After we disembarked the cruise ship and said goodbye to the grandparents, we immediately headed to the airport where we caught our flight to Kaunas, Lithuania! Flying in, we were surprised to see the green, rolling hills and thick forests. A curious customs agent casually reviewed our passports, and asked us a few questions, as we waited for our baggage. We took a cab from Kaunas to Vilnius where we would stay for a few days.

Our apartment was on the top floor of a five-story building. From its outward appearance, it looks like it could have been bombed during the war. In the air-condition-less staircase, our backpacks felt heavier than ever and the five flights of stairs felt like thirty. However, the apartment was modern and clean inside and even offered rooftop access where we gazed out on the many spires and old fashioned towers that decorated the skyline of historic Vilnius. That evening, we were all emotional. Going back to backpacking after the kids had been with friends for twelve hours per day on the cruise, left us all feeling a bit down in the dumps.

We could easily walk into the old part of town from our apartment. The first night a few of us strolled into town and had a typical Lithuanian meal of meat-stuffed potato dumplings, with a local beer, of course, in a nice open courtyard.

The next day was a home day, recovering and doing school. We enjoyed fantastic baked goods from a nearby bakery – everything made on site. That evening we dined at an excellent Italian restaurant called St. Valentine’s. The second day, we took a really great free walking tour of the town. Lead by enthusiastic “Marge,” we learned a lot about the complicated history of Vilnius since medieval times, the many changes of rulers, and Lithuania’s infatuation with basketball. We walked through the Jewish quarter (there used to be 63,000 Jews before the Nazis came, then only 7,000) and the Republic of Užupis which is the “hippy town” where many free-thinking artists currently live. The Bohemian/hippy area is full of artwork–from a piano outside being consumed by nature or a mural on a building. When first entering the neighborhood, you pass a sign of “laws” that says all must: follow the speed limit, like art, smile and not drive into the river…? The community has it’s own flag and a slightly humorous constitution which is translated into 23 different languages. Things like “Everyone has the right to make mistakes” and “Everyone has the right to love and take care of the cat” are written in their constitution. Touring Užupis was my favorite part of our stop in Vilnius.

That evening, after picking up some amber souvenirs for our loved ones, we attempted to go out to the “culture night” we had heard about from the tour guide. Unfortunately, it either didn’t start until very late at night or didn’t know what to look for because we couldn’t find this “culture night” anywhere. We decided to have dinner out, but we weren’t used to the cold and almost rude exterior of the locals so it made interactions with the waitress awkward. We know that they aren’t actually trying to be rude–it’s just a cultural difference. We’re friendly Americans! We smile at everyone and make small talk! That’s just how we roll. Only spending a few days here, we didn’t have enough time to adjust to this difference. We cheered ourselves up with a refreshing ice cream from a local cheese shop and headed back to our tower.

Next up–back to Helsinki!