Wandering through Old Town

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Unfortunately our stay in Vilnius wasn't long enough... We arrived from Riga on Monday afternoon after a long bus ride. We've decided to not plan our trip which meant that we hadn't booked a hostel before arriving in Vilnius - this caused a bit of frustration, but everything worked out in the end.

Vilnius is a beautiful city. I loved the Old Town in Riga but I have to say that Vilnius' Old Town is even more gorgeous. Like the streets in Riga, the Old Town in Vilnius is made up of old cobblestone and I can't get enough of it! For you Europeans, you probably don't think cobblestone streets are that big of a deal, but when you come from a country as young as Canada, you really appreciate how much more charming a street becomes when it's not just made out of tar, but actual stones. We explored a few different churches and came across the "Franciscan Church" which was one of my favourite sites in Vilnius - the church was unlike the magnificently ornate cathedrals of Russia, but was instead a bit run-down and very simple. The pews were simple wooden benches, the confession booth was a wooden screen that separated two chairs, and you could see the brick behind the plaster of the walls because of how old the building is. Despite the fact that it sounds decrepit, it had a very peaceful and calming atmosphere. I really enjoyed it.

After some more exploring, we decided to have dinner at a restauarant recommended to us by the receptionist at our hostel. Lithuanian food is not for the health conscious! Lots and lots of deep fried potatoe dishes, deep fried meats (chicken, beef, pork), and decadent desserts. We also tried a local white beer and it was delicious! All this for under 10 EUR. When you come from a country as expensive as Finland is, you feel like you've won the lottery and are able to buy whatever food you want. I love Finland, but I can't say that the food is one of the reasons why 😊.

The next day Benny arrived and it was great to see her smiling face. We decided to do some more exploring with her around Old Town and ended up at Gediminas Tower where we were able to see a great skyline view of Vilnius. We decided then and there that we wanted to stay an extra day and even went so far as to call the bus company that we had booked our tickets to Warsaw with to tell them that we'd be taking the overnight bus the next night. We had what we thought was the phone number of our hostel and asked the receptionist to book us for that night, but even as Jeremy was speaking to the receptionist on the phone, he thought something was a bit off, but shrugged it off. When we arrived after dinner, we found out that we hadn't called our hostel at all - that we'd called a hostel in a completely different town! The receptionist at that hostel just didn't speak very good english and sort of went along with what Jeremy was saying! After a little bit of freaking out, we decided we'd try and take the overnight bus that night - it was due to depart at 11 pm. We made our way to the bus station and crossed our fingers... Thankfully the bus wasn't full and we were able to get on. If we hadn't gotten on that bus, it would've been one uncomfortable night at the bus station!

I guess I should explain who I'm travelling with... Well, those of you in Jyväskylä already know who Melissa, Benny and Jeremy are. For those of you who don't know these people, they're friends I've become very close to during my stay in Finland. Melissa is from Massachusettes and she's an education student; Jeremy is a Georgian and he's studying Finnish and is a musician; Benny is from Milano and she's studying languages and economics. Great people! I'm really happy to have them as travel buddies during this tour through Eastern Europe.

Up next: Poland. Stay tuned!

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Photos

Gediminas Tower
View from the top

Gediminas Tower
My travel buddies (Melissa, Benny and Jeremy)

Comments

[Shaune Peebles]

Hi Mel... Sounds like you're having a great time in the second part of your trip! I don't know if I'm allowed to say that I'm jealous of your stop in Auschwitz or not - I'm sure it was an overwhelming expereince though. Enjoy the rest of your trip, and we'll chat some more soon. Shaune :)

[Lina]

Keep fit and have fun!
Moi Mel!! I am so thrilled to hear of your adventures- and I can't believe you have found the time to add to your travel blog-kuddos to you for that!~ Only for that though! ; ) We had a blast in your honor this past weekend on the pub crawl! It was not the same without you, but there will be time to party at home again soon. Anyways, don't think about that- you are on an amazing journey and I hope you continue experiencing great things and enjoying your time away! Melissa, Benny, and Jeremy are very lucky to be with ya!! Hugs from home, Yo momma