BonVivant

(Several meals) The rain lasted 2,5 weeks! Hello again, sun! Santorinian lentils/"fava" (Lathyrus clymenum) with spicy mince. Totally inauthentic "dakos" (toast with tomatoes and feta, plus summer savoury from the garden). Photo of the "fava" taken on the day before leaving Santorini to return to Crete. (Down to 2 fava and 2 tomato paste now.) - - - First 10. Got another 10 yesterday. Simply boiled til done. I snack on a cob any time, also when biking to/from somewhere. Another type of Lithuanian black bread And of course, my favourite, new Matjes. Avocado-beetroot spread is for the black bread. It spreads just like butter. - - - 1/3 of a kilo of razor clams. Steamed and dressed with a chopped Greek salad, and lemon juice. And a beer _ _ _ A common species of whelks round these parts

The last time I saw the sun or felt its warmth on my skin was on July 18. The day after this photo was taken the rain started and it's been raining buckets every single day since. Summer savoury from the garden. Mushrooms (half chanterelle, half king trumpet). More cream was added to the lentils before eating. ----#2------ Gooseberries, quark, Iranian red pistachios (also in coarsely ground form on left), Cretan honey, chocolate and matcha tea. ----#3--------- Smokey aubergine pulp and "tzatziki" (quark, chopped capers and garlic, lemon juice, cucumber). Turkish tandoor bread (bigger than a dinner plate) Fish without chips. Hake fillets from the market fishmonger (the same one I always get oysters from every weekend). Dreaming of Greece. Mediterranean-style food makes me forget this endless rain for a while. Sometimes I shuck 1 or 2 but usually don't touch them until after the photos are done. Once opened they release lots of liquid and it just keeps dripping on the table the whole time. Yesterday. Box of 25, bladderwrack to keep it moist.

Yeah, seems anyone can use the swing. The water is cold. I don't know why they don't saw off the extra wood. Not just 1 stool but all of them are like that.

Last lunch in Vilnius was at this legendary Soviet-era canteen (far from the centre but we enjoyed the walk and photo ops). Had a hard time finding it but we did, eventually, with help from a pensioner in his flat on the first floor. He saw us in the little mirror and poked his head out the window asking what we were trying to find. We looked up the Lithuanian word for "canteen" and told him. He pointed enthusiastically in the direction we had just come from (but we couldn't find the canteen there, obviously). He kept pointing at the other direction said "go back that way, it's right there" so vehemently that we had to try again to find it. We had been inside this building twice, also round the back twice. But it's where the canteen is located. Looks like a school or government building (complete with 70's/80's font). Round the back. Only now we had realised this was the way to the canteen because... "valgykla" means canteen (*slap forehead*). Also saw this twice. A long, dark corridor. The door was closed both times. There was already a small queue. As we moved closer to the counter I asked someone in the queue what the dishes were on a printed sheet (they serve different typical Lithuanian dishes every day). The boss at the counter called someone from the kitchen to help me with the ordering. We were lucky a table for 2 had just become available. The place is small and plain, (office) workers and students, also people who live nearby come for lunch (the only time the canteen is open) so you eat and leave when you are done, bring your plates and cutlery to the little hatch door on the way out. Nobody cleans the table (I used napkins) and remember someone is waiting for your table so get going as soon as you are done eating. Beetroot soup, one is cold and one is hot. Zeppelins (potato dumplings filled with minced pork). Cabbage rolls A kind of fried dough. Not too sweet, nice and airy. I ordered the meal by pointing randomly at the menu. Everything tasted better than all other places I ate the whole week. And it was ridiculously cheap! Kind staff, also. A good local experience. The place was packed as soon as we sat down at our table. When we left the queue was half way down the corridor. They serve the same food like back in the Soviet days and the quality remains the same, plus the prices are still affordable that's why it's packed every day. The rest of the last day we did more walking and beer drinking. When I was making this photo an employee approached me and gave me a card with name of the teahouse "can you tag us?". I took the card and said sure. (I am not on "socials", not a part of any of this platform.) Furniture abstract. It's not a B&W photo. We went to a favourite pub several times, this swing was on the same street. Popular with the local teenagers. Many more beers at this nice local pub The regulars let us try this insane-proof spirit. Even they could barely drink it. We each had a tiny sip. Later, here at home... Artisanal black bread. Hand-made loaves, weighing about 3 kilos each. And smaller loaves from a different shop. I portioned the big loaves and put them in the freezer. Have gone through half the bread so far. I bought the same charcuterie at different market stalls, this is some of it. The Speck here looks very lean. They are not usually this lean. Smoked pig's ears (in strips for easy snacking) and more Speck on the left. Air-dried sausages Beef jerky (plus more beef jerky in vac pack underneath) Pork jerky All the charcuterie is good and of high quality. Unfortunately, the Latvian smoked sprats didn't pass Lithuanian customs clearance. They confiscated all the tins. We paid for extra cabin bags to bring all this home. Next time 1 bag would go in the hold. No other way to bring honey and tinned fish back. We were still eating Lithuanian tomatoes and fruits for a couple of weeks later. The capital left a good impression on us. Next time we would like to visit smaller towns and the coast for more amazing black bread, beer and whatever else I'm sure we'd enjoy. Thanks for your patience. This was my impression of the Lithuanian capital and I hope to return and visit other places in the country some day, for the black bread and beer alone is already enough.

