Tuesday, my birthday and I’m 50 at last!
Up at sparrow fart (5:10 am) to catch the train at 6 - the express to Warsaw. Wendy and Ash had done a shop the night before and we had some muesli & yoghurt on the train. Fairly straight forward trip in a compartment that was full, lucky we reserved our seats the day before! Two girls were yabbering most of the way and there was a gangly guy who managed to sleep (fitfully, twitching as he dreamt) most of the time other than for when his phone went off. Head resting on a hand, legs everywhere and mouth agape (bad teeth) he didn’t say boo to anyone. I asked the girls about the ‘justus’ blokes and they said that they were private security guys. Scored a free nescafe from a girl wheeling an urn down the train.
In Warsaw someone directed us to the bus that took us to the airport and luckily got off at the departure lounge and then (with hundreds of other people) waiting, waiting, waiting (as you do in airports) to check in. Got to the counter and was told to go and get the paper tickets first!. That took another 15-20 minutes but got it sorted. Sat down and had some lunch and then went through passport control (Wendy was told she was a very attractive woman by the lady with the stamp) and off to board at Gate 2 and ran into another queue! Had to push in a bit and then they called us through. 3 gates checking through two scanning/xray points. They were checking everything. Lucky we were running late so they just asked me to open the laptop and then we were the last to get on the bus which took us out to the (turbo-prop) plane with 5 minutes to spare...
So, while we sat and had some lunch for 15 minuets the rest of the 2.5 hours we were there was waiting in queues! But then it took another 25 minutes before anything happened. Once we got on the plane and I grabbed a financial review ad there was an article about LOT (Polish airlines) saying that it had the worst delay record of any airline and the most lost baggage! Only a short flight of just over an hour, but we lost one hour as we moved into a different time zone on landing in Lithuania. So, I will only have a 23 hour day for my birthday, but I had it in three cities (Krakow, Warsaw & Vilnius), two countries (Poland & Lithuania) and also travelled on a train, plane and bus! What a day - finished it off with a nice dinner looking out over the old town and watching the sun start to go down (at 9:30 pm.) and saw a few hot air balloons sail/float/soar(?) past.
But back to arriving in Vilnius...
Caught bus into town from the airport and met an American lady who lives in Lithuania (teaches English and has been here for 9 years!) and she gave us directions to our accommodation. Through the ‘Gates of Dawn’ and under the Chapel of the Virgin Mary (apparently miracle-working and one of the holiest icons in Polish Catholicism) and visited by many of the faithful. Then around the St. Teresa’s Church and into the Domus Maria where we stayed in a converted monastery on the top floor in an attic type room with a view into a courtyard. Sweet.
Dropped our clobber, freshened up, grabbed a map and walked into the old town. Got accosted by a young bloke who showed me his gammy leg and said he was hungry. Took him to a supermarket and bought him some bread and a drink (happy to help out on my birthday). Saw the same guy later hassling a group of elderly tourists and getting some cash! Spent the next few hours wandering around enjoying the sites, the old, dark churches, the windy, cobbled streets, lots of shops selling amber and ended up near the river and went up to the old castle.
Great views from up high and the sun is still warm and high in the sky at 7:00 pm. Walked back down, through a park (lots of lovers sitting and canoodling - single stemmed flowers seem the go) and found the restaurant we were looking for, Tores. Sipped a cold pint of Švyturys while enjoying the view and a nice meal (not cabbage and sausage!) Put up with some Americans talking politics behind us but had a very pleasant evening. The day ended in the usual manner (asleep within 10 seconds of lying down), after doing some email and blog posting (actually have a network point in the room - first time yet!).
Up at sparrow fart (5:10 am) to catch the train at 6 - the express to Warsaw. Wendy and Ash had done a shop the night before and we had some muesli & yoghurt on the train. Fairly straight forward trip in a compartment that was full, lucky we reserved our seats the day before! Two girls were yabbering most of the way and there was a gangly guy who managed to sleep (fitfully, twitching as he dreamt) most of the time other than for when his phone went off. Head resting on a hand, legs everywhere and mouth agape (bad teeth) he didn’t say boo to anyone. I asked the girls about the ‘justus’ blokes and they said that they were private security guys. Scored a free nescafe from a girl wheeling an urn down the train.
In Warsaw someone directed us to the bus that took us to the airport and luckily got off at the departure lounge and then (with hundreds of other people) waiting, waiting, waiting (as you do in airports) to check in. Got to the counter and was told to go and get the paper tickets first!. That took another 15-20 minutes but got it sorted. Sat down and had some lunch and then went through passport control (Wendy was told she was a very attractive woman by the lady with the stamp) and off to board at Gate 2 and ran into another queue! Had to push in a bit and then they called us through. 3 gates checking through two scanning/xray points. They were checking everything. Lucky we were running late so they just asked me to open the laptop and then we were the last to get on the bus which took us out to the (turbo-prop) plane with 5 minutes to spare...
So, while we sat and had some lunch for 15 minuets the rest of the 2.5 hours we were there was waiting in queues! But then it took another 25 minutes before anything happened. Once we got on the plane and I grabbed a financial review ad there was an article about LOT (Polish airlines) saying that it had the worst delay record of any airline and the most lost baggage! Only a short flight of just over an hour, but we lost one hour as we moved into a different time zone on landing in Lithuania. So, I will only have a 23 hour day for my birthday, but I had it in three cities (Krakow, Warsaw & Vilnius), two countries (Poland & Lithuania) and also travelled on a train, plane and bus! What a day - finished it off with a nice dinner looking out over the old town and watching the sun start to go down (at 9:30 pm.) and saw a few hot air balloons sail/float/soar(?) past.
But back to arriving in Vilnius...
Caught bus into town from the airport and met an American lady who lives in Lithuania (teaches English and has been here for 9 years!) and she gave us directions to our accommodation. Through the ‘Gates of Dawn’ and under the Chapel of the Virgin Mary (apparently miracle-working and one of the holiest icons in Polish Catholicism) and visited by many of the faithful. Then around the St. Teresa’s Church and into the Domus Maria where we stayed in a converted monastery on the top floor in an attic type room with a view into a courtyard. Sweet.
Dropped our clobber, freshened up, grabbed a map and walked into the old town. Got accosted by a young bloke who showed me his gammy leg and said he was hungry. Took him to a supermarket and bought him some bread and a drink (happy to help out on my birthday). Saw the same guy later hassling a group of elderly tourists and getting some cash! Spent the next few hours wandering around enjoying the sites, the old, dark churches, the windy, cobbled streets, lots of shops selling amber and ended up near the river and went up to the old castle.
Great views from up high and the sun is still warm and high in the sky at 7:00 pm. Walked back down, through a park (lots of lovers sitting and canoodling - single stemmed flowers seem the go) and found the restaurant we were looking for, Tores. Sipped a cold pint of Švyturys while enjoying the view and a nice meal (not cabbage and sausage!) Put up with some Americans talking politics behind us but had a very pleasant evening. The day ended in the usual manner (asleep within 10 seconds of lying down), after doing some email and blog posting (actually have a network point in the room - first time yet!).
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