Vilnius

Very much enjoying the ambience and atmosphere of Lithuania's capital city. It's a lovely compact city with a lot of character...and a lot of building work.

As you travel through the countryside a large numbers of houses are timber clad as and this carries on in some city neighbourhoods.
Vilnius has a young and vibrant atmosphere and a harsh and relentless history of invasion, dominance and hardship which they openly acknowledge but optimistically expect the future to be brighter and better than the past. And I had never heard of (or perhaps forgotten about?) the amazing Baltic Way human chain in 1989 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Way?wprov=sfla1) 
Places visited have included Vilnius Cathedral and Bell Tower, Gediminas Castle, the Museum of Occupation and Freedom Fighters....and a series of cafes serving lovely Lithuanian dishes.
Despite arriving at Christianity quite late (13C) the nation remains predominantly Catholic which is perhaps not surprising given its long intertwined relationship with its southern neighbour, Poland.
The food has also been delicious and very reasonably priced. 

As has been the case everywhere so far, nearly everyone speaks English so communication has been simple and straightforward.
Oh, and they have a Frank Zappa statue on Frank Zappa square! What's not to like...😂

Tomorrow it's travel day 4, off to Riga. 

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