The Problem With Kalvarijų and Kalvarijos
Monday was one of my first truly "relaxing" days, where I wasn't planning a day trip across the country or sprinting to catch some kind of transportation. The planned highlight was going on a tour of Verkiai Regional Park (in Lithuanian: Verkių regioninis parkas) with Linas. I slept in and then wandered around town, stopping at a cafe for a bagel and tea. A couple brought their dog in and I suppressed the urge to run over and pet it.
Barely.
I was supposed to meet Linas at a bus stop near the park at 15:30. Unfortunately, due to my ignorance of the Lithuanian language, I waited at the wrong bus stop and ended up having to take another bus, making me almost 30 minutes late. You see, there is both a "Kalvarijų" bus stop (the one I waited at) and a "Kalvarijos" bus stop (the one I was supposed to be at). They are not very close except in spelling.
The one benefit of this mishap was that I stopped at a Spauda (little stand near most bus stations selling newspapers and snacks) and bought a packet of Fruitella. Fruitella is a candy similar to Starburst, except that Starburst is ok and Fruitella is a creamy angel candy sent from above.
Top ingredients: sugar, fruit flavor, crack cocaine (probably).
One crowded bus ride later, I finally made it to the correct stop, where Linas was waiting. Since we now had a limited time before he had to get back to the seminary at 6, we immediately set off to explore the park. It was (surprise) another cloudy day, but this just made it all the more beautiful and mysterious in my opinion.
Passing by a cemetery.
This park, like many things in Lithuania, is interesting as well as beautiful. It contains the Verkiai Calvary, which was created in the 1660s with instruction from Dominican monks. The Calvary has 22 baroque-style chapels that were built nearly identically to the distances, elevations, and bodies of water of Jerusalem. Don't ask me how they calculated those distances in the 17th century. It probably has something to do with all that physics - aka science magic - I learned in high school and college.
One of the chapels in the park, cemetery to the right.
It was a chilly day and there was almost no one else there, but we did see a couple of runners. After walking through the park for awhile, we came to a lookout point at the top of an old mill-turned-restaurant. The lookout point had a fence with "love locks" clasped on it, like the Pont des Arts in Paris. This sticking locks on fences thing seems to be a common theme with Europeans.
A lock someone before me placed, most likely in honor of my cat, Creamsicle.
Panorama from the Lookout. (New band name I call it!)
There were a few old and sophisticated looking buildings at the top of the lookout as well. Linas told me that they were all just administration buildings, and that this was fairly common in Lithuania. Apparently many of the beautiful old structures built before the Soviet occupation were left abandoned after it, and there was now an excess of them.
Worlds Most Majestic Administration Building
Top of the lookout point.
After appreciating the view, we headed down the stairs back to the mill/restaurant for a quick coffee. We were the only people in the whole place besides the staff, and the inside was lovely. There was a multi-level dining area made of dark wood, with thick beams, a couple of roaring fires in stone fireplaces, and old mill equipment strewn attractively around. It was dark and cozy, and there was a stream outside with the old wooden mill wheel alongside it. It felt exactly like a more comfortable version of the blacksmith's shop in Pirates of the Caribbean, aka the single greatest movie ever made.
The only picture I have of the outside of the mill, from the lookout point stairs.
Me and Linas in the mill, having a quick duel before our coffees.
An old piece of mill equipment.
Afterwards, with minutes to spare, I walked Linas back to the seminary and then took the bus back to Vilnius. I stopped at a couple of second hand stores and bought a raincoat which ended up being unfortunately useful.
I ended the night having dinner at a restaurant (delicious lamb burger and potatoes for about €6), then tea at the hostel. This time I actually went to bed at a decent hour. No jokes!
DAY 9 - 3/21/17 - Tuesday
Perfect and Amazing
Tuesday, my last day in Vilnius, is one I will never forget. Following Linas' recommendations, I saw four incredible sights - a lookout point called Pūčkorių atodanga; a cemetery called Antakalnio kapinės; the Church of St Peter and St Paul, and the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy.
I started out by taking the bus out to the lookout point, which was the furthest away, with the intention of walking back to the city and stopping at the other sites along the way. It was pouring rain in Vilnius that morning. Most of the time the bus schedules are pretty accurate on Google maps, but sometimes buses simply don't show up, which happened this time. I waited for around 45 minutes for my bus to come. During that time several other buses came and went, including one type that I've seen occasionally here - a van that is converted to a city bus, holding about 12 people.
