Three months after our originally planned start of our world trip, the time had finally come: Our adventure begins! We started our trip in Lithuania, more precisely in Palanga. Honestly, we had never heard of this city until 3 weeks before the flight. But there were direct flights from Dortmund, which were also very cheap and the decision was made quickly! Although Lithuania had reopened its borders, entry restrictions were still imposed by the Lithuanian government. So tourists were only allowed to enter from countries where the infection rate was lower than 25/100.000 inhabitants in the last 2 weeks. In addition, we received a "Public Health Passenger Locator Form" by mail, which we were asked to fill out in advance with information such as accommodation, emergency contact, etc. And so we were feverishly looking forward to June 30th, always with an eye on the current infection numbers and were really happy when it became clear that we could fly.
We were too early at Dortmund airport, which was also really empty. We had already gotten used to the mouthguard before. There were distance markings everywhere and there were disinfectant dispensers. We handed in our backpacks at the check-in counter, passed the security checks and watched at the gate how our backpacks were loaded into the right plane. By the way, we were not asked about our pre-filled form. We were looking forward and couldn't believe that it would start now!
Arrival in Palanga
The flight was very pleasant and suddenly we had Lithuanian soil under our feet. On arrival at the airport terminal, a disinfectant dispenser was waiting for use. The contents suspiciously smelled like vodka - but well, for sure it disinfects. We were given a form with a link to an internet page where we should register within 24 hours. Nice idea - but unfortunately the link did not work for both of us and we could not register. We got our luggage and started looking for a bus to take us from the airport to the city. As ordered, it was standing right in front of the exit and after half an hour of driving we were already at the bus stop - which is called "Autobusų stotis" in Lithuanian (very self-explanatory). Our accommodation was only a few 100 m away and our host gave us a very friendly and warm welcome.
The fact that Palanga is also called the "Mallorca of the East" can only be noticed on a large promenade with many pubs, bars and clubs. Otherwise, our first impression was that it is a quiet cozy town on the beach. The main attraction of the city is a bridge that leads into the sea. The tourists are mainly on and around the bridge. But just a few meters away from the bridgewe had the beach just for ourselves.
We stayed two nights in Palanga and explored the surroundings by walking. And also while hiking we met very rarely other walkers or tourists.
The Corona situation in Lithuania
What is completely new for all travelers this year is for sure: What measures against Corona do the respective countries have and what restrictions do we have to expect? We assumed that, as in Germany, masks would be mandatory in all public places (supermarket, transportation, etc.) and accordingly we wore our masks on the bus from the airport to the city. On our first visit to the supermarket we were also equipped with masks, but we noticed from the locals that they did not wear any mouth protection at all. So we found out that in whole Lithuania (at that time) there was no mask obligation at all and the country showed only very low infection numbers. Visits to restaurants and cafes were also possible without any restrictions.
After two days in Palanga we continued by bus to Juodkrante, a small village on Curonian Spit.
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