Tasting tour: Klaipeda region and smoked fish tasting
2-day tour to the Lithuanian seaside. During this trip we will visit Klaipeda – the ice-free Lithuanian port. We will take a walk through the streets of this city’s old town, which will impress you with its own and coziness. Each of them is unique, adorned with the architecture of the port city, among which you can even see the façade buildings typical of German cities. The streets of the Old Town are also decorated with extraordinary sculptures: a “Magic Mouse” fulfilling desires, a “Cat in the Face of a Gentleman” with extraordinary powers, a chimney sweep and the saga of his success, a pot of money promising wealth. We will see the symbol of this city – the sailing ship “Meridian”.
At the Klaipėda castle site we will be greeted by one of the most impressive sculptures in the world – “Ghost”. we will see the only engineering heritage of more than a hundred years on the Baltic coast – a swivel bridge and find out how many times a day it is swiveled so far. In the museums located in the basement of the castle, we will learn the history of the castle that stood here and the town located next to it.
In the blacksmith’s museum we will get acquainted with the art of blacksmithing typical of this region and see what works are born in the hands of blacksmiths. In the museum we will also see the tools and dumples used by blacksmiths, we will learn about their work and we will be able to be blacksmiths ourselves and make Curonian jewelry for ourselves.
The Museum of the History of Lithuania Minor, which is located in one of the oldest houses in the Old Town, was built in the 18th century. Here you will be able to get acquainted with the pagan and Christian culture of the country, wander the maps of old cartograms, understand how East Prussia and Klaipeda region formed. You will see old Klaipeda in postcards and photographs. Paintings by artists are exhibited here. And those interested in the crafts of this region will see not only what the people of this region adorned, but also what hives were tied to bees from straw.
The next day we will go on the shore of the Curonian Lagoon and travel to Dreverna, where we will visit Jonas Gižas ethnographic homestead – the only shipyard’s remaining homestead in Lithuania. In the museum’s exposition “After opening the ship’s chest …” we will introduce the subtleties of the ship’s craft, opening the chest of the master’s tools and visiting the stylized workshops. Boats and fishing are an integral part of Jonas Gižas’ daily life, therefore the museum presents the history and traditions of the Pamarys region, characterizes the types of ships, the peculiarities of their construction, fishing traditions and the catch of fishermen. From the Dreverna observation tower we will look at the distance of the Curonian Lagoon and see the silhouette of the Curonian Spit on the horizon.
We will go to Ventė Cape, where Ventė Cape Ornithological Station is established. A bird migration route takes place through this promontory. Here we will see the traps that catch the birds, they are ringed and released again. Experienced ornithologists will tell you why birds need to be ringed and who needs this information. Well, of course, I will tell you about the birds themselves. Or maybe even you can ring them yourself.
We will visit the village of Minija, called the Venice of Lithuania. It was not in vain that she got this name, because here the street functions are performed by the river Minija, which flows in the middle of the village. From this small port we will sail to the Nemunas delta and reach the Curonian Lagoon. While sailing, we will see in the distance the largest and only inhabited island in Lithuania – Rusnė, which forms the Nemunas delta. The golden dunes of the Curonian Spit, we will feel the gentle waves of the Curonian Lagoon and the wind guiding our face.
During the education on Rusnė, the largest residential island in Lithuania, we will learn the subtleties of traditional fish smoking from the patrons of the national heritage. The hostess will show you how to prepare the fish for smoking. The chosen fish is the traditional fish of the Rusnė region bream. In a cozy environment you can taste four types of freshly smoked yet hot fish.
