Dark Times in Vilnius

Thursday, October 21, 2010
Vilnius, Lithuania
Dark times indeed, not just the skies which were leaden and grey and deposited their contents on us continuously during our stay in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, but also the sombre visit to the Museum of Genocide Victims, which chronicled the dark period in Lithuania's history during Russian occupation following WWII.

We arrived at the Hotel Panorama in Vilnius; it is next to the Bus Station, next to McDonalds, but not next to anything else. However, there appears to be a brothel nearby judging by the number of prostitutes hanging around the neighbouring streets at all times of the day. Also, there is an annoying song piped into the bar, restaurant and lobby, just one song on continuous loop, made even worse by the fact that WiFI is only available in the lobby. If I'd packed a screwdriver, I'd have stuck it into all the speakers. Oh, and the bar shuts at 10pm, although the song still carries on its eternal loop.

Lithuania is the largest of the Baltic countries, with King Mindaugas uniting all Lithuanian tribes in the 13th century. From the 13th to 15th centuries, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania developed into a large state spread over a sizeable part of Eastern Europe. In the 18th century, Lithuania became a Russian province, only becoming independent following WWI. Poland occupied Vilnius soon after, hence, the large Polish Roman Catholic influence.

Vilnius was founded by Grand Duke Gediminas. The Old Town of Vilnius is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprising baroque and other styles of historical buildings and medieval cobbled streets. It sits in a valley, offering panoramic views from a number of surrounding vantage points, the top floor of our hotel being one. It is not as developed for tourism as Riga and Tallinn, it could do with a lick of paint. There are also more beggars here, they appear to be increasing in number as we have travelled south from Tallinn, there being none in the latter.

After checking into our hotel, we had an orientation walk of the city, seeing the main sights. This also included a visit to the Jewish Quarter - Vilnius had one of Europe's most prominent Jewish communities until the Nazis wiped it out completely. We had dinner in a restaurant serving local fare - the "Zeppelin" is a rather unimpressive small meatball contained in a mound of doughy stuff covered in oil and cream - it is very aptly named though, looking like a Zeppelin on the plate before it is eaten, and due to it's stodginess, probably looking like a Zeppelin on the way out the next morning. The 3 litre lager tower was more to my liking though.

A free day on Wednesday, so we all headed off in the morning to visit the Museum of Genocide Victims, the stated (by Manuel) best of similar such museums in all three Baltic capital cities. The Museum is housed in the former KGB HQ and Prison and is a symbol of Soviet occupation and repression following WWII. Inside, there are inmate cells and the execution cells where prisoners were shot or stabbed in the skull. Other rooms document post-WWII Lithuanian resistance, deportations to Gulags, etc. All very depressing stuff.

In the afternoon, I went on a sightseeing walk of the city, covering the Cathedral, main square, St. Anne's Church, Church of the Holy Spirit, a few other churches, the Black Madonna in the Gates of Dawn, and some shopping.

We had an evening meal at the top restaurant in Vilnius (according to the "inyourpocket" guide) which is Sue's Indian Raja Restaurant, a curry house - excellent food! The butter chicken is the recommended dish and is excellent indded.

So what I did think of the Baltic States? Well, we only visited the capitals of each country, which are nice enough cities deserving of their UNESCO World Heritage Status. However, once you've seen the sights, you've seen them. The history of the countries I found very interesting - the visit to the Museum of Genocide Victims in Vilnius was very enlightening and informed me of an important though tragic period of Lithuania's (and the other Baltic states) history of which I was previously unaware. There are plenty of other museums in all three cities which would probably be worth visiting if I had more time. For a weekend, a repeat visit to any of these these cities may be attractive, there are plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes and nightclubs, but I suspect they may be full of stag and hen parties in the summer months. A quick scan of my guidebook revealed interesting places outside the capitals for longer visits to these countries, particularly for those who, like me, enjoy wildlife.

I always like to meet local people, but I found an aloofness in the peoples of all three countries which seemed to keep them separate from visitors. Indeed, my Lonely Planet Guide mentions this too, this guardedness in culture and approach most likely to be as a result of centuries of foreign rule. It is the same guardedness I see amongst these peoples who have come to the UK.

The next morning, we have a train to Lithuanian-Polish border, where we swap trains due to the different track gauge sizes between the two countries, the next train reaching Warsaw late at night.

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