June 2007Every trip has an “Oh, no!” moment when you arrive someplace and it’s nothing like you had imagined. That’s how I first felt about Vilnius, capital city of Lithuania. First it was the Air Baltic plane with frayed seats and looking more than ready to retire. Then the airport itself, which I could swear was a bus station were it not for the baggage carousels. The way to the city didn’t help any: all I saw were block after block of communist-style buildings, big rectangular gray structures with miniscule windows. I started to think that I had landed in a bad Soviet time warp and by the time my husband and I arrived at our Soviet-style brown hotel, I was ready to toss my travel book (which hailed Vilnius as the new Prague). But fortunately, our room had a view of the Old Town, and things started to brighten up considerably.
Vilnius has Europe’s largest baroque old town, and probably the highest concentration of churches per square mile, making Christian tour groups hopping from church to church a common sight. But baroque is not the only influence: Renaissance, gothic and classic have also left their marks, and such varied architecture earned Vilnius a UNESCO World Heritage Site title. The Old Town is compact, measuring only 1.4 sq. miles (~3.6 sq. km) and you might think you can see it all in one day. But the small size is deceiving because there is so much to be explored in the Old Town that a rushed stay wouldn’t do it justice. Architecture buffs will especially have a field day.
Lithuania was one of Europe’s largest empires in the 14th to 16th centuries, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. But it then fell under Polish, then Russian rule, and didn’t really regain independence until 1991. Now that Lithuanians are independent again, they want to erase their communist past and are going for a full makeover in the capital. You find stores from international brand names such as Versace, Armani, and the like, the ancient buildings are being restored, and there’s lots of construction work going on. No other place in Vilnius reflects this new era more than Gediminas Avenue, under renovation when we visited, and where some things like fire hydrants were so brand new that they still had packaging wrappings around them. In spite of all the changes, you still find traditional things, such as traditional Lithuanian dishes: typical delicacies such as smoked pig ear, mashed potato stuffed in animal’s guts and the like. You also find culinary adaptations such as pizza with beef tongue. Mouth-watering! Food aside, try Svyturys (pronounced Shvyturys), the excellent local beer.
An unmissable day trip from Vilnius is to the Island Castle in Trakai. You can either join a tour group for about 30 euros or you can do it on your own on public bus for less than 3 euros roundtrip. Independent travelers that we are, we soon found ourselves on a communist-era bus that almost rattled all our bones out of their sockets. It certainly wasn’t Cinderella’s carriage, but it took us to a fairy tale castle nonetheless. Built in the 14th century, the castle was mostly destroyed by Russians in the 18th century and remained abandoned until 1962, when restoration began. If you look closely at its walls, you can tell which parts are original and which are new. The castle lies on an island in Lake Galve in a very scenic area that has become a popular spot for weddings, sailing and picnics.
So we were lucky enough to see Lithuania mid-week without throngs of tourists which allowed us to go at a relaxed pace. By the time we left on a Friday evening, hordes of young male Brits had started to descend upon Vilnius in the hunt for pretty Lithuanian girls and cheap beer, but fortunately we didn’t stay to see that. Vilnius is not the new Prague yet, but I bet it’ll get there soon. I left feeling like I had just discovered a little piece of heaven.
Vilnius has Europe’s largest baroque old town, and probably the highest concentration of churches per square mile, making Christian tour groups hopping from church to church a common sight. But baroque is not the only influence: Renaissance, gothic and classic have also left their marks, and such varied architecture earned Vilnius a UNESCO World Heritage Site title. The Old Town is compact, measuring only 1.4 sq. miles (~3.6 sq. km) and you might think you can see it all in one day. But the small size is deceiving because there is so much to be explored in the Old Town that a rushed stay wouldn’t do it justice. Architecture buffs will especially have a field day.
Lithuania was one of Europe’s largest empires in the 14th to 16th centuries, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. But it then fell under Polish, then Russian rule, and didn’t really regain independence until 1991. Now that Lithuanians are independent again, they want to erase their communist past and are going for a full makeover in the capital. You find stores from international brand names such as Versace, Armani, and the like, the ancient buildings are being restored, and there’s lots of construction work going on. No other place in Vilnius reflects this new era more than Gediminas Avenue, under renovation when we visited, and where some things like fire hydrants were so brand new that they still had packaging wrappings around them. In spite of all the changes, you still find traditional things, such as traditional Lithuanian dishes: typical delicacies such as smoked pig ear, mashed potato stuffed in animal’s guts and the like. You also find culinary adaptations such as pizza with beef tongue. Mouth-watering! Food aside, try Svyturys (pronounced Shvyturys), the excellent local beer.
An unmissable day trip from Vilnius is to the Island Castle in Trakai. You can either join a tour group for about 30 euros or you can do it on your own on public bus for less than 3 euros roundtrip. Independent travelers that we are, we soon found ourselves on a communist-era bus that almost rattled all our bones out of their sockets. It certainly wasn’t Cinderella’s carriage, but it took us to a fairy tale castle nonetheless. Built in the 14th century, the castle was mostly destroyed by Russians in the 18th century and remained abandoned until 1962, when restoration began. If you look closely at its walls, you can tell which parts are original and which are new. The castle lies on an island in Lake Galve in a very scenic area that has become a popular spot for weddings, sailing and picnics.
So we were lucky enough to see Lithuania mid-week without throngs of tourists which allowed us to go at a relaxed pace. By the time we left on a Friday evening, hordes of young male Brits had started to descend upon Vilnius in the hunt for pretty Lithuanian girls and cheap beer, but fortunately we didn’t stay to see that. Vilnius is not the new Prague yet, but I bet it’ll get there soon. I left feeling like I had just discovered a little piece of heaven.
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