
10./11.06.24 – Day 17 & 18 solo trip to Estonia on a BMW R1150 RT
10.06.24
A very relaxed day.
After breakfast and preparing myself, I went for to see the Hill of Crosses. 10 km one way to go.
Hill of Crosses is a site of pilgrimage about 12 km north of the city of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania. The precise origin of the practice of leaving crosses on the hill is uncertain, but it is believed that the first crosses were placed on the former Jurgaičiai or Domantai hill fort after the 1831 Uprising. Over the generations, not only crosses and crucifixes, but statues of the Virgin Mary, carvings of Lithuanian patriots and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims. The exact number of crosses is unknown, but estimates put it at about 55,000 in 1990 and 100,000 in 2006. Some estimates talk about up to 500.000 crosses in 2024. It is a major site of Catholic pilgrimage in Lithuania.





When I passed by there yesterday afternoon (Sunday) lot’s of people around. Today in the morning almost no one. Very very relaxed when walking around.
Even that I am not deep into catholic religion, the atmosphere at this site is magical.
After waking around for one hour, it was time to go back to the room and relax.
11.06.24
Another relaxed day and perfect weather!
Walking around in Naisiai. What an interesting little village!


The first thing you notice is the cleanliness how well-kept everything is.



Surprisingly for such a small village, there is a wide range of things to experience and marvel.
Wooden sculptures of the Baltic gods.



The Baltic Arena – used for concerts and festivals.




The family of Royal Grass Snakes.


Museum of the history of the village.

And Theater lovers also get their money’s worth.

When you made it reading until this point I guess you ask yourself the same question what I did. Why in a small village like this is a rich offer of culture and who paid for it?
The answer for the “why” question is easy. People here want to keep their traditional culture alive.
The answer to the question who paid is easy as well. There is a business man, born in Naisiai who “sponsored” the projects. With the help of the local people all was built and is maintained.
Now a days people from the next bigger city Šiauliai arrive to Naisiai for relax.
Tomorrow I will leave here and travel to the coast – but in another country.
Stay tuned and enjoy yourself!!
#dustysocks
Sooooo cute and can feel like great atmosphere cool for the eyes and lungs