My Around the World Adventure: A fresh and pleasant look at Vilnius (LIT)

I need to modify what I wrote on yesterday's posting about my impression of Vilnius. I had the opportunity today to take a full tour of the city with a professional guide. Vilnius is a beautiful city, rich in history, and a very cultured environment. My impressions yesterday were primarily based upon the drive in from the airport and a small area of Old Town. The guide informed me that the area around the airport is mostly deserted and abandoned factories which were built by the Soviets. The residential areas of that part of the city are among the poorest neighborhoods because of the loss of jobs. The buildings in that part of Vilnius were built by the Soviets and have a stark gray blandness to them. The guide, Rasa, gave us a tour by van of the city so we could get a full appreciation of Vilnius, then we took a walking tour. I was delighted to discover a real charm about the city and the richness of its history. A lot needs to be refurbished and rebuilt, like the churches which were gutted by the Soviets, but there is also a vitality and bustle everywhere. I am happy I have a new found appreciation of Vilnius and the people of Lithuania.

I took many photos of Vilnius today so you will see what I discovered today, which helped change my initial impression of the city. However, I need to catch up with photos of Munich and Warsaw. The posting has photos of Munich...