Exploring Vilnius

Sunday

Sunday we woke up to rain and a really good buffet breakfast! Sunday was day one of our tour but it is really for everyone to get to the joining hotel and we met at 7:00pm in the lobby of the hotel. So Day one is a free day to explore some more of Vilnius.

Dawn Gate

The other side

Rental bikes

Gedmimino Castle

View at the top

Follow Me!

and 300 people followed!

We expanded the walk we took the night before and came to more streets of little houses and shops....Vilnius is a UNESCO heritage site.... Vilnius is an outstanding example of a medieval foundation which exercised a profound influence on architectural and cultural developments in a wide area of Eastern Europe over several centuries.

We checked out some souvenir stores along the way, bunch of caches that we didn't find because of the narrow streets and tallish buildings.......Vilnius Hill which we rode up to the top in a funicular and walked down bumpy stoney streets. We went to the cathedral in the main square and thought it was confirmation day, with all the children in white clothes.....but later met up with a whole procession going up a street.....a religious saint day. We walked a lot so I will let the pictures tell what we saw.

We headed back to the hotel by about 4....

7:00pm we were in the lobby waiting for the rest of the G-Adventure group and our CEO..... our tour CEO (G-adventure term for guide) is Neveyanna, there is a couple from Melbourne, a couple from Phoenix, a couple from Coquitlam, a couple from Kingston and a couple from New Zealand, a girl from Singapore and a girl from Chicago and us.....a total of 14 on the tour....not bad. We are the first tour out with this itinerary......and the next 3 are booked.....(g-adventures takes no more than 16 on any tour)

We all went for a Lithuanian/Baltic supper....except the Australians who had booked tickets for the evening. Everyone seems very pleasant and excited to do this trip.....because it is something different. And Nevy our CEO is very knowledgeable about the whole of Europe and especially this area....she speaks 8 languages. She is from Bulgaria originally and her mom lives in Kiev.....and she has a very energetic personality.

Monday

We all met at 9 (after a delicious breakfast!) and headed for the bus station about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.....we were off to Trakai castle about a 30 minute bus ride from Vilnius...it is a castle that was built in the 13^th and 14^th centuries and then fell into disrepair into the 17^th century. In the very early 20^th century restoration started......and continued through......it is well preserved and a has some interesting simple displays.

We spent about an hour touring the grounds and then we went to find some lunch.....Tartar cuisine.....very good.....I had a pastry with spinach and cottage cheese and Carol had one with lamb.....like a cornish pastie

We got back into town about 3 and Carol and I went back walking into Old Town while the others went and did their own thing. We were back at the hotel about 4:30 to shower and rest before dinner.....a few of us went out to dinner.

Then to repack.....we are leaving here tomorrow at 6:30 for a 6 hour bus trip for our next destination.