Lithunaia

Here we go, first post for 2010! Destination Lithuania!

I have to say that I am not so glad of my pictures... I need a bit of time to get use of my new camera or perhaps, it is due to the good Lihtuanian beer... Anyway I guess you can still have an overview of how Kaunas and Vilnius, the two biggest cities of the country, look like!


After a rush around Paris to get my airplane, I eventually could board on my flight to Kaunas on Friday evening.
Pauilius (nice guy I met through Couchsurfing) was waiting for me at Kaunas Airport. Just the time to drop my bag at his house and we were down town drinking beers! Sweet start!
We had few drinks and went back home on a nice 2 hours walk by night through the city, talking about Lihtuania and our own experiences of travel.



In the morning, we went back to the city center. I left Paulius and started woundering around. By chance, a kind of handicraft market was standing there. Perfect to find some Lithtuanian food: I had a Cepelinaï, potatoes filled with meet and a beer! Good breakfast!

I don't have much snaps of Kaunas as it started raining in the mid-afternoon...

Church of Saint Mikael the archangel

Kaunas Town Hall

I wanted to get the Capital city, Vilnius, 100kms away, by the evening. The plan was to hitch-hike to there. And it was pretty easy actually. Paulius has shown me the best spot for that. 1 hour and 30 minutes later I was in Vlinius. I stayed there until the end of my stay, hanging around, drinking beers at night with few fellows from the hostel I was sleeping in and enjoying the quiet atmosphere...

Gates of Dawns

Ausros Vartu street

As you will see, there are plenty of churches in the city. Mainly catholic but also orthodox.

Saint Casimir's church

Saint Anne's chuch

Here are few pics of and from the castle that overlooks the city...

The rest of the castle...

The three crosses: a monument to seven Franciscan monks that were tortured here by pagans before the conversion of Lithuania to Christianity.

Vilnius Cathedral

Gedimino Avenue, pedestrian on Sundays, the main avenue of Vilnius

Dominikony street

The Presidential Palace

Pilies street, the pedestrian street of the old part...

Saint Paeasceve's Orthodox church

Rotuses square and the city hall behind...

City hall

Rotuses square



The last evening I was going for a night picture session... Unfortunately it started to rain... I went out for a few beers instead :)! The last morning I wondered around and got a last shoot.

Few of the numerous beers...

Local trolley bus

That is it for this short but very good weekend in the most populated of the three Baltic countries. That was my first steps in Eastern Europe for long and it remembered me of few Polish cities. I love this atmosphere, the colors and of course the beer! Definitely a good destination for a relaxing three days trip!