17. Vilnius, Lithuania

By Dennis

Woke up to rain this morning, so a good day to catch up on things: the blog, washing clothes, planning for the next days, expenses, emails etc. etc. We are staying in an AirBnb on the edge of the Old town as they have been working out well for us, usually cheap, close to the action and it gives us a place to cook our own meals rather than eating out all time. Last night was my turn to cook and I made a pork dish in a chantrelle cream sauce served over new potatoes and with a fresh salad. The chantrelles and lettuce I bought from women selling their produce on the steps of the nearby supermarket – cheap at 2 euros for a bag of chantrelles and 60 cents for 4 bunches of leaf lettuce. Can you imagine how Thrifty’s would react if farmers sold their produce outside their doors!

Vilnius with a population of about 600,000 is widely spread out covering an area of about 20x20km, and, in the summer at least, attracts many European tourists. It is full of baroque architecture in the Old Town which is recognized as a World Heritage site, and is culturally vibrant with many music venues, art galleries, restaurants, bars and of course churches.

I always enjoy sampling the local cuisine and today tried “zeppelins” – they were delicious!

Random pictures around Vilnius…

After 3 nights in Vilnius, tomorrow we are off on the next leg, to Warsaw – 490km and 5 days riding.