It was fun, but I’ve got move on. The Frieds arrive for a  visit within hours and I have other stuff I need to write about.

Our Sunday in Vilnius was mostly about shopping and leaving. We spent a lot of time wandering about the fair, sometimes accompanied by Rimas, who took us to his favorite vendors. It seemed like many of them come every year and he seemed to know a few of them. (Or it could have just been his gift for gab. He is extremely outgoing and loves to strike up conversations with people.)

We had planned to take the funicular up the hill to  the fortress on top that had guarded Vilnius for centuries, but it was closed and we didn’t have time to make the climb. It had been fairly intact until World War II, Rimas said. But then the Germans sensibly decided that it would be a great defensive position and put some big guns up there and the Russian destroyed most of it. There is a dispute about whether it should be renovated to its former glory or left as is. Actually there is little physical sign of the War in Vilnius, except for a library by the river, where the scars of bullets were left alone. Rimas really wanted to show us that.

We did go to the castle that was at the foot of the hill that had the fortress atop it. It was reconstructed somewhat and is mostly dedicated to Lithuanian history, in more excruciating detail than we had time to read. It was nicely done and clearly researched to recreate the look and feel of the castle back in the day. It is still continuing. For example, they have put in these impressive wooden ceilings that get more intricate as you get closer to the throne room. The plan is to paint them, using period colors and designs. And they recreated the big stoves used to heat the rooms, based on ceramic fragments found in the rubble. There was a concert happening in the ballroom (or some big room) there, but we had to meet Rimas and family and could only stay for a few pieces.

A final highlight was going to the Franciscan church that Rimas and family attend for an evening mass. (The Soviets had used it as a warehouse, but the altar and other pieces must have been pushed to the back, as it seemed pretty intact.) His wife Dellia leads the choir and also would lead the congregation in the hymns. She has a great voice and played some kind of old Lithuanian folk instrument when the choir sang Lithanian folk songs prior to the service. The church was also having an art show in a room that was probably a chapel or something for the monastery. We also stopped at an Orthodox Christian church on the way. We learned that they have no seating and everyone stands for the whole service and that for much of the service the minister is behind a screen.

After the mass, we went to dinner with Rimas and Dellia. We ate potatoes that were somehow stuffed with ground meat. The English word for them is zeppelin, based on their shapes, as they are definitely not lighter than air. Judie got some last-minute shopping in while we were waiting for a table. It was cold and Dellia bought her a traditional scarf. When Judie put it on, she was actually transformed into a Lithuanian and people would come up and talk to her.

     

It would be nice to return some day for another visit. But when it is warmer…..