21 km hike from Linkuva to Žeimelis
Semigallia (Lithuanian: Žiemgala, Latvian: Zemgale, German: Semgallen) is a historical land that was previously inhabited by the Semigallian Baltic tribe and is now split between Latvia and Lithuania. Linkuva and Žeimelis are two historically important towns in Lithuanian Semigallia. Both of them take a special place in my heart as this is where I grew up.
This time my dad and I decided to promote the blood flow by walking all the way from his home in Linkuva to Pakruojis Region Museum 'Žiemgala' located in Žeimelis. 63 years ago the museum was established by Juozas Šliavas who was an ethnographer, writer, and English teacher, as well as my grandfather's brother.
Prior to this day, we have taken this road thousands of times, but never by foot. It passes through several villages that still have many specimens of old wooden architecture. These villages are Ruponiai, Ūdekai, Puodžiūnai, Steigviliai, Diržiai, Lauksodis and Akmenėliai.
Once we finally arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by another museum that was established in Žeimelis in recent years. The main person behind the Žeimelis Technical Museum is Juozas Grigaliūnas. It took him a lifetime to collect all the exhibits that can now be seen here. Some people joke that Žeimelis has two museums that were established by two men, both named Juozas...