(Very nice) NEIPA and an OK local lager at a random restaurant that has taps. Went back to a favourite "Spunka" (a type of local pub that serves only local brews). Friendly staff and regulars, not to mention English-speaking. This one would be my local pub if I lived here. Tiny place. Pretty much the same regulars we saw on each visit, they came at different times. And almost every single stool is like this... On the way to the Spunka/pub... beer shop? And on the way back from the pub... It's a beer bar that didn't make my list. Many next time. Yes, please. No, thanks. After all, why not. Egotistical *holes exist everywhere. This one still tried to drive through with all the pedestrians in the middle of crossing at the same time.

This is the new/modern commercial centre they are developing. Not going at an insane speed like I saw in the Albanian capital (which is trying their best to erase the whole town and turning it into something ugly modern). Below the footbridge where I took the photo above. The younger generations don't know what it's like to endure hardship under communism. Now they like to play and and spend money. 2 streets away is the neighbourhood where I made a bunch of photos of traditional wooden houses. This very road used to be a dirt road until 2 years ago. Found another Soviet-era manhole cover. Hard to find them and no older than 1987. Old frying pan. Spunka is a typical local pub serving local beers. There are a few locations in the capital. Throngs of (packaged) tourists in the centre and touristy sites it's nice to find an empty lane. The bus station is far from the centre, we walked all the way there to pick up black bread sent by the bakery in another town. Came across this (wine) restaurant on the way to the bus station... menu is on the old door. (And the name of the place) Another old door, much older and a lot more beautiful, also massive. Typical entrance and doorway Swing under a bridge

Went back to a market we had wanted to visit the day before, it was closed then. This very local market is nowhere near the touristy centre, located in a neighbourhood full of traditional houses with natural wood exterior. Seemed we were the only 2 tourists there. I didn't make many photos as it was crowded. Fish and meat halls are in another section, charcuterie and a couple of cheese stalls share the same hall. There are 2 wonderful herb stalls immediately after the entrance. Herbs that are hung upside down are drinking or something else. Looks like fresh yeast I have at home. Turns out it's halva. (The yeast at home comes in a brick like these, also same colour.) Lithuanian grown strawberries. Good prices, too. We pay twice as much at home. Doesn't matter that the stalls sell, some of them also have honey. Lithuanians love honey. Too bad I couldn't take any with me. Next time I need to put a rucksack in the hold for honey and tinned sprats. Not many varieties of tomatoes in the shops and markets (Lithuanian cuisine is not tomato-heavy). But I still enjoy checking them out. This type is big and heavy. We have something similar at home called meaty/fleshy tomato. Looks and tastes better here, though. These have more taste than the rest of the bunch. Some stalls have several types of cherries, but none has the huge, deep dark, fleshy, juicy ones. Wish we had this at home. Love beetroots, the tops slightly more. Open air area of the market is where potatoes and plants are sold. A hot chilli pepper. As far as fresh goes, I prefer scotch bonnet. So many types of potatoes sold at a typical local market. Lithuania puts us, a potato eating country, to shame in terms of availability. I don't speak the language but no problem communicating with the younger generations. They speak English quite well. With older people I used a translation app. The Baltic countries are popular with Scandinavian tourists, also Germans and Poles. Hah! Poles are quick to point out the dishes or food in Lithuania that's actually Polish. Haven't made it too Latvia (yet) but Estonians say Lithuanian food is "not good". But hey, I like Estonian food also.

