Day 1 Vilnius - Arrival

A courtyard in Vilnius old town.

Wall with ceramic inserts commemorating Lithuaniun poets and writers.

Our hotel in Vilnius

I arrived in the afternoon Thursday May 12 after 3 uneventful but long flights. Seeing Lithuania from the plane it was obvious that the land is heavily forested and has many lakes and rivers. It is quite flat.

We were picked up at the hotel by our tour leader, Mina, and taken to our hotel. The hotel was previously a convent and so it still resembles its former function but is comfortable. My sister, Judy, had already arrived but her husband, Michael, missed his plane in Finland and wouldn’t arrive until dinnertime. Judy and I took a walk to “get the kinks out” and see the neighborhood.

First of all, there are churches everywhere. We would soon learn that Vilnius has many churches, most Catholic and also Orthodox. In some cases churches, even of the same denomination, are adjacent to each other.

Later we met the rest of the tour group and took a orientation walk to the old town main street. Then a nice dinner at a local restaurant, heavy and the meat and potatoes. Next back to the hotel for much needed sleep.

Just across the river from the hotel is a small “Republic” of “bohe Everyone has the right to mians” a.k.a. “hippie types”. They claim this area to be independent and even have their own “constitution”.
1. Everyone has a right to live by the river
2. Everyone has the right to hot water and heating and a tile roof.
3. Everyone has the right to to die but this is not an obligation.
4. Everyone has the right to make mistakes.
5. Everyone has the right to be unique.
6. Everyone has the right to love.
7. Everyone has the right to not to be loved.
8. Everyone has the right to be undistinguished.
9. Everyone has the right to love and take care of a cat.
10. Everyone has the right to look after a dog till one of them dies.
11. Everyone has the right to be an adult but this is not an obligation.
12. No one has a right to violence

There are a lot of artists and writers living in this independent republic as well as other free spirits. They are also into “free Tibet”.

Later we took a walk with the tour group to the “old town” which was very close to our hotel. The street is quaint with lots of nice shops and restaurants and not too touristy. Dinner was at a local restaurant and we were glad to get back to the hotel for a good nights sleep after being up about 30 hours.