Vilnius and Trakai in beautiful Lithuania (LIT)

Lunch at an outdoor cafe, "Fish Restaurant," in Vilnius where they serve the best halibut on the planet!

Yesterday was a day of sightseeing in Vilnius with the help of a tour guide.  Today was a day of sightseeing at Trakai, approximately 30 kilometers outside of Vilnius, which was the residence of the first king of Lithuania, Vytautas.  Trakai was once the capital of Lithuania.

This posting will have photos of both days.  I certainly have grown in love with the beauty of Lithuania and its extraordinary history as a link between Europe and the Tartars of Asia.  What a fascinating country!  Its darkest hour had to have been the terrible years of occupation by Russia and then the Soviet Union.  The country still has a way to go, but progress is evident as you will see in the attached photos.

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

The chandelier hanging from the center of the dome is in the shape of a boat.

Church of St. Anne in the foreground, and Church of St. Francis and St. Bernardine in the background.

What is interesting to note at this point is that most of the churches in Vilnius were gutted by the Soviets and used as warehouses or laboratories.  The feature of the Church of St. Anne is that its exterior has remained unchanged since it was built in the 15th century.  Many of the other churches were "modified," as you can see from the restoration of the facade of the Church of St. Francis and St. Bernardine.

An Orthodox Church diagonally across from the Church of St. Anne.

Part of a monument to a noted Lithuanian novelist.  Each tablet represents a chapter from one of his books.

Panoramic view of Vilnius.

The original fortified gate of Vilnius, now a chapel.

Church of St.Theresa, not too far from the city gate.

One of the few churches in Vilnius whose interior was relatively untouched by the Soviets.

One of the "main streets" of Old Town.

Ukranian Orthodox Church

Church of St. Casimir, Patron Saint of Lithuania

Town Hall, now used for performances.

Vilnius Town Hall

One of the internal courtyards of the university.

The President of Lithuania's residence and offices.

Front of the building of the President's residence.

The cathedral.

Chapel of St. Casimir inside the cathedral.  [Note the reliquary where his bones are preserved.

The pulpit of the chapel is in the shape of a chalice.

The Higher Castle of Vilnius (behind the cathedral).

The restored Lower Castle adjacent to the cathedral.

Can you tell she did not want me to take a photo of her stall in the market?  Too Late!

Sister is taking a photo of her tour group.

The Pope was not in town, but a poster of the Swiss Guards was.

Sculpture above the door of a theatre.

Notice the little girl who was trying to steal the flowers at the base of this monument of the composer of the Lithuanian national anthem.

Tree afgans were not an uncommon sight.

Arriving at the castle of Trakai which is on an island in one of the many lakes of Lithuania.  The castle is accessible by a wooden footbridge

You will notice from the photos that most of the castle has been restored in modern times, but the foundation dates back to the 15th century.

A former KGB listening post on the lake, now a government owned property.

It is time now to bid farewell to Trakai...

And as night falls on Vilnius, a fond adieu to Lithuania as I leave for Warsaw tomorrow en route to Istanbul on Monday.  Stay tuned....