Having successfully arrived in the capital of Lithuania yesterday, it would be a shame not to visit Vilnius.
View of Vilnius from Gediminas Castle
Thanks to the hour time shift, we don't get up until between nine and ten o'clock. We eat breakfast and take the trolley around 10:30. We miss it, but although we think we are staying on the outskirts of Vilnius, to our surprise we are not that far from the city centre. So we decide to walk to the first monument. This is Gediminas Castle, which is the oldest castle in Vilnius. Only the tower and the walls are preserved, but it has a nice view of the city.
From the castle we continue through the Bernadinai Park to the Republic of Užupis. Before it, we come across the Cathedral of the Assumption.
Vilnius - Park Bernadinai
Vilnius - Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
The Republic of Uzupis was established as a recession on 1 April 1998 in the district of the same name. In translation, the name Užupis means beyond the river. The Vilnia River forms its border. This republic has its own constitution, flag, currency, and even a border control (souvenir shop) where you can get your passport stamped. It is inhabited mainly by bohemian types, which is reflected in the artistic appearance of the district.
Vilnius - The Republic of Uzupis
Vilnius - Constitution of the Republic of Uzupis
After a walk across the country, we take a break for coffee, cocoa (kakava in Lithuanian) and dessert at the Biržu duona café.We also try the traditional Lithuanian cake Šakotis (Lithuanian spit cake), which is more interesting for its shape than its taste.
Vilnius/Uzupis - Cafe Biržu duona
Šakotis
After a short refreshment we leave the Republic of Uzupis and move to the Church of St. Michael.
Vilnius - The Church of St. Michael
Next on the agenda is the Cathedral Square, where the Cathedral of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Vladislav is located.
Vilnius - The Cathedral of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Vladislav
Gedimino Prospekt leads from it, which is an endless street full of shops and restaurants. Since some tourist passing by called it the Champs-Elysees, we'll never call it anything else.
Vilnius - Gedimino prospekt
Here we are looking for a place to dock for lunch but haven't found anything in our price range. Unfortunately, there are not many restaurants in Vilnius, and even fewer so-called folk restaurants or eateries (we found the only one at the bus station when we left).
The search eventually led us to the communist Lukiškės Prison. Today it serves as a museum, gallery and concert venue. Right at the entrance, Žaanet gets a scolding for taking pictures with a DSLR camera (supposedly a professional camera). The outside area can be toured for free, but you have to pay to see most of the inside (20 Euros). For today, the English tours were already sold out, so at least we got to walk through the free cathedral.
Vilnius - Lukiškės Prison
Vilnius - Lukiškės Prison, St. Nicholas Cathedral
After the prison tour, we moved across the Nesris River, as we spotted a mall in the distance with a food court sign and hunger commanded full speed ahead. We get a tortilla from a local fast food place called Felix chicken.
There's a disco going on next door. And as soon as we get to it, the foam production starts, which all the kids in the neighbourhood and Janet rush to.
Vilnius - Find Zanet
Once Zanet is properly foamed, we continue along the Neris River to a district called Žverynas. It is characterised by its original wooden houses. The Church of the Assumption is part of the district.
Vilnius - Embankment of the river Nesris
Vilnius - Houses in Zverynas district
Vilnius - Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
From this neighborhood, we are now slowly heading home. We rush to Iki to buy alcohol before the prohibition starts at 08:00 pm. But the mistake is Sunday, and they are only allowed to sell alcohol here from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, so the lady just shakes her finger and explains to us that not today and, accompanied by our sad looks, confiscates the vodka and beers and we leave the store with only juice and Kvas. Confused by this situation, we walk to the nearest trolley stop and head straight to our accommodation, where we end the day with Kvas ☹.
Useful links:
Aplikace trafi
House of Sun
Accommodation around Vilnius
