Vilnius-Lithuania-Don't look up!

Arrived at 6am in Vilnius this morning fourty minutes ahead of schedule and the temperature a balmy 7 degrees. I don't think I'll ever learn to sleep on buses or trains. I think I managed to sleep for an hour. I booked a room at 5am on the bus and when I got to the hotel they let me in right away so I could get some sleep. So nice! Rise and shine at 9:30 and I hit the coffee shop across the street for a cappuccino, eat my sandwich from the night before and hit the pavement for an all day tour. First thing I notice is the horrible condition of the sidewalk and know that I'm going to have to keep my eyes to the ground so I don't trip. There city is being restored and you can see it everywhere. There are a lot if churches here. I start out by seeing the town hall, cathedral basilica and bell tower, the hill of crosses, Bernardine gardens, and palace of the grand dukes of Lithuania. It's already so hot and the climb to the hill of crosses is steep, boards in the stairs are broken, and the bank is silty. I get to the top sweating but the city view is fantastic. On the way down I step on a step and it gives way and I go falling forward and down the stairs. Ouucccchhhh! I manage not to break any bones but I can feel the stinging and cut on my leg under my tights and I'm covered in silt. I walk to the gardens and regroup under a shady tree while I watch a wedding. I manage to get back to the hotel after finding a great and cheap organic food store, have a shower to clean my wound and vegetate for a few hours. Have to wash my clothes from all the silt. Back out at 6:30 after having a nap and checked out the rest of the old town I missed earlier in the day. Hard to find a grocery store here and after walking 2.5 hours I found one. Bought my water (mint) and headed back to the room to book my trip to Latvia tomorrow. Walking back I noticed women pacing the street and asked the hotel clerk if this was the red light district and after having to explain what it meant, he said yes. Hmm, interesting!Read more