Category Archives: Lithuania

Hill of Crosses

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07/09/2023

A break on the city to city trip from Vilnius, Lithuania to Riga in Latvia.
We had heard about the Hill of Crosses before but hadn’t realised the scale. We reckon the rate at which folk are adding crosses, it must grow over 10% p.a.


It has an emotional significance. Not just for the people who leave crosses but for the tenacity of religious beliefs. Crosses started appearing after the ruthless suppression by Russia after an uprising in 1831. By the end of the C19, there were 150 large crosses. 200 by 191. And continued to grow. The Soviets occupied Lithuania in 1940. They objected to the religious symbolism and hacked down the crosses in 1961 and bulldozed the area in 1973 and 1975. Eventually, they gave up, and it continues to grow.


Pope John Paul II visited exactly 30 years ago to the day.
We planted virtual crosses for Nicky, Gordon and Chris P.

Vilnius

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06/09/2023

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 C16
On 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 down
We shared two starters
Both yummy
Didn’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.

Baltics: Lithuania

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05/09/2023

It was always going to be a longish driving day. In fact, most days in ELL (the Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia part of our PELL trip) as we read and been told there ain’t much scenery. And we’ve fallen in love with Poland and want to max our time there.

Rather than have an all driving day, I had planned to stop at an outside museum of Communist statues … collected from across the country. Having been immersed in the murder of Jewish, I sensed ELL would be more about Communist oppression. However, the price tag of €12, no dogs and J’s lack of enthusiasm meant we didn’t go. Wish I had as the island fortress castle we did visit, was nice but nothing special.

Trakai Island Castle had been formidable but become a ruin. Until, interestingly, the Soviets decided to rebuild. A lot of brick. It was completed in 1987. The castle rooms now houses a museum of fine art; such as some stunning porcelain, glass and bead work.

It was a short drive from here, slowed by rush hour city traffic to the Vilnius City Camping. Basically a car park at the expo centre but with the best ever facilities, despite being porta cabins. And loads of room.