Missing Home

With time to relax on the train from Warsaw, Poland to Berlin, Germany we did a little email surfing.  This was sent to us to remind us of home.  Enjoy the music, the talent, the views and a whole lot of Sydney Opera House...  A Nick Cave song.

Hunting Souse & Bears

Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw was a nine hour mini-van ride from our Aukstaitija eden.  We managed to survive given the scenic countryside we drove through and fascinating glimpses of farm life, seemingly light years away from our own. 

Needless to say, at journey’s end we were all rather tired and with the weather taking a turn for the worse, only too happy to postpone our orientation walk of the old town.  The restaurant we’d booked across the river was otherwise committed, so we walked damp streets looking for something edible.  An Italian café just around the corner was a great find and we ended up eating there both nights. 

If you look closely near the soldiers rifle hand &
reflected in the window, you will see the photographer taking this shot.

Next morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed (well, almost), we headed for a nearby tram.  But wait!  Do bears roam the streets of Warsaw?  The Zoo was just across from our tram stop and with a wide moat (and no fence) it looked for all the world as if the city was full of free-ranging brown bears! 

The inner city of Warsaw is huge.  There is the Old Town, a New (old) Town and a vast park, dotted with castles, fountains, galleries and sculptures, that stretches down beside the Vistuala River.  This city demands to be walked with all its intriguing nooks & crannies, museums, parks, churches and monuments.  We had a day – a week would be barely appropriate to really discover this lovely city.

 

Our orientation tour took in a circuit of the delightful Old Town, even at this hour starting to buzz with visitors.  The area was razed to the ground during WW2 but has been reconstructed - with some effort – to its former glory.  Some interesting craft shops and glittering pieces of amber caught GS’s eye but we had a date at the Warsaw Uprising Museum, a few tram stops outside of the inner city. 

Best described as challenging, this is the place to learn of Poland’s history.  The Museum’s exhibits are set up in an interesting way - perhaps it's a “post-modern” concept.  It’s easier to say the whole experience was unsettling (another Escher encounter?) - from displays that appeared not to follow any logical sequence to a dark and foreboding backdrop, punctuated by sounds of war. 

Bullets on a magnetic field spelled out the unimaginable numbers
involved in the Polish Uprising (WWII).   Uprising Museum, Warsaw

Copernicus, founding father
of modern astronomy

Well yes, we did expect this in some ways, the topics are hardly jolly, but we felt we were inside a computer game!  Finding the exit too became a quest of labyrinthine proportions.  Back on the outside, with a little sun and lots of fresh air, we’d finally escaped!  It was all a little bit dramatic for us…dare I say, oldies!

We needed to relax over lunch, so it was back to the old town to sample Polish sausages and potato pancakes with hunting souse.  Hunting souse turned out to be a thick (beef?) stew with thankfully no offal involved.  After this hearty lunch, the Cap’n headed off for the ultra-modern POLIN Museum dedicated to the history of Polish Jews whilst GS decided to take a slow stroll through the Old and New Towns, poking her nose into anything of interest and if there was time, a quick browse through the extensive art collection at the National Museum. 

The NM has quite a torrid history but now presents a vast collection of art works in a grand building that would seriously take days to explore.  The collections were heavily guarded, well laid out (in historical context) and very interesting.  Sadly, there seemed too few visitors but two enthusiastic young restorers-in-the-making were hard at work copying some of the most famous canvases. 

In speed-walking haste and with so much to see, it was a near miss - the world's most famous kiss!  Apparently the lovers were inspired after reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere.  In 1893, Rodin's sculpture was considered too risqué for public display!  The gallery of religious sculptures also stopped me in my tracks, some most  poignant.

The weather was closing in again and it was time to head back to our Italian discovery – this time to sample their delicious tiramisu.  This travelling business can be seriously demanding!

Auguste Rodin's "The Kiss"

Man-Eating Swans

Aukstaitija National Park, Lithuania

 

Finding flowers too

Here is your intrepid reporter, deep in reeds, swans and slime in Aukstaitija National Park.  Well, we’re not wet – not yet anyway, with those threatening dark clouds following our every stroke.  Yes we’re in a kayak taking in a landscape pushed together some millions of years ago by glaciers that once rumbled by.  Luckily the ice is now water, and we have a series of attractive lakes set beside a truly picturesque blend of rural and pine forest landscapes to paddle through.  Earlier, we had taken a character train from Vilnuis, 100km to Ignalina and then jumped a transfer to our homestay, a guesthouse, set amid traditional farmhouses deep in the wilds of Aukstaitija National Park.  This park is meant for getting back to nature.  Our plans included a hike and a canoe trip; not to mention being fed wonderful meals by our host Regina and her family.  I think there was meant to be some lazing about tucked into that itinerary too!

