Krakow to Vilnius

On 10 Sept. 2003 I left Krakow for Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Something I have to interject here is that I was terrified of this journey through Eastern Europe. I had heard so many stories about the Polish trains, especially the overnight intercity trains. About passengers being gassed in their compartments by roving thieves. About being robbed at knifepoint. It seemed that everyone who I met knew someone who had been robbed. And I myself had been mugged in Tallinn, so I had some tendency towards paranoia. There were other considerations, too, like getting into Lithuania. Some sources said the only trains cut through Belarus, reportedly a place still suffering under a Soviet-style regime, with the associated cumbersome bureaucracy and organised crime.

In the end though, the journey went without a hitch. I took a short daytime train from Bratislava to Krakow, and in Krakow I discovered a direct bus for Vilnius. The buses are not only more modern than the trains, but they are safer too, since stops are very infrequent, and nobody is boarding and unboarding. So I can't comment really about the stories about crime on the eastern european trains, except that it seemed scary from a distance, but once on the ground things were clear and easy. That's the way it usually is.

But Vilnius. It's a magical place.

Vilnius Diary: My evacuation from Krakow was spur-of-the-moment, based on the sudden discovery of a direct Krakow-Vilnius bus that nobody seems to know about. This was a deluxe bus with a happy funny `flight attendant' looking after everyone and a load of lithuanians, and we crossed all of Poland in the night. I'm kind of sorry I missed Warsaw, since a city with as much myth and contrast as Warsaw deserves some time on the ground for investigation. The guidebook notes "It's easy to make friends in Warsaw" and the British guys I've met here have anecdotes to back that up, ending up guestlisted at some exclusive heavy-metal club, which happens to be exactly their thing.

The hostel here, Filaretu Hostel, is a snug little place with a cozy common room complete with DSL; it's located in the "Uzupis district," a region just across a little stream from the old town which quite oddly proclaims itself an independent republic, and sister-city to Montmarte.

There is something about Vilnius.. On my last day there I explored the labyrinthine passageways linking courtyards in the University, found the hidden frescoed ceilings and the student club and everything.

These are some of my favorite photos from the whole trip.

Sculptures above a theatre:

Oh, the food. I am definitely a "food tourist".

Sat down at a sidewalk bar and enjoyed a meal of those famous Zeppelins, canonical blimp-shaped Lithuanian food composed of some kind of potato dough with meat centers, covered in bacon bits and cream.

(no subject)

It was a good weekend. On Saturday, Ryan and I went out to scope out some moving sales and ended up scoping out a sizeable chunk of the surrounding countryside. The moving sales were almost all cleaned out by the time we arrived in the late pre-noon, but I did manage to score a copy of The Design and Implementation of the 4.4BSD Operating System for $1. We stumbled on a pawn shop on park avenue where Ryan bought a nifty tripod for $10, and we perused posters at a couple of poster stores. From there: to the lake! a motor trip with the newly acquired GTI.

I have to say: Global warming has a lot to offer this city! This weekend was bright and beautiful, with sun and a cool breeze, and if the weather were like this all the time, I think that Rochester might not be the dying city that it is. Up on the shore on a spit between Irondeqoit Bay and Lake Ontario, we peered out towards Canada, and South across the bay (spanned by a nifty trestle bridge), we enjoyed root beer floats at some 'seaside' enterprise specialising in frozen custards.

We had to drive across that nifty bridge, and so we set out on State Route 104 (?), due East... and I have to say, I am incredibly confused about directions in this town, as there are generally no landmarks, and the body of water (invisible from most vantages) lies to the North. The mission: To find a Village, or at least a hill. We did find a giant, solitary windmill and some quaint canalside-villages (complete with bloods/cripps tagging), and we acquainted outselves with the various quirks of the GTI. I suspect that four has some pretty awesome pictures.

It was a good excursion.. the change of scenery was entirely refreshing. I have resolved to Roadtrip next weekend, maybe to Canada or Ithaca. Also I must acquire some fresh corn ASAP, since seeing the fields of it growing and smelling the scent of a barbeque made me pine for some bbq'd corn-on-the-cob. mmmmm. Plus we need the husks to make tamales.

Dinner at Mt. Hope diner. Kill Bill Vol. 2 on campus at UofR.

Today I went out kayaking on Irondeqoit bay with Dana and her sister and her sister's friend, starting with breakfast on Park Ave. It was a superb day for kayaking, and we paddled all the way up Irondequoit bay to the trestle bridge, pulled out little boat out onto the landing (selectively overlooking the 'PRIVATE DOCK' signs amongst the yachts) and restored outselves at the restaurant/bar there, then set in again and paddled back.

Afterwards I met Kris and we went to seek a brewing supply co in Webster.. which was closed, but the owner apparently lives across the street, and sauntered over to ask whether we needed anything in particular.