Strammer Matjes/Max ("ShtrAMmer MAKs") from the sea. One of the eggs I got has the perfect shape of Kinder Surprise eggs. Where I got the egg above, from a (hobby) chicken keeper, in the countryside 1,5 hours biking from my house. A normal house with a big garden full of chickens, directly left of this country lane. ---------#2--------- Fried eggs with tomatoes and Feta Chocolate paste/bergamot mamerlade/peanut butter are made by yours truly. Black bread and yoghurt with honey. ---------#3------------ Greek-style salad every day. From scorching hot to full blown autumn. Grilling on the Weber outside was cancelled. SV lamb leg meat, briefly browned in a pan. Enjoying my herbs from the garden.

Traditional pastry from a town somewhere else in Lithuania but is popular all over the nation, sold at kiosks in various locations. It's OK. Give me Bolivian salteña any day. I got 1 with lamb and 1 with mushrooms. Light meal and beer later From Latvia Salmon roe And more beer at a nice local pub earlier

Wanted to browse this market but it was closed on this day of the week. I noticed many (beautiful) old houses in the area of the market so I decided to look round. Picked a side street across from the market and started from there. Sheds and letterbox station Letterbox station All the old/traditional houses have natural wood exterior. Some are well maintained, many are not. Some are "abandoned". I think so. Doors and windows are boarded up. I approached a young man walking towards me here, asking about the old wooden houses in the area. As I have suspected and the young man confirmed it, nobody takes care of the property after the owners pass away. One day they government will give everyone in this neighbourhood an offer they can't refuse. They'll buy the land and turn it into a new modern commercial district. The young man said only a couple of years ago this very street was just a dirt road. Today it's professionally sealed and has a raised bike lane. Eerily beautiful. Here you can see a brand new glass-covered building right next to a wooden house. And in front of the glass building in photo above is a dirt road, as mentioned by the young man I spoke with. Whole logs on the sides of the house Huge house number with street name. The same all the way to Georgia Republic. I guess it's Soviet style. Next to a Soviet-era flat building is a simple swing set. The seats are very thin now. Only 2 streets away is the all-new development. They have these wooden pod-like things on the grass, like a private space in the open to chill. If we have this at home they would vandalise it if they can't steal it! A public bench. This is a common thing as I kept seeing it all day: an old door with code lock. Even the door knob is made of wood (same door in photo above) There are many designs, I took photos of a couple nice ones only. One of the analogue clocks on the street

The wind changed direction so now we have good-for-nothing high temperatures (35C!/stupid hot in Fahrenheit). Time for no-cook meals, or at least keep the cooking minimal. Fried bread from Moroccan bakery (brown one is whole wheat). Honey and sugar cane molasses brought back from Madeira Young cheese and runny cheese in 2 small bowls on right Would not even consider moving to a place where I don't have access to cheese. - - - Another no-cook meal. Peeling the prawns took the longest. Avocado-feta and pickled jalapeño Fishmonger sources oysters from a different farm. There are many along our coast. So I finally tried this. Not "extra hot" at all! Just a little spicy and only mildly cheesy. Never again. The wine was much better

