So, not to get ahead of myself or anything, but I LOVE VILNIUS.

You may be wondering what the heck a Vilnius is, as I likely would have just a few months ago. Vilnius, my friends, is the capital of Lithuania, a small but beautiful country on the Baltic Sea. Ugh. I cannot recommend this place enough. Maybe it was just my mood, or the weather, or the people I met, or the food I ate, or or or…. Yeah, it was just all pretty great.

The funny part was that my first impression wasn’t actually all that dandy. As I disembarked the bus from the airport (public busses are only one euro – first point to Vilnius!), I made my way to my hostel with absolutely no expectations. I’d only ever spoken to one other person who had visited Lithuania, and all I knew was that she had gone there. She didn’t elaborate, so all I knew was that I was in for some chilly weather and cheap prices.

During the first ten minutes of my walk, though, my expectations grew bleaker and bleaker. Everything was just so… grey. The sky was grey. The buildings were grey. The people seemed grey, bundled and braced against the cold and the greyness. I remembered my mom talking about her visit to St. Petersburg some twenty-five years ago, and she always talked about how ‘grey’ it was. “This is what she meant!” I thought to myself, and I slumped a bit, wondering why I had decided to come to this place at all.

All a bit dramatic, I know. And just after the ten minute mark of my walk from the bus station, I came across a little store with quilted stuffed animals and trinkets hanging in the windows and a sign reading “Handmade Souvenirs!” on the door. I ventured inside to find a store filled with homemade stuffed animals, small quilted figurines, and almost too much adorability to handle. I asked the man in the store if he made the products, and he said, “My wife, but I help sometimes.” Then, after a few minutes of chatting, he said he needed to get back to work, and soon enough, he was zooming along on the sewing machine! So cute! I bought a couple things, and as I walked out the door, it was like I had walked through some magical portal. Suddenly everything was full of color and life. The streets were nearly empty, but that only added to the strange, quaint magic that this city held, whispering the secrets of its past to me as I crossed the cobbled streets and ran my hand along cracked building walls.

My hostel was also adorable. Free waffle breakfasts and lots of little cozy places to hang out. I collapsed in a loungy-beanbag chair while I waited to check-in, and then I set off for lunch. I had passed a little Italian place with a tempting deal posted outside – soup and pasta for eight euros. I know, I know. I should really calm down with all the Italian food in non-Italy, but it’s just so cozy, cheap, and guaranteed to fill me up. My expectations were exceeded with the little restaurant, though.

Turned out the soup and pasta deal also included wine!!! I was brought some bread that was amazing. I actually moaned a bit on my first bite – I was so hungry, and it was so savory and wonderful. The soup was some sort of pureed green vegetable soup with homemade croutons and a generous swirl of olive oil sitting on top.

Dude. I cannot explain how mouthwatering this soup was. The bits of olive oil in the first few bites caused flavor explosions in my mouth, and the homemade croutons were soaked in more of the same. Plus, this was a huge bowl of soup! I considered telling the cute little waiter boy that I didn’t need the past after all, but I decided against it. Ugh. This soup was so good. I just wish I knew what was in it, haha.

Next, the waiter brought out a huge bowl of spaghetti Bolognese. I didn’t kid myself for a second, and as he placed the dish in front of me, I quickly verified that they had to-go containers, because there was no way I was going to get more than a few forkfuls of that pasta down before I would be incapacitated for the rest of the day.

Amazing. Such a good lunch. I ran back to my hostel to drop my leftovers in the fridge, but the hostel worker made the mistake of showing me to my room, and I made the mistake of lying down for a “second.” A couple hours later, I finally pried myself off the bed so that I could force myself to explore of bit of the gorgeous sunshine outside. It was hard, though. I was really, really tired, and the bed was surprisingly comfortable.

There was a church directly across the street from the hostel, but apparently, during the Russian occupation of the twentieth century, many churches were forced to close or be converted into non-religious spaces. During this time, this particular church was used as potato storage, of all things, but it has since been converted into a multi-use art and exhibition hall. I’m really not sure if I was actually allowed inside, but the door was unlocked, so I peeked around a bit and climbed some stairs before I heard voices and rushed out.

I was headed toward a viewpoint in Bernadine Park, but I was distracted by this pretty church next to the river.

And then, following my map, I crossed the river.

