Vilnius and around part 3

The village of Trakai

In the museum at Trakai 

Vilnius 

At Kernave, why do the kids have the fun?

And our picnic spot 

Vilnius and around part 2

Our third day was spent at the wonderful Kernave Archaeological Site (UNESCO of course) an hour away.  Occupied since prehistoric times and once the capital of Lithuania, sacked and burnt in the 14th century, it's now just grass and trees.

Great museum with all sorts of finds and well documented information through the ages. Followed by a lovely walk through the site with its three castle mounds and reconstructed medieval houses.  Lunch by the river.

Lots of school parties as it's the end of the school year here. 

Learned a bit about "straw gardens" too.

Off to the far south of Lithuania and a national park tomorrow.

Oh and the jazz group were brilliant!

Vilnius and around part 1

Arrived here on Sunday, the last day of the annual "Pink soup" festival (beetroot) - well, it is almost the national dish!  But found a great Asian stall in the market.

Monday to the much-restored but still lovely castle at Trakai, in a beautiful setting, 

surrounded by a lake.  A great museum with loads of Lithuanian history and then picnic in the sun.  

Decided to do without the many Lithuanian forms of potato so bought a load of salad, easy in our apartment.  And it's strawberry season here now, so two this year.

Tuesday spent the day wandering around Vilnius not quite so flamboyant as Riga,

visiting the cathedral 

and the museum in the Palace of the Grand Dukes.  

Lots more tour groups here than Riga.  A jazz concert tonight by a group who play the music of Claude Bolling, apparently a well-known French jazz pianist.

Kaunas...

...is a UNESCO World Héritage site because of its urban development between the wars, lots of buildings in the then fashionable Art Deco style including the monumental church.

The Friday after we arrived was also graduation day for the school leavers so a huge service in the church and lots of teenagers making whoopee!

Had a super brunch before doing a tour of the Art Deco buildings, but got stuck in the first one which turned out to be a museum to a pair of music/theatre/opera brothers. Fascinating history and their apartment was nicely restored.  Pics in the other post.

Eventually wandered down to the old town, some lovely old buildings.

Next day caught a (very) local bus, full of ladies who had come into Kaunas to do their weekly shop.  Standing room only for most of the trip.  But had a great time at the Lithuanian Ethnological Museum, basically a 7-hectare site where they had brought old houses from all over the country.

Very interesting and a very Lithuanian lunch - stodge!  But quite tasty.

Were planning to go to a national park tomorrow but weather iffy so heading to the capital Vilnius instead.

More Kaunas pics

Some Art Deco 

And some more historic

Into Lithuania more pics

These from around Rusne.

Into Lithuania

Started in Klaipeda, a port in the northwest corner.  Nothing special although there seems to be lots of tourists, just a nice town, feels more prosperous than the the bit of Latvia we saw.  

Hired a couple of bikes to cycle part of the "Iron Curtain" cycle route north along the coast to a bird lake, all super pretty.  Nice to not be in a town for a while.  Cold north wind but found a nice sunny spot for our picnic.

An hour south by bus to Silute, the gateway town to the Nemunas Delta. 

The tourist office recommended a bike hire place but the owner seemed a bit nonplussed - he obviously wasn't prepared for the season.  So he gave us two new bikes!  They also suggested a restaurant which was actually a canteen for the workers, though open to everyone.  Lunched for 10 euros!  Then pedalled against a stiff breeze as far as the village of Rusne in the heart of the delta, a really pretty little place with Russia just over the river. (There's an odd bit of Russia between Lithuania and Poland).  Apart from that it reminded us of the fens of East Anglia.

Next day pedalling again, stopping to visit a famous bog - yes, really!  

Then on to Kintai which was mostly shut, not a weekend, not the summer.  Found a fish restaurant on the way back.  Another cool and very windy day but the sun was shining.  Apparently a heatwave back home!

Off to the second largest town in Lithuania tomorrow for Judy's birthday.