Did lots of walking today. Beetroot soup fest was going on in the capital and there was this huge thing nowhere near the touristy centre that I saw by chance. Had to make this photo in colour, obviously. Kept running into wedding photo shoots every day. They are exactly like people on "socials", striking a super fake pose in the blink of an eye and then seamlessly flipping back to their normal selves. This most popular shopping street in the centre is closed to automobiles at weekends. Restaurants and cafes on both sides of the street take advantage of it. It got crowed soon after I made the photo, which was earlier in the day. Across the street from my lodging... sun shines on an old iron gate, droopy branches as a frame. There are many nice parks and green spaces everywhere. Unlike at home, the government can't wait to turn every last patch of greenery into houses and flat buildings! The capital still has trolley buses in service. They use both old and newer trolley buses for different routes. An enduring icon of Lithuania, seen through the high columns. And between the trees I'm always on the look out for urban geometry and minimalism. Central market, the one I visited first soon after my arrival. It's touristy but still one shouldn't skip it. A mini flea market a couple of streets from the central market I've taken many photos of door handles everywhere I visit but the following 2 are quite different. ----------- Lunch at a restaurant-pub (pub that also serves freshly cooked food). We beat the peak lunch time by about 5 minutes. Many employees in the area came here on their lunch break. We were the only tourists, we had the time to eat slowly and drink many beers. The pub has a dozen beer taps and is on many beer enthusiasts' itinerary but because it's a bit far to walk from the centre they don't usually come round till later. We ordered soup and warm meals of the day. The nice employee translated the menu to me. Every day of the week they have a different set of meals, the menu also changes every week and with the seasons. Potato pancakes Chicken with mushrooms in cream. Roasted potatoes underneath. Beers on tap were also good. They have 4 cask taps, but unfortunately, only in use when the beer is in good condition. Btw, the massive facial hair trend in the craft beer scene has not reached Lithuania. How refreshing. In certain countries it's so prevalent, exactly the same look or style in every beer bar. And unlike in some countries, the bald gene in Lithuania is rare, at least in the young. I counted 3 (old men), never once in a beer bar. Supermarkets stock good quality craft beer. Much better than the same boring stuff we have at home. My first sweet IPA. Couldn't drink it. Non sweet IPAs I had were all fine. This is my "monochrome" camera (see beer photo in restaurant above). These days I only use it for B&W photos. Fujifilm cameras are highly configurable to achieve the looks of film stocks or any style you want by adjusting colours/contrast/clarity/highlight/shadow/white balance shift etc. I take all B&W photos using in camera B&W settings. In digital camera world it's considered a "dinosaur". I have had it for 10 years. The old bird (my camera that is!) still turns heads! I got asked many times if it's an analogue camera. The sausage casing is from the large intestine, and the stench comes from the colon. I know people in some cultures enjoy eating and smelling it.

Photo taken in Guerrero Negro, BCS (through a restaurant's window where I was eating).

The "virgins" are here again. Cold beetroot soup with mashed eggs Smoked pig's ear I brought back from Vilnius. Tyrolean Speck on right, and smoked salmon above. One of us scoffs at smoked pig's ear and Matjes. Fantastic black bread brought back from Vilnius. Next time I'll post photos of black bread and charcuterie brought back from Vilnius. Very chewy, substantial bread that requires time and effort to enjoy. Tastes sweet and sour, contains caraway seeds (thankfully they are not overpowering). Beautiful, good crust. This handmade traditional bread is a work of art. Did you know... black/rye bread is what Lithuanians abroad miss the most? New-catch Matjes (and strawberries), are a sure sign of summer here. I think I have exceeded my weekly quota of oily fish... Ate 3 yesterday, and 3 today. ---------------- Another meal: Summer savoury (as in a plant) I got 2 small pots from a garden centre last year. They are doing very well. Broad beans and smoked Speck cooked in cream, together with 5 big twigs of summery savoury. It's most commonly added to green beans and such. This is a typical home-style dish in northern Germany. The name is simply the ingredients "broad beans and Speck". Didn't season at all, the Speck provided all the smokey salty flavour. Lithuanians are competent at making Speck (I brought back several chunks from various market stalls in Vilnius). (Extra photos. It's quite dark now so I had to increase brightness quite a bit.) - Hey, what's that in my Annabelle hydrangea? - Are you my mummy? - Mummy! Hungry! - They have just left the nest this morning and have been staggering round my garden since, making lots of noises the whole time.

B&W photos that are not food related. Nice iron gate that opens to an inner garden and is an access to flats. It's a common setting. Strong backlight and deep shadows The black outline on these white structures makes them look like a drawing. Street lamps and the hangers Kayakers were passing by at the exact moment Menu spotted on pavement. Beaver pâté is part of a multi-course meal. Part of a structure (in photo below). One of the remaining Soviet-era structures. Back then it was a "palace of sports". There are plans to renovate and turn it into something modern in a near future. Hold still! The white bell tower in the national square, where locals and tourists like to visit or hang out. Many national events also take place here. Coffee culture, they have it here, too. I've been looking and finally found it. A manhole cover from Soviet era. Street name signs are big are number signs are even bigger. But why don't they put the number dead in the middle, though?!!!

