Thursday, Jun 12, 2014: 10:45 pm, the full moon is rising in the east over the flat terrain. I’m on a bus bound for Gdansk after spending a day in Kaunas, Lithuania. Due to lack of logistical planning, I had to abandon the room I had booked for the night as there are only overnight buses bound directly for Gdanks. This left only half a day to explore Kaunas after arriving from Vilnius in the morning. Alas, it was not near sufficient time to explore the city in full. What little time I had was spent walking the length of the old quarters, lunch at a restaurant, strolled down the pedestrian streets, and a jazz show at dinner amongst the locals. Although not stellar, the city does have bountiful charms. The local folk consistently turn askance to steal a curious glance as I pass, unaccustomed to strangers like myself passing through. Soon enough, the evening passed, and it was nigh time to part company with the Aussie I had been traveling through the Batics for the last two weeks.
The long night slowly dims ever slightly. But, as we are nearing the summer solstice, the western horizon retains an orange glow on the few scattered clouds. The rising moon blanches over the dark-green landscape. Come morning, I will arrive in Gdansk to the welcome reception of an old friend.