Vilnius, Lithuania

I had my first introduction to the Baltic last week as I headed to Vilnius for a business conference. I got to work and play for three days. Lithuania is fairly small, and has a fascinating history. I won't bore you with the details, but it's just amazing that Lithuania exists today as an independent nation with it's own language, considering Lithuania hasn't really been an independent country since the 14th century.

The differences between Vilnius (a city that was actually Polish for much of history) and Warsaw were startling, and really drove home the difference between being a satellite and an actual member of the USSR. Vilnius is still impoverished and run down, with entire buildings completely run-down.An abandoned and boarded up church.

Me in front of the run-down entrance to an apartment building. Buildings and blocks like these are all over the city.

In contrast, the reconstructed old town is beautiful, and a sharp contrast to the Soviet-era buildings:One of the old gates into the city of Vilnius.
Main town square with the Cathedral and Belfry tower. The Cathedral facade was redone in the classical style, but the inner structure has traces of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. See the three statues on top that don't quite seem to fit in? The Soviets destroyed the statues in 1950, and they were replaced in 1993.
Another interesting feature of Vilnius is the complete excess of churches (since worship was mostly outlawed in under the USSR, a lot of churches are being refurbished after spending decades as military warehouses). My guide book said that Lithuania was Europe's most devote catholic country, so perhaps that explains why the two churches above are built so closely together, they're almost the same building. I included a picture of the spires because I thought Anna would get a kick out of seeing the brick Gothic architecture next to the reconstructed baroque imitation.
This pretty building that resembles a court house actually used to be KGB headquarters. Today, it is the Lithuanian Genocide museum, and has been preserved exactly the way the Soviet's left it in 1991. This includes the bags of shredded documents, the KGB's listening center (where they tapped phones and recorded conversations), and even an execution chamber where dissidents were shot and buried. Here's a picture of a prison cell in the basement of the museum (believe me, the isolation chamber and interrogation rooms were much grimmer):I highly recommend a trip to Vilnius for anyone interested. The food was incredibly cheap, the people were friendly and willing to help out, and they even have good dental (I had to make an emergency visit over the weekend). Shopping was fun, and I found a cheap linen fabric store (wohoo!). The country has had four capitals throughout history, so there are several cities that are well worth the visit.