We caught the bus into Vilnius … but heading the wrong way. I’d tried to ask the chap standing at the bus stop if we were the correct side of the road. The answer was long, in Lithuanian, with lots of expansive arm gestures. We were none the wiser. So we hopped on the first bus … it said Centrum. The wrong centrum, as it slowly dawned on me, as I followed us on the map. A young man on the bus with English and a phone app put us right. Fortunately, each bus fare was only €1 each.
Using GPS.my city app we self guided out tour around Vilnius. A lot of churches. We went into some, but not all. Having been joined with Poland for many years, Lithuania is heavily Catholic.
Of 9 city gates, only the Gate of Dawn remains C16On the other side is the chapel is the icon on the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy. This and other artefacts are said to protect the city and bless travellers. The lady in purple just wouldn’t move, despite another tourist yelling at her! Inside the Holy Spirit Orthadox Church. Unusual green iconostasis and the bodies of 3 saints. The Cathedral that doesnt look like a cathedral! Remarkable for its simplicity and high side chapels. Reconstructed in 1770s. Really liked the dripping Gothic facade of St Annes’s Church 1495.A school group reluctant to move an risked a shower from the tree watering team. Some really pretty streets. The university was founded originally as a Jesuit college in 1579, making it the oldest university in the Baltics. It has 13 courtyards and we mingled in a few with the undergrads.Palace of the Grand Dukes … only completed 2018 and a museum Views from Gediminas Hill … we caught the funicular up and downWe shared two startersBoth yummyDidn’t manage to eat all of this … potato dumpling stuffed with meat. Called a Zeppelin, but more like a lead balloon than an air balloon. Guess the name is due to the shape.
We considered doing a 2nd day in Vilnius, but it hadn’t grabbed us the way other cities had, such as Wroclaw or Krakow. We also felt that we missed the historical facts being connected up by not doing a paid for walking tour. So that evening I did some planning for the rest of our trip and booked walking tours for Riga, Tallin and warsaw.
Clune Gap Years 
Lovely to keep up with your blog! It’s ten years since we were on those parts – how time flys! xx
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