May 2023.
For a moment on Saturday morning I wondered if Mrs RM was going to attempt a new country tick in Belarus (Minsk 3:25 hours away);
but sense and UK Government advice prevailed and we settled for a second Lithuanian city.
This was the hectic scene at Kaunas’s station at 09:30.
One train an hour, so we were wise to buy tickets in advance, though the dash the 350 yards via an underpass for a first coffee of the day in Kavine O Gryte was less clever.
Kavine seemed to be the place policemen went to eat huge plates of pancakes, consumed quicker than Mrs RM necks a Baltic Porter, and my major disappointment from our Baltic trip was not getting to try this menu.
Never mind. There was a modern train to (just) catch,
though our reserved (1st class, euro extra) seats had been stolen and we didn’t fancy an argument in a language we didn’t understand.
I hoped our first class tickets entitled us to free snacks, or at least a free copy of Kaunas Kraft Weekly, but ended up paying 3.50 euros for a can of iced Starbucks.
Never mind; most of the highlights of Vilnius, including Tony Soprano’s statue, are free.
I’ve never seen The Sopranos, but then unlike my father-in-law who’s just left Sheffield after ten (10) nights, I’m not a fan of opera.
But I LOVE random street art, and only regret that I failed to tick the Frank Zappa tribute, though Albert is a decent substitute.
Mrs RM was feeling a little delicate after the excesses the day before, and I wasn’t prepared to admit I felt just as bad. Yet.
So we had an invigorating Shakshuka (5 euros) and orange juice in Joffe’s duonine near the station,
and failed to identify the historical figures on the shelf;
So our visit is pub-free, but did take in the best of the Old Town, doable in an hour,
as long as you look up and don’t bump into scooters.
This sign seemed to be taunting Mrs RM,
but my attention was drawn to the bar behind Mrs RM’s friend.
Oooh, only open 22:00 to 06:00 ! Simon will love those hours.
Oh, perhaps not then.
Vilnius was stunning, but oddly tourist-free. Even in the Old Town Square, where the town hall was housing a harrowing display of Russian atrocities in Ukraine, inevitably with free cake.
Why ? Well, the Baltic isn’t quite the bargain it was a while ago, and high levels of economic growth seem to have coincided with lower fertility rates, with some population falls and young folk heading to the craft bars in the suburbs. Proximity to Russia and Belarus can’t help, either.
Whatever, I bet in a few years these cities will be as packed as Italy and Germany are now.
retiredmartin 