Vilnius, Trakai

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I flew from Rygge to Vilnius early in the morning, dozing a little while, the passengers nearby being somewhat noisy. Having landed, I at first stood waiting for the bus but then went to find the train station. You have to walk some 30 meters, the train came in 20 minutes; it consists only of two coaches and reaches the city in no time; ticket was bought from the fare collector.

Weather was totally different from Oslo – there it was colder and drier, while here drizzling and misty. The hostel was very close to the train station, but its door bore the sign of its being shifted to another building nearby owing to repair (the booking said nothing about that, mark a shortcoming). I was met by a Russian-speaking girl and shown to the room. Hostel’s outer appearance is a bit gloomy and unwelcoming, but inside, despite repairs, it felt like home and very comfortable (Fortune Hostel – I do recommend; I noticed that guidebooks give lists of phrases in Lithuanian language and advise as to the outspread of English speech, but in Baltic states it is really well-advised to know several Russian phrases); with a very spacious kitchen, another smaller kitchen on the second floor, a computer hall, and a table tennis area. It is unfair to speak English everywhere; try learning Quechua or Korean language for a change, that’s beneficial for brain activity.

I immediately went sightseeing because it was getting dark early. The first was the Gates of Dawn, and I underwent impressive transition from Scandinavian setting to a substantially different Baltic environment, with churches of different styles all over the centre catching my fancy. I made a mental association with Warsaw’s look; noted the location of a supermarket for evening shopping, with prices even cheaper than in St. Petersburg.

I reached the Cathedral Square under drizzling grey skies and said to myself, what an excellent city. Anigh there was Gediminas Tower on a high hill (so important for Lithuanian nationhood), and I also caught a piece of the Three crosses (for the sake of Franciscan monks tortured to death) on a higher hill at the other bank of the tiny Vilnele River. I proceeded to the Three Crosses to engulf a perfect panorama over the city, with no tourists uphill, and that made me feel a bit special. The city was tenderly wrapped in haze with the grey sky imposing on it on all sides. The crosses’ fate was a hard one.

I saw another set of magnificent churches and Literatu Street with fine small pieces of art on building walls. If was puzzling at first, I couldn’t figure what it was.

Time flew by quickly, and all of a sudden I found myself in a café with inexpensive food (the service personnel spoke Russian with accent, I felt so awkward not knowing a single word of Lithuanian). I ordered some salad and potatoes boiled in cream and returned to the hostel; surfed the web about Trakai and read Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine, a most depressive book as it would turn later.

Next day I decided to go to Trakai. I looked through mini-cards in the hostel corridor, and found out there was a castle there. Also, I wanted to change my Simple Express bus ticket from Riga to St. Petersburg for an earlier time, but it was possible only at extra cost. I booked only a night in Riga, and had the whole day of December 2 to spend somewhere because departure was in late evening.

I came to the bus station to the ticket sales window but the woman said I should buy ticket from driver. In Trakai, there was a large map of the area near the station: one had simply to follow the main road. Entering the kingdom of peace, silence, and quiet, I saw two churches of different styles, one of them under renovation and the other one rather prominently placed on a hill. I noted the peculiar shape of the four crosses at the entrance gates.

My deepest impressions are related to the shore of the lake where I stood musing about life, and promenade about the Peninsular Castle. A VERY black cat appeared near a structure resembling a catapult, but in a couple of minutes it went away and appeared back with another very black cat wanting perhaps some food. They looked like dark magicians with expressive eyes and some dark thoughts and plans.

The town has a small population of Karaims (a Turkic-speaking religious and ethnic group), and they live in colourful wooden buildings on Karaimu Street. I noticed a group of schoolboys noisily approaching, definitely on an excursion to the castle.

The first view of the Castle will be my most impressive memory; it is situated on an island on the lake, connected by a wooden bridge. The schoolchildren were now very close so I hurried to take pictures before they invaded the foreground. The castle was renovated in a large extent but looks no less impressive with a foreground of lake and background of sky, a perfect scenery for any photo session. To summarize this year, it was almost all about small memorable towns – Giverny, Trakai and Sigulda, and ruins or castles everywhere. I hope soon I’ll explore the castles and ruins in the Leningrad Region.

I had a bite of cookies and mineral water, and a duck came out to share my meal. I gave it one cookie; the duck was not in the least afraid, and waited in front of me for a second helping. The children went to peer in at the castle (it’s free, while a fee is required to enter inside), so did I.

I returned to Vilnius rather early and walked the remaining sights (I thoroughly studied them from the LikeaLocal guide map) in the centre: the Barbakans bastion, Prezidentura, ascended the Gediminas Tower hill yielding a closer panorama of the city than that of the Three Crosses hill (there is a lift if one is not inclined to go on foot), saw Stebuklas tile (“miracle”) marking the end of the human chain in protest against occupation.

Along Gediminas prospect, nice buildings, shops, and other interesting objects are found. To conclude the visit, I contemplated another impressive church of St. Catherine, in pastel shades.

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