After a 4.30 bus ride to Vilnius with the most unclean toilet possible at the 10 minute break point (why are all paid toilets always in the worse possible conditions?) we reached Vilnius.
Other travelers on the bus let us read their lonely planet so we can learn some things about the city.
We walked passed 2 hostels, one was full, the other too smelly but the 3rd was ok. We got the last double room, but later we learned that the room has beds one to the head of the other, not a double room, we should just tent. After a refreshing shower we hit the streets passing the gates of dawn into the old town. This city has more churches then people, in baroque style mostly, very nice looking. We did a walking tour and souvenirs window shopping, we passed the presidents house and the university with its many intertwined inner courtyards. We walked for a few hours and headed for dinner at a restaurant recommended by the hostel owner , we asked her where would you go to eat good cheap Lithuanian food, “home” she replied but then pointed us to this place which was closed by the time we got there, so we consulted the guide and went to some fancy local cuisine that is situated in the center of the main shopping street, and therefore expansive. The lamps were made of beer bottles and the menu resembled an old paper. I had great Zeppelini (mince meat stuff potatoes and duck while alla had fish Boolean soup (Ucha) and chicken pate with apples inside. This was the only time we ate in a restaurant requiring a tip. After burning our food budget for the week we walked back to the hostel.
In the morning we found a nice car rental place and headed north towards Moletai. Why Moletai? Well let me tell you. When Alla was 6, they went with the family to Moletai for the summer and she has fond memories of the place and faint recollections on the specific , since Moletai is a region we don’t know exactly where they went, this area is full of the tiniest of hills with trees and lots of lakes.
We stopped at one of the camps sites and went for a water bike in the lake around 2 islands and on the way stopping at some pier and jumping many times off it to the cool water. Later we drove around looking for the specific spot, we found similar unique triangular houses where the roof reaches the ground. We returned to the camp and went for the Bania (sauna), this is how its done, you go to the hot boiling Bania, you seat there while they place water on the hot rocks then use a towel or other devices to spread wind across the room, and that is so hot, I think I know what hot flashes feels like now. I saw the devil head out of the room at some point. After a few minutes you leave the room and jump into the lake, swim a bit , cool down then go back to the Bania. Its so hot, I had to hold my nose and breath only from the mouth, but locals and my co bania partner felt at home. We did about 5 of these bania- lake round trips and called in a night.
Today we began with a long lake swim in the refreshing water, and now we stopped at a cute place to have pancakes with real tiny strawberries and cream for me, and Jam and sour cream for alla who also had some pelimini with meat. There is a stork nest just above us with 2 storks. We are headed for ignalina national parks
We drove in the park and headed to a small bee making museum. This place is like an open air museum, but small with actual live working beehives. We strolled around the museum and saw some bee and hornets hives. Next to the place a man stood with a bucket of bees net to a booth of honey. The guy told us not to be scared and explained about working with bees, so we both a small honey jar from him.
From there we went to a small village with a tiny water fall, lake with water lilies and people splashing in the water, we passed it and headed for lakaminidas, an ancient fort long destroyed, we climb the hill known as ice hill from which you can see 7 lakes (I counted four). We hike the small hill for an hour or so then headed for the village again where a couple of swans were accompanying they ugly duckling, so we fed them some bread and alla approached to closed and received a series of hisses and threatening poses from the swan.
From there we returned to Ignalina and searched for a nuclear power plant that the lonely planet book says resembles Springfield. Of course I had no choice but finding it. It wasn’t in this city but another 30 minutes out of the way, so we headed there and reached close to the station and it looks nothing like Springfield. The book was written 4-5 years ago and the reactors seem covered in some structure, so we gave up and headed back.
We stopped for dinner at a small place where I had goof fried bread with cheese and lots of garlic, with bad potato latkes (they had no Zeppelini) and all had the country herring dish.
We kept heading west, then south and pulled over at a unique point. The center of Europe. Some French geologist or something found that this point is the absolute center of geographical Europe, so we took some extra cheesy (with garlic) shots
Now we go back passed vilnus to the castle of Trakai for our last night in Lithuania.
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