Europe by Rail & Ferry – Episode 9 Vilnius

Europe by Rail & Ferry – Episode 9 Vilnius

[Music] so we’re starting off on a 10 10 hour trip 10 hour yeah 9 10 hour trip to Fus in Lithuania that long partly because there’s a change of moer um I believe we might hang around up to an hour the station that’s where didn’t that small details that’s where the gauge changes cuz hen’s on the Y gauge lania is still on the um Soviet ARA Gage so they have to train chain so we have to change trains um yeah all good left pretty much on time I think we’re a minute ahead actually right now so here we are second glass that’s all is available on the Lithuania side yeah so that’s it enough leg [Music] room how was how was good so we’ve got snacks cuz we were led to understand there was no restaurant car on here but um I think there is looks like there is next Carriage down so here we go see what happens and we was only 50 year olds and the two of us travel for 9 and 1 half hours barking don’t think just saw a deer so I’m looking out for another one so we’re about 2 hours North East more so probably stopped at half a dozen of these little stations people getting on nobody seems to be getting off stopped here at [Music] uh that was the train moving I don’t know what they’re doing but I think I’ll hop on so we stopped here at um salki not too far from Lithuanian border I don’t think it’s that any much older station here for about 20 minutes again [Music] [Music] [Music] so we’re probably half an hour from the Poland Lithuanian border certainly traveling slowly about 40 or 50k that was the Polish border it’s a bit scary it’s far empty these Doors R open so we’re here at mckaba station we think it might be about 20 minutes cuz we have to change trains so this gauge is different to that gauge that we’ve just come on so everybody’s waiting here beautiful day LG Lithuanian train that’s a cute little town I’ll put below what it is that’s about 2 and a qu hours to from MOA MOA to um vas beautiful afterno just coming into counters lithuania’s second largest [Music] city okay making our way we’re just uh got a hotel 600 M TR just said if our hotel something like this she’s going to whack me it’s not according to the internet that doesn’t lie we’ve got a lovely place so that’s quite a new bus we’ve seen a couple of significantly older ones trolley buses they were I think it’s that on the right I think it’s over there on the right we’re just crossing around here there’s a bit of music there’s a giant [Music] [Music] egg this is pretty cool people Ling drinks live keyboard just around here it’s a fabulous little Street look at this so we think we found the square this architecture is just stunning and in the evening light so we came out looking for a bite to eat but there is no end of restaurants bars well hello villus at this look at what we’re just taking a walk around so I don’t know what any of these buildings are at the moment but everybody is whining and dining and doing a whole Friday evening thing it’s fabulous the vibe is just brilliant the sun’s out just wow tell you what B this is cracking how’s that look tasty so we’re here at the um bzac restaurant it’s absolutely fabulous gorgeous and here we are you what you got there babe i’ got a vodka with Coke glass and some ice yeah and here’s my gin and tonic so I’ve got the no tongue oh there are tongs look at that can’t take the girl out I know so I’ve got the ice throwing in the 10-year-old tangay and maybe a little sip of tonic that’s the way to serve a g and tonic and a vodar and Coke just had the most fabulous meal did you enjoy your dinner oh lovely it was a French restaurant I had berri soup that never had before it was incredible Patricia had steak second to none with glazed vegetables which I ate the potatoes glazed veg and yeah what else I had oh I had that shrimp salad that was just to die for good choice Miss p that place is just astounding we’ve only just arrived we’re having a good look around tomorrow doing a little walking tour but at the moment just around every corner is just amazing vus we love you so we’ve come across this other Wii Square so this is the Magnificent Church of Kazmir this is heading down to the new city the new city really vill expanded hugely after the second world war used to be mainly Estates and small farms surrounding the um Old City Square [Music] oh God for spee [Music] [Music] [Applause] just Saturday afternoon bill for the choir [Music] you [Music] Hill Street which is the oldest street in Lithuania sounds like there’s more music down here [Music] so we’re sitting here we got live stream music music I’ve got a betri Pacho Trish’s got Bretta and Sparrow how’s that and not only have we got the stream music there someone singing with him [Music] so it’s actually a duet the crowd fabulous it’s actually a pizza h a pizza restaurant with no pizza and they’ve also got no gin but we’re managing but we have got fresh Sparrow which Patricia doesn’t want [Music] yeah guys yes [Music] [Music] [Music] r [Music] yeah this is cool wonder if this is the Street [Music] Music quite yeah [Music] got a long Street yeah you should head back what is this uh 360 camera oh 360 camera yeah nice [Music] [Music] More’s got soup lovely colored soup this is so good it’s uh beetroot with there must be cream in it there’s um egg there’s Dill there’s onion and then here I’ve got potatoes I’m not sure if I meant to dump them in there or just eat them and then a local [Music] so as the Soviets repurposed many of the churches there basketball courts storage facilities such as this Museum of atheism velan Lithuanian Architects got involved in the design so this wall here protected theit older part of the building rather than wrecking it now entering the independent republic of usipa and here it’s the other side of the river have their own Army 11 members their own Parliament that meets in the bar so it’s called the barlament you have to smile be interested in art just looking alongside the river the guy on the swing chair he’s just lacking a beer in his hand I think so this place around 19 early 9s a lot of criminals lived here people came out of prison it would be where they go to get cheap property now it’s the most expensive real estate location in villus out fishing no successful cuz I think you have to be quiet beautiful boundary River once again got the lab blocks thing declare Your Love by Rusty Peter metal heading back through the Old Town interestingly there’s no outer city wall here because during the 16th century there was a wall it was an outer city wall like Talon and like Ria to defend the city but the CeX came straight through um wrecked Graves basically raped and pillaged set fire to the city and so people had to rebuild their houses so what did they do they took the bricks from the city wall to rebuild their houses cuz they figured that it didn’t really do any good to protect them from the CCS hence only one gate and a tiny section of w Remains the presidential Palace where the president works from doesn’t leave um it’s currently museum open day so museums are open and places you can’t normally get into are open so they’re kind of crowds this here is the University of vus open by the Jesuits um actually education was a re reason that a lot of lithuanians became Catholics now about 77% so this University stretches up there and up at the end I’ll walk up a bit is a tower it was um for astronomy Observatory it was the third greatest um observatory in the world when it was built um because of the equipment and the tools they had in there so after grage in Paris vus uh Observatory was the third most important unfortunately when the Soviets invaded I’ll give you the date below um um they closed the university and the University was closed for about 100 years they also removed the observatory tools from in there so that’s the university it’s the presidential Palace than goodness it’s all open now what a place to study thought Sydney University was pretty special some of these buildings wow this is the gate of dawn the only external gate from the wall remaining and there’s a piece of wall here somewhere and it’s probably because of Madonna up [Music] there this is the Church of St Peter and Paul [Music] yeah for [Music] [Applause]

In this episode we hit Lithuania. After a 9.5 hour train ride from Warsaw we arrived in time for the Vilnius street Music Festival. What an interesting, fun, vibrant place. We absolutely love Vilnius.
Historical correction – Vilnius was annexed the Russian Empire in 1795, by Poland 1920 -1939 and annexed by USSR 1939 -1940