NORTHERN COUNTRY TOUR - TRAKAI - Lithuania

Here is a map of the whole tour and how it started.

On our way from Vilnius to Warsow in Poland, we stopped in Trakai still in Lithuania It was an absolutely lovely place, with its red-brick, fairy-tale castle, quaint wooden houses and pretty lakeside location. Fortunately we stopped there for a couple of hours and not only a short moment.

Trakai is a popular tourist destination and the administrative centre of the district municipality. The town covers 497.1 square kilometres (191.9 square miles) of area and, according to estimates, is inhabited by 5,357 people. A notable feature of Trakai is that the town was built and preserved by people of different nationalities. Historically, communities of Karaims, Tatars, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews and Poles lived here.

As I had never heard of a community called Karaims, I googled and found out that they are an ethnic group derived from Turkic-speaking adherents of Karaite Judaism in Central and Eastern Europe.

The main attraction of course was the Trakai Island Castle a 14th-century fortress in the middle of Lake Galvė. Once a home to Lithuania’s grand dukes, it now houses the Trakai History Museum, with archaeological objects, coins and crafts. On the lake’s southern shore are the stone ruins of the Trakai Peninsula Castle.

We had not even a moment to go over to the castle but could see it very well from our restaurant on the beach !



The view on the lake and the castle behind



A huge garden behind the  restaurant



and a nice terrace with view on the sea




We walked around and enjoyed the beauty of the beach and the garden



to the beach promenade



Our bus waiting







for rent, to pedal on the lake



Decorations





For children to play



and when we drove away I could see the lovely houses of Trakai.

It's a pity that it isn't not yet so well known by Western Europe countries. Except some German tourists.

One moment in time I would have loved to stay, but we had to leave for Warsow





Linking to Five Minute Friday (Moment)

NORTHERN COUNTRY TOUR - VILNIUS - LITHUANIA

Here is a map of the whole tour and how it started.


The first time I heard about Vilnius was because a French singer had murdered his girlfriend a French actor. So a part from this drama I knew almost nothing about this town.

When we arrived and drove through the city I immediately liked it ! It looked so homely and the buildings and houses were just beautiful.

Of course I wanted to know a bit more and learned that the city was founded in 1323 by a grand duke who attracted Jewish and German tradesmen and merchants with generous tax exemptions.

For centuries it also became a destination for those fleeing religious persecution (there was even a Scottish Calvinist community in Vilnius) or tough trade guild regulations. The city’s coat of arms features Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travellers.

The same liberal attitude continued through the centuries, and today the city still has its Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Ruthenian Orthodox quarters. For two centuries from 1569, it was the co-capital of what was then Europe’s biggest empire – the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Later, Vilnius withstood Russian tsarist and Soviet occupation, and in 1991 gained its freedom and independence.



The Cathedral Square in Vilnius is the main square of the Vilnius Old Town, right in front of the neo-classical Vilnius Cathedral. It is a key location in city's public life, situated as it is at the crossing of the city's main streets and reflecting the city's diversity.

We even had the honor  to see a defilé of a group of Hare Krishna disciples !





Gate of Dawn
This 1500s city gate is a prominent landmark housing a chapel with an icon of the Virgin Mary.



St. Cathrine's church



St. Franciskus and Bernard





Vilnius market



a memorial of terrible times







A nice park



Nearly in the middle of Vilnius, we crossed a bridge and arrived in the (miniature) Independant Republic of Uzupis created by 12 Lithuanian Artists in 1995 on April's fool day ! It even has a 12-man army. It's a funny story which you can read  here. We met the new weds again, they posed on the bridge for their wedding pictures.





A sculpture of an angel was placed in the central square of Užupis in 2002. The bronze angel, also created by sculptor Romas Vilčiauskas, has become the symbol of Užupis.









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We walked through the charming little streets



until we arrived at this green house at the right.

 Here you could buy a stamped Constitution of the Republic of Uzhupis



A little extray of the constitution :

Everyone has the right to love.
Everyone has the right not to be loved, but not necessarily.
Everyone has the right to be undistinguished and unknown.
Everyone has the right to be idle.
Everyone has the right to love and take care of the cat.
Everyone has the right to look after the dog until one of them dies.
A dog has the right to be a dog.
A cat is not obliged to love its owner, but must help in time of nee (sic).

The text of the whole constitution is here



The shop was apparently owned by this very friendly ginger cat



Because his picture was on all posters or advertisings.



The constitution was written on a mirror, so I tried to take a picture of myself in the languages I know.

Another Baltic town I would like to visit again ! 

more participants here

NORTHERN COUNTRY TOUR - HILL OF CROSSES - LITHUANIA

Here is a map of the whole tour and how it started.


Leaving Riga, on our way to Vilnius in Lithuania, we stopped at a place I had never heard of, "The Hill of Crosses". I had no idea who had created it and why and was not very excited to see crosses on a hill, you see already enough in catholic churches. But what I saw then, exceeded all my expectations !

At first it started as usual when you visit a tourist place .... with souvenir shops ! Never in my life I had seen so many crosses in all shapes and sizes, as magnets, postcards, jewelry, standing up or hanging there was something for everybody !



Business is business also in religions



The entrance looked quite inviting, with even picnic tables



With this inscription on the wall in three languages, German, English and French



It was a long way through a very flat landscape until at the horizon I saw the shape of crosses



and this cross stood alone in the middle of a square surrounded by hundreds of crosses.

Who had put all these crosses on this rather mysterious hill where pilgrims actually believe Christ can perform miracles ?

The tradition of leaving crosses began after an uprising against the Russian tsar was put down in 1831
Relatives of the dead rebels, with no bodies to bury, instead left crosses on this hill to commemorate their fallen soldiers.

Crosses appearing on the hill became a symbol of resistance to the communist regime and in response the KGB twice bulldozed the hill. In 1991, when Lithuania acquired its long awaited independence, the hill became a dual symbol of Lithuania's Catholic faith and her national identity

Today there are some 200,000 crosses, carvings and shrines at the site made out of everything from wood to metal. Personal belongings like bracelets, rings, necklaces, cards, pets, dolls, chaplets were hanging on the crosses.

Despite the blue sky and the surrounding fields I found this place a little oppressive



You could see the difference of the old and new crosses, the old once were grey the others had kept their wooden look.












I walked in the middle and tried to read what was written sometimes on the crosses, mostly names of a person or even a whole family. But also wishes for healing, or for a new boyfriend or girl !



This cross was put here by the Italian Air Force







There is not much more to add



I have to admit that I was rather relieved to see peaceful green fields, I only missed a few sheep for my inner peace.



Linking to Five Minutes Friday"WHO"