Kaunas, Lithuania...

We only have about 125 km to the Poland boarder so decided to have a relaxing morning in Kaunas.  Our hostel is in a fantastic location right on the pedestrian mall in the center of town.  We started at a coffee house called Green Coffee.  We walked in and the barista politely described the program - traditional coffee drinks similar to what you would find at a Starbucks or the coffee bar experience.  We chose the coffee bar - a selection of 21 beans from around the world and your choice of 9 different brewing methods.  Our barista professionally asked some questions to determine our individual coffee tastes while also describing how each of the brewing styles would bring out distinct favors specific to each method.  We each chose a different bean and brewing method.  He described each method, where it originated and how it would affect the beans during the brew.  I chose a bean from Indonesia and a Japanese style brewing method through a filter designed to let the maximum bold spicy flavor of the ground beans to pass through.  It was indeed an excellent cup of coffee - bold flavor with a spice and vanilla finish.  It took at least 15 minutes for the barista to educate us on the process as well as individually grind the beans and brew each cup for us - all for about $2.50 US each.  Much less than a Starbucks grande latte and much more interesting.  Nothing like having a cup of Joe with a backstory in a coffee bar in Lithuania to make you feel like a hipster douche!  It was actually nice to have a quality cup of brewed coffee after 2 straight months of crapy instant throughout northern Asia.  The Russians are much more into their tea so it is not easy to find any good coffee in Russia.

We then proceeded on to another cafe to get some breakfast - a huge omelet for only about $2 US.  I also added a latte for an additional $1.25 - Lithuania is very cheap indeed!  Except for fuel of course - about $6.50 per gallon.  After breakfast we walked around the square and snapped a few pics.  Then back to the hostel to pack up the bikes and hit the road - Ken and I off to Poland and Mark to Kaliningrad.

A 120 year old church at the end of the pedestrian mall.

The bridge coming down into the mall.

Our barista giving backstory on the beans an brewing methods.

Choices, choices.

My delicious cup of Joe.