Sometimes they are literally mini vans.
I got off at the bus stop nearest Pūčkorių atodanga, and walked about 100 meters along the highway to the base of the lookout point. By now I was pretty comfortable walking in strange places where there are no other humans.
After a quick coffee at a tiny shop at the base, I headed up the gently sloped stairs to the lookout. At the top there was a series of interconnected wooden walkways, and a really nice view with a dramatic cliff. I also took full advantage of the lack of people to take a series of embarrassing self-timer photos.
Navigating the pathways.
Casual railing lean.
The view! Cliff to the right. The panorama makes it seem less dramatic. It was steep.
As I was about to leave, I caught sight of something to the left of the lookout, and went to investigate. It was an extremely creepy bunker-type structure set into the ground. There was an information panel, but it was partially covered in black paint. And was only in Lithuanian.
The information panel seemed to show a kind of passageway inside the bunker, as in you could go inside and there would be hallways and chambers.
NO THANK YOU I'M GOOD.
I got close enough to take a photo and then left before the demons could draw me in.
After getting my fill of the lookout point and the creepy bunker, I left to go to the cemetery (Antakalnio kapinės). On Google maps, it didn't seem too far away, so I decided to walk it. It doesn't even seem necessary anymore to mention that the walk included sprinting across a four lane freeway, passing an old abandoned train station, and walking down a deserted dirt road in the middle of a wood where there was an active shooting range (I could hear several shots go off). Again, I think this place was meant to be reached by car and not on foot. Which meant getting there felt all the more victorious.
Just after crossing the highway. I was committed now.
Looking back at the sketchiest storage area I have ever come across. Shooting range entrance to the right.
Abandoned train station.
When I finally got to the cemetery, it was magnificent. I was the only one there, and after the rain from earlier in the day everything looked and smelled damp and fresh. The sun was shining through the trees and it was beautiful. All of the graves, especially the newer ones, were intricately decorated and some were very old.
And many had fresh flowers on top.
Newer tomb.
Older ones. The headstone on the right, made of metal, was so old and rusted the name and dates had worn off.
Grave with a tree growing through it.
I could have spent hours here, it was so peaceful and the graves were so intricate and lovely. As I was walking around the newer graves something caught my attention down the hill, and I went over to investigate. It was rows and rows of military graves - this cemetery is actually known for being a military cemetery, and there were thousands of military graves in all. Every headstone that I looked at in this section had a date of death of 1915 - soldiers of World War I.
I couldn't find any information about the difference in the two types of headstones (white stone or cross), my guess is either religion or nationality of the soldier.
I continued walking and found even more military graves. It was a beautiful, tragic place.
Monument to soldiers.
I love the colors in this.
At some point a fog rolled in. The lighting was amazing.
More military graves. Each one had a candle on top, some were actually lit.
Panorama of some of the military graves.
It was a great, saddening, and thoughtful experience visiting the cemetery. As the light was beginning to fade, I headed on to the Church of St Peter and St Paul.
Fortunately this time the route was actual, normal streets that people walk on, and it wasn't too far away. The outside of the church was really lovely and the inside was breathtaking. I happened to go inside right as mass was about to start, and sat in the very back for awhile before quietly leaving.
Sun starting to go down on an epic day.
Front of the church.
The inside. Photos don't do it justice.
Walking back to Vilnius.
Finally I was on the way to my last destination of the day: the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy, located in central Vilnius near the university. It contains paintings of imagery from the Divine Mercy devotion to Jesus Christ.
Currently, the church is undergoing reconstruction, and when I entered it was completely dark, quiet, and freezing cold. After walking around for a minute or so I heard someone else come in, an old man who must have been the caretaker. He spoke almost no English but turned on the lights and walked around and showed me everything. At the end he pointed me towards the offering box, where I deposited all of the smaller cash I had - admittedly only 4 or 5 euro. It was a very nice experience and the paintings were intricate and beautiful.
Not sure where the window light is coming from...it was darker in my memory.
My journey to Paris early Wednesday morning went off almost without a hitch. Except that I forgot to pay for the hostel and left my driver's license there. Ah well, at least I didn't miss my flight.
Once again, my favorite blog writer strikes again with witty entertaining prose. I love this blog.
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