Sunset Quilt and Lithuania

I'm continuing to try to knock out several cards and make a dent in my guilt list.  So many birthdays have passed this year, without acknowledgement from me.  I mean, "Happy Birthday" on Facebook isn't quite my idea of doing it right.

 I'm not sure if you can see the beading along the shore.

When I was trimming after quilting, I turned it upside down.  Hey!  What does that look like to you?  It looks like "land" or an island to me.  I'm going to have to explore this idea.  I like it!

So, let's see.  Back to the travelogue.

We were planning to visit Riga, Latvia, but the waves were too high (12') and the wind too gusty (40 knots?)  Docking would have been too dangerous.  Instead of Riga, we had an extra day at sea.  It was a good chance to play catch-up with my handwritten journal.

The next day, we arrived in Klaipeda, Lithuania.  I had no idea what to expect.  Klaipeda is a town that has been conquered repeatedly.  It was heavily destroyed during WWII, and then tucked into the Soviet Union.  After the war, the Russians shipped the Lithuanians from Klaipeda to Siberia, and moved in.  harsh.

The view from the ship was definitely not industrial.  It was all locals.

 This is the town hall.  The statue of the girl, with her back to the balcony honors the only girl who turned her back on Hitler, when he addressed the town from that balcony.  The only one.

 I was amazed by the cleanliness of the cobblestones.  Look at that!  Such a contrast from Helsinki!

 There isn't much to see in Klaipeda.  This is the Magic Mouse.  Apparently if you whisper your wishes into his ear, he will make them come true.

Look at those spotless streets!  Refreshing!

 We went to an amber store, where we were given a short course on Baltic amber.  It is both mined, and can be found in the churning waves of the sea.  It is very lightweight, and comes in a variety of colors.  She also demonstrated how to polish it.  They always leave part unpolished, to prove that it is genuine.

 I had to take a picture of this storefront.  haha!  Funny!

From the town, we went out to the countryside.  We were taken to a Refugee Museum, and introduced to some survivors of the deportation to Siberia.  These ladies were all between the ages of 3-7 when they were shipped to Siberia.  In 1991, when the USSR broke up, they were finally allowed to return to Lithuania.

 From there, we went further into the countryside.  Look!  A cow!  (When do you ever go anywhere and see a single cow, with a pasture to herself? )

 When we reached our final Lithuania destination, I thought this was a great way to store firewood.

And at this point, the battery ran out in my camera.  *sigh*  Next stop:  Germany

And I've finished another little quiltlet, which I will share with you next time.  Happy Quilting!