Little did I know that an entirely different country lay on the other side of the river. Sort of. The Republic of Uzupis is a sort of art commune, but it’s also kind of a normal neighborhood. Uzupis means “beyond the river,” so technically, everything on the other side of this river is in Uzupis. Uzupis has its own constitution, its own parliament, and until recently, it had its own army of twelve soldiers.

The thing is, the founding of the Republic of Uzupis was announced on April 1st, and the joke is that the whole thing is… kind of a joke. For example, that building up above in front of the water? That’s the parliament building, and its unofficial name is The Barliament, because, you know, it’s actually just a bar. Haha. A funny little place.

The main square of the Uzupis visitor center was adorned heavily in art and pianos. When I entered the welcome center building, a woman asked if I was going to give myself an Uzupis visa (aka: a stamp in my passport). I asked if that was actually allowed, to which she responded, “We haven’t had any problems yet!”

I wandered a little bit because the place was so cute and calming. I could imagine this would be a really cute area for a picnic date. (Where my date at?!)

I eventually wound my way back across the river to the Bernadine church complex. Very very pretty.

And I finally made it to the park! Turns out you can accomplish a lot when you start a day at six in the morning, even if the day includes a flight and a long nap.

I still can’t figure out what this sign could possibly mean. Google Translate says “blaivi zona” means “a bleak zone,” so the closest explanation I can figure is that this sign means, “You will have no bleakness in this park as long as you have carrots in your cup.”

I had a little hike through the park to get to the top of a hill crowned with three crosses, and the view was beautiful in the sunset! I had been worried about the sun setting, but the days had definitely gotten a bit longer since the start of my trip.

I stayed up there as long as I could stand the cold, but once the sun properly set, all the warmth was sucked out of the air and was replaced by a biting breeze, so I made my way back down the hill before proper darkness could set in.

I found a weird little amphitheater down the backside of the hill, and a bunch of snow remnants were still here. Kind of strange since there was really no snow anywhere else in the city. I’m guessing this little divot was just so well-shaded by the surrounding trees that it stayed nice and chilly while the rest of the city melted into an early spring. The center of the amphitheater even looked like it was coated in solid ice, and I wanted to venture down, but I didn’t trust the icy steps, and there were a few pockets of cool kids hanging out at the far reaches of the seats, so I didn’t want to give them a show if I were to biff it.

As I made my way back down to the base of the park, I saw that little fairy lightbulbs had turned on all along the park pathways.

Can you see the three crosses lit up on the top of the hill in the middle there?

Next, I did some shopping and wandering.

The end goal was the modern art museum, free on Wednesdays. (Free museums are the best!) I camped out in the little movie theater for a while and watched a man and woman talk about their experiences with the Holocaust, music, and life.

I pried myself off the comfy couches about half an hour before the museum closed so I could explore the rest of its contents.

This dude was just watching the video on display, but I couldn’t help feel he looked like part of the installation.

On my way to the museum, I had passed a super classy and affordable-looking Lithuanian restaurant, so I decided to stop there for dinner.

I had a four course meal with a shot of mead (unfortunately, ‘mead’ does not mean the same thing in Lithuania as it does in the States) for about fifteen dollars!!!! Lithuania, calm down with the delicious, cheap food!!!

The dishes included a cold beet soup with potatoes, two kinds of heron (this was my favorite dish!), a pork-stuffed potato zeppelin (one of the most traditional dishes of Lithuania, and tree cake for dessert (a crunchy treat almost like a really stiff shortbread cookie).

Properly stuffed and giggly after such an extravagant solo date, I returned to my hostel and slept heavily.

Did I mention that my hostel had free waffle breakfasts? A great way to start the day.

It was raining this morning, unfortunately, and I was in quite a rush, but I did not let either of these factors deter me from zooming out of the hostel with my waffle remnants in tow to make it for my ten o’clock free walking tour of the city.

Our tour guide’s name was Milda, and she gave one of the most interesting tours I’ve ever been a part of! I think what was so fascinating is that I really knew nothing about the Baltics before going into this trip, so almost everything she said was new information. She spoke a lot about Lithuania’s occupations by both Germany and Russia. In fact, Lithuania actually celebrates two independence days because of this, and it has been a fully independent country since 1990. She also told of the long history of multiculturalism in the city, of traveling German merchants and Russian builders, of Jews and Christians.

