The City of the Iron-Clad Wolf

It is said, that the Grand Duke Gediminas once had a dream of an Iron-Clad Wolf, howling as though it were a hundred wolves. He awoke and sought someone to interpret the meaning of the dream. His high priest believed it meant that Gediminas would establish a great city at the foot of the hill where he had seen the wolf, and that the howling meant word of that city would be known the world over. -Lithuanian Folk Tale

Whether present day Vilnius is what Gediminas had in mind or not, it has certainly is a great city, and it IS known the world over. Lithuania, as a whole, is not entirely what I expected, though it makes perfect sense now that I think about it. I have always seen images of Europe (not just Lithuania) as either ancient history, or ultra-modern, with little in between. However, Lithuania is in fact a formerly occupied country that only ascended to the European Union 7 years ago, and 14 years before that were under the iron fist of the Iron Curtain. As such, the buildings and city look old and tired, and some districts, were I in the United States, I would be concerned about how safe I really was. However, this is not the case this delightful, though slightly depressed capital city.

Vilnius: At long last!

Vilnius Airport is about the same size as the airport in Harrisburg, PA, though it handles planes bigger than the ones I saw in Pennsylvania's capital city. It took very little time from the tarmac, to shuttle bus, to the terminal, and not long after that I claimed my luggage from the last of the bags coming off the plane. But I was shocked when I followed the signs out of the airport, through a single pair of sliding doors, and found myself in the waiting area, with Vaida and her father right there! Where were the border controls? Where were the stern guards examining passports and stamping or denying admittance into their country? Apparently, Vilnius doesn't have them, and I can't say I mind.

Cooling towers for one of the natural gas powerplants
between Vilnius and Grigeškiės. Also one of the places
where Vaida's father, Jonas, works at.

On the ground, we passed two large natural gas powerplants, the Vilnius TV Tower rises in the distance, and European traffic lives up to its reputation. The country is a unique blend of ancient castles and churches, Soviet era buildings (mostly apartment buildings) and a scattering of newer, modern buildings making their way into the landscape as funding and opportunity allows. However, as a developing nation that was recovering from decades of military occupation, they were hit especially hard by the economic crisis. The result is an interesting mix of ancient, well-worn, and modern, unfortunately accented by a surprising amount of graffiti.

Vaida and Jurga at Belmont Park

Despite having just spent well over a day in transit to Lithuania, I could not help but hit the ground running. My idea of adjusting to jet lag is staying up until normal bedtime in the target timezone, even if you wind up a bit exhausted in the process. So when Vaida's best friend called and asked if we wanted to go to Trakai, quite possibly Lithuania's most recognizable castle, the answer was obvious. Defeated by heavy end of the day traffic, we took a temporary detour through Belmont, a nice park/recreation area on the Vilnia River just upstream from the city. In so doing, I got a brief glimpse of the city, a nice walk around the park, and then back on our way to Trakai, hoping the traffic had settled down. 

Castle Trakai in the evening light

We did make it without further ado, ate kibinai (a traditional Lithuanian pastry filled with pretty much anything...but typically meat and vegetables. Its American cousin, the pasty, can be found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, brought over by Cornish Miners) by the lake side, watched hot air ballons float by, and then ventured over to the castle itself. The gates were locked by this time in the evening, so we just walked around, but it is far from the last time we will go here. With the quiet lake, rowboats and sailboats plying the waters, and the red castle set on fire by the evening light, it is clear just how beautiful a country this really is. 

*Not literally set on fire, though that was was a common pastime centuries ago. Just thought I should clear up that metaphor.

Vaida on the plaza of the National
Cathedral, in front of the bell-tower. Don't you think this could be a
poster for Lithuania?

The following days have been something of a blur, and I realize I can only let this go by so long without updating it because I will loose track of everything that has happened. We have ventured several times into Vilnius, wandered the streets of the old town, attended mass in the National Cathedral, walked in the nearby forest and down to the fast-flowing Vilnia River. The city is beautiful, with many narrow-winding streets one expects of a European city, and is the Northern-most Baroque city in Europe, or so I am told. There is so much architecture here I lose track of it all. A distinctive feature of the city is the many red-tile roofs, which should become apparent in the many pictures that I will continue to take while over here. 

I am also deeply thankful for my wonderful hosts, Vaida's parents, who are graciously sharing their small apartment with this strange American. On Sunday evening, they returned from a visit to their countryside property and relatives with bottles of milk fresh from the cow that evening, eggs, fresh cheese and honey. LOTS of honey. I know Vaida has always liked honey, but as the economists would say, "supply begats demand." Four huge jars, a giant pot, and they had already delivered some to friends and co-workers? WOW. Needless to say, I have been well fed. 

Interestingly enough, when you leave an American alone in your flat, strange things may happen when your Russian neighbor pages the apartment. Vaida and her mom had run out for an errand to the nearby store, while I was working on the computer. I assumed the page was them asking me to come help bring something up the three flights of stairs to their apartment, or something like that. However, after exhausting 5% of my entire Lithuanian vocabulary ("labas" or "hello") I was met with a string of unintelligible words from an unfamiliar voice. Some where in the midst of apologizing and trying to say that everyone else was out, I think I said, "I don't speak English." They haven't heard from her since, but it seems it's not a terrible tragedy, since it she wasn't the most endearing company anyway. To hear them talk, it sounds like I did them a favor! Between that, freezing up the supermarket register with my American Visa card, and bumping my head on the ceiling of the microbus every time I get out, I have been making my fair share of American tourist blunders. At least I am not as bad as the Western European tourists blundering around the bus station asking for directions to "the Castle." Come on people, this EUROPE, you invented the castle. You have to be more specific than that.

All in all, my first days in Vilnius and it's surroundings have been absolutely amazing, and especially so to share it with Vaida, but more on us later. In fact, quite a lot about us, but that is for another time. I will leave you with one last image of Grand Duke Gediminas, proudly displayed next to the National Cathedral. Some say he looks drunk considering the pose, but by his feet you can see the Iron-Clad Wolf, in honor of that very first dream.

Grand Duke Gediminas, the Iron-Clad Wolf,
and a flag with the National Seal flying
on the roof of the National Cathedral.