Vilnius; Wednesday, 30 May, 2007

I left the hotel at a little after 9:30 so that I could wander down to the town to catch the 10:00 sightseeing bus, the bus had been cancelled for the previous 10 days due to "Technical issues" but was due to be running today, except that it had been fully booked for a party of school children, though they didn't bother mentioning this at the stop until just before 10. Myself and a couple of other tourists were not so impressed, though they did say if we wanted to wait three hours then the 1pm might run!

I had a wander through the town and stopped at a few of the market stalls to have a look for souvenirs, and then stopped at a café for a mid-morning break. After the break I wandered down to the Vilnius picture gallery. It is part of the Lithuanian museum of art, and houses Lithuanian paintings from the 16th to the 20th century, and more importantly on a day like today, is beautifully cool inside.

After having had a look around I wandered down through the town to the district to Užupis. There is not much to see here, but the area has declared itself to be an independent state (though no one, not even the residents, take it too seriously). Having walked through an entire state in under 5 minutes, I wandered back into the old town and stopped for a late lunch, before having a wander down the main street and through the new town.

The main street through the new town, Gedimino prospektas, runs from the Cathedral to the river, stretching some 1.75KM. At the river end is the parliament building. A fine example of Soviet era architecture, and looking in some ways like a smaller version of the old East German parliament, this building has survived because it was here in 1990 that the declaration of reestablishment of independence was declared. It was effectively the final nail in the coffin of the USSR, though it would take over a year, and lead to the deaths of more than 20 Lithuanians, Lithuania became the first part of the USSR to stop being part of it. Today, a small reminder of, what must have been very frightening days, is left by the side of the parliament building. Some of the concrete and barbed-wire blocks and anti-tank devices deployed outside the building to keep the Soviet troops out, and the dream of independence alive. The majority of the blocks remained in place until 1993, when the final Soviet troops left Lithuanian soil. After the last troops left a few blocks were kept as a memorial to those who died.

I crossed over the river and wandered back along the bank towards the hotel. What I hadn't realised was just how much the river meanders through Vilnius, and it took the best part of an hour, in very little shade to walk back. By the time I got back to the hotel I was in serious need of the Ice cold shower that I dived into.

After refreshing up and getting rid of another particularly sweaty set of clothes (with the thought that I am not going to enjoy opening my luggage when I get back home!) I headed out into town for my final dinner in Lithuania.