Berlin to Helsinki Day 13: Šiauliai
Today was a breeze. Mostly because we had the wind at our backs, we finished with an average of over 26km/h for 117km.
Our hosts in Šiauliai were a family of five: Sniega and Aleksej, the two parents and their children Ronia (5), Julia and Vera (twins, 3). They whisked us immediately away to a beautiful lake in a pine forest to make the most of the rest of a warm day.
Mylène and I after swimming in the lake.
Us with the whole family at the lake.
The little girls didn't care that we didn't speak Lithuanian, and after we gave them some chocolate, they were running around and playing with us, and teaching us Lithuanian at the same time. I picked up Ronia and spun her around as she laughed. I know the typical child's response after I do that which is "again!" Which came immediately as her feet hit the ground, "dar!" Much obliged.
After the lake, Sniega stopped by the road to gather some herbs and berries. She knew quite a bit about which ones to take and how to use them. We found some wild strawberries (very teensy-tiny red strawberries that taste like strawberry candy), thyme, wild carrots, catnip, and some sleeping herb that she brews into a tea to help her sleep sometimes.
We then went to another lake to see the new symbol of Šiauliai, a fox, which apparently was simply chosen at random with no deeper meaning.
We talked to them about schooling in Lithuania and their kids. Sniek is an English teacher and Aleksej works as a distributor for a big software firm that sells to companies and manufacturers in Lithuania.
We had some extremely delicious homemade poppyseed-apple brownies and Lithuanian bread (a little like rye). Then, everyone collapsed from exhaustion.
Ronia brushing Mylène's hair
Our hosts in Šiauliai were a family of five: Sniega and Aleksej, the two parents and their children Ronia (5), Julia and Vera (twins, 3). They whisked us immediately away to a beautiful lake in a pine forest to make the most of the rest of a warm day.
Mylène and I after swimming in the lake.
Us with the whole family at the lake.
The little girls didn't care that we didn't speak Lithuanian, and after we gave them some chocolate, they were running around and playing with us, and teaching us Lithuanian at the same time. I picked up Ronia and spun her around as she laughed. I know the typical child's response after I do that which is "again!" Which came immediately as her feet hit the ground, "dar!" Much obliged.
After the lake, Sniega stopped by the road to gather some herbs and berries. She knew quite a bit about which ones to take and how to use them. We found some wild strawberries (very teensy-tiny red strawberries that taste like strawberry candy), thyme, wild carrots, catnip, and some sleeping herb that she brews into a tea to help her sleep sometimes.
We then went to another lake to see the new symbol of Šiauliai, a fox, which apparently was simply chosen at random with no deeper meaning.
We talked to them about schooling in Lithuania and their kids. Sniek is an English teacher and Aleksej works as a distributor for a big software firm that sells to companies and manufacturers in Lithuania.
We had some extremely delicious homemade poppyseed-apple brownies and Lithuanian bread (a little like rye). Then, everyone collapsed from exhaustion.
Ronia brushing Mylène's hair
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