On arrival, we risked the threatening weather and set out on a hike.  This was not your usual pacey effort but rather a long, slow search through banks of pine needles for some soon-to-be-scrumptious mushrooms followed by a berry picking venture that quickly turned into a feast for gluttons!   We saw wild deer, were savaged by escaped purse-pooches, hissed at by evil swans and decided to give the Bee Museum a miss as it was getting dark.  Our hosts lit the guesthouse fire to warm chilled toes and after serving an excellent dinner, left us to relax. 

Nearby 19^th c Ginuciai Watermill is the start point for kayak tours and we had signed up for the short 3 hour trip!?!  So, learning how to paddle together (this helps with forward motion) we slipped along the narrow, shallow stream ducking under low wooden bridges, avoiding fallen trees, backtracking out of reed beds and negotiating families of ducks who would NOT give way.  This stream took us past farms and holiday cottages with little jetties and out into a wide shallow lake; quite the slime and swan fest spot. 

After gathering to learn about the park from guide Lineus, we eased our way through the reeds into another much larger lake, paddling across its smooth surface dotted with yellow and pink waterlilies and iridescent dragonflies.  We took a break from paddling and walked up Ladakalnis Hill, crested by a small oak, ringed with deliberately placed stones (it’s another wedding commitment thing!).  The view was simply stunning and we could quite understand its place in Lithuanian folk tradition.  Our paddling journey continued to the end of Lake Linkmenas, where our guide had a further surprise for us – an old castle mound.  A wooden fort of some importance had once stood on this site and its exposure in recent years by archaeologists and civic minded locals is an amazing story.  After surviving both the paddle and the hill fort’s challenging stairs, we celebrated with another custom - a swig of a life-infusing local beverage!  The day was topped off back at the guesthouse with a cleansing sweat in a sauna, a whisking with birch leaves for good measure and for some, a swim in the lake with man-eating swans.

(Apologies to Lineus, whose name I’ve most likely misinterpreted and spelled incorrectly.  Also, we’ve been able to include photos of the kayak trip with many thanks to Sanni who had the only waterproof camera.  GS did not take her camera or mobile phone knowing that this act would undoubtedly result in either a dunking or the heaven’s to open and fill the kayak.  Thus we arrived back dry but without photos!)

This family is running from hissing attack swans, who now had their eyes on me! Their patch is at the bottom of our homestay garden.  Who needs guard dogs? 

Iron Maiden

Vilnius, Lithuania.  A Vision Most Splendid

After our wet day trekking round Vilnius it was nice to see a bit of sun; especially so as we had planned a day trip by local bus to see the Trakai Island Castle.   The bus station is quite some distance from the area’s main feature – 25 minutes walking at least – but it was a nice day and the walk through the village very attractive with autumnal colours beginning to reveal themselves.  The area itself is a lake district with forested islands dotting a deep (and sailable) Lake Galvè. 

(Image from this Tour Group site)  Sadly, the weather was not that good for us!

Dry moat separates the main
palace from an outer courtyard

Trakai Castle, whose footprint almost consumes one of these tiny islands, dates from 1337.  Built during the reign of Vytautas the Great as a seat of power for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, its strategic importance only waned after the crushing defeat of the Teutonic Knights in 1410.  This battle is said to be one of the greatest battles of Medieval Europe.  The rise of a substantially rebuilt Vilnius (its wooden castle was burned down in 1390) also added to the decline of Trakai’s military and political importance.  Having said that, the Island Castle remained a favoured summer residential palace hosting visiting dignitaries and many a grand celebration.   Trakai Castle was destroyed by the Cossacks in 1655 and it wasn’t until the 1950’s that restoration works began.  Given Lithuania’s tumultuous history, it’s hardly surprising that work wasn’t completed until 1987.  The result could only be described as a "vision most splendid". 

Circular defence towers have 4m thick bases

Castle Outer Courtyard.  Getting ready for a concert

Kingly Thrones

Grand Ducal Hall

Stunning Tapestry - not a lot of information in the Museum was in English
so sadly few details on exhibits were available to us...

Inner courtyard, Ducal Palace
(30m keep towering overhead)

The Palace now hosts the History Museum.  Parts of these building are 30m high and navigating the museum requires no fear of heights as open wooden stairs cling, seemingly precariously, to courtyard walls while internal spiral staircases plunge to castle depths, challenging the claustrophobic.  Avoiding tourists in large groups in tiny rooms became the game of the day and attracted the ire of custodians whose main job was to keep traffic moving one-way.  We felt as if we’d morphed real-time into an Escher lithograph of never-ending stairs.

