Blogs from Vilnius, Lithuania, Europe - page 13

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Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius April 3rd 2009

April 2, 2009 We are back in Vilnius. Our first class train ride was wonderful. There are several differences to first and second class. Both compartments were structurally the same with the exception of the first having only 2 beds. These were fully made up with mattress pad, fresh sheets (grey stripped), freshly covered duvet and pillow - all covered over with a spread. There was also the requisite towel. There was a TV for video viewing. They showed a Leonardo DiCaprio film in Lithuanian. You have no need to go to the dining car as your dinner and breakfast are served in your compartment. The common bathroom was also more luxurious. Both first and second class were enjoyable. Again we were boarded by the Russian soldiers in large group. They maintained the same demeanor. We ... read more

Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius April 3rd 2009

This year Lithuania celebrates the 1000 year anniversary for the mentioning of its name. The first time Lithuania was mentioned was in 1009 in the Saxonicae Annales Quedlinburgenses, where apparently a Saxon missionary named Bruno of Querfurt was struck in the head after trying to baptise the people living in Lithuania. The year of 2009 is therefore perfect for Lithuanian capital Vilnius to be the European Cultural Capital, though this has not been a success story until now. One might actually draw comparisons between the old and bloody recordings of Saint Bruno and the rather scandalous beginning of the cultural capital. Due to the financial crisis the funding has been cut, and at the same time the committee in head of the cultural capital has been claimed to be incompetent and slow, which resulted in the ... read more
Neris at sunset
house of satan
Day of Independence

Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius April 2nd 2009

In the morning of Wednesday it was raining pretty hard so we had a late start. First, we went to visit where I (Denis) grew up until we left for US (17 years ago). It was quite amazing how little the neighborhood changed since that time. The changes that are noticeable are mostly not very good ones. The central doors to the complexes used to stay open all the time, they did not have any locks in them. Now, key or number combination locks. Pretty much all lower floor balconies are fenced up. A lot more graffiti is visible around (actually that the case for most of Vilnius outside of old town). There were few new buildings, but that's about it. The rest was very much the same. Then we took a walk I took pretty ... read more
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Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius March 31st 2009

Monday brought rain and what felt like chillier weather but by the time we made it out and about the rain had mostly stopped. First on our agenda was to visit the building Denis' mom grew up in only a few blocks away from where our hotel is in Old Town Vilnius. It was really a powerful experience to see it. We ate at an Italian restaurant and confirmed two of our suspicions: 1. You pretty much have to ask for the check when you are done, the service is prompt and all, but once you get your items the staff pretty much leaves you alone for as long as you wish. 2. Bathroom light switches are never actually in the bathroom, sometimes they are on a completely different wall up to five feet away. This ... read more
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Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius March 31st 2009

Do you know the supposedly American expression of "a good burn", often used by the character Michael Kelso in "That 70's show"? Well in Lithuania they really like a good burn. Having lived in Vilnius for a little more than two months, I have become quite accustumed to the Lithuanian version of a good burn. I live in an apartment block between Neris and the old town, and in the driveway into the yard we previously had several large plastic containers for garbage use. But one morning coming down the stairs, my colleague and I noticed that the containers were no longer there. Instead, we found some small sculptures made out of melted green plastic and a huge black spot on the wall. Our containers had, you might say, experienced a good burn over night. Today, ... read more
Vilnius fire truck

Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius » Trakai March 31st 2009

hey guys, currently killling time in the hostel awaiting my overnight bus to Warsaw, Poland. But the last 36 hours have been spent in lil old Vilnius. First arrived and with my dutch mate we explored the city, which (by my reconning) has 1 church for every 5 people. The most numerous by far considering the population is only a mere 400,000. So slightly bigger than Adelaide, but with less churchs. But these are the most animated by far - anyway enough on churches. The rest of the old town is larger than talinn and Riga that I have been to recently and it also seem to have a good combination of modern and old. Lots of bars, lots of cafes also. Made the mistake of ordering a hot chocolate and got a melt bar of ... read more

Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius March 29th 2009

Our trip began with an uneventful four hour flight to Chicago, followed by a 3.5 hour layover which was pretty boring except that we saw Matthew Lesko in the airport. You know the crazy guy with the question marks all over his suit and the thick glasses - who explains how to get free money from the government? (Apparently he has more time to travel now….) Next we boarded the airbus for our 7 plus hour flight to Copenhagen which at first seemed like it was going to be really nice since we were seated right in front of the lavatory. Not so nice after a couple hundred people eat airplane beef stew. All in all it was a smooth flight, though. Then we had 7 hours to kill in Copenhagen before leaving for Vilnius. We ... read more
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Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius March 26th 2009

March 25, 2009 I am so far behind in this travelblog. My intentions were good but we have been unable to find an internet connection. Hopefully, tomorrow John will be going to a lawyers office to attach this to the blog. For anyone out there who is kind enough to be interested in this, I apologize for the delay. It is a curious thing to write. We have been in Vilnius since late Sunday. At first, the city appeared as a very depressed area. Many of the buildings are in deteriorating condition. In many instances, this is the result of the prolonged Soviet occupation. It is a period that is not remembered with a fondness by the residents of Vilnius. In the Eastern Block countries, the Soviets sought to build utilitarian buildings demonstrating none of the ... read more

Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius March 24th 2009

It is freezing, and I constantly feel a bit ill and with a throbbing in my throat. It has been snowy white for long periods through February while ice flakes have made their way down the Neris River, which floats by my house. March is more optimistic and the sun shines through, but it is still a while I am sure until I can enjoy the spring in the Lithuanian capital. I have resided in Vilnius for two months now, and start to get the feel of the city. It is a very vibrant city though winter tends to have a grip on the people, as it supposedly has anywhere in the world. Vilnius is a small capital city of approximately 550.000 people and I am constantly surprised that such a small city can hold so ... read more
snowy bike
The green bridge in snow
Cathedral in the snow

Europe » Lithuania » Vilnius March 6th 2009

It was festival time. Traditional Lithuanian experience!... read more




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