Travels behind the Curtain - Trakai & Kaunas

June 2005

The excursions out of Vilnius didn’t get off to the most promising start, due to Miranda’s use of the Lithuanian language. After a difficult conversation with the lady in the ticket office who didn’t speak English about the whereabouts of a bus to Trakai, Miranda repeats one of her two words in Lithuanian - alus. The word she was looking for was actually - aciu - instead of saying “Thank you”, she had been repeating the word “Beer”. The Lithuanians probably have a very dim view of the English, demanding beer at 8 o’clock in the morning! However when used in correct context i.e. (du) alus prasau - aciu, it ensures a smile and prompt service of the required two beers please - thank you!

Trakai is an easy 50 pence bus trip from the capital - there are buses galore and you can also get the train on the main Kaunas line, if it takes your fancy. The man at seat61.com will as ever enlighten you as to the relevant train times. A tiny modern day place with big historical significance. Trakai rivalled Vilnius a few centuries ago. The big draw and what everybody comes for is the Island Castle, which occupies an island in the middle of Lake Galve and is linked by footbridges to the mainland.

The Castle laid in ruins for a very long time, until the Soviets bizarrely decidedly it would be a good idea to reconstruct a symbol of Lithuanian nationalism around the early 1950’s. The close up result means that you can see the difference in the old and new bricks, but the appearance from over the other side of the lake is nothing short of impressive. You can gain entry to the Castle for a sum. The advice we would give would be to get there as early as you can, in order to avoid the bus tours that have this venue as a must see venue on their intenary.

Kaunas is a bit of an acquired taste, after the impact of Vilnius. It doesn’t come up and embrace you with pretty Old Town views as you approach the city and it initially seems a bit scruffy and full of ugly Communist tower blocks. However, with a bit of perseverance it’s a pleasant diversion from the tourist world in the capital.

Kaunas is supposed to be the most authentically Lithuanian city. The percentage of native Lithuanians who live in Kaunas is greater than in any other Lithuanian city. This fact is probably a total irrelevance to you during your visit, but it’s worth remembering that it’s only in Kaunas that you can claim to have seen the heart of true Lithuania and somebody will probably remind you whilst you are there. In between the First & Second World Wars, Kaunas was actually developed as the Lithuanian capital whilst the Poles and the Soviets argued over the eventual fate of Vilnius.

The area around the bus station looks very unpromising, but things take an upward turn as you find Laisves Avenue or Laisves Aleja. It’s a very picturesque tree-lined avenue formed in the 19th century, which joins the old and the new parts of the city and stretches for 1.7 km along an east - west direction. This avenue is a sort of mainly pedestrian mini Champs Elysee, with a variety of shops, restaurants and banks amongst the line of trees.

At one end of the Avenue is the impressive, St Michael the Archangel Church, which gleams in the sun. The other end of the Avenue leads you towards Vilniaus Gatve, which is probably the most appealing of the streets of the Old Town. This is not Old Town on the scale of Vilnius, but then again the crowds are spoiling your enjoyment in this location and the prices are a bit more on the competitive side. The streets date back to the 16th century, although which are the authentic buildings or reconstructions is difficult to tell.

At the end of the Old Town, where the Nemunas and the Neris rivers meet, is Kaunas Castle. A red brick construction, which played historical significance in the development of the city and Lithuania.

There is no need to worry about getting back to Vilnius if you’ve come for a day trip - there are probably 25 or 30 buses everyday.

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