Naujamiestis (Kaunas)

Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania, located in the central part of the country, where rivers Nemunas and Neris meet. Vilnius, the capital, is some 100 km away. Borders with Poland and Russia (Kaliningrad Region) are not too far away either.
After a very nice but leisurely breakfast, the three of us set out to find our bearings🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️and see what Kaunas has to offer. It didn't take us long after turning right out of the hotel, right at the next main road, and then right again to walk straight up to the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, which is the building we can see from our hotel room. Keeping watch on the Cathedral is Man; a modern sculpture, symbolizing freedom and liberation. Leading up to the square is the Laisvės Alėja (literally Liberty Boulevard or Liberty Avenue), which is a prominent pedestrian street in the city of Kaunas. It stretches between the St. Michael the Archangel's Byzantine-style church to the Central Post Office and Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum around the Kaunas Old Town, the oldest section of Kaunas. For a long time, it was the main commercial district of Kaunas. Stretching for 1.6 kilometres (1 mile), Laisvės Alėja is the longest pedestrian street in Eastern Europe. Motor vehicles can not travel along Laisvės Alėja, but they can cross it at intersections with other streets where motor traffic is permitted. The boulevard is separated into two walkways by a median strip lined with linden trees. A short walk down is the City Fountain. One of the main highlights of Kaunas was reborn just a few months ago. The water source installed 40 years ago, when the street was converted to a pedestrian boulevard, still fascinates passers-by and, according to the builders, is currently one of the most modern fountains in Lithuania, with a cooling “fog” effect and music system all controlled remotely. Try as I might, every time I tried to film the fountain in all its glory, it stopped. It was almost if someone was watching!!Read more