I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to last night. The only ways to get directly from Gdansk to Vilnius, in Lithuania, was by plane, 300 dollars, or overnight bus, 45 dollars. For me that's not a choice. Bus here I come.
I did luck out three ways.
Number 1- my apartment, in Gdansk, wasn't rented out on Thursday, so I was able to use it till I left for my 7 pm bus.
Number 2- the bus was only a quarter full, and I took the last row, 5 seats, and I could lie across all five. I actually slept about 6 hours.
Number 3- my apartment in Vilnius was available, and I could check in as soon as I got there.
Getting there was a bit tricky, but I did make it.
Vilnius is not what I expected. It has none of the architecture of the medieval cities in Poland, but it looks more like a 19th century European city, like Madrid or Vienna. It is very clean, lots of flowers along the streets.
I decided to cheer myself up, by visiting the KGB museum. Yes, there is such a thing!
Lithuania suffered greatly under Soviet rule, until, about 1990. 95% of the Jews were killed during the war, and then the Nazis were replaced by the Communists, and suffered deportations to Russia, starvation, and brutality.
The KGB museum is in the actual building occupied by the KGB, and the display is quite sobering. The torture chamber is still there, as is the execution room, where several hundred people were taken to be shot.
Another photographic display showed that the Soviets would display the corpses of freedom fighters at public displays, like village squares and local markets. That could damping your shopping experience.
After that visit I decided to skip my "Happy Meal" at McDonalds.
I saw another sad thing. There was an elderly gentleman, who looked a bit rough, ahead of me at the grocery line. All he bought was a bottle of vodka; must be a new fad diet. Well as he stepped out, he dropped the bottle, and it shattered. I could see the tears in his eyes. Life can be rough sometimes.
Ralf
I did luck out three ways.
Number 1- my apartment, in Gdansk, wasn't rented out on Thursday, so I was able to use it till I left for my 7 pm bus.
Number 2- the bus was only a quarter full, and I took the last row, 5 seats, and I could lie across all five. I actually slept about 6 hours.
Number 3- my apartment in Vilnius was available, and I could check in as soon as I got there.
Getting there was a bit tricky, but I did make it.
Vilnius is not what I expected. It has none of the architecture of the medieval cities in Poland, but it looks more like a 19th century European city, like Madrid or Vienna. It is very clean, lots of flowers along the streets.
I decided to cheer myself up, by visiting the KGB museum. Yes, there is such a thing!
Lithuania suffered greatly under Soviet rule, until, about 1990. 95% of the Jews were killed during the war, and then the Nazis were replaced by the Communists, and suffered deportations to Russia, starvation, and brutality.
The KGB museum is in the actual building occupied by the KGB, and the display is quite sobering. The torture chamber is still there, as is the execution room, where several hundred people were taken to be shot.
Another photographic display showed that the Soviets would display the corpses of freedom fighters at public displays, like village squares and local markets. That could damping your shopping experience.
After that visit I decided to skip my "Happy Meal" at McDonalds.
I saw another sad thing. There was an elderly gentleman, who looked a bit rough, ahead of me at the grocery line. All he bought was a bottle of vodka; must be a new fad diet. Well as he stepped out, he dropped the bottle, and it shattered. I could see the tears in his eyes. Life can be rough sometimes.
Ralf
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