Vilifying Myself

Merry post-Christmas from a place that feels like winter- Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Lithuania is one of the three small Baltic states in Northern Europe, along with Latvia and Estonia.

Why would I leave the Mediterranean in December to freeze in Lithuania? Because not only is Lithuania the one Baltic state I've not visited, but it's also the only EU nation that was missing from my (now-completed) list of EU countries visited. (For the trivial-minded amongst us, there are 27 total EU countries.) That is an eminently reasonable justification, though I'm certainly not saying I'd do it twice.

We arrived near midnight, and while Vilnius is famous for its Christmas decorations, everything was just dark and cold...which I suppose is befitting a country with Russia both to the east AND the west. (This is true! There is a tiny, isolated chunk of Russia sitting to the west, nestled between Lithuania and Poland. Cozy!)

Our grand hotel off the city square was a bit less grand in person- most architecture here is "Vilnian Baroque," a brightly colored, ornate Hapsburgian style, but our hotel was more "Elegance Circa 1983." And if it's not Vilnian Baroque, don't fix it. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)

But we're only here for a day and a half- long enough to see the Old City and try some Lithuanian food- so we're looking forward to seeing this place in the daylight tomorrow!Baca selengkapnya