On Bastille Day (July 14, 2024), I flew from Helsinki Finland to Vilnius Lithuania. There, I hopped on a bus (sans billet) and eventually made it to the hotel, checked in, then took a walk around town before meeting my new Intrepid group at 6:00, a full house (12) of fellow travelers. Love the time lapse…
Walking around Vilnius, its evident that we aren’t in Scandinavia anymore. Not just the standard of living, but the religious culture. I went from Lutheran Protestantism to old world Catholicism – perhaps there’s a lesson there (and more than one!)? Note the airplane shot and the map, etc…
In spite of the religious politics, I love me some cathedrals. The art and the architecture, if not the free thinking, can be nonetheless inspiring. This batch includes the local castle and a couple kayaking on the adjacent river. More than one town square hereabouts…
More of day one in Vilnius. This batch begins with a worried worshipper, shows more of the prominent or iconic buildings in the old town, and ends with some of our tour group…
How about some church music to go with the ambiance…?
The next day we spent the morning with a local guide walking us around the city. Here’s just a sampling…
Perhaps the most compelling stop on our walk was a visit to the Republic of Uzupis, a semi-autonomous (but not semi-sarcastic) neighborhood in Vilnius. In 1997, a group of comedic artists established their – then rather crappy – ‘hood as a “free state” with its own constitution and officials that meet regularly in the “barliament.” The area has been protected by the city government because they are a significant arts community…
In fact, I was so impressed that after our walking tour I went back to examine the area and their constitution in more detail. They’ve translated and posted it in many languages! Here’s more of the Republic of Uzupis…
After that, based on a recommendation from my fellow traveler and roommate Ted, I went to the Mo Museum. Here are some pix in and around (check out the explanations of the exhibits)…
Here are a few supplemental pix around Vilnius, including my visit to the “Garden of Ideas” – apparently you have to bring your own…
Next: Riga Latvia…