A weekend at Nida

We took a few of our friends to Nida this past weekend. We jumped onto the ferry, waited on a taxi, and finally caught a bus to Nida fater a long but relaxing wait. Once in Nida, we ate lunch, shopped for amber and waded in the refreshing atmosp[here of Nida, a Door County-ish atmosphere. Whllie Jude settled down on the beach to read, I took our firend to the top of the dunes, 300 meters above the lagoon and overlook Kalingrad, a property of Russia. At the top of the dunes is a gigantic sun dial. We took lots of pictures--scenery, flowers, dunes and people. Then, we climbed down, met Jude and wandered through the village for a couple of hours. Around 6 pm, we caught a taxi. That's when the realy excitement startetd. Taxis like to travel fast, so they can get theor thier destinations, pick up more people and make more profit. Captialism in action. Traveling at 110 km [70 km speed limit] we would make the one hour trip in 30 minutes. Three kilometers from the ferry, the taxi pulled over. He had gotten a flat. Jude pulled out a picnic lunch and while the driver fixed the tire, the four of us ate lunch. It was a perfect break. Once the tire was fixed, we were on our way again. By the way the "new" tire looked, I was glad we only had three kilometers to go. We caught the ferry back and went to the top of the Klaipeda Hotel, a 12 story building to have dessert with a view. There's also the infamous toilet located on the 12th floor. When you walk in, it's got a great view. The walls are made of glass. So while you're doing your thing, you have a great view of the city. It's always fun taking newbees there. The reactions are always great.