Vilnius, Lithuania

            After what seemed like the longest train ride EVER, I arrived safely in Lithuania’s capital city of Vilnius in the early afternoon. As is my habit, I took a taxi straight to my hostel and regrouped. Now, before I get into all the particulars of my activities, I want to quell some family anxiety. There seems to be a misunderstanding about where I am and the dangers of being so “close” to Russia. I am receiving concerned emails and phone calls form certain members of the family about my safety that I will be swept up in Putin’s decidedly overstated “communist revolution”…. So I’ve included a map: As you can see Lithuania is surrounded by friendly countries and I can assure there is no trouble here at this time, so fear not MacNichol family!!

            Ok anywho, during my city expirations I was surprised to find the city was not at all how I expected. I envisioned communist block style housing and gray building with cracked corners and forlorn shutters, and boy was I wrong. This city is astoundingly beautiful. Communism met its demise here between 1989-1990, which in reality isn’t that long ago, so of course there are remnants of it, but more so than that, the city is a true Baltic beauty.  The old style baroque buildings and cobblestone streets give way to a large busy city center and some of the friendliest people I have ever encountered. The city is cut in half by a river and large spired cathedrals are tucked into the crevasses of what seems like every street. Fresh flower shops dot the alleys and bouquets can be had for less than $1 (I admittedly went a bit overboard…). 

            The food here is succulent and heavy on the stomach. Juicy grilled meats, dark breads, savory pastries, dense sauces, thick soups with seafood, and sweets so sweet they make ones teeth scream are the norm and it leads me to wonder why everyone here isn’t obese!! The streets everywhere smell like baking bread and juicy meat at lunchtime and a side of some variety of potatoes seem to accompany every meal. The fresh produce markets smell like herbs such as thyme and freshly ground pepper and I spent a good amount of time just perusing and contemplating my tiny purchases.

            The parks are dense with trees and tulips (my favorite flower!) and there are many benches to sit enjoy the sunny weather. What a treat!!

            I went to check out Vilnius University on my second day and was even more surprised by the University than the city. I am including another areal photo of the campus so you can see how it is laid out, but the most impressive aspects are the ceilings.  They are painted with the most intricately spectacular works of art and combined with the large courtyards and tiled floors some of the buildings feel more like castles than classrooms. There is a large greenhouse on campus and the whole place seems...peaceful, although I am sure that changes around finals time!

            Needless to say I enjoyed it quite a bit and realize I did not quite budget enough time to see all I wanted! Shoot!! But perhaps I’ll be back…. For now I am on yet another overnight train this time to Bucharest with a stop over in Budapest. I will keep you all posted on my ongoing journey and inform you immediately if there are any Dracula sightings in Transylvania ;) Love and miss you all xoxo