Baltics - 17 June 2012 (3)

Afternoon in Vilnius

It was now lunchtime.  Some people immediately dashed off to find somewhere to eat, but I stayed to go to the place recommended by Geirdre.  On the way up Gedimino prospektas, a few more people fell by the wayside, so only Craig, Sarah, May, Janet, Roberta, Aija and I ended up eating in Cili, one of a chain of restaurants.  I had green gnocchi with sour cream sauce, which was quite nice, and a peach juice, which came to just LTL10.90.

After lunch, there were further drop offs until only Sarah and I were left for Aija to point out the entrance to the Museum of Genocide Victims.  Not surprisingly, Aija didn’t go in.  One visit is quite enough for anyone and I wondered how the guides taking groups around the museum managed to cope.

River Neris

The museum covered much of what was in the Museum of Occupation in Riga, with the added twist of actually being in the old KGB prison.  You could see just how grim it was and read about the torture and appalling treatment of the inmates.  I hadn’t realised how long people held out, living in the forests and trying to resist the Soviet occupation after WWII.

River Neris

While I was walking round, reading the many displays, I bumped into Charlie, Ian and Sue, who had dashed off for a quick lunch.  Despite that, I left the museum on my own and decided to head back to the hotel.

I walked diagonally across a park and came out just up from the White Bridge.  This is a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists only.  As I walked across, someone was announcing the results of a volleyball competition taking place on a court to the right just below me.  Belarus won.

Shopping Centre and Commercial Area

I went into the shopping centre and found a Maxima supermarket, where I bought some much needed water.  The day had turned out very hot.  I took the opportunity to browse some shoe shops, but didn’t find any in the style I wanted.

This was a real shame as, when I got back to the hotel, I looked at my shoes which had got so wet in Tartu.  I found that I could put my finger in the hole where the sole had become separate from the upper.  So they had to go in the bin.