Wednesday, Sept 18th

We left Klaipeda, on Lithuania's west coast this morning

Taking the A1 (not a steak sauce) to Vilnius, the capital, on the far west side
A distance of 300 kms (184 miles), the breadth of the country

The A1 is one of the few 4-lane highways in Lithuania, also the longest

A word about roads...While the map is consistently right, interpretation is significantly downgraded from previous trips. We need to keep to RED roads, trusted two-lane paved. An occasional orange is acceptable, but not for distance. YELLOW may not be totally paved and WHITE aren't on the GPS.

Onward from Klaipeda, the halfway point was Kaunas, Lithuania's capital for a short time while Vilnius was under Polish rule. There is a Fortress, which is defined as a planned system of fortifications, garrisons, and ammunition.

Nine forts surround Kaunas, we visited IX Fort (upper left on map)

Visited the fort, museum, and memorial on expansive grounds

Walked great distances - Parking is ½ from the ticket office

Used as a hard labor camp after WW1, the fort then became the transfer point for deportations to Siberia under 1st Soviet Occupation. During WW2, the Germans used it for 80,000 Jewish and dissident exterminations. Then returned to more thousands more deportations under 2nd Soviet occupation - until 1953. Memorial at end of visit at highest point, leads to path ½ mile down past a tranquil pond.

Learning at its hardest