Ten things I learned in Vilnius!

Those of you who regularly read my travel blog might already know that whenever I take a trip somewhere, especially when I go somewhere new, I like to sum things up with a “ten things I learned” post. Vilnius, Lithuania was a new place for Bill and me, so I definitely need to write one of my famous “ten things I learned” posts for that trip. Here goes!

10. Vilnius is a city with MANY churches.
One thing I noticed in Vilnius is that there are a whole lot of churches in the city, and even in today’s worldlier times, people who live or visit there seem to be very committed to their faiths.

*One of many religious landmarks in Vilnius.*

9. On the whole, Lithuanians did NOT want to be part of the Soviet Union.
As I’ve mentioned before, growing up in the United States during the 70s and 80s, I had a limited appreciation for and personal experience with other countries and cultures. Yes, I lived in England as a small child, but I never really went to other places. So, when I was growing up, I thought of the former Soviet Union like I might think of the USA– a big country on its own, rather than a huge conglomeration of republics with different cultures, languages, religions, and mores. Lithuania, like Estonia and Latvia, was a Soviet country, but it was made one under duress. The country was occupied by Russia, and forced to accept the Soviet regime. On March 11, 1990, Lithuanians declared independence from the Soviet Union, and it’s quite clear in 2025, that they have no desire to be aligned with Russia again.

8. The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights is a must see for adults and teens.
A week ago, Bill and I visited this incredible museum in what was once a KGB headquarters building. Although it was about how Lithuania became a Soviet republic, it really taught me a lot about the United States today. So many things that happened, techniques used to gain power, and attitudes among the people were disturbingly familiar. And yet, that museum, as frightening and stark as it was, also offered hope. Because Lithuania is no longer a Soviet country. It’s independent and progressive. And the United States can and will one day be back on the path to progressiveness. Hopefully, I’ll be around to see that day.

*We weren’t the only ones impressed by the museum.*

7. I love the smell of linden trees.
I noticed the fresh scent of linden trees when we went to Latvia in 2023. I enjoyed them again in Lithuania. I wish I had one of those trees in my backyard.

6. Pink Soup is beautiful, refreshing, and tasty.
I didn’t think I’d like Pink Soup, so I asked Bill to order it and taste it. He was kind enough to do that, and for under five euros a bowl, it was a bargain. We both discovered that it’s a very refreshing soup and doesn’t taste like beets (which is why I was hesitant to order it).

5. People travel to Vilnius for religious pilgrimages.
The Church Heritage Museum in Vilnius has a fascinating exhibit about people who traveled to Vilnius as part of a pilgrimage to religious sites. We saw and heard a number of people who had come to the city to fulfill their own spiritual quests.

4. The Cathedral Crypt tour is well worth doing, even if it’s raining and you’re very sore.
One of the most interesting things we did on our trip was visit the crypts under the cathedral. A very interesting anthropologist who had worked at the cathedral for nine years told us all about the history of the cathedral and how the Soviets had turned it into a concert hall and art gallery. She also showed us the tombs of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Barbara, and told us the fascinating story about their husband, Sigismund II Augustus.

3. If you want a good view and don’t want to be sore, consider visiting the bell tower at Vilnius University.
Bill and I climbed the Cathedral Bell Tower because it was very close to our hotel. We were both hurting afterwards, because we’re not so young anymore. I don’t regret climbing the tower, but I wish we’d done the bell tower at Vilnius University. you can climb the steps if you want to, but they also have an elevator! The Bell Tower doesn’t have a lift, and the steps are narrow and rickety. Consequently, you might get sore just from trying not to fall!

2. Vilnius has really excellent food!
I was actually a little worried about visiting Vilnius, because I kept reading about how much they love mushrooms. Fortunately, they had all kinds of excellent food there. I was particularly impressed by the excellent produce– lots of really nice salads and soups, as well as barbecue, and craft beers!

*They’ve got plenty of stuff for vegans and vegetarians, too…*

And 1. Putin is very publicly warned in Vilnius…

’nuff said…

*So are many other people in the world… isn’t it time he faced justice?*

So that about wraps up our trip to Vilnius. I hope some of you enjoyed this series. Now, I have to pack a bag, because today we’re headed for Switzerland, where we’ll be until next Sunday. That should be fun!

Champagne Bucket trips, former Soviet Union, Lithuania

The Vilnius Series… Walking along the Neris River, eating Pink Soup, and seeing the cathedral’s riches… (part six)

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.

*We didn’t go in here, but I did admire how pretty the church is.*

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!

