Kedainiai, Lithuania - Lost in translation

You might be surprised to know that Bart and I don't speak fluent Lithuanian  - only 4 million people in the world do! So when we spent an evening with a Lithuanian farmer and his family the internet was our means of translation!

We crossed into Lithuania a couple of days ago and noticed an immediate change. The landscape was rolling farmland as far as the eye could see, dotted with cute clusters of farmhouses and outbuildings whose once brightly coloured paint was now peeling away. There's no wild space in Lithuania so when we couldn't find a place to camp we asked a friendly farmer if we might camp in his field. He was delighted to have us stay and showed us to the prime spot beside the duck pond, close to the outdoor drop toilet. We were invited into the simple wooden farmhouse for coffee. The interior was small and dark, dominated by a huge oven that radiated a cosy heat and surprisingly, given the simple surroundings, there was an internet computer. Through the magic of Google Translate this is what we learned about him.

He is 58 years old. His farm is 14 hectares but much of it is leased as his health is not so good now. He has asthma and gets disability benefit but it's quite low. He enjoys growing vegetables in the greenhouse. It's been a cold spring so not much is planted yet. He has two dogs, one tractor and one cow which gives good milk that his wife turns into cheese. His wife's brother works in construction in London and speaks fluent English.The winters here are cold except the last one which was mild with not much snow. He is on Facebook.

Since leaving the farmer we have continued cycling north through Lithuania through endless farmland and some old cities. The spring continues to be cold so does anybody know the translation into Lithuanian for "Where can I buy a hot water bottle?"

More photos on flickr - click on the link.

Fact file
Daylight- 15 hours
Distance - 1118 miles
Days - 17
Route - Left Poland at Sejny and turned north through Lithuania passing through the old city of Kaunas. There are some super quiet roads and dirt trails in Lithuania but few options for camping.