We walked up a hill for the views That's the hill and former castle from where I took the photo above Colours of Santorini Young people enjoying the summer For lunch we went to a basement restaurant. The kind of restaurant where the staff are dressed in traditional garments and the deco is traditional, and the food is also mostly traditional. It's a nice place, like being transported back to another age. But then Lithuania was like that not that long ago. Cold beetroot soup "Farmer's Feast" is a big meal. We managed to finish half and took the rest back to the lodging for another day. Zeppelin dumpling, mashed potatoes in a sausage casing. And back there are potato pancakes. The potatoesausage thing had an intense smell, it came from the sausage casing. The smell also penetrated the potato so the partner ate my half, too. Rendered Speck in a little pail for topping and moistening these specific things. Sausage and pig's knuckle/hock, both small in size. If you have eaten Schweinehaxe in Germany this one is a mini version of that, the part lower down the leg. Dinner back at the lodging later... In a big supermarket I was observing locals who came to the smoked fish counter. Many of them bought smoked salmon carcasses. They looked good and I was curious so I had to buy one. Basically, it's a carcass with some meat still attached, and is hot smoked. The tail is folded in the photo. Pea shoots and broccoli cress bought at the organic market. I also got sunflower and radish cresses. After trying sunflower and pea shoots I now scoff at radish and broccoli cresses. Bought the black bread at another market. This chunk here weighs 1,3kg (about 2,8lbs). This is actually vegetarian "trout roe". Looks exactly like the real thing, doesn't taste half bad, either. It's the first time I've come across such a thing so I had to try it. The smoked salmon has spices and chilli flakes. Buy this if you like to gnaw on bones (I do). A couple of beer after our sauna session

Rye bread with (North Atlantic) rosé shrimp. Resumed eating asparagus. It's the end of the season now, but the very last of it can be found. My zinc pills come in a box of 25. Fishmonger says they are not harvesting oysters for maybe 2 months so supply will be thin on the ground. Drinking from my stash, this is a sour beer. Money can't buy these bottles because not many are still in existence. Bottled date on label. Still tastes good, unlike some non Belgian sours I've tried. Vinegar! -------- There's butter from the forest (avocado) and there's butter from the sea. My mini Midsommar today (without songs and dances). Yoghurt

Before leaving the market I had a beer at this bar. Exactly what I was looking for, beer and smoked fish. In Lithuania you can buy draught beer to go. The plastic bottles are 1 litre. Some tourists bought smoked fish whilst I was in the bar. No sturgeon here, just catfish. After the market we had to take all the shopping back to the lodging and did some more walking so I could take photos of non-food stuff. Then it was time for some cold beer and food, in a neighbourhood dive bar. Smoked pig's ear. Served in many non pretentious local bar/pub. Not the fried dumplings I had in mind. These were deep-fried, not pan-fried. They had pork filling. Housemade boiled dumplings with pork filling _and_ extra minced pork. Should have ordered 2 plates of these instead. Tasty filling and good dough. All the IPA we tried The cheese curd "pancakes" were also good. And then... more beer, at another bar. Lithuania has an established brewing tradition and it's only natural that the craft beer scene has taken off in recent years. This is the most popular and highly rated craft beer bar in the capital. The beer library. Cleaver logo (book on its spine turns into a beer glass). A row of taps. Beer at this bar is the most expensive but all the beer enthusiasts come here anyway. Back at the lodging we ate a light meal of black bread, young cheese and charcuterie.

Self-respecting food lovers like to (must!) visit a local market in a new place. If anyone doesn't like looking at market photos please skip this one. The capital's central market. Quite nice, like a mini version of Budapest's central market. But Budapest is on another level, however. The fresh meat section is in a separate hall next to the charcuterie and fruit in the main hall. This market is where all the tourists come but locals also shop here. There's even a "guided food tour" but I'm not into that. The meat products in this post are all cured and wonderful looking. Speck and fat slabs. They just don't have Mangalitsa pork fat like in Hungary. Lithuanians like to snack on jerky, dried meats and cured sausages. There are beef and pork jerky, and the pork comes in several shapes/thickness/cuts etc. Every type of Speck and fat has its use This type of thick, pure fat is to be sliced very thinly and then put on a slice of bread. The cured sausages are nice stuff Many types of dried meat A typical charcuterie shop. I looked at them all and decided to buy most things at this shop. The nice girl could vacuum seal all my purchases, besides, no problem with communication which speeds things up considerably. Pickles Gherkin brine Gherkins are ready Pickled garlic. Another stall also has it in a beetroot brine, looks a lot more beautiful. Most people, including me, bought strawberries. The only time I saw "white asparagus" was at the organic market the day before. Rosé tomatoes. Not super sweet but refined in flavour. I bought several types, including this. Tasty. They looked a bit dried out, didn't buy any. Potatoes still have big chunks of soil attached. We have them at home, too. Each is a different type of black or rye bread. I bought a chunk of "heritage black bread" weighing 1,3kg. These rye breads are very heavy and substantial.