Champagne Bucket trips, former Soviet Union, Lithuania

The Vilnius Series… How Lithuania became a Soviet country… (part five)

On Saturday, June 21st, Bill and I woke up to bright, sunny skies. I was glad for that, because I was really looking forward to visiting the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights. This very special museum, formerly known as the Museum of Genocide Victims, is housed in a building that, for about 50 years, was where the Soviet security services (also known as the KGB) operated in Vilnius.

Two years ago, when Bill and I were briefly visiting Riga, Latvia, on a cruise, we heard about a similar museum in that city. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to visit the museum in Riga, although I am hoping we can go back to Riga and see it. Now that I’ve read up on Riga’s museum, I’m actually thinking the one in Vilnius is probably superior. I’m still interested in going there, though. While it’s horrifying to learn about what people went through as the Soviets forcefully occupied neighboring territories, the fact that they all survived that regime is somehow hopeful to me.

Bill and I set off for the museum, enjoying the sunshine and pleasantly cool summer temperatures. Vilnius is a nice place to be in the summer, especially if you’re tired of hot weather! I took some photos along the way.

*A bust of the man responsible for the defunct Lita, Lithuania’s former currency.*

When we got to the museum, we took a moment to look around the area near the front door. It was a chance to catch our breaths and prepare ourselves for what we were about to see… and take a few more photos.

We walked into the old building and immediately had to climb a few steps to get to the cashier to buy tickets. We decided to just wander through the museum, but guided tours are also available and bookable through the museum’s official Web site. Tickets for the museum can also be purchased online for six euros per adult, although obviously we didn’t do that. Now that I see that guided tours are available and can be arranged by theme, maybe I would consider visiting again for a more in depth look. They do have to be booked ahead of time, though. The guided tours in English are quite reasonably priced at 20 euros per person. The ones in Lithuanian are only 15 euros per person!

I took many photos in the museum. As long as you aren’t using a flash or a tripod, it’s perfectly okay to take all the photos you want. I felt compelled to take photos, because I was so affected by what I was seeing and reading. A lot of what I saw reminded me a lot of what’s happening in the United States today.

I’m not saying our country is being invaded by Russia, but it is, in a sense, being occupied by a personality cult. And so many of the Lithuanian attitudes I read about in the museum reminded me of what I’ve seen from American Trump supporters. I’m sorry to say this, because I know some people might be offended. But I see it very plainly. Maybe it’s because I’ve been away for so long. Likewise to the methods used to subdue the country and get people to accept and comply with the occupation.

Anyway… here are a lot of photos of the exhibits before we reached the cells in the bottom of the museum.

Then, after exploring the upper two levels, it was time to venture into the basement level, which is where the cells were, along with the execution chamber, where over 1000 people were executed. We saw the exercise yards, too. It started with a look at the “boxes”, which were tiny closet sized “rooms” where new inmates were kept before they were processed.

From the boxes were examples of cells and other facilities used for interrogations, storage, punishments, and executions.

The following photos are of the courtyards/exercise boxes for the prisoners…

And finally, we visited the execution chamber. They had put glass over what appeared to be white sand. A video played a graphic clip from the 2007 Polish historical movie, Katyn, showing a man in handcuffs being forcefully wrestled into a room and shot in the back of the head. Another couple was in the room with us as we watched that violent and bloody scene. They were familiar with the movie and cringed in horror, just as we did, when the character was executed without a second’s hesitation. Then, the man’s dead body, still handcuffed, was dumped in a pile of other bodies, like so much trash.

We walked back up the steps from the execution chamber and retraced our steps back to the beginning of the museum, although we could have cut through the outside area. I’m glad we retraced our steps, though, because we missed a few rooms on the way down.

On the way out, we stopped to sign the guestbook. Some people wrote disrespectful comments in it, but most people– folks from all over the world– seemed to be as awestruck as Bill and I were.

Once we were finished visiting the museum, we stepped back out into the pleasant sunshine. I took a few more photos near the museum’s entrance and of what appeared to be a nearby shrine.

We decided we wanted to take a walk by the Neris River. Since this post is so heavy with photos, I think I’ll pick up with that story in the next installment. Stay tuned!

Champagne Bucket trips, former Soviet Union, Lithuania

The Vilnius series… What made us decide to visit Lithuania! (part one)

The featured photo is of a cell that was once used in the KGB detention facility. That facility has now turned into the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius.

You might be wondering how a proposed trip to Paris, France turned into a trip to the former Soviet Union. Bill had asked me months ago where I wanted to celebrate my birthday. He said maybe it was time we visited Paris again. Our last visit there, and first time visiting Paris together, was in May 2009.

I like Paris fine, and truly have been wanting to go there again. At first, I was all for the idea. But then I started thinking about the crowds. June is the beginning of the high tourist season in Europe, and people from other countries are currently swarming the most popular European cities. So then I started thinking of other places I’ve never been and want to see. We did a champagne bucket draw, and it came down to the Loire Valley in France (which I did visit in September 1997) and Vilnius. We flipped a coin and Vilnius won.

