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In Depth Vilnius
Jul. 8th, 2004 03:05 pmSorry I have not been writing much recently. Just have not been my usual chatty self. Vilnius is a very nice, laid back city. For the most part I have been around the old town, which has mostly been rebuilt into a nice tourist center. However, if you go off the main street, there are still plenty of cool buildings that need some loving. The main street goes past my hostel, through the Gates of Dawn up to the Cathedral. The Gates of Dawn are one of the original gates through the city wall that have been saved because there is a popular shrine in them. Often you hear praying above you as you walk through. They were also one end of the two million person protest chain across the Baltics back in the early 90s.
There are several amber and linen shops along the street, though most of the amber is sold from booths in the more open areas. There's also lots of nice restaurants with outdoor seating. And a Belgian style chocolate shop, but with Eastern European prices. Yep, better than Godiva chocolates at less than 3 per dollar.
Today I did not feel well, so I stayed another day and napped. Yesterday I went out to museums, the National Museum and the Genocide Museum. The National Museum is in the Old Arsenal, one of the few remaining parts of the castle. It has some odd exhibits, from traditional farming techniques, to maps of Lithuania to Napoleon's invasion of Vilnius. The Genocide Museum is the second secret police museum in an old prison I've been to (the other being the Stassi Museum in Berlin). People do nasty stuff to each other, and it is very hard to say where the line is. Though it has been overplayed in the media recently, we as Americans (I assume most of the people reading this are Americans, since I am, so sorry if I offend anyone) need to watch our government with eagle eyes. We cannot assume that we are the good guys.
There are several amber and linen shops along the street, though most of the amber is sold from booths in the more open areas. There's also lots of nice restaurants with outdoor seating. And a Belgian style chocolate shop, but with Eastern European prices. Yep, better than Godiva chocolates at less than 3 per dollar.
Today I did not feel well, so I stayed another day and napped. Yesterday I went out to museums, the National Museum and the Genocide Museum. The National Museum is in the Old Arsenal, one of the few remaining parts of the castle. It has some odd exhibits, from traditional farming techniques, to maps of Lithuania to Napoleon's invasion of Vilnius. The Genocide Museum is the second secret police museum in an old prison I've been to (the other being the Stassi Museum in Berlin). People do nasty stuff to each other, and it is very hard to say where the line is. Though it has been overplayed in the media recently, we as Americans (I assume most of the people reading this are Americans, since I am, so sorry if I offend anyone) need to watch our government with eagle eyes. We cannot assume that we are the good guys.