Last day of whale watching and eating Tony's tacos. Had to check out a new restaurant. After Tony's this is what the restaurant served (fish and octopus tacos). We thought it was a joke, but unfortunately it was not. The aguachile was weird, too. We left quickly. But it doesn't matter, because the whales were so incredible that you forgot the unpleasant things and unkind people ever existed. We experienced a gang of aggressive whales for the first time. The guide in another boat said she ran into them 3 days in a row. They surrounded and circled our boat and waved their big flukes uncomfortably close, they tried to lift and rock the boat, literally . It was a bit scary, really. When we tried to escape, they then followed us for a long time. If we stopped they would start the whole thing again. So close to where I was sitting... Only takes one flick and in the water you go, or worse, breaks your neck. But aggressive whales are not common. Thanks for your trust and generosity, whales! So far we have done 26 or 27 whale watch trips! Each time was different and incredible. These highly intelligent creatures piercing stare gives you the chills. (My camera can be submerged in water) Love Mexico. Always looking forward to the next trip back to this amazing country. Muchas gracias, Mexico! Whale watching places I visited on this trip. Gave up on San Ignacio. Laguna is best. Will go to Laguna from now on. (And thanks for reading this far)

What it's like to be approached by friendly whales Flipper. Grown man for size. We found the town's taco truck again! Everyone was happy to see each other again. They recognised us straight away. So they had moved to a different spot, 2 streets away. They are opening a small restaurant next season. Hopefully they'll have more than tacos, like ceviche, aguachile and other seafood snacks/dishes. We ordered plate after plate of prawn and fish tacos. --- Laguna Ojo de Liebre, where up to 2 thousand grey whales gather before heading to Alaska. The water is warm and level of salinity is high, both are crucial for birthing and new born calves. 4 whales swimming near the boat. (Closest one is a white patch, about to surface) A special moment, for first-timers and repeaters alike. The tenderness of both species is heartwarming. First-timer's mistake... touching or kissing the super sharp barnacles. I've seen people got gashed. This one kept opening its mouth More tacos

Last photos in Loreto before a gruelling 10 hour bus ride north to near the north-south Baja border. We eat at this "comida corrida" place down the road from the guest house every time. The beans are soupy but we like the rest just fine. A juvenile blue-footed booby. The male version of this bird has striking blue feet. Too bad he sat down when I pulled out the camera. But he was standing up before that so I got to see the feet. An osprey directly above me. It's the season so you see them everywhere. Next day in Guerrero Negro after returning from whale watching. Went to the spot where the taco truck used to park but didn't see it there. We were sad thinking the business went belly up. This town experienced a bad hurricane last August and many businesses never recovered. Anyway, this birria truck is new this year so we decided to check it out. The partner ate the cabeza "Carnitas"

Roadside food Minced prawn filling Prawn pozole. A little spicy. You'll often see whale wall murals in towns or villages where there's whale tourism. A bbq rig It's an old Suzuki Samurai classic jeep One of the few hand-painted signs left. They used to be hand-painted like this, just like adverts and film posters. The promenade in Loreto. Not used to seeing Loreto so cloudy, cold and windy. We had to put on a light jacket the whole time and it was also most cold in the evening/early morning. Loreto is full of palm trees. It does feel like a classic Mexican holiday. My favourite whole pig spit-roast man on a street corner is no longer in business in Loreto, but by chance I found a carnitas shop where locals queue from opening time. Guest house owners and us joined the queue on a Sunday morning and we all ate the meal together. This chicharon is so good. I'm sure the Michoacanos would approve (they are a, rightly, difficult bunch when it comes to chicharon and carnitas). We snacked on the leftover chicharon during the long bus ride to the north, drawing longing looks from Mexican passengers. Guest house owners also thought the carnitas was good. $10 for all of this. Lasted 2 meals. And later, beer from a craft beer bar on the next street.