So, we arranged for five nights in Lithuania’s capital. I was excited about it, because we have already been to Latvia and Estonia, the other two Baltic countries. I was eager to see what the largest one would be like. Then I started reading about Vilnius, which people described as a “gem” of a city. I remembered a couple of really nice people from Lithuania who were working on SeaDream I, a gorgeous mega yacht Bill and I have sailed on three times. And, as an informal Soviet Union history buff, I was curious to go to another former republic from that failed regime.

Now that I’ve been to Lithuania, I’ve come away from the experience deeply moved and newly educated. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I heard a lot about the Soviet Union. Not knowing the history behind it, I assumed that the countries within it were “happy” to be in the Soviet Union. What can I say? I was an ignorant child, and didn’t have the greatest critical thinking skills. We weren’t necessarily taught about the Soviet Union’s history when I was in school. We were just taught that the “commies” were “bad”. It didn’t help that we had right wing movies like Red Dawn promoting stereotypes and propagandizing. Red Dawn came out when I was 12, and it was the very first PG-13 movie. Of course I watched it, and was seduced by its ignorant scaremongering messages.

Eleven years after I saw Red Dawn for the first time, I moved to the former Soviet Union to work for 27 months. I never thought I’d ever visit the former Soviet Union, let alone live there. I went to Armenia, which is not at all like Lithuania, except for the fact that it was also a Soviet country. The Armenian attitude toward Russia seemed to be somewhat more grateful, as Armenians were being threatened by Turks.

Armenians definitely don’t seem to have the same attitude about Russia that Lithuania and other Baltic countries have. Maybe that’s changed since Russia basically abandoned Armenia when Azerbaijan, another former Soviet republic, basically evicted Armenians for Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, part of Azerbaijan that is historically Armenian.

My time in Armenia didn’t inform me that not all of the former Soviet republics appreciated Russia. My much briefer time in the Baltic countries has taught me that, indeed, the Soviet Union was an extremely vast country with many different peoples, divergent attitudes, religions, languages, cultural traditions, and mores… and no, they certainly weren’t all “happy” to be Soviets.

I did have a basic understanding of this concept before we traveled to Lithuania, but the idea was definitely driven home when I visited museums and churches and looked around the city of Vilnius. Just seeing all of the pro-Ukraine flags, as well as this huge sign atop of a high rise building, was a big clue about how many Lithuanians feel about Russia. (I won’t say all Lithuanians, because I don’t actually know if they all feel like that…)

*Putin is definitely not widely esteemed in Vilnius…*

Once we had decided to visit Lithuania, I set about making plans. It wasn’t easy, because our trusty dog hotel staff was on vacation when the decision was made. We had to wait for them to come back to work before I could book plane tickets and get the hotel reserved. But once they were back to work and confirmed the dogs were welcome, I booked us five nights in a deluxe room with a balcony at the Grand Hotel Vilnius, Curio Collection by Hilton.

It had been years since I last stayed at a Hilton. I think I chose it because of the location, the fact that it had a pool and hot tub (which I sadly didn’t get to use), and because Bill collects Hilton Honors points. I am a member of Hilton Honors, too, but I had never actually collected any points. When we’ve stayed in Hilton hotels before, it was because Bill did the booking. Then I did some reading and figured Bill wouldn’t be able to get points unless he booked straight from Hilton, which was much more expensive than booking the hotel and flights through Expedia (where I also have a lot of loyalty points). So the booking was under my name.

I also booked business class flights on Lufthansa, because we can afford it, and I prefer to travel in comfort. Business class on flights within Europe isn’t all that special. You get access to the lounge, expedited security screening, a meal and drinks, and no one sits in the middle seat of your row. You also get “priority” baggage handling, and checked bags are included in the price. But the seats on the plane are no different than what you get in economy. You just don’t have to worry about offending a stranger who might be sitting next to you, or vice versa. To be honest, that’s really the number one reason why I try to book business class when I fly.

Once all of that was booked, we waited for the big day– June 18th. I was stoked, but kind of wondering what we were in for… I do love what little I’ve seen of Estonia and Latvia. This break would be a longer look. I was thinking maybe we’d be ambitious and take day trips or something. We didn’t end up doing any day trips, and yet it was still a very educational visit. More on that in the next parts…

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights

Ten things I learned in Vilnius!

The Vilnius Series… Walking along the Neris River, eating Pink Soup, and seeing the cathedral’s riches… (part six)

The Vilnius Series… How Lithuania became a Soviet country… (part five)

The Vilnius series… What made us decide to visit Lithuania! (part one)