16. Lithuania

Bordered by Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia it is one of the Baltic States along with Estonia and Latvia. It is part of the European Union, NATO and its currency is the Euro. The population is around 2.8 million. The Lithuanian language has its roots in the ancient language of Sanskrit and is considered to be one of the oldest languages in the world.

In the 1230s, the Lithuania was united by Mindaugas and the Kingdom of Lithuania was created in 1253. During the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe, including the lands of present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia, extending from the Baltic to the Black seas. In 1569, the Union of Lublin was signed in Lublin, Poland, and it created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, joining the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. But this only lasted until 1795, when Lithuania was invaded by Russia and the country pretty much disappeared from the map and the territory remained occupied by Russia until 1918.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression treaty, and thus the Soviet Union quickly invaded and annexed Lithuania along with Latvia and Estonia while Germany invaded Poland.

On March 11th 1990, the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania was signed. But the Soviets tried to put down this independence calling the Act of Independence illegal and demanded revocation. In 1991 Soviet forces stormed the Parliament building in Vilnius leading to the deaths of fourteen people and seven hundred were injured in what became known as the January Events. After international condemnation, Gorbachev decided to call back the troops. In February 1991, Iceland recognised Lithuania’s independence, quickly followed by Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia, and Latvia. Lithuania’s independence was finally recognised by the Soviet Union in September 1991. See: https://www.lithuanianhall.com/history-of-lithuania

Vilnius – June 2014

Departure:

My flight from Heathrow to the magical city of Vilnius via Frankfurt

Arrival:

Single carriage train – steep steps to make it easy if you have luggage – the fare is only 2.5lt (about 60p) and you buy a ticket from the conductor – it takes 8 minutes to the city main station so it is quite quick – but it is not fast – the distance from the airport to Vilnius station is 4.3km – so it runs at about 30kmh

The grand station – destroyed in World War 2 & rebuilt in the 1950’s

Just missed a heavy downpour but just in time for the next one…

A City of Lime Trees:

Grand view of Vilnius – the old town became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 – Trakai Castle cannot become world heritage site as UNESCO does not allow rebuilding

Lime trees line the streets of Vilnius. Lime trees seem to be regarded as sacred in many European countries – didn’t know that and of course Lime in German is Linden – hence the Unter den Linden in Berlin

Celebrating the summer solstice – Lithuania was a pagan country until the 14th century – the last pagan country in Europe

The Shakespeare Hotel:

The breakfast room (one of two, actually) – lovely breakfast, great service

Cathedral Square:

Two old Russian cars used to ferry a bride & groom plus entourage – this one is a Zim

The Catholic Cathedral:

Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Peter & St Paul

Other Churches:

How can you not love a place that has churches like this?

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral – simply decorated inside in light green, salmon pink, light yellow & white. (I could just have said pastel shades) – lots of icons and lots of incense – a christening was just ending when I entered. Russians make up about 4% of the population and Poles 6%

Celebrating 500 years since the last of the roof people were driven from the city

Actually it’s something to do with a connection between Lithuania and Ukraine

The Swedish Embassy where devilish Swedish diplomats fiendishly plot the resurrection of the long since vanished Swedish Empire – of which Lithuania was a part…

City Gate:

Gate to old town – the last remaining gate in the old city walls – known as the Gates of Dawn

Monuments:

Adomas Mickevicius – Adomas is claimed by Belarus, Lithuania & Poland. Born to Polish parents in a small town in Lithuania that is now part of Belarus

The River Neris:

This wasn’t a Radisson when I stayed here about 8 years ago – it was a Reval Hotel (Lietuva)

The City Centre:

The first thing you notice about the Market Square is the complete absence of roof people – the second thing you notice is the complete absence of the heavy rain forecast all week for today…

OK maybe those weren’t the first two things you noticed

Vilnius is a magical city – I can’t explain why…

Photos of Old Vilnius:

Plan A was to visit Kaunas today – but there’s so much still to see here – I’ve taken a city bus tour which was a really useful way of getting my bearings

The friends soon fell out when they discovered some had more beer than others…

Gediminas Avenue:

Last night the city was full of cultural events and street entertainment – like these 2 groups of women in national costumes doing traditional dancing

A silent disco – the participants have head phones – very clever & very sweet

22.20 on mid-summer’s evening and Vilnius is full of people promenading and attending the numerous events around the city

Street Scenes – the grand:

This beautiful Belle Époque villa is the Belarus Embassy

Street Scenes – not so grand:

Some restoration still needed in parts of the city – come on Brussels invest some euro here, please

Street Scenes – intriguing:

Around the Parliament Building:

Beer Time:

Inside the Portobello – the original mini bar (HaHa) – sweet & friendly and they have a range of English ales including a Shepherd Neame Double Stout that I’ve never seen before and DAB

So, here we have it: DAB – the depth of flavour has gone (as in most German beers these days, sadly) – but there’s a tantalising hint of the fresh malt that tells you it is still a true, Reinheitsgebot, all-malt brew…

Come to Vilnius and discover all sorts of things – like this Shepherd Neame Stout that I’ve never seen before – it’s really very nice

What a great place for a bar – cool music – not meant for my age, clearly…

Dione – ice cream – 8lt for 2 scoops of delicious vanilla ice cream (I always have vanilla or créma)

The enduring mystery of exactly who hit John

Having lunch at Who Hit John and the 2 girls left their bags at the table while they went outside for a cigarette. Now, while we would all fervently wish they didn’t smoke, what a lovely country this must be, where people can just leave things, like this…

Žvėrynas -The Old Hunting District:

The famous Radziwiłł family kept animals for hunting in the Žvėrynas pinewood until the 19th century. Subsequently, wealthy city dwellers began to build their houses in this area. Žvėrynas, situated near the river, gradually became a resort suburban district with several combined wooden architecture styles – Russian, Swiss, art nouveau, as well as Zakopane manor style popular in Poland. There are over 100 of these old houses in the architectural heritage list…

Somehow I missed Šnipiškės, another 19th-century wooden suburb, which is regarded as a “village inside a city”. Not much of this area has survived but the streets Giedraičių and Šilutės are the best examples (note to self for next visit)…