Saturday 23rd - Sightseeing day

Pic 1. One of the day's many weddings.















Pic 2. The old town from Gedimino's Tower









Pic 3. Gedimino's Tower










Pic 4. the only memorial in the world to Frank Zappa















Pic 5. Gates of Dawn Chapel











Pic 6. Devotees of the Vilnius Madonna - renowned for her healing ability.







Pic 7. St Anne's Church, of which Napoleon said that he would like to take it in his hands home to France.













Vilnius is highly recommended. The Old town is relatively unspoilt, and quiet. This was quite different from the crowds of tourists in St Petersburg. It's also a manageable size - everything accessible on foot, and some real gems of churches.

Lithuania has a vibrant religious life. Every church I went into had a service going on, and was full. In St Anne's Church there was sublime singing from the congregation, and a choir out of sight in a gallery. All the churches are richly decorated with icons, frescoes, statues, paintings and acres of gold leaf.

At the Ausros Vartai (Gates of Dawn) Chapel the painting of the Madonna was covered with gold, all except her face and hands. There was a steady stream of devotees asking her to intercede for them. Apparently here it is considered to be the picture that has the power to heal, and the women were very fervent. I hope they get what they were asking for - it seemed almost pagan to me.

The city was full of brides and grooms - at the main cathedral (the Archcathedral Basilica) there were four couple - one inside, two outside waiting, and one leaving for the bridge. There is a tradition that newlyweds lock a padlock onto the bridge, and throw the key in the river, to 'eternalise' their marriage.

Lunch consisted of zepellins - the local speciality. Meat inside zepellin-shaped moulds of mashed potato. It was a bit stodgy, but good.

Seb and I arranged to meet at Gedimino's tower, on a hill overlooking the town. From the park at its foot I found a steep and winding path, which seemed to match the guidebook description. Arriving at the top out of breath, but on time, I found that I had climbed the wrong hill - the Hill of Three Crosses instead. Quickly down, found the right one, and climbed that, arriving less than half an hour after our due time (the hills aren't as large as the guidebooks would have one believe), but no Seb. It turned out that he climbed Gedimino's hill, then the Three Crosses one, and we had failed to meet each other on the paths between! Off to a bar now to find beer - maybe I'll bump into Seb on the same search!

Tomorrow we head for Gdansk, and it will be a long day.