She also gave us a little Lithuanian lesson. She said that if we ever were unsure about a word in Lithuanian, we should just stick “as” at the end of it, and not only would it sound Lithuanian, but it would have a pretty good chance of being the proper translation, as well. She gave us some interesting examples, including the fact that Donald Trump is called Donaldas Trampas. She then joked that some places in America already sound Lithuanian: Dallas, Texas, Las Vegas, but in the Lithuanian language, they still add the extra “as:” Dalasas, Teksasas, Las Vegasas. (I’m not making these up, and I checked them – they’re real!) What a crazy world. There was honestly a part of me that thought Milda had to be joking about that last part at least.

As we continued our walk, we peeked into courtyards, walked many streets, and found our way back to Uzupis.

We went a little farther into the neighborhood than I had the day before, and Milda showed us the wall of Uzupis constitutions in thirty three different languages.

It was pretty darn cold at this point, so Milda graciously allowed us a ten minute break and pointed out a coffee shop, a grocery store, and a restaurant that sold hot wine to go. (I opted for the wine. Muahahahaha.)

We reconvened at the main square of Uzupis, marked by a still-standing Christmas tree, a water pump, and a pillar crowned with an angel.

Apparently, when the angel monument was to be revealed, the angel part of it was not yet finished, so the people of Uzupis topped the pillar with a giant egg. When the angel was finally completed, they replaced the egg with the angel and said she had been born from the egg. Quite the story.

As for the water pump, it was out of commission for the winter, but it normally provides fresh drinking water. Every April first, though, for exactly one hour, it dispenses beer instead of water, and people line up with mugs, cups, and jugs to fill to their hearts’ content!

After a bit more wandering, we came to Milda’s favorite street, known as the Literature Street. Its walls are decorated with plaques, quotes, paintings, and other works of art that reference various writers and authors who hold some tie or another to Lithuania. The small country is a bit desperate for recognition, though, explained Milda, because some of the authors made the wall simply by offhandedly mentioning Lithuania once or twice in their writings. One of them had only bad things to say about Lithuania, but I suppose they took to heart the old trope that any press is good press!

We ended our tour in the Cathedral Square, where the old palace of the Grand Dukes and the Cathedral of Vilnius are located. I wandered the cathedral and spent some time resting my feet and warming my hands before venturing back outside.

In 1989, to demonstrate to the world that the Baltic States desired their independence from Russia, some two million Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians joined hands in solidarity along over four hundred miles, linking the capital cities of Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn. The star below symbolizes the starting point of this chain, and legend says that if you stand on it, spin clockwise three times, and make a wish, your wish will come true!

I climbed the bell tower of the cathedral and got some pretty views of the St. Casimir’s Day Fair booths being set up along the streets. The St. Casimir’s Day Fair is the largest craft fair in all of the Baltics, and it takes place on the first weekend in March each year. I was supposed to fly out to Riga just before the fair started, but I was considering changing my plans so I could experience this nearly five hundred year-old festival. More on that later.

Oh, and here’s me touching a bell. Pretty sure it’s not allowed, but I couldn’t resist.

I had some specific plans for the day, but all of them were going out the window. Spontaneity seemed to be the theme for the day. My next step was to grab a vending machine cappuccino and explore the Palace of the Grand Dukes, now a museum with some original palace ruins housed within.

The museum contained a lot of history on Vilnius, Lithuania, and the surrounding palace grounds. There were plenty of miniatures to show how the palace area has changed over time.

There were also suits of armor, pretty ceilings, and a viewpoint! You know I love a good view.

The funny thing is I hadn’t even wanted to see this museum. I entered on a bit of an afterthought because the entrance fee was so cheap, and I told myself I would only spend an hour or so looking around. I ended up really enjoying the exhibits, though, so I wandered without thinking much about the time.

This was all fine and dandy until my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Its grumbles quickened my pace a little until I found myself in the main lobby again. I wasted no time following the signs for the museum café, because if I’ve learned one thing while travelling, it’s that museums very often have wonderful eateries hidden within.

This one really was a bit hidden, tucked around a long walkway and across from this old, cavernous room that seemed out-of-use.

