Marijampole and a train to Vilnius
I couldn’t decide whether to get a train to Vilnius or to ride 50kms to Kaunas and then get a train. I was feeling a bit lethargic so I just had an easy breakfast f the usual and thought I’d decide later on. It’s also a national day and probably a holiday here in Lithuania.
As it turned out it was raining solidly as well, and the thought of riding on a fairly busy road in the rain didn’t fill me with joy, so I took the train to Vilnius.
The trains here are small, only three or four carriages, but there is ample space to hang your bike. They also sell coffee and snacks on board !
Luckily the trains were running.
Rest day in Vilnius
This is a nice town. The old town area is UNESCO heritage listed, but isn’t everywhere here ? It’s just a bit more sophisticated than rural Poland (no offence Poland !! You’ve been great)
It’s got your usual assortment of old churches and because of history, any of them have changed denominations regularly on the last couple of hundred years and been renovated each time. That’s old school rebranding.
There’s also one remaining city gate which because of its location and religious images, attracts a large crowd of pilgrims. Regardless, it’s a beautiful part of the old town.
Leaving Vilnius
I turned up at the station well ahead of the first train to Siauliai but there were no seats all day until the 5pm train. I’ve mentioned that the trains here are small, but seriously, this is a holiday weekend and of course every train is full.
I shouldn’t complain as it meant that I could spend another day in this great city. I visited some interesting sights today. Uzupi’s Cat was pretty cool in a very cool area. The suburb of Uzupi declared it’s independence and is self-governing. It’s an artistic area and has a great vibe.
I also chanced upon the Frank Zappa monument. Frank never knew about it. It was erected after he passed away, but the crazy thing is that he’s not Lithuanian and has not connection at all with Vilnius. Go figure.