Finally I could get round to finishing this (trip). My new laptop arrived shortly after I got home from Lithuania and the last couple of days have been nothing but frustration and headaches trying to set it up and running. Windows 11 is utter rubbish. Staggering ineffiicency, it wastes you time and insults your intelligence, not to mention a new level of keeping tabs on you. Hold on to your previous Windows version for as long as possible. Back to Mexico... After Loreto there's not much to photograph, it's just getting up early getting ready for whale tours and going to bed early. It's the last week of this trip and it's only whale watching every day. We always visit El Rey del Taco down the road from the lodging, at least once. A very simple restaurant run by El Rey and his partner, both English speaking and friendly (like nearly all Mexicans, really). The taco shop is always busy and sometimes first-timers who don't have patience get up and leave, or keep trying to get the wife's attention to order. She'll come to you when she's ready. She'll ask the tourists what type of tortilla they prefer, and if they would like the spicy peppers and onions. This is to prevent wasting food. Some tourists don't touch the peppers and onions. My taco as brought to me, before I piled on all the other bits. One taco comes with 2 tortillas and big pieces of fish. You make 2 tacos with 1. We also ordered "Cabeza" but it usually runs out fast. I have tried cabeza several times but couln't get into it. Couldn't get past the strong smell of some part(s). Eat this every day in Mexico. Fresh and warm corn tortillas to be filled with buttery avocados. That's a 1kg stack of corn tortillas, still steamy. Found pure frozen passion fruit pulp and soursop to snack on. Only in the course of a year we noticed a few things had changed. Some homes and businesses are gone, some new restaurants and businesses appeared. This corner former house is still around and well kept. It's so cold and windy this year it's so unlike Loreto. No beach weather. Funky snowy egret (I think). He eats the big black critters on the rocks. Windy day (actually all the days we were in Loreto this year). Deemed a pest in some cities/countries. They land on the boat as soon as it approaches the harbour. They are huge (but still smaller than other species of pelicans). We like observing them, they are comical.

Visited a weekly organic market to have a look. There are about a dozen stalls selling breads, fruits, vegs, dairy, snacks etc. Also plants. Prices are as high as at home, but quality is higher and there are some interesting things we don't have (at home). I bought lots of fruits but the most anticipated were these lovely and delicious blue honeysuckle berries. Strawberries are piled high everywhere at the moment. Also got concentrated blueberry juice. Every morning I eat a little mount of fresh fruits. Took a short bus ride to a "gourmet market" outside the centre. They say that all this "gourmet" food and craft beer scene was unthinkable 10 years ago. Then ideas from abroad and money arrived. Nothing is cheap here, for Lithuanian standards. Lots of imported high-end foodstuffs, as well as domestic products.. I like smoked pig's ears. Smoked snouts on right. Snack bar makes pie from scratch Took the photo on the way out. It's a new building. Lunch at the oldest brewery again. They have a special day menu on this day. Many locals come to eat the special dishes of the day, but most popular are the zeppelins (potato dumplings). Small knuckle with horseradish cream sauce, and Sauerkraut. Got 2 dumplings. The shape indicates which filling it contains. Left is pork mince, right is cottage cheese. Some fried Speck and lard and a big dollop of (soured) cream. Lithuanians eat a lot of cream. Apparently, it's soured cream but I don't taste it. To me it's mild, full fat thick cream. Very nice! There's a good craft beer bottle shop inside the gourmet market. They have 6 taps for drinking standing or sitting down upstairs in the "food court". I tried the IPA. but bought 2 cold bottles to drink upstairs. A small space with shelves of some international and domestic craft beers, plus 4 fridges of more beer. Young and knowledegable staff told me this brewery is highly regarded at the moment. I got a NEIPA and hazy pale ale. Crisps in the flavour of Lithuania's most popular soup (cold beetroot with kefir) Didn't get this one Found these in the supermarket. Of course they make one with potato dumpling flavour for this country. Other photos: I see delivery men riding this thing a hundred times a day. Delivery of food is so popular here. Don't people cook any more? As far as I know, only one country has banned the E-step bikes. Many buildings have inner courtyards, you see it after passing under a(n arched) entrance or doorway like this. There's a bunch of "Italian" restaurants in town, some of them claim theirs are "true". Timeless classy I see crumbling buildings like this every day. Shame that nothing is being done about it. He took a photo of them, she decided which filter to apply. Nice craft beer bar "Pink soup fest" is going on this week. A pamphlet lists restaurants serving the cold beetroot soup.