After a terrible nights sleep in the heat, we treated ourselves to a lie in and had a cold shower to cool off. Eventually when we were ready to burn again, we ventured out, doing our best to stick to the shade. The flip flops were out for the first time on our trip in a vain attempt to rid of our atrocious sock marks, which screamed "tourist". We headed for the compact old town to have a look around. Walking along a pedestrianised street, passing closed shop after closed shop. We ended up in the central square, which had a church and a strange lamppost with painted white bicycles all over it. The temperature was around the 34/35 degree mark, which is pretty high when you consider the all time record for Kaunas is 34.9. After what was a relatively quiet and relaxing day we returned to our hostel, to cook up our Pork Stir Fry and hopefully get a better nights sleep.
In the middle of the night, out of nowhere there was a huge shower, which really helped to cool the air down so the sleeping conditions were much better. So, we were keen to get out and about and exploit the new freshness in the air. It was still showering when we left the hostel so we briefly took shelter and decided to head in the direction of the Devil Museum, which is the only one of its kind in the world. Surprised to see it open on a Sunday, we headed in just as the thunder started and the heavens opened (pun jntended). There were 3 large floors all dedicated to statues and painting of Satan himself. We stuck to the statue side and throughly enjoyed our time in what was outer first museum of the trip! Interesting to see how the devil is portrayed by different cultures and nationalities. Fortunately, by the time we'd finished our dance with the devil, the weather had cleared and we strolled in the direction of the old town. Just beyond, is a small park where both of Kaunas' rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris, converge. So we walked right up the the tip of land to have a look, took a few snaps and headed on to our next destination. We crossed the Nemunas River and paid the extortionate fee of 58 cents to ride the funicular railway to the top of a hill and get a panoramic view of downtown Kaunas. It gave us great views of the old town, both the rivers and well into the distance we could see the Soviet built tower blocks littering the suburbs. Rather risk our lives again on the ancient funicular we decided to take the rickety steps back down to the bottom. After what had been a productive day we strolled to the supermarket and picked up some dinner, then Charlotte thrashed me at a game of table football. With a trip to the capital of Lithuania tomorrow we had a relaxing evening in, chatting with our roommates.
Unfortunately, Charlotte was kept up most of the night by the incessant snoring of the elderly British man on the bottom bunk opposite us. He had an empty bag and had been in the hostel for some time, so I was absolutely convinced he was a London criminal and was hiding out after being part of the Hatton Garden diamond heist back in April! I could be wrong though. We were up early anyway to catch our bus to Vilnius. After pottering along the highway for an hour and a half we arrived at Vilnius bus station and we were keen to make the most of our time in the city. We picked up a handy map and went straight into the old town. We decided to start from the north and make our way back towards the bus station. So with Gediminas Tower, which is the remaining part of the upper castle of Vilinius. From here we could see the modern downtown area, the rooftops and churches of the old town, the crosses monument and an onion domed Russian Orthodox Church in the very far distance. Rather then getting the funicular up and down, we decided to save our pennies and walk both ways. Afterward we headed down through a small park and into cathedral square, which is home to, believe it or not, Vilnius Cathedral and it's separate bell tower. A quick browse around the souvenir stalls of the old town turned up a nice pin badge to add to the collection, which was handy as we couldn't find one anywhere in Kaunas. We'd read that the Lithuanian people came across rather grumpy and moody and don't acknowledge you in the street. But while sitting down for lunch in a park full of fountains, more than one person tried starting a conversation with us in Lithuanian and smiled as they did. Obviously, we had no idea what they were saying but it was nice to see they were such friendly people. Also a compliment is people talking to you in there own language, thankfully we aren't wandering round looking like hardcore tourists! After dining on our cheese sandwiches and apologising for our ignorance regarding the Lithuanian language, we strolled in the direction of one of Vilnius' lesser known sights. A 10ft tall plinth, housing a bust of the musician Frank Zappa. Charlotte and I had no idea who he is and didn't know his music but thought we'd have a browse anyway, as it's such an odd thing to see a statue of. Our map told us that his music was banned by the Soviets when they were in power, so it could be seen as a symbol of Lithuanians freedom and independence. After the mandatory photographs, we ploughed on. Like Japanese tourists on the scent of some culture we wandered the streets for hours, trying to cover every church, statue and square possible. We thought we deserved the coffee we had in one of the old towns back street cafes, resisting the temptation of the cakes they had on offer. A quick detour led us into the back courtyard of the presidential palace, which has an elephant statue carrying a chessboard, the only problem is that you have to bring you own pieces! While heading back to the bus station we headed through town hall squares, which seems to be a staple of every city in Europe. This one left us slightly disappointed though and we couldn't place why, maybe it was because it was more of a triangle and not square, someone need to have a word with the architect! We had a fantastic day exploring the wonderful city of Vilnius and passed through our last sight, the gates of dawn on our way to catch the bus. This was the only remaining part of Vilnius City walls.
We arrived back quite late and just had time to pick up some baked beans from the supermarket before it closed. Beans on toast for dinner, nothing better after a long day of sightseeing and travelling.
Our last day in Kaunas was very quiet. The sun and heat had returned so we relaxed in doors for most of the day, catching up on blogs and photos. Only heading out to get some fresh air during a stroll through a park and pick up a big Sakotis, which is a spit cooked cake that vaguely resembles a Christmas tree. It is traditional to have these at Lithuanian weddings and is the pride of their cuisine. Charlotte and I just couldn't resist, sitting on our bunk and shovelling the sweet, hard chunks into our mouths. Well we needed a treat after such a busy day!
For once it was nice to stay in a city that wasn't the capital. It was quieter and more relaxed, which was probably a good thing taking into account how hot it had been. Compared to Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania had seemed a bit more run down, graffiti, shattered pavements and hollow buildings were commonplace but it was still a wonderful country to see and visit.
Heading back west now, for 3 stops in Poland. Its capital, Warsaw is first on the list.
James and Charlotte
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