One day in Vilnius
It’s been nearly five years since my visit, yet I remember the day I spent in Vilnius as clearly as if it had been only five weeks ago. Though Vilnius was not originally on my Places to See in Europe list (mostly because I didn’t know about it), when I saw the price of the flights there from Trondheim (60 NOK!) and found out that Lithuanian is one of the oldest living languages, the linguist in me could not resist.
![Vilnius Full of Space](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4796/40709526371_ead1effcdd_h.jpg)
I passed by a playground on the way to my hostel. It was a bright sunny day and a horde of kids were happily running around. I suddenly realised how long it had been since I’d seen something like that – all the playgrounds in Singapore always seemed to be empty.
I continued on to my hostel, which turned out to be a cozy little place. The owner gave me a quick tour of my room and a colourful map of all the places of interest, and I was out in the streets, camera at the ready. The first leg of my Europe trip had begun!
It was only a few hours earlier that I’d woken up with a start, taken a panic-stricken look at my alarm clock, and hurriedly gotten into a cab to the airport. Thanks to oversleeping by three hours, I’d missed the train and had to pay ten times as much as the plane I was still hoping to catch. Damn the Norwegian summer with so much light that it’s impossible to keep track of time! Just kidding, I love the Norwegian summer. And the winter.
Vilnius, as it turned out, was a very walkable city. I went to the Vilnius Cathedral and square, up a hill to Gediminas Castle, and just happily strolled down streets lined with people singing, dancing, painting, and having a good time.
![Vilnius Cathedral](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4776/40709528481_4fabf4b085_h.jpg)
The evening found me at the Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre. An hour before every show they sell tickets to students for seventy per cent off the usual price and I managed to get orchestra seats to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. It was my first time watching a ballet and I was entranced – it remains one of my favourite performances (of anything) to date.
The next morning was spent exploring some more beautiful churches followed by a tour of the “Republic” of Užupis – the artist’s district of Vilnius. It’s a lovely area where a lot of local artists live, work and showcase their art. It’s modelled as its own “country” with a constitution displayed on the walls in about twenty different languages. There’s even a place where you can get your passport stamped with the kind of stamp you get at immigration!
![Apple Republic signs inside Užupis](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4785/40709530561_89137e2685_o.jpg)
All too soon though, it was time to move on. The trip fittingly ended much in the same way as it had begun – this time I almost missed the bus to Riga. I’d misread the map and ended up at the train station instead of the bus station (these were the good old days before I had a smartphone guiding me every step of the way). Thanks to a kind lady who walked me all the way to the bus station, I once again made it in the nick of time.
Comments
<3 walkable cities <3
Yes, I love cities that are walkable or at least generally easy to explore without having to own or be in a car.
Go to Vilnius sometime if you get the chance! I think you'll like it.
Exactly. Too bad India didn't think of this. Though parts of some cities are fairly walkable.
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