Lithuania Day 2

Trakai Castle and Town

We both woke up from a restful sleep, showered, and had an awesome breakfast prepared by the hostel owner. The weather was nice with no rain in the forecast. So, we decided to take a day trip to Trakai.

Getting to the train station was easy since it is right next to the bus station. We purchased one way tickets to Trakai and boarded the sweetest "2nd Class" train ever. It was a brand new, nice smelling double decker. The price was right too, at about $2 US for a trip 23k from town.

Upon arriving, we just followed the little crowd to the castle out on the lake. Actually, the entire region is littered with lakes. This particular lake has a castle on it that was built hundreds of years ago. It recently went through a restoration in the 1960's making it look original. I found it interesting that people used to take the stones from the castle to build their homes around the lake; kind of a recycling project. Lithuanians have a lot of pride in this site and have done a great job restoring it.

Walking the 3k from the train station was quite enjoyable. The weather really was perfect, with a light chill in the air. I don't think it was any warmer than 60 degrees. After coming from Vegas where the temperatures are in the 100s, we feel like we have warped to winter. I don't think I want to be in this place in the dead of winter!

Really? For some reason there were tons of pipes on display at the castle. Tobacco was non existant in Europe until Columbus brought it back from the New World. Then, it caught on like crazy. I guess someone wanted to smoke out of a boot!

 

Lunch consisted of a baked dough and meat pastry called a Kibinai. This delicacy was brought by a sect of Turks from long ago and is a popular favorite of the area. It is customary to have it served with broth.

We found a little dock where some locals were fishing. These swans were too cool.

 

Dinner was at a place with this guy on the cover of the menu. Another must have dish in Lithuania is the "Zeppelin," which is a dumpling filled with meat and served with special sauce. They were dense and filling. We should have shared this plate, but instead I chomped it all down.

The night at the hostel was spent watching World Cup with the other travelers. Since we are so far east, it comes