Aukštaitijos Nacionalinis Parkas | Aukštaitija National Park was our first destination in Lithuania, following our entry from southeastern Latvia. We passed through a military checkpoint en route to Palūšė, where the church built in 1750 CE is one of the oldest surviving wooden churches in Lithuania (📷1). From the Visitor Centre we took the recommended Meironų pažintinis takas | Meironu Nature Trail, which includes forest, swamp and lakeside sections. More than elsewhere we were molested by 🪰 Lipoptena cervi | the deer fly (📷2), whose modus operandi is to land on elk/ deer, shed its wings, burrow through fur, cut into skin and feed on the hosts blood. With hooked legs plus an elastic body, they’re very resistant to being brushed off or crushed! Our 6km/ 80min loop hike concluded with a return along the shore of ež. Lūšiai | Lake Lūšiai (📷3). To overnight we drove to ež. Almajas | Lake Almajas, arriving just as the sun was setting (📷4); there’s a public campsite hidden in lakeside forest down a gravel road. 🇱🇹 #europe #baltics #lithuania #lietuva 🚀 #travel 🚐 #camperVan #nomad #roadTrip #vanLife 🥾 #hiking #nature #nationalPark