Trakai & Vilnius
Days Eleven & Twelve - The Baltics - 2024
Two rainy days in Trakai and Vilnius, but we make the best of it.
Editor’s Comment: The terms “Baltics” and “Baltic” are complicated: geopolitically, the “Baltic states” refer to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the “Baltic region” refers to those states which border the Baltic Sea, and the “Baltic peoples” are those who speak Baltic languages, primarily Latvian and Lithuanian. I apply the term “Baltics” in this travelogue to apply to those states of Baltic region I traveled through, in this case Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Additionally, certain characters have been transliterated to be compatible with the fonts used on this website.
1. Trakai #1
Trakai Castle was constructed in the 14th century to guard against the Teutonic Knights; when they were defeated a century later, the castle fell into disrepair until it was restored between 1946 and 1961.
We awoke on a dreary, drizzly day and made our way to Trakai Castle along Lake Galve. Despite the weather and significant scaffolding from restoration work, it was still a lovely sight to see. The adjoining museum is a bit of a strange collection, but it is perhaps easiest to think of it as a broad historical museum for Lithuania than Trakai and its most famous resident, Vytautas the Great, itself.
Four more photographs of the castle follow.
2. Trakai #2
3. Trakai #3
4. Trakai #4
5. Trakai #5
After departing Trakai, we made our way to Vilnius. Having a rather complicated arrangement of hotels between us both downtown and near the airport, and given the now rainy weather, we decided to spend the afternoon relaxing followed by a night out enjoying Vilnius’ nightlife (as well as an opportunity to check out the gigantic Tony Soprano statue at the Peronas Bar.)
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6. Museum of Illusions
The first Museum of Illusions opened in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2015; there are, as of 2024, over 40 locations around the world.
The next day was a really lazy one. First, it was pouring rain; this was unfortunate as I am sure Vilnius is a lovely walking city and it limited what we were able to do. Second, it was my travel companions’ last travel day and I’m sure they didn’t want to overdue it. Lastly, I suspect we were all worse for wear after the previous evening’s drinking session. And, I’m not going to lie, after nearly two weeks on the road I was running out of gas.
We started the day by visiting the Museum of Illusions (in no small part because it was inside). This was a lot of fun, and I certainly recommend checking it out if you are in Vilnius, or if there is a location near where you live!
7. Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania #1
The Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania opened in 1999 and exhibits both Lithuanian and foreign currency.
Heading north, we made our way to the Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania for a quick stop. If you are a numismatist, this should be on your list of places to visit, for sure!
8. Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania #2
The highlight of the Money Museum is the so-called “One Million Cent Pyramid” (really, One Million Nine-Hundred Thirty-Five Cent Pyramid) which was constructed out of lita coins after Lithuania converted to the Euro.
In the museum’s basement is the million cent pyramid, although I will warn you that seeing it may be triggering to you as the top of the pyramid is just ever-so-slightly uneven and there’s nothing you can do about it!
9. Three Crosses Monument #1
Since the 17th century, crosses have stood on the former Bald Hill in memory of monks who were (perhaps apocryphally) beheaded there; a permanent monument constructed in 1916 was destroyed by Soviet officials in 1950, while the present monument was constructed in 1989.
As you can see above, the weather was not great. We made our way past Vilnius Cathedral and Gediminas Castle up to the top of Three Crosses Hill. Normally, this would be a lovely lookout across the city, but -given how lucky we were the entire trip with regard to the weather- none of us could complain.
A photograph of the monument itself follows.
10. Three Crosses Monument #2
And that, as they say, was that for my travel companions who were whisked away to Vilnius Airport for their onward journey. But I had yet one more travel day to go, a solo adventure to “Stalin’s Pipe”, the wonderful region of Dieveniskes.
