July 30 – August 27, 2022 (Summer)
After visiting Vilnius three straight years in a row, then being kept away for three more thanks to COVID, this was an emotional stay for us. It was a homecoming, a chance to catch up, a whirlwind tour of all of our favorite spots. But it was also about coming to terms with time, experiences, and places we’d lost. And confronting how our lives would forever change with what we were about to gain.
This post is about our 2022 visit to Vilnius. Read about our previous stays in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
It’s a tradition for us to climb the hill to Gediminas Tower, but this time we finally went up the thing. It offers a great view overlooking the Old Town, and of the booming district of Šnipiškės✨ across the river. Likewise, climbing the Hill of Three Crosses✨ offers even more commanding views, in exchange for a bit of extra effort.
Simply wandering the streets of the Old Town is our favorite pastime in Vilnius. Almost nowhere else we’ve been feels so good to just… be.
Whenever we got tired of old buildings and cobblestone streets, we pivoted to scenic walks along the Neris✨ and explorations of the city’s fabulous green spaces like Vingis Park.
Both because this was our fourth time in Lithuania and because we had been away so long, we made a conscious effort to branch out and see more of the country. Rasos Cemetery is still in Vilnius, but on “the other side of the tracks,” making it a bit of a trek compared to our beloved Bernardine.
We also made a point to finally return to Trakai✨. It hadn’t changed much since our first visit, save for the strong support for Ukraine (a sentiment we found repeated often✨ during our stay).
But here we finally tried šaltibarščiai✨, the famously hot pink cold soup that is an icon of Lithuanian cuisine… and couldn’t get enough✨. The best time to try it would have been five years ago, but the second best time is today!
Lithuania’s second city Kaunas had eluded✨ us, but as the 2022 European Capital of Culture✨, we felt compelled to right that wrong. The city has an enviable location at the confluence of Nemunas and Neris✨ rivers, with its own beautiful castle✨ and walking street✨.
Kaunas and Vilnius have a storied rivalry about which city is better, and which most exemplifies Lithuanian culture✨. We enjoyed a dual exhibit (in every sense of the word) exploring the many contrasts, hosted cooperatively by museums in both cities.
We almost went as far as staying in Kaunas this time. But when our Airbnb host backed out, we decided to play it safe and stick with an old favorite. And we’re glad we did. Like Vilnius, Kaunas is eminently livable – nice parks✨, good restaurants✨ – but in this rivalry we’re squarely on Team Vilnius.
Back home, we continued our tour of old haunts. St. Anne’s Church and the Church of St. Francis of Assisi are two of the most photogenic. The National Gallery of Art is a fairly modest collection, but standouts like the death coaster✨ and whatever this thing is✨ keep us coming back.
One of the new experiences we were most looking forward to was visiting the decommissioned Ignalina nuclear power plant, an RBMK that served as a filming stand-in for the miniseries Chernobyl. But after making all the arrangements, we discovered that we had a +1✨, and apparently you’re not allowed to visit a decommissioned nuclear power plant if you’re pregnant.
Instead we decided on kayaking✨ the Vilnia and Neris. Walking the rivers✨ is one of our favorite activities, so we jumped at the chance to see them from another angle✨. The ‘rapids’ are not particularly difficult, but we did have to concentrate and deal with some huffing and puffing for the few sections we had to portage✨.
Another thing you can’t do while pregnant is drink. Which is unfortunate when you’re visiting Lithuania, home of the best beer in the world. Still, they were a much lower priority on this visit. Danielle couldn’t participate, and Kevin cut back in solidarity. One very limited exception was a peek at the wonderfully-named Alaus Biblioteka✨. Danielle could appreciate the beautiful interior✨ and literary theme without feeling too left out.
We always make sure to pay a visit to Bernardine Cemetery and say hello to the cuddly cat that calls it home. We were relieved to see he’d survived the pandemic unscathed and charged him with a special mission, helping pick our son’s (middle) name. We followed him around and waited for him to lie down✨ on a grave. The name he chose (not the one pictured) was actually perfect, meaningful to us and relevant to our families. And now no matter where we go or how long we’re away, we’ll always carry a special memory of Lithuania with us.
