After we visited the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, we crossed a big street and large park area. I couldn’t help but notice the enchanting and distinctive fresh aroma of linden trees. I also heard the lilting and powerful voice of a soprano singer. We stopped for a moment, and Bill looked up the building where the sound seemed to come from, and discovered it was the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

We turned down another street and passed a big church. We thought about going in, but Bill noticed that it was time for mass. We aren’t Catholic and didn’t want to disturb people worshiping, so we kept walking.

As we approached the end of the street, I spotted the Neris River. Then I looked up, and saw an ominous message expressly for Vladimir Putin…

We walked down a block and crossed a road, then went down a gentle hill to walk by the river. We passed a cute little beagle on the way.

We gazed at what appeared to be the newer, more modern part of Vilnius, which we didn’t have the chance to explore while we were visiting. There looked like there was a large shopping mall and food hall on the other side of the river, along with people playing sports. I also spotted a beer garden/snack bar near what I assume was a skiff for those who want to take river cruises. I would have been up for that, had I not been still hurting from the tower climb. Getting to the other side of the river seemed too exhausting, although by the time the day was over, we had walked over 6 miles.

We were getting hungry, though, and I was more than ready for a beer. So we headed back to the cathedral area, where I knew there was an outdoor Lithuanian restaurant. It had caught my eye as our taxi driver drove us into the city. We made a beeline there… I took more pictures on the way. I really wish we’d had one more day to take in a few more of these sights near our hotel. But now we have a reason to go back!

We got the restaurant, took a look at the tourist friendly menu with many pictures, and decided to take a seat. It was a good decision. The food was delicious! Bill obliged me by ordering the Pink Soup, a beet based cold soup with yogurt, dill, potatoes, and quail eggs. He said it was light and refreshing, and not too earthy. I tried it and liked it, too. I normally don’t like beets at all.

I really liked the food at Katpedele, and the service was friendly and professional. I noticed a lot of people eating there were locals, even though the menu was definitely tourist friendly. I would have liked to have gone back, because they had a lot of really appealing looking dishes. I was pleasantly surprised by the many fresh options available, especially of produce based dishes. And again… that barbecue was amazing!

After lunch, we decided to visit the Cathedral Treasury/Church Heritage Museum, for which we had already purchased tickets when we went to the Bell Tower. To be honest, I don’t think I would have visited this museum if we hadn’t already bought tickets. The weather was nice, and I wasn’t feeling like looking at exhibits. But now that I’ve gone, I’m glad we made the effort. Visiting there was useful if only because there was a proper toilet, and it explained why there seemed to be so many religious people in the city. Vilnius is a place where people take pilgrimage tours, and there was a whole exhibit about it in the Cathedral Treasury. Prior to our visit, I’d had no idea. But then, I am not a very religious person.

Below are some photos from our walk to the Church Heritage Museum. On the way there, we got stuck behind a big tour group, where people were taking photos of these walls. We managed to get past them and found the museum’s entrance.

Here’s a big photo dump from the Church Heritage Museum, which was a very interesting place to spend some time. They even had some kid friendly activities, and I sure was glad for the presence of a nice, clean WC! Toward the end of this dump, you can see pictures from the pilgrimage exhibit. I was fascinated by how far people went for their Christian faith. No wonder we saw and heard so many people from religious groups– especially Catholics– in Vilnius.

Once again, this post is very heavy with photos, so I will continue the story in the next post. Watch this space for more!