Vilnius
We picked up our rental car at the airport and set out to drive to the Vilnius city center, where our B&B was located. Denise came very prepared with detailed maps printed out of exactly where we needed to go. There's only one problem when you're trying to find your way with a map - it doesn't work if there are no street signs to correlate to the map. We finally realized that we were looking for American style street signs: two signs atop a pole on a street corner. Here the street signs are on the side of buildings that are on the corner. And if there is no building on a street corner - sorry, no street sign. Hopefully that wasn't where your turn was supposed to be.
After a few wrong turns, we did finally make our way to the B&B. Part of the problem with driving here is that there are streets that are so narrow that they appear to be alleyways, and we think that you're not supposed to drive down them. Then here comes a car and you realize it's okay to drive on that "street". So then you think it must be a one-way street because it is so narrow. Then you see another car going the other way on that same street, so it's not a one-way even though it is only one lane wide. Also there are "streets" that appear to be pedestrian only, as people are walking down the middle of the street. Then every once in awhile, a vehicle comes down the street slowly maneuvering its way among the crowd.
After we got settled in the B&B, we walked down the street to get a bite to eat. We went to an authentic Lithuanian restaurant. It was a beautiful day so we ate at one of the outside tables. Denise had "meat" soup, which was similar to what we would call vegetable soup. It was excellent. She also had potato pancakes with salmon and dill sour cream. I had potato pancakes with smoked bacon sauce. Joe had beetroot soup with dill, zeppellines, and something that looked and tasted like a waffle with powdered sugar. And of course, everything comes with what Denise calls the Eastern European condiment: sour cream.
After supper, Joe went back to the B&B, while Denise and I strolled around Vilnius. We went to the Cathedral Bell Tower and climbed to the top, where we saw some nice views of Vilnius. Then we went into the Cathedral. We tried to ask a priest about Mass times, but he only spoke French. Silly us, thinking that anyone we approach would speak English. Sometimes it's easy to forget that you're in a foreign country. After leaving the Cathedral, Denise and I called it a day and headed back to the B&B.
After a few wrong turns, we did finally make our way to the B&B. Part of the problem with driving here is that there are streets that are so narrow that they appear to be alleyways, and we think that you're not supposed to drive down them. Then here comes a car and you realize it's okay to drive on that "street". So then you think it must be a one-way street because it is so narrow. Then you see another car going the other way on that same street, so it's not a one-way even though it is only one lane wide. Also there are "streets" that appear to be pedestrian only, as people are walking down the middle of the street. Then every once in awhile, a vehicle comes down the street slowly maneuvering its way among the crowd.
After we got settled in the B&B, we walked down the street to get a bite to eat. We went to an authentic Lithuanian restaurant. It was a beautiful day so we ate at one of the outside tables. Denise had "meat" soup, which was similar to what we would call vegetable soup. It was excellent. She also had potato pancakes with salmon and dill sour cream. I had potato pancakes with smoked bacon sauce. Joe had beetroot soup with dill, zeppellines, and something that looked and tasted like a waffle with powdered sugar. And of course, everything comes with what Denise calls the Eastern European condiment: sour cream.
After supper, Joe went back to the B&B, while Denise and I strolled around Vilnius. We went to the Cathedral Bell Tower and climbed to the top, where we saw some nice views of Vilnius. Then we went into the Cathedral. We tried to ask a priest about Mass times, but he only spoke French. Silly us, thinking that anyone we approach would speak English. Sometimes it's easy to forget that you're in a foreign country. After leaving the Cathedral, Denise and I called it a day and headed back to the B&B.
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