I wanted something kind of quick, but when I saw that they sold beef stew, I couldn’t resist the temptation. Lithuania just seemed like the kind of place that would make some good beef stew. I expected to receive just a small bowl of the meaty soup, but the woman behind the counter asked if I would like potatoes or rice with the stew. I really didn’t want either, but I was caught off-guard, so I stuttered, “Uh… potatoes,” before adding a glass of yummy-looking cranberry juice and a slice of chocolate cake to my order. She rang me up at around eight dollars as another woman placed a gigantic plate in front of me piled high with a juicy, rich-looking helping of beef stew, a pile of mashed potatoes so buttery that they glistened gold, and healthy servings of pickled shredded carrots and cabbage. I tried to hide my surprise as my eyes bulged a bit, wondering if I should put the chocolate cake back, but I decided I would just turn my ‘quick snack’ into a proper dinner and enjoy myself in this strange little cavernous café.

Dude. That beef stew was so yummy. So rich, so savory, and the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage all came together to make one of the most satisfying and delicious meals of my whole trip. I found myself sitting back in my chair multiple times because I was getting so full, but I also didn’t want to let a single bite go to waste! I really need to do some experimenting to try to recreate this dish. Ugh. So stinking good. And no, I was not able to finish the whole slice of cake, haha.

After that uber-satisfying dinner, I finally made my way back outdoors so that I could climb Gediminus Tower. I had to go back through the Bernadine Park a bit before climbing the hill up to the old castle grounds.

The view was beautiful just from the hill, but I didn’t let that deter me from finishing my climb!

Because let’s be honest: the view is always better from the top!

I had the tower all to myself, and the wind was blowing everything all about. I took the opportunity to send a couple videos to people proclaiming my freedom up here in Lithuania. (It’s still pretty crazy to me that I was in Lithuania!)

This tower is just a bit closer to the city from the viewpoint of the Three Crosses, but the view was still completely different because I could see down in to the city streets and had a great view of the river.

I stayed up here as long as I possibly could, but at 5:45, a lady in a bright red coat came up to tell me she was going to lock the door, whether I was inside or not! (Okay, I don’t think staying out on the tower was actually an option, but that would have made for an interesting story.)

Though it had seemed fairly bright up on the tower, dusk had certainly set in down on the ground. I walked the ghostly streets and the early constructions for the St. Casimir’s Day fair.

I also wandered around some churches, and I tried to find the Presidential Palace, but I think I must have stumbled into some strange little side courtyard, because it was underwhelming at the time, and now that I have more reliable access to the internet, I can see that the place I saw looked nothing like the pictures online…. I suppose it might have been easier to find in the daylight.

I considered trying to see a concert that Milda had told us about, in celebration of 25 years of Lithuanian independence, but by the time I made it to the church, the tickets were already sold out. I was a little sad about that, so I shuffled back to the hostel. I sat with some of the other guests in the common area for a while, but when a giant hookah was produced out of thin air for the table’s breathing pleasure, I decided to head up to my room. It was here that I managed to meet a couple really nice guests! We ended up chatting for well over an hour. One boy was an American who was getting his PhD in physics in Rome (no big deal), another boy was from Romania, and the other girl was from Amsterdam. Quite the bunch. The physicist even gave me some sight-seeing tips for my next visit to the Tri-Cities, of all places. So that little bunch put me in better spirits, and by the time the three of them went downstairs to see what the rest of the hostel was up to, I was good and ready for bed. I had a busy day ahead of me!

I’d decided that instead of taking my midday flight to Riga, I would stick around Vilnius until the evening so I could see a nearby lakeside town and the start of the St. Casimir fair.

First thing in the morning, I was up and at ’em, shoveling down my free waffle breakfast as fast as I could before heading out into the cold, bright morning. The Town Hall Square was already bustling with people setting up their booths for the fair, and it was SNOWING. The day was already off to a magnificent start.

The little town I was visiting is called Trakai. It’s about half an hour away by bus, and it is famous for its lakes and its castle fortress. Hundreds of years ago, it served as the capital of Lithuania, but now it is just a charming lakeside town full of history.

The lakes were frozen over, the ground was covered in snow, the churches were beautiful and plentiful, and it was chiiiilllyyy. This was my coldest day since Kittila at about eighteen degrees Fahrenheit, and I was bundled extra snug for the occasion.

It was so cold, in fact, that I couldn’t resist temptation when I passed by a café-slash-chocolatieria. It took me several minutes to decide between their wide selection of hot chocolates, but I finally settled on a classic with a slice of chocolate Florentine cake on the side!

Okay. Don’t get me wrong. All the chocolate cakes I’ve had on this trip have been delicious, but almost all of them have also contained a layer of fruity jam. I don’t get it. I don’t want fruit in my chocolate cake. I just want chocolate cake!

