Day 39

O dear what a ride. I just kept going and going. And going. I felt like stopping at sunset but didn't really like the motel. So I kept going, into the dark and watched the moon rise. I started to get a little frightened. The road was very dark, but the lights of other vehicles were blinding. I thought that perhaps I had moved out of my comfort zone. But I kept going. I found another motel at 10ish, but it was full. So I drank a coke and headed off. It was starting to get cold as well. But the sky had that green glow that northern skies have close to the summer solstice. I hadn't realised how far north I had come. I kept going and saw some lights through a fog. I pulled in when I reached them. And at about half one at night and 200kms after starting I found a motel, ate, showered and slept.

Day 38 Russia.

Well I have now left. I am no longer in the EU, and I am now in Russia. And I have now crossed my first proper border. And what a bloody labourious task it is, but a damn site easier for folks on cycles that those queuing in cars and lorries. After having my passport checked 3km from the border by the Latvian border police, I get to the border. A bite to eat at the border cafe and then I happily ride past the queues of vehicles. Where i am checked again by the Latvians. Twice. I am then out of Europe, in no man's land and walk towards Russia. Where I am then checked, stamped, handed a little bit of paper, walk to another window, surrender my little bit of paper, get given another bit of paper, have that stamped, cycle 100m to another little boothe, have my passport and little bit of paper checked and then I am in! I am in Russia baby! I then get to ride along a long long road past the queues of people wanting to go the other way.

On my map I saw a more rural route that runs parallel to the main Moscow road. I figured I'd follow it. After 10km I realise this is a mistake, the road has more holes than a Tory party argument on benefit cuts. The winters I think are very harsh here, and the effect on the road is clear. However I make it back to the main road and to a great little truckers motel, where I eat Borsht (ьорщ) and sleep for about 10 hours.

Day 37

Goodness what a long day. North east through small town and village Latvia. I thought I'd take the short cut, only to find in turned into a dirt road for about 40kms. But I made it to Zilupe, just before sunset. Practiced my terrible Russian in an attempt to find somewhere to sleep and was lead by a local to what from the exterior looked like a bog standard apartment block, but inside had rooms to rent. And it also offered a short cut to the frontier in the morning! The kindness of strangers and the luck of the English!

Day 36 Latvia

A lovely sunny ride through the far north of Lithuania and it's politically correct road work signs (check the selfie blog!). And then over a little bridge, past the closed border check point and into Latvia, and an immediate drop in road quality. After bumping along for a few hours I make it to Daugavpils. Here I notice that much of the Soviet era monuments remain. A large Great Patriotic War memorial sits in the middle of the central park. A large monument to the 1919 Revolution sits on the edge of town.

Day 35

Utena. Utena Lithuania. In the rain. Perhaps the Lithuanian Morrissey sang about this place.I stay in a hotel, tucked away on the edge of town next to the industrial estate. I went for dinner and watched drunk lads in their late teens early twenties shout at waitresses. I took this photo tho, Utena looks quite pretty from here.

Day 34

I bumped into someone today. A prize for anyone who guesses who.

 I have never seen so many people getting married as today. It seems that the entire city has fallen in love and wants to tie the knot. Today was a good day. Lots of pottering and sight seeing. Villnius to me feels very slightly like a cross between Warsaw and Lisbon. Although in the centre and old town it seems that all traces of it's communist past are now gone. Until that is one climbs the tree covered hill that leads to the TV Tower. There it is a different story and communist era tower blocks, subways and graffiti abound. It could almost be another city, the old town that foreigners see and the rest of Villnius that is hiding behind a hill.

Day 33

Heavy rain crazy rain today. And cold. I pottered around the city, called in on the genocide museum. Utterly shocking an utterly horrible. It has the names etched on the walls outside of those killed inside. First used by the Soviets, then the Nazis and then the Soviets again until 1991. The sickening ideas inside to try and force information from people is a wonder. Ideas so horrible but often they worked. One particularly nice "room" featured a small metal disc raised about half a meter from the floor. Under the disc the "room" would be full of water. Nice and cold. Especially in the Baltic winter. Prisoners would then be thrown in naked and left, with nowhere to go but to crouch on the little metal disc.

Whilst walking around Villnius I have noticed a massive mount of E.U. and N.A.T.O. flags. I feel there is a certain element of "Fuck off Russia" in the display. Perhaps I am cynical but after visiting all three Baltic states I have noticed a definite desire to publish and broadcast the happenings of "Soviet Occupation" as it is described in the three recently independent nations.

Day 32

Lazy day, nothing day. Days are often like this after riding for a few days. Motivation to explore is minimal, desire to rest and eat is at a maximum. I rested, ate and cleaned the bike.