In order to sustain ourselves for all this activity (stair climbing mostly) we stuffed ourselves with tasty homemade snacks, kibinai; a Trakai pasty might best describe it.  We wished we’d bought a few more as they were rather delicious but our grannie had sold out so we were forced to supplement our feasting with punnets of freshly picked blueberries instead.

The tiny village of timber cottages across from the island castle is home to ancestors of Judaic Karaim settlers.  Actually these ancestors were Vytautas’ captives who served in his household as royal guards.  Their Turkic ancestry is preserved and maintained in their customs and traditions. 

Karaim Houses in the Village

Angels & Bird Nests

Vilnius, Lithuania.  Something New

Talented Artists remember Famous Writers

Of course, there are plenty of things (other than history - "thank goodness," you’re saying!) to look at or do in this vibrant city.  Here are a few we managed to find – even on a rainy, miserable day:

Street of Writers

Literatu Gatve (Street of Writers):  We came upon this interesting, permanent outdoor gallery in our wanderings through the old town.  It is dedicated to writers who have left their mark on the city and was inspired by a poem (“Literatu Gatve” by Aidas Marcenas) about young men sitting drinking, smoking and chatting on the street. 

Some locks are especially romantic

Bridge of Locks: During our walk in Riga, Olga had told us that Baltic wedding tradition demands the groom must carry his bride across 7 bridges.  Each bridge represents a phase of life – for example childhood, love, health.  Wanting to keep tradition alive, some couples nowadays take a different spin on the “bridge” theme.  It’s very popular to visit various city monuments (yes, it must be seven) and for some attaching a love lock to a bridge (over water) is a must.  A love lock, symbolising the strength of the unbreakable marriage bond, is usually inscribed with names or initials, attached to a bridge and the key thrown into the water.  It is said to have originated in Serbia during WWII when couples symbolically sealed their love before the men went off to fight.   

Street tiles in Uzupis add to the charm of this artists' enclave

Quirky Užupis:  Crossing the bridge of locks, we found ourselves in Užupis.  This is a decidedly bohemian part of Old Town, occupied by the trendy, artists, dreamers and squatters.  In 1998, residents unofficially declared the area to be an independent republic, with its own president, anthem, flag, and constitution.  The Angel of Užupis stands triumphantly in the main square.  She is blowing a trumpet and standing on an egg.  As angels must..

Street frontage with lots of appeal

Individual Flavour: Not all old town buildings are kept in kid gloves.  Some we discovered have been turned into “character” restaurants.  We ate at Lokys (meaning bear) where medieval inspired hunters’ dishes (game) and traditional Lithuanian food is served in style.  We had a table booked for the 15^th c Gothic cellars.  Be warned, it’s an experience.  The stairs down are so narrow it’s impossible not to feel ever-so-slightly claustrophobic but once seated we all concentrated on our hearty, good-for-rainy-days food.  Yummmmm!

Cat Café:  Having missed a visit to cat cafés in Tallinn and Riga, GS went in search of the Vilnius local, only to discover Murrr had closed.  The idea being that you sip your coffee to the tune of purring cats.  Rescued moggies lead a life of comfort and in turn, keep your blood pressure down.  Simple and healthy?  Apparently a Japanese initiative, it’s taken off big time in trendy Baltic countries.  There is another in town, Cat Café – just a bit further out.  But on enquiry, my Lithuanian and the shop assistant’s English resulted in confused directions.  And no cats. 

Under the Egg

Russian Egg:  Not too sure what this was about but we arrived in time to watch this selfie being “window dressed” whilst a crowd of “old boys” watched with amusement.  The 300kg egg is said to be a marker of a bird market once close by.  Another says it hatched the Angel of Uzupis and then was moved on to this less salubrious spot in the Jewish Quarter.  We saw it as a marker of all the little surprises Vilnius has to offer.

Choral Synagogue:  Built in 1903, this is the remaining functional synagogue from more than 100 that existed pre-war.  It has an interesting Romanesque-Moorish style.  During the Holocaust around 95 per cent of Lithuanian Jews were murdered, the highest percentage in Europe.  Included were the vast majority of the 80,000 Jewish residents who lived in the city prior to the Nazi invasion of June 1941.

Rehearsal underway - even in the rain...

