wins in each and every country we visit! (Netherlands and Germany are not concluded as we have go back through them - but I’m sure you knew that).

Tomorrow we head for Tallinn in Estonia for another overnight in what we understand is another beautiful old town before we board our overnight ferry to Sweden on Friday evening. We have a rough route planned across Sweden, Norway and Denmark but it will likely end up somewhat different. And lucky for us the sun is due to shine again tomorrow - which is always good as we have to exit this city on cobbled streets. Not our favourite on bikes!

See you in Estonia, or perhaps Sweden.