A unique sense of humor is my Dad's sharpest weapon! He uses it impeccably against any hardship that pops up in his path. A certain state of his joints is one of them, and even it could not stop him from hiking 25 km along the coast of the Baltic Sea.
This part of the country was his home for over three months when he was a civil engineering student. During Soviet times, getting an internship so close to the sea was like a dream come true, an opportunity that 'comes once in a lifetime.'
Walking the same path as 35 years ago was kind of symbolic. Ever-changing weather didn't spoil the mood. As my Dad likes to say, there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing. That is something that was funny to hear from a man who went for a hike wearing jeans.
The route stretched from Klaipeda, where I currently live, to Palanga, which is a popular holiday resort for all kinds of local and foreign tourists. 'The crown jewel' of the trip was having a cup of delicious buckthorn tea by the overly shiny Christmas tree.
As strange as it may sound, this was the place where my Dad met some buddies from 'the old days'. Good for us as getting a taxi would have been rather difficult. They gave us a lift all the way back to the car and we got back home right before the snowstorm. How do you spend time with your father?