And then, after it failed month without delay, in August 2014 I set myself a challenge every day for a month to travel. First to Turkey, then to Lithuania.
Again, pulling the scattered notes from my notebooks, I present them to you. A considerable part of the text had to be rewritten and translated into understandable Lithuanian.
01 – 08.
I traveled in and out of Turkey. Unfortunately, due to travel, I have so little time to write that I don't even have time to describe them. And half a week after my return (I'm writing this paragraph on the 13th), time has not increased.
I enjoyed the trip. It was fun, despite the fact that during it I broke up with my girlfriend Mileta, with whom I had been communicating for almost a year. It's a pity that I had to do this while in Turkey, but it was not my idea. Che.
I don't know if I will ever describe this trip. But if I have a lot of time, and there is enough desire, I promise to do it. The story of the transfer from Alanya to Pamukkale and back is worth quite a bit.
~ Update November 2016, today:
I won a trip to Turkey in the lottery together with my girlfriend at the time. The only problem is that she decided during the trip that she slept with another guy a few weeks ago, so now it's time to break up.
Naturally, the first 4 days in Turkey were "Daniel, it's rude to cry in front of other people" on repeat. The next 3 days, however, were tolerably good: while traveling I realized that there is nothing to be afraid of other people (even Turks), but it is important to be open to experience adventures.
09 – 10.
As soon as I returned, I went on a kayak (or rather canoe) trip through the rivers of Aukštaitija Park with my best friends. It was wonderful!
~ Update November 2016, today:
While kayaking, I realized: a) You realize you're divorced only after a day or two, b) Friends help divert attention and it's nice, c) Placing items in plastic garbage bags and tying them tightly is a must. If you don't want to catch rabbits swimming in the river.
11.
When I finally returned home, I found out that I will stay at home until Friday to feed the animals and plants, while my parents leave for Juodkrantė and take a year's vacation. That's what I do. At least there was time to fix the work that fell in two weeks. Phew!
However, these days I also traveled. With my best friend Jurgita, I took part in a water fight at Panemune beach and later visited the Linkuva mansion and the cemetery in Šilainiai.
…Loved the water battle. The mansion was the biggest disappointment of the month, not only because we didn't see the beauty of the mansion as described online (there were plastic windows and crumbling roofs everywhere), but we also got a killer look from the local babulka carrying the laundry.
(By the way, the cemetery is nothing special either, although it was described as beautiful. It turns out that you shouldn't trust everyone who describes their travels on the Internet. *Costeli*).
~ Update November 2016, today:
It turns out that you don't need to live in New York to find new, unseen places, unplanned meetings, new people and entertainment. I noticed this over the following years as well.
12.
I finally visited with the same friend in the Čiurlionis Museum in Kaunas. Music, pictures, peace and meditation - go as you like! Oh, and the design and layout of the museum is worthy of attention!
Really, this is the best Kaunas museum I've been to.
Well, or maybe it's because I love Čiurlionis' works. After all, even now, at this moment, I am listening to these words as I write them VL317 of the Čiurlionis "Jūros" cycle of small landscapes. 🙂
~ Update November 2016, today:
As I realized later, not all museums in Lithuania are so cool. Čiurlionis, ŠMC, Velnių - cool! The birthplace and unknown house of some unknown poet? Eeeeehhh…
13.
Today I traveled to Girionii in Kaunas district. Search Geocaching treasures where there really is no shortage of them. There I counted as many as 20 in two square kilometers!
If you like trees, nature, forests or just lobbying - stop by there. You can with children too, as most of the treasures are easy to reach and find. I guarantee that I will return there again, because I have not seen such a beautifully arranged environment in Lithuania for a long time. Heaven!
~ Update November 2016, today:
Yes, that side of the Kaunas district is really cool. Girionys, Kadagii valley, Marias, Panemune heath... And so - to search Geocaching treasure is great fun! I have already found about 200 today.
14.
Today I made a small adventure again - I went to a cafe that I have wanted to visit for a long time. I drink green bean coffee that smells like pea soup and tastes like a tea and nut solution. Interesting taste.
I try it together Workstation Popcorn method. It's partially working - I'm still writing to the blog. I guess it would have worked even better if I had come in knowing what I wanted to work on. In the future, I will try the method in more detail and if it works, I will describe it, because it sounds really fun.
For now, simple trips are simple adventures. Today I planned to travel to Nida, but I was afraid of the endless rain (it's hard when I don't even have anything to wear to stand in the rain). Small adventures in Kaunas.
~ Update November 2016, today:
That cafe was "Green Cafe" on Laisves avenue. It became my favorite cafe in Kaunas. For some reason, I didn't repeat Workstation Popcorn anymore. I guess it didn't work.
15.
Linksmakalni, oh Linksmakalni - why are you so unhappy? …And not a mountain? I went to Linksmakalnis, a town near the Kaunas-Prienai road, to look for more treasures in the ruins of the former radio station.
It was fun. I just didn't find the treasure.
As soon as I got to the place of the treasure, not only did it start to rain, but a local, trained guard also came.
"Good afternoon, this is private property," he says, opening the car door.
“Um…” I stammer, “Over here?” I ask, pointing down at the curb below me.
"Yes, everywhere here is private property, it is forbidden to be there, cameras are watching. Are you waiting for something here?', he blurts out quickly.
Confused, I take my phone in my hands, open the map and pretend I'm lost - "I must be wrong," I say. I add "Thank you" and wait for him to finally close the car door, because the sleeves of my white shirt are already sticking quite well.
"Well, you can't be here," he replies and closes the door.
I, not really understanding anything, sit for a while, then put the phone away, start the car and think about going back by bike next time. As I drive away, I notice in the mirror how that guy is taking pictures of my car's license plates...
~ Update November 2016, today:
Some treasures are hidden in rather strange places. Sometimes there are strange people in them. But I had no more problems with it. It is important to lobby where allowed! (Or not.)
16…
And unfortunately, this is where the blog stops.
I don't know why, but I can't find any other sheets, notes, memories, and I don't remember that I ended the month with a victory. So I can guess that while the idea of the monthly challenge was cool, the execution wasn't interesting enough to continue.
But here's what I experienced in a month with travel!
And here is my story.
Little traveled,
Daniel
P.S Now I find that traveling annoys me. In August 2014, I did not realize this yet.