Concerts & Celebrations:  With the uni so close by it was hardly a surprise that the streets at night really rock.  The Cap’n disappeared both nights we were in town to the big stage set up on the Cathedral square for a little bit of loud, head-banging music.  He really had been missing his iPod; the victim of one too many indignities suffered whilst at sea…  These Autumn Celebrations (with accompanying night food market) hark back to pagan roots.  GS was pleased at least that the Cap’n chose concerts (and food) over a clandestine meeting of white witches on the old fort hill…. 

Iron Wolf

Vilnius, Lithuania.  Something Old

Look up!  Portico of Vilnius Cathedral

Medieval legend has it that Grand Duke Gediminas (1275-1341) of Lithuania dreamt of a huge iron wolf howling on a hilltop.  This was interpreted as a signal to build his capital, Vilnius, on that very hill.  So he did and today we walked the streets of this remarkable old town built at the foot of Gediminas’ wooden castle.  

Medieval Vilnius was a city built of wood and stood little chance of surviving fires that frequently raged.  From the beginning of the 15^th c however, buildings started to be constructed from brick and stone.  The Vilnius we visited has few buildings dating from Gothic and Renaissance times; mostly the architectural style is Baroque and Classicism. In 2009, the city celebrated its 1000^th year.  Vilnius’s Old Town is now UNESCO Heritage listed. 

Many of the buildings are positively dripping with age and bursting with stories to tell.  Some are still standing more-or-less as is, though most have been modified over years.  Vilnius has a rather hectic history.  So, here is a little walking tour – don’t worry it’s only a virtual stroll to take a look at a few of these structures. 

Stone Tower,
Castle of Gediminas

#1:  We’ll begin with the imposing Castle of Gediminas.  Standing proudly over the Old Town, the oldest, and only surviving structure of this complex is now the stone tower.  This existing modification dating form 1419 is thought to have been over a timber fort dating from 1009.  Hill forts, used since the Bronze Age as defensive measures, are built on the crown of a hill and provided fortified refuges or easily defended settlements.  During the Dukes Wars, these timber fortifications held ground against the Crusaders.

#2:  Now it’s over to Vilnius Cathedral.  King Mindaugas, who ruled 1251 -1263 (before our dreamer Gediminas), is said to have built the first Christian church in 1251 on the site of a pagan temple where the imposing, often modified Vilnius Cathedral has stood since 1491.  Its current white, “Greek Temple” exterior balances an imposing interior. 

Vilnius Cathedral
Bell Tower & more rain..

The Cathedral's free-standing bell tower, also subject to various modifications over the years, was originally part of a gate in the medieval lower city’s defensive walls.

Rain, grey skies continued to follow us.  We felt we weren't seeing the Baltic's best - city or countryside.  Ah well, it was a sure sign of approaching winter, so we should be thankful for rain rather than snow perhaps.

St Anne's Church

#3:  Next we have St Anne’s Church which was once a simple wooden church built in 1394 to honour Anna, the wife of Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1392-1430).  It, like others, morphed into a flamboyant grand design in 1495; now considered an unscathed, Gothic masterpiece.  Admirers include Napoleon (1812) who, it is said, expressed a wish to carry the church home in the palm of his hand.

#4:  Nearby is the Bernadine Monastery.  Although a busy day for brides despite the rain, we stopped briefly to admire this large Gothic church, with its later romantic additions.  It too, once formed part of the city’s defensive walls and was constructed over the site of an earlier timber church built by Bernadine monks in the mid 1400’s.  The church was again re-constructed in 1516 and its interior is said to have been quite stunning prior to the Soviet regime using it as a garage.  Restoration works however, continue revealing unique murals and brightly coloured frescoes.  The nearby Monastery, of the same era, now houses the Art Academy.  Lucky them!

Town Hall (and a bit of a car park at the time).
It was a big wedding day though with lots of decorated cars about.

#5:  In 1387, Lithuania became a Christian state and Vilnius was granted Magdeburg rights (town privileges).  Thus the need for a town hall to carry out those important administrative and community duties.  The current Town Hall has had many makeovers, and although mentioned in 1503, existed much earlier - 1403.  Its current classical structure was remodelled from Gothic plans in 1545, then again in 1799 largely due to fires and other less natural causes.  In 1812 Napoleon marched his disillusioned troops back through Vilnius on return from his Moscow campaign.  It is reported that some 40,000 troops died in Vilnius due to starvation and the extreme cold. 

#6:  The impressive Palace of the Grand Dukes was originally constructed at the foot of Castle Hill in Vilnius in 1441 for rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and future kings of Poland.  Managing to survive 4^th c sieges, it came under the renovator’s eye in 1520 when Italian architects were instructed to update it in fine Renaissance style.  For four centuries it was the political, administrative and cultural centre of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until destroyed by Russians in 1802.  A complex and controversial project was undertaken in 2002 to restore the Palace and provide Vilnius with a symbol of its past glories. 

1630's Icon in
the Gate of Dawn

#7:  We leave the Old Town through the celebrated Gate of Dawn (1503), the one remaining chapel from the old defensive town walls.  In those days, an image of the Virgin Mary was placed above all gates to protect the city.  The icon in the chapel we can see is the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy, painted in 1630.  This famous icon is housed in a small chapel above the gate and is believed to have miraculous powers.  The image remains the symbol of the city and a site of pilgrimage.  In 1993, the Pope held prayers at the Gate of Dawn Chapel.

#8:  St Casmire’s is the first and oldest Baroque church (1604), so pretty in pink that we just had to include it in our list of visits.  The original structure was burnt to the ground by Russians in 1655.  Like the unwavering phoenix, it rose from its ashes again and again until it was returned to the Catholic Church in 1988. 

Renovation has only recently been completed.  And yes, today there was a bride and a wedding underway!  How many churches do you expect to see in an historic old town anyway?  Oh yes, Vilnius is known as the City of Churches….

St Casmire's

Witches and Whatnots

Amber on sale

For us, Klaipeda was our jump off point to the UNESCO World Heritage Curonian Spit. No, we'd never heard of it before either!  The Spit is a narrow neck of land protecting the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea.  Its pine forests and sand dunes support an environment in delicate balance, rich in wildlife and plant life.  This National Park was created in 1991 and listed with UNESCO in 2000. 

So, why were we here?  Sandy Baltic beaches on cool windy days?  Well, not really…  So we bussed to the Parnidis Dune where we had great views over the Baltic Sea, Lagoon, Nida village and the border with Russia.  Yes indeed, a little slice of Russia still fronts the Baltic bringing into stark reality opinions Lithuanians have of their former occupiers. 

These are fine timber "weathervanes" once flown from Curonian fishing
boats to designate their village.  Sadly their bright colours did not come
out well against those grey skies!

But it's pink!  And cold.....

From the shifting Parnidis Dune, now thankfully contained with planted vegetation, we hiked along the lagoon to Nida to stop for a bite to eat.  Latvian fare of course - pale pink (cold) borscht soup, mounds of melted cheese over crunchy garlic bread and fresh Baltic salmon.  Yumoh! 

Nida had its own little marina and the now lonesome Cap’n spent a few quiet minutes reflecting on life in Baltic waters.  I wonder… Did he see those mammoth-sized swans bearing down on him in time to avoid an epic sea battle?  J

From beastly swans to a primal forest brimming with witches, elves, fairies and goblins!  The Hill of Witches reacquaints you with fairy stories.  Dappled light filters onto intersecting "bush" paths and provides atmospheric cover for “enchanting” wooden sculptures.  Each piece, and there are hundreds of them, depicts a folklore tale; the whole effect highlighting an inherited regard for superstition and a tribute to pagan origins. 

Our guide for the day treated us to a scramble through the woods, showed us how to avoid nasty trolls with evil intentions and related folk tales that made the Brothers Grimm seem tepid.  Deep in the dark forest we could understand how easy it would be to lose your way and your mind. 

Still, we really loved the story of Eglè, Queen of the Serpents who turned her children into forest trees. Its ok, her name means spruce!  (Check the full story here.)

Meanwhile, we avoided any traps that forest folk with less than good intentions had set for us and escaped to the safety of a nearby bar for a reviving beer or two.

Sculptures abound and are clearly important to appreciative Lithuanians.  Klaipeda is well designated as a “City of Sculptures”.  You’ll be pleased to know that we didn’t see a single one adorned with graffiti…  Given time, a walking trail across the city & surrounds to discover these treasures could be a rather fun activity.  Sadly we had too little time to cover them all; glad though, to have found those rustic (and rather appealing) forest folk. 

Klaipeda's Old Town

On return, Klaipeda proved no less scary.  We met a weird, skull-masked & leathered bikie on our walk through the old town, whispered secrets in a mouse's ear, nibbled interesting Lithuanian sausages (offal…gack!) and then walked back through the town park - on dark - to search for madam’s camera lens cap, mysteriously gone AWOL.  We made it back to our digs unharmed, but not before tripping over a strange cat with silvery leopard spots and bright blue eyes.  A stiff drink was certainly in order…

Theatre Square - the centre of town.    

Hitler delivered a speech from the balcony of this Drama Theatre in March 1939.  Klaipeda was a territorial acquisition.  Its port remains ice-free in winter months & provides access to the Dane River.