The hot chocolate did not disappoint though. Light and creamy with tons of foam on top, it hit the spot and warmed me to the core.

It was hard to leave my comfy armchair and the warmth of the café, but I peeled myself off, wrapped myself up, and set off into the cold once more.

It really was a beautiful town with the snow and ice, and it shocked me to see a number of footprints winding their way across the surface of the frozen lakes!

Besides the castle, Trakai is also known for these colorful houses lining the main streets. The houses tend to have at least three windows facing the street as a sign of wealth from the days when window taxes were a thing.

As I crossed the bridge to the castle fortress, I met an adorable older Swedish man who took my picture, asked about my travels, and gave me a bit of travel advice. A cute little chap.

The red brick of the castle stood out beautifully against the white of the snow.

One piece of advice the Swedish man gave me was that I should pay the small entrance fee to see the castle interior and museum. “You might not like it, but if you don’t see it, you won’t know! You’re here now, so you should see it. Don’t say next time. There is no next time. You’re here now.”

Not a bad piece of advice. I was short on time, but I made the most of my quick visit to this little museum, and I wouldn’t have been able to enter the courtyard without an entrance ticket, either! So double win.

After I got all that out of my system, it was time to hurry back across the bridge. But! First, I wanted to try my hand at frozen lake walking.

I didn’t make it far, though. I was a bit of a chicken, and I only walked out a couple feet onto the ice before squealing and returning to the shore. I did this several times, trying to convince myself to walk all the way around the dock, but I finally admitted to myself that this wasn’t gonna happen, and I continued along.

The snow was really swirling down now, and it was so cold that instead of floating straight down, it swirled in endless flurries before making its way to the ground. I wound my way back through the little village, and at one point, I ran into that Swedish man again! He offered to buy me a cup of tea (at the chocolate cafe, no less), but I explained that I had to catch my bus back to town, so we exchanged nice-to-meet-yous and went our separate ways.

As we loaded onto our bus back to Vilnius, a couple of old men asked to use the under storage to hold their ice drills. Craziness. Then, about halfway through the ride, we crossed a bridge, and I was shocked to see over a dozen people just camped out ON TOP OF the river, sitting on fold-out camp chairs to fish and drilling holes in the ice! Those Lithuanians are braver than me by a long shot.

One thing I was disappointed about was that I didn’t have time to try a kibinai. These are meat-stuffed pastries local to Trakai, but I didn’t see any shops on the way into town, and as I was leaving, I was too short on time to stop. I soothed my sorrows by telling myself there was a chance I could get one at the St. Casimir’s Fair. I was delighted to see that I didn’t even have to go that far! There was a little stand in the bus station in Vilnius selling them for only a Euro a piece, and they warmed it up for me before handing me my lunch. Mmmmm it was soooo delightful. I’ve added this to the list of dishes I want to try to recreate at home.

And then it was time to explore the fair! Lots of crafts, foods, and goodies. The most traditional purchases include these crunchy ring-shaped cookies and these decorative birch branches that can be used for spiritual cleaning, I believe.

Needless to say, I was in heaven, and I was really happy that I had extended my stay so I could see this event.

It was still very cold, though, and I jumped at the opportunity for some hot chocolate, briefly forgetting the fact that I’d just had some only a few hours before. This cup was less than two dollars, and he piled it high with whipped cream and shaved chocolate!!! Even without the cozy armchair, this hot chocolate was the winner for my taste buds.

It had stopped snowing by this point, so the sun was bright on the festival. It was dizzying trying to see everything, and honestly, I know I didn’t even get close. Apparently last year, the market stalls stretched seven kilometers across the city.

I kind of had to pee, and I really wanted to warm up a bit, so I headed back to my hostel for a quick stop.

The thing is, once I sat down in one of those comfy lounge chairs, I couldn’t get back up. I ended up falling asleep like that, still dressed in my coat with my purse on!

I barely woke up in time to head to my bus to Riga, but I felt fulfilled and satisfied with my day. I wasn’t a wee bit bothered that I didn’t see the whole fair because, honestly, I didn’t need to do anymore shopping! All for the best.

On my way to the bus station, I was handed a free sample of some kind of nut ball. Was quite tasty. And then it was off to Latvia! Lithuania treated me so well. I hope to come back some day, perhaps in the summer next time. Tehehe.

Until then,
Geriausi linkėjimai/ best wishes,
-Lizzy-wa