Yes folks, you read that right. I had to opportunity to go visit Vilnius, Lithuania, this weekend for a fun little get away for three days. If you don't know anything about this country or even where it is, it is one of the Baltic States that broke away from the Soviet Union and is located right by the Baltic Sea. It is not a very big country at all, about the size of West Virginia but from what I experienced it has a lot to offer. Let me enlighten you on the adventures I experienced in this simple, yet extravagant little town.
We left Thursday night around 10 pm for Lithuania. Our choice of travel was bus which unfortunately takes a really long time but it is also the cheapest option for poor college students like us. The bus ride took about 14 hours with a lay over in Riga, Latvia, which was fun to see the scenery of that country before we go back in May. Luckily the bus company was called Lux Express so it wasn't some old beat up school bus. There was a bathroom, free hot chocolate, and one of our buses even had touch screens on the back of each individual seat. Sitting in a bus for that many hours was not extravagant but it was cheap and gave us a scenic view of the Russian, Latvian, and Lithuanian countryside.
We rolled into Vilnius around 12 PM on Friday afternoon, it was a very long and tiring bus ride and we were happy that we had finally arrived. My first impressions of the city was that it was a lot bigger than I had pictured it to be. From that moment I was thrilled to be able to explore the city. The first thing we did when we got off the bus was withdraw some Lithuanian money from the bank. Lithuanians use LTL's and it was about 2 USD per LTL so a pretty good exchange rate. I always enjoy seeing other countries currency because it is so interesting to see how they pay for things. All of the countries I have been to so far have been a lot different than the US, which is fun. After withdrawing money all 8 of us headed to our hotel, which was a super nice hotel. It had two HUGE rooms, a wooden staircase, a nice bathroom, free wifi, and a continental breakfast. It was one of the nicest hotels that I have ever stayed in before and fitting 8 girls in it was an adventure as well. Let's just say it was a big slumber party and we are always having a blast together.
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| Lithuanian currency. About 9 USD. |
After resting for a small moment at our hotel, we decided to go walk around the town for the night. Luckily, the city is small enough that you can get across it in about 30 minutes so we were able to see a lot in a little amount of time. I absolutely adored the city more and more after each little road and alley we walked down. The city is filled with cobblestone streets, European style buildings, and old ruins from the original parts of the city. One couldn't help but fill charmed by this old yet modern town. Another thing that I liked was that even though there was graffiti all over the place, it was decorative graffiti. Instead of swear words and gross pictures, the artists decided to make art which was really interesting. While walking around we also stumbled upon Piles Street, which was the most happening street in the city. It reminded me of walking around Old Town San Diego, there were little vendors everywhere, artists with their paintings out, and small little food places that were similar to food trucks. Fortunately, we were able to make getting ice cream every place we visit a tradition at one of the shops on the street. Along with this small street, we came upon various cathedrals that were very beautiful and one of them even had a crown on top that our Russian mom Sveta told us to see. It was absolutely gorgeous. Once we returned to our hotel our day finished with eating Lithuanian pizza. I decided to get a vegetarian pizza and it was one of the most delicious pizzas I have ever eaten in my life. The crust was thin, the veggies were roasted perfectly, and everything meshed well into a scrumptious overall taste. One interesting thing was that they offered us fry sauce with our pizza! Who knew that Lithuanians knew what fry sauce was, I thought it was a Utah thing. Needless to say, the first day in Vilnius was a successful one.
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| One of the alleys with the sun shining through. |
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| Some of the graffiti in the city. |
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| My vegetarian pizza. |
The second day in Vilnius was just as exciting as the first day. We started off the day by heading to the cathedral with the crown on top. Unfortunately, it was closed so we weren't able to go inside but as I stated previously, the outside was very extravagant. Next, we went and relaxed in the park on Piles Street because the sun was out and we never ever see the sun in St. Pete's. It was great to feel the warming sensation of the sun on my face again and all of us just wanted to sit there and soak up the sun. So...some of the girls decided to feed pigeons and others decided to go look at the vendors and we all just laid back and soaked up some vitamin D. Finally, we started our trek to see some of the sights in Lithuania. The first place we went to was the city wall that the Lithuanian's built around their whole city to protect it. There was a very beautiful view from the surrounding area and the wall was old and charming. After that we decided to take the hike up to the tower that overlooks the city of Vilnius. The hike up to it is a steep, cobblestone road. Once to the top it was a breath taking view. If you spun in a circle you could see the whole city from just that one point. Thankfully it was a beautiful day with the sun shining, blue skies, and no wind. Sitting up on that hill overlooking the city was pure bliss and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to see such a extravagant city. The rest of the day we strolled around Vilnius to take in the last couple of hours we would be able to spend in the city. We ventured to a KGB and holocaust museum that was a tribute to the Lithuanians deported during WWII and also an old KGB prison in the basement. It was a great tribute to history but it was also very saddening to see the persecution that these people experienced. I felt sorrow for them and grateful for my life and the blessings that I have had in it of safety and always knowing I have a place called home. Finally, since we were saddened by the museum we decided to go find some dinner. I decided to get a burrito, pannini like thing that was probably one of the most delicious things I have ever had in my life. It had roasted meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and this delicious sauce (I have no idea what it was). I tried to eat it slow but it was so delicious that I couldn't, my mouth is even watering thinking about it now. Before heading to the bus station we decided to treat ourselves one more time to ice cream. It has been interesting to me while abroad the various ice cream flavors other countries have, and Lithuania did not disappoint. I was able to get kiwi ice cream in a waffle cone and it tasted exactly like a kiwi. It was very scrumptious.
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| In the center of Vilnius |
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| Lithuanian ice cream. |
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| The cathedral with the crown. |
This weekend was one of the best ones of my life. Vilnius is on the top of my list of places to return to and visit in my life. If you are looking for a relaxing time somewhere and a place where people are happy, the setting is beautiful, and there are fun but not strenuous things to do Vilnius, Lithuania is definitely the city for you. As you stroll along the river at night or gander around Piles street during the day, you will experience happiness and know that you are in a special place. I really hope my post has done Vilnius justice because even though it is a small city and a tiny country, it has a whole big heart. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I hope it brought you some joy and a little bit of knowledge about Lithuania. Remember to show love to everyone. We are all in this together and sometimes just a smile or taking a moment to invest in someone's life can turn a their day of even their life around. Live you life to the fullest, laugh until your belly hurts, serve others selflessly, and love with all your heart. Until next time :)
