Prague Journal

Friday, May 20, 2005.

After an elegant – and ample—breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the dunes on the bayside of the peninsula where the water is calm, and cafés and small shops adorn the center of town. We walked around the town, stopping for ice cream, coffee and pastries, and looking at various crafts displays. This area is famous for its amber and textiles, and there was an abundance of amber jewelry and linen clothing.
We went into a small museum, depicting an authentic fisherman’s house, and walked around the town center. Most of the day was spent walking along the pine-bough lined paths up to the top of the dunes. The weather is still cool, but today is sunny and perfect for a hike up the dunes. Vicki says that if we walk far enough, we will reach Russia. Unfortunately, the signs request that we stay only on the pine-bough lined paths. We tried to drive to Russia along the spit but were confronted with road construction blockades.
At the very top of the Parnidzio Dune is a sundial, which is constructed of stone. Apparently, only from this point can one see the sun rising out of and setting into the water—from the Lagoon into the Sea. This structure symbolizes not only the passage of time, but also the interaction of natural elements—wind, sand, and water—on the Spit. The Parnidzio Dune raises up the sundial 53 meters, the highest point on the Spit. The Nida Sundial carries on the astronomical traditions of the ancient Baltic tribes. Similar principles of the Sundial were used to build observatories designed for calendar measurements throughout Lithuania. The architecture of the sundial on Parnidzio Dune accents the superiority of nature and the memory of culture.
We went back for a walk along the Baltic shore before sunset, and then went to dinner at a restaurant overlooking the bay.

posted by JWinn @ 11:08 PM