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1997

Route in China (LITHUANIA)

Bec
2004-09-20 10:33:07

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Vilnius
I arrived here by bus around 5:00 PM and got a room for 4.40 $US at the Gintaras Hotel in front of the train station shown here.

Lithuanians have steadfastly held on to their language and religion through the century and a half of Russian and Soviet occupation. The Vilnius Cathedral in the center of the old city is not only a place of worship but also a symbol of their identity.

Below left, the Cathedral Bell Tower and below right, the Gate of Dawn in the northern part of the old city. The only gate left of the 17th century fortifications it now houses a highly revered image of the Virgin Mary.

The narrow winding streets of Old Vilnius, like this Stikliu gatvé, date from the 15th and 16th centuries and constitute a tourist attraction full of charm and history.

Trakai
Trakai was the capital of Lithuania in the 14th century. The Island Castle behind me is said to have been built around 1400 by the Grand Duke Vytaulas who extended Lithuanian control beyond Kursk in the east and almost to the Black Sea in the south (see Ukraine).

Trakai Castle would be almost 500 years old so you can imagine how heavily it must have been restored to look like this now.

The barracks inside the castle fortifications have been transformed into a museum and shops for the tourists who flock to this place.

Not only tourists but also ordinary people from Vilnius love to come here to enjoy Lake Luka surrounding Trakai Castle and the old town of Trakai built on the narrow peninsula leading up to the castle.

After three days, I left for Riga but I was turned back at the border and had to come back to get a visa for Latvia. The bureaucrats at the latvian consulate here charged me 60$US but they gave me a receipt for only 30 $US...

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