July 7: Vilnius; final day in the Baltics
Dear Friends and Relatives,
It is hard to realize that this trip is almost at an end, though I am not headed for a straight trip to the United States, but to Paris for the next few days to stay with Paula Taquet-Woolfolk and her family. I am very much looking forward to visiting old and new haunts while I am there, and ascertaining the state of the icon of Paris, Notre Dame. More reports on that when the opportunity presents itself.
Today we began with a lecture which concentrated on the Baltic States’ geographical and political position and on Lithuania’s integration into the European Union. The speaker, a graduate student 29 years old, was absolutely one of the finest minds I have ever witnessed. Discussion was lively, and the back-and-forth repartee unequalled. I am almost sure I have seen this young man on the PBS Newshour, but I cannot be certain. I will have to get his name from Elina, our guide, and perhaps, with some Internet sleuthing, I will determine if I am correct.
After the almost two-hour lecture, we boarded our bus for a few sightseeing stops and then left the bus for two hours of walking in Old Town. Our sites included: 1. Peter and Paul Cathedral, a twin-towered church dating from the 15th c. and then rebuilt in 1668 to celebrate Vilnius’s deliverance from the Russians, who had vacated the city after 13 years (check out the stucco figure of Death prancing on one side of the main doorway in one of my Facebook photos); 2. Church of St. Anna (a beautiful, Northern Baltic Gothic construction). This church so impressed Napoleon Bonaparte that he was said to have wanted to take it back to Paris in the palm of his hand ; 3. Gates of Dawn, the sole survivor of 9 city gates that once studded the walls of Vilnius; 4. Jewish Quarter and ancient Synagogue site. The Synagogue was seriously damaged during WW II and then leveled by the Societs. Its place is now occupied by a kindergarten building, but that too has been abandoned, giving the entire block a melancholy, poignant air. Outwardly unassuming, the synagogue had been built slightly underground, possibly to prevent its grandeur from inviting the envy of Christians. One witness said it looked to be 3 stories tall, but inside it soared to over 5 stories. It is also said that congregations of 5000 people crammed the domed interior on major religious holidays. To me, seeing what remains of the ghetto, with no defining synagogue to have taken the place of the original, opulent one that used to be here, is indeed one of the saddest moments I have ever experienced!
One of our most interesting stops in the Jewish ghetto was a shop and museum of amber, where we listened to a history of amber and looked at some pieces having been created using this gem, which is dredged from the Baltic Sea. My favorite was a masted sailing ship, extraordinary in size and detail. It is the one piece I would have coveted.
And now some historical notes on Vilnius. It is noted for its narrow cobblestone streets and an orgy of Baroque architecture. The city is laid out in a bowl carved by the winding river Neris, and is surrounded by pine-colored hills. Central Vilnius boasts the most impressive concentration of Baroque architecture of northern Europe, and its university, founded in 1579, has been one of the most presitigious seats of learning in NE Europe ever since. The center is a maze of alleyways lined with 18th c. townhouses. Vilnius is still a cosmopolitan place, with Poles and Russians having the largest presence.
After our walking tour, everyone scattered to have lunch or do some last-minute shopping. Elaine and I headed back into the vicinity of our hotel, since across and down the street from it was a restaurant we both wanted to try—the Cat Cafe. In its windows, cats were lounging over every possible piece of furniture, and people were eating at tables. Although we tried to gain entry, the place had the maximum amount of diners and could not work us in until 6:00 p.m. Too bad! Alexandra, you would have loved this place for sure!
Instead, we found a wonderful restaurant down the same street where we had been yesterday. By the way, there was a plaque on one of the buildings we passed, stating that the great violinist Jascha Heifetz had, as a young boy, gone for violin lessons to a music school which had been situated there!
On that same street we found a great restaurant called Selfish, where I had tuna tartare, topped with finely julienned radishes, parsley, cucumbers, and seaweed, with a side of horseradish mayonnaise and a piece of hearty bread. Elaine had salmon tartare. Dessert, for me, was an excellent lavender creme brulee, with strong but fabulous coffee, while Elaine had buckthorn berry jelly with mascarpone cream. A truly wonderful meal, taken outside, where we could view passing humanity and they could ogle our truly inventively created and presented dishes. A+ rating!
Afterwards, Elaine tried to find a linen store, while I packed. Soon we are leaving for a farewell dinner at a city restaurant (as yet undisclosed), followed by a folkloric show. If I have the stamina, I will send along the pictures of tonight’s show. However, my wakeup call for tomorrow is an early 3:00 a.m., when Lufthansa takes seven of our crew to Frankfurt. As I made mention of, I will not be returning to Dallas tomorrow, but will be flying to Paris from Frankfurt. Stay tuned for more adventures! Sorry to be leaving Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania! What a privilege it was to gain a first glance impression of an often neglected part of the world! As ever, Sylvia
It is hard to realize that this trip is almost at an end, though I am not headed for a straight trip to the United States, but to Paris for the next few days to stay with Paula Taquet-Woolfolk and her family. I am very much looking forward to visiting old and new haunts while I am there, and ascertaining the state of the icon of Paris, Notre Dame. More reports on that when the opportunity presents itself.
Today we began with a lecture which concentrated on the Baltic States’ geographical and political position and on Lithuania’s integration into the European Union. The speaker, a graduate student 29 years old, was absolutely one of the finest minds I have ever witnessed. Discussion was lively, and the back-and-forth repartee unequalled. I am almost sure I have seen this young man on the PBS Newshour, but I cannot be certain. I will have to get his name from Elina, our guide, and perhaps, with some Internet sleuthing, I will determine if I am correct.
After the almost two-hour lecture, we boarded our bus for a few sightseeing stops and then left the bus for two hours of walking in Old Town. Our sites included: 1. Peter and Paul Cathedral, a twin-towered church dating from the 15th c. and then rebuilt in 1668 to celebrate Vilnius’s deliverance from the Russians, who had vacated the city after 13 years (check out the stucco figure of Death prancing on one side of the main doorway in one of my Facebook photos); 2. Church of St. Anna (a beautiful, Northern Baltic Gothic construction). This church so impressed Napoleon Bonaparte that he was said to have wanted to take it back to Paris in the palm of his hand ; 3. Gates of Dawn, the sole survivor of 9 city gates that once studded the walls of Vilnius; 4. Jewish Quarter and ancient Synagogue site. The Synagogue was seriously damaged during WW II and then leveled by the Societs. Its place is now occupied by a kindergarten building, but that too has been abandoned, giving the entire block a melancholy, poignant air. Outwardly unassuming, the synagogue had been built slightly underground, possibly to prevent its grandeur from inviting the envy of Christians. One witness said it looked to be 3 stories tall, but inside it soared to over 5 stories. It is also said that congregations of 5000 people crammed the domed interior on major religious holidays. To me, seeing what remains of the ghetto, with no defining synagogue to have taken the place of the original, opulent one that used to be here, is indeed one of the saddest moments I have ever experienced!
One of our most interesting stops in the Jewish ghetto was a shop and museum of amber, where we listened to a history of amber and looked at some pieces having been created using this gem, which is dredged from the Baltic Sea. My favorite was a masted sailing ship, extraordinary in size and detail. It is the one piece I would have coveted.
And now some historical notes on Vilnius. It is noted for its narrow cobblestone streets and an orgy of Baroque architecture. The city is laid out in a bowl carved by the winding river Neris, and is surrounded by pine-colored hills. Central Vilnius boasts the most impressive concentration of Baroque architecture of northern Europe, and its university, founded in 1579, has been one of the most presitigious seats of learning in NE Europe ever since. The center is a maze of alleyways lined with 18th c. townhouses. Vilnius is still a cosmopolitan place, with Poles and Russians having the largest presence.
After our walking tour, everyone scattered to have lunch or do some last-minute shopping. Elaine and I headed back into the vicinity of our hotel, since across and down the street from it was a restaurant we both wanted to try—the Cat Cafe. In its windows, cats were lounging over every possible piece of furniture, and people were eating at tables. Although we tried to gain entry, the place had the maximum amount of diners and could not work us in until 6:00 p.m. Too bad! Alexandra, you would have loved this place for sure!
Instead, we found a wonderful restaurant down the same street where we had been yesterday. By the way, there was a plaque on one of the buildings we passed, stating that the great violinist Jascha Heifetz had, as a young boy, gone for violin lessons to a music school which had been situated there!
On that same street we found a great restaurant called Selfish, where I had tuna tartare, topped with finely julienned radishes, parsley, cucumbers, and seaweed, with a side of horseradish mayonnaise and a piece of hearty bread. Elaine had salmon tartare. Dessert, for me, was an excellent lavender creme brulee, with strong but fabulous coffee, while Elaine had buckthorn berry jelly with mascarpone cream. A truly wonderful meal, taken outside, where we could view passing humanity and they could ogle our truly inventively created and presented dishes. A+ rating!
Afterwards, Elaine tried to find a linen store, while I packed. Soon we are leaving for a farewell dinner at a city restaurant (as yet undisclosed), followed by a folkloric show. If I have the stamina, I will send along the pictures of tonight’s show. However, my wakeup call for tomorrow is an early 3:00 a.m., when Lufthansa takes seven of our crew to Frankfurt. As I made mention of, I will not be returning to Dallas tomorrow, but will be flying to Paris from Frankfurt. Stay tuned for more adventures! Sorry to be leaving Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania! What a privilege it was to gain a first glance impression of an often neglected part of the world! As ever, Sylvia
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