Vilnius: Day 1 (9/15/19)

Oh what a fun day! This town is 100% medieval: twisty cobble roads, three story tiled houses, sprawling parks, and cute wooden shutters on every window. Outside the downtown area its very modern though, which I didn’t realize until i got up to the Upper Castle which is like the symbol of the city. Great panoramic view, a couple of cheap museum exhibits around the tower hill about the Baltic Way, a 1.5 million long human chain stretching from Vilnius to Tallinn in demand of independence in 1989. Also a neat little museum about neolithic to 12th century history in the Baltic region.

After that I spotted a market/festival and waded into the sea of people or vendor stalls. There was a traditional concert of some kind going on that I made my way to - it didn’t really strike a chord with me (haHA!) but I did enjoy browsing the stalls. They were super specialized and unique. Of course there were the classic fried food lines but there was a stall making some sort of “cookie tree” over an open fire that smelled amazing! I snagged a sample and it was quite tasty, kind of like a fresh sugar cookie with the consistency of short bread. 10/10 snack rating from me, but too expensive to buy a bag. There were also stalls that sold ultra-specialized things like floral soaps, birdbaths, teapots, slippers, etc. I ended up buying some dried meat and apricots with my loose change.

I then made my way back to the hostel via a few “backroads” and spotted some neat graffiti, which is apparently respected or even encouraged in some areas of the city. Took a nap and went out for Lithuanian cuisine, aka potato pancakes (according to the hostel’s recommendation). I got some mushroom dumplings, a zuccini pancake with strawberry jam and a crispy potato pancake topped with onions and a fried egg. A powerful breakfast for diner that gets my stamp of approval!