Kaunas - weddings, parties and everything


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September 4th 2009
Published: September 4th 2009
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kaunas - old city


Kaunas - phone boxesKaunas - phone boxesKaunas - phone boxes

lined up like London bobbies
Kaunas, Lietuva (Lithuania) - 4 Sept.09

sitting on the bus leaving Kaunas to go to Vilnius the capital of Lithuania - rather later than I thought I would be, as it is almost 7pm so will be a rather late arrival into Vilnius, which is not the best thing for accommodation - but it has been so quiet most places I am not very worried and I have not had any problems anywhere - as the “season” has well and truly ended and people are just not travelling it seems - or spending money either!

Kaunas has been a nice place and I have enjoyed it - well worth a stop on Mr Mink's Haphazard Tours - largely due to where else I went - no point in staying in Sieulai as nothing really there - but Kaunas has still at least a nice old town and some nice souvenir places - rather than only tacky ones, although inevitably a certain amount of tat as everywhere. Certain people will benefit from my astute shopping - guess who? are you a lucky one? (tease tease).

It was the capital of the country for a while, but under a puppet
Kaunas - St Peter & Paul CathedralKaunas - St Peter & Paul CathedralKaunas - St Peter & Paul Cathedral

quite magnificent - better than the Vatican St Peters in its own way
govt which shall not be mentioned. Otherwise the new part is like everywhere and the A1 hiway goes thru it to go to Vilnius so it will likely be autostrada all the way if coming here was any guide. it is also a great place to catch a tacky wedding if you are into that - and who isn't ?! - they just line up at the Wedding Factory church on the main square - with everything from ridiculously long white limos to vintage russki cars waiting to take the bride and groom off. The place was littered with cheap bubbly fizz bottles and plastic flutes, not to mention (paper?) rose petals everywhere in the gutter. And those solarium tans - and the getups of oversized mammas done up for their daughter's big day. Most grooms wear cream and often a national design woven sash over their shoulder bandolier style - I took heaps of photos - more than the guests I am sure!

the inevitable FOOD update (you know you have been hanging for it!)
I had a very late breakfast just before 10 as I really had to catch up on some much needed sleep after the
Kaunas - Peter and Paul cathedralKaunas - Peter and Paul cathedralKaunas - Peter and Paul cathedral

somewhat OTT compared to standard decoration
big travel day yesterday. I had dinner last night in their 9th floor restaurant which was quite good. Really the rule is - always have the soup! its the best cheap meal you will have all day as they are usually only 3-4$ and have always been nice. Last night as entree was a soup with salmon - which was essentially a subtle vege soup with shredded carrot and little chunks of salmon as well - very tasty. And today, although I have not really generally done lunch at all, I had a very nice cold soup at a cafe - altho she brought me the hot green soup of the day first by mistake. The cold soup had cucumber and shredded beetroot - so was a lovely pink colour - and had sorrell in it as well supposedly, although not so much in evidence in terms of taste. I also had a local beer with lunch, knowing that they would have a loo, and that also could 'go' again at the hotel before picking up my bag and getting the bus (beer and my bladder do not agree after about an hour). Since I was late for breakfast I just got them to make me a ham and cheese omelette which somewhat unusually turned up in a gratin dish and had been more baked than anything I think - but nice anyway, and of course some nice local bread. It is so cheap here if you look in a market - usually only a dollar or so and good variety - none of your spongy Tip Top here.

And continuing on food - last night's dinner, along with a soup and a beer - well the basketball was on - was a very nice big round bit of grilled pork fillet with fried vegetables (turned out to be just green beans) and roasted tiny chat potatoes. They love pork here - and you should see the lovely fatty bits for sale in deli counters etc - and also had some nice pork Latvian style in Riga. The beer last night was to watch the national sport - basketball - which happened to be on the telly in the rooftop bar - the national team was playing Spain and before a home crowd in Vilnius so the bar staff were very interested in the game, and the home crowd was fairly vocal. Dont really have any great interest in basketball - prefer watching netball girls - but the Lithuanian team were popping in some amazing 3 pointers from outside the circle - the Spanish team did not have this facility/shooter and always seemed to hustle up to the basket so to speak. The Lithuanian team always seemed to have the edge and at one point were 12 points up so hope they won - I left after the 3rd quarter and could not seem to find it on the telly in my room - which however seemed to have a full range of Discovery type channels in English- I was fascinated by a narrated history of the tank as I was so tired when I arrived in so I just flopped and watched it.

It rained some this morning - but had cleared by the time I got out of the hotel and was quite sunny and warm. Other than fairly heavy rain in Riga the weather has been pretty good - the promised BBC weather (at 4pm 2 days ago) saying Baltic rain belts but did not arrive in Klaipeda anyway. Although I have the cheapo on sale Rivers parka in a pouch in the camera bag it came in handy only in Riga one night


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Kaunas - weddersKaunas - wedders
Kaunas - wedders

I told you the square was crowded
Kaunas - wedding saluteKaunas - wedding salute
Kaunas - wedding salute

a traditional hunting horn salute?
Kaunas - wedding groupKaunas - wedding group
Kaunas - wedding group

Nan hops into a champagne?
Kaunas - wedding groupKaunas - wedding group
Kaunas - wedding group

pursued by camera and video
Kaunas - another wedding groupKaunas - another wedding group
Kaunas - another wedding group

using another photo set down another street


5th September 2009

Great photo's
Hi Mike, Another top post. The St Peter and St Paul cathedral was superb. Loved the wedding groups, Nan on the champers! and cars as well. Keep well, Love Huddo's.

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