More Vilnius, then onwards to Latvia

After breakfast we walked over to the Gates of Dawn via St Teresa’s church. There was finally a bit of wind today, though it didn’t really dent the heat.

Just beyond is the local market — distinctly not a tourist draw, but if we were staying longer we’d definitely shop here for fruit, vegetables, meat or wine.

Today’s main goal was a VR arcade. It opened at noon, so we killed time at the modern art museum. The small hall had photos from the local Roma community; the main hall was devoted to the “rivalry” and co-existence of Lithuania’s two big cities, Vilnius and Kaunas.

After the museum we finally reached the VR arcade — only to find it closed; it turns out to be appointment-only. Google had insisted it was open. Lesson: read the actual website next time.

So we pointed the car at Latvia. Just before the border, we spotted a lakeside water park (Zarasų) and pulled in — we desperately needed cooling off. The water was excellent, clean, the inflatable castle twelve euros per kid. The boys had a blast, then briefly panicked when a snake turned up near one of the attractions.

After the water stop, we set off for Latvia proper. The car’s dashboard screen refused to come on, so we wondered if it had cooked itself — but we made it to Daugavpils without problems, navigating by phone. An apartment in a tower block, a stop at the supermarket (and the screen came back — probably just overheated), the wife cooked dinner and did laundry, and we mapped out the next few days.