3/15/17 - Lithuania Part 2 - Banshee Getting Bearings

Looking out at the square in front of Vilnius Town Hall

It took a couple of days to get adjusted to Lithuania, but I absolutely love it here. If only Lithuanian wasn't so difficult to learn. Not only are there very little resources for it, but along with Latvian, Lithuanian is one of only two Baltic languages in the world and is supposed to be one of the hardest languages to learn. Apparently Russian is very easy in comparison. Great.

One of the only Lithuanian words I know - ačiū (pronounced "ah-choo") - meaning "thank you". As in "thank you for putting some pleasant graffiti on this wall".

Here's a rundown of my first few days in Lithuania:

DAY 1 - 3/13/17 - Monday

Slept. Drank salty water. Attempted laundry.


DAY 2 - 3/14/17 - Tuesday

Much more successful. Woke up and lazed around in bed for a couple of hours - if you can call it lazing at five in the morning. Eventually Zivile woke up and we chatted for awhile before she headed off to work. She recommended a breakfast place in town called Mano Guru, which is know for hiring ex-criminals in need of jobs. I took the bus into town and walked to the restaurant, which was difficult because the entire street it was on was being torn out and reconstructed.

Surprisingly, this had a negative effect on business.

Afterwards I went on the free Vilnius city tour, which was excellent. Myself and twenty other tourists were led around the various areas of Vilnius and taught about some of its history for two hours.

Front of the Vilnius Town Hall.

Užupis angel sculpture.

Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard (Vilniaus Šv. Pranciškaus Asyžiečio bažnyčia).

Front of the Vilnius Presidential Palace - the flag on top is raised when the president is in the capital.

Back of the Vilnius Presidential Palace. Lithuania currently has its first female president, Dalia Grybauskaitė, who holds a black belt in karate.

Church of St. Johns.

Despite its vibrancy nowadays, Lithuania has a tragic history when it comes to Judaism. During World War II the country was considered a kind of safe haven, with persecuted Jews taking refuge there and the population rising to over 250,000. Unfortunately Lithuania eventually could not resist Nazi occupation, and by 1945 95% of the Jewish population was murdered. Heavy stuff, not to be forgotten.

Children playing in what was once the largest Jewish ghetto in Vilnius.

Informative sign in front of the former location of a large synagogue.

Location where the synagogue once was is now remodeled and used as a school.

On to lighter tour topics: Old Town Vilnius contains a separate "country": a quirky district catering to artists called Užupio (pronounced "oo-juh-pesht"), which declared itself a republic on April 1 1997. They have their own president, constitution, and even a 12-member "military". Although not technically recognized as a real country by Lithuania, every year on April 1 they have a festival where the "borders" are closed and a passport must be shown to get in. This passport can be any form of notebook or artwork.

Republic of Užupio sign & our tour guide, Milda.

Magical pillar that gives energy when you touch it. #science

Art.

"Colorful and with a lot of miraculous mushrooms".

Hand with circle - the symbol of Užupio.

Part of the constitution (with my dazzling reflection). "12. A dog has the right to be a dog". Its the law y'all.

Užupio constitution is engraved in 26 different languages!

Standing by the Užupio river/moat.

After the tour, I took a rest at a cafe with some tea, and then went to meet my new Lithuanian pal Linas. Linas is a native of Vilnius, and I got connected with him through my homegirl Flannery, who studied abroad with him in France. Although he is very busy living in a seminary and studying to be a priest, Linas ended up being the BEST tour guide I could have asked for. I first met him on Tuesday at a hospice center, where he goes every week to visit patients. He gave me a Lithuanian SIM card for my phone, and a brief history and tour of the hospice center, which has 14 inpatient beds and serves approximately 100 patients in their homes.

After this meeting, Linas and his four fellow seminarians dropped me off at the Vilnius Cathedral. I decided to go up into the belfry, which ended up being a great decision, as it happened to turn 17:00 while I was there and the bells went off! It was pretty incredible. 

Here are some photos and a professional-quality video I shot in the style of "The Blair Witch Project" so you can see for yourself:

The stairs were steeper than they looked...

Old rusty clock face / possible future decoration in rich yuppie home.

View from the top of the belfry.

In case you are in a situation requiring you to rappel out of the belfry, and somehow also have your wits about you enough to figure this device out.

Another view from the top of the belfry. Sun was starting to set.

Belfry and Cathedral side view.

Belfry and Cathedral front view. #workit

That's it for Day 2! Pretty packed full of adventures and getting to know Vilnius.


DAY 3 - 3/15/17 - Wednesday

The highlight of this day was a Lithuanian history lesson and candy tasting with Linas. The history was interesting enough in itself. Lithuania was first mentioned in writings in 1009AD, and formed the state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 1200s. In the 14th century a union was formed with Poland, and for a time Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. However Lithuania seems to have the absolute worst luck, and starting in 1795, they lost independence and went through a series of rulings by other countries. The first was Soviet occupation, followed by Nazi occupation during WWII, and then Soviet again, until Lithuania finally claimed independence in 1990. Most of the older people living in Lithuania grew up under Soviet rule, and since the country joined the EU in 2004 and didn't start using Euros until 2015, they have gone through several different types of money in the past 30 years. 

Somewhere along the way, several delicious candies were created, and for that we can be thankful. Linas and I sat at a coffee shop and tried six different candies, pictured below.

The real facts you were waiting for - from left to right:

- Frozen cheesecake-like bar with condensed milk filling and chocolate coating.

- Chocolate wafers & chocolate hazelnut creme with chocolate coating.

- Soviet-era candy literally called "cow"; chewy highly sugared condensed milk with gooey center.

- Fruity jam bar with wafer layer and chocolate coating (you can sense a theme here).

- Crunchy chocolate hazelnut creme with chocolate coating.

- Smooth chocolate hazelnut creme with chocolate coating.

Later I did my own tasting of delicious cereal candy bars.

After the candy tasting (furthest right candy came in 1st), we walked around the city for a bit and Linas showed me Vilnius University, where he did his undergraduate degree.

I can't remember what this is but its nice huh?

Part of Vilnius University.

Linas - Lithuanian Model Extraordinaire

Often cars were parked like this on narrow streets, blocking each other in. Linas said that the owners would leave a note with their phone # on the other car, and they would simply call each other when they needed to get out.

Vilnius University.

Essentials of sightseeing: H&M Lithuania!

And of course, my brand new car. They even named it after me, so thoughtful.

That's a wrap Day 3!

Side bar:
I've been curious as to what draws people to visit Lithuania, as it doesn't have a well known reputation like other countries in Europe. I've found from talking to other tourists that the majority are either Europeans who found cheap flights to Vilnius for the weekend, long-term travelers hopping through nearby countries, or others like myself who have an ancestral connection to Lithuania. It's status as a relatively hidden gem makes the place feel even more special to visit. There is so much history and so many interesting things to see, and their tourism services are truly top notch.