Labas,

After a comfortable four hour bus trip from Riga we arrived into Vilnius at around midday. Vilnius was quirky with an amazing old town.The narrow streets, cobbled alleys, and walkways of the Old Town can best be discovered and explored on foot. A 1km walk starting from Ausros Vartai, the only remaining Old Town gate to the end of Pilies gate gives you a good orientation of the numerous places of interest and architectural monuments that await you.

We started off pretty late the day and went for a guided tour from Sahra our tour guide of the city. Passing under the 16th-century Gates of Dawn, we arrived in Vilnius's old town. We then walked through more ancient streets due east to Uzupis, Vilnius's version of Copenhagen's Christiania, but much less hippie. It is in fact a an official, unofficial breakaway state.
We then made our way to Vilnius's main sight, Vilnius Cathedral and the very large Cathedral Square. Passing yet another church (made of brick this time) and the national museum, we then came across what looked like an unauthorised breach into the museum compound. Turns out that it was more than legal and was in fact the entrance to the funicular that took you up to the Gediminas Castle, the main attraction in Vilnius, nestled proudly atop a Gediminas Hill. There isn't really much up there - just a large crumbling brick building and a old refurbished tower where we got some fabulous views of the city from the top. Inside the tower was a museum where we learnt about the 'Baltic Way' a human chain of two million people formed in 1989 that stretched from Vilnius all the way to Tallinn, cutting through Riga along the way, thus physically linking the capitals of the three Baltic states as a pro-independence protest against the then-USSR. There was also a video highlighting the recent simultaneous singing of the Lithuanian national anthem in hundreds of countries around the world by Lithuanians to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the name 'Lithuania' (Lietuva in Lithuanian). Very interesting and extraordinary events indeed.
So what better way to celebrate Lithuanian culture than to try some of the local grub. The fare we had a go at was an array of cepelinai, stuffed potato dumplings. To be completely honest, none of us really thought they were that great - the Lithuanian-style BBQ venison was slightly better - the dumplings seemed to have more gluten than potato in them. It's always worth a try. And it wasn't expensive either - drinks included, I think we only paid the equivalent of 7 or 8 euro for a hearty meal.

The next day we went to the KGB Museum. The very first thing that struck me as I was approaching the museum was that the former KGB prison stands in the very heart of Vilnius.
In the past many people would pass the building yet they never heard the cries of desperation of the freedom fighters, locked in the basement prison.
For Lithuanians, the KGB Museum symbolises the 50 year long Soviet occupation. During World War II it was the site of Gestapo headquarters and later of the KGB.
Between 1940 and 1991 people who resisted the soviet occupants were arrested, killed or deported to Siberia. You will see a lot of the names of anti-Soviet resistance fighters carved into the stone walls of the building.
The museum building is as intact as it was in 1991, when the KGB left the premises. You will see KGB rooms authentically furnished and secret KGB spying equipment.

I learned a lot about the most tragic period of Lithuanian history and about people who bravely fought with genocide. I learned that Lithuanians, even though a small nation, were gallant and dignified people.
Its hard to believe, especially after seeing the daunting basement prison, how the soviet authorities brutally tortured and killed innocent people whose only fault was fighting for their country's freedom.

Later on that day we went to the Trakai Castle. Trakai and Trakai Castle are important to Lithuanian history. Associated with the Grand Duke Gediminas, a medieval Lithuanian hero, Trakai rose to importance before the Grand Duchy of Lithuania joined with Poland. The area began to develop in the 1400s with its castle the center of the action, though the area saw human habitation long before these permanent structures were built. 'Trakai' references the 'glade' in which the area appears. Trakai Castle is situated in Trakai, about 20 km from Lithuania's capital city Vilniusso it makes for an excellent day trip. The Trakai Castle Museum is situated in two castles - one on an island in the middle of a lake, and one on the shore. There is actually a third castle associated with Trakai, but this structure lies in disrepair and is not a part of the museum complex.

Later that evening we went to Alaus Namai, it's a small brewery serving local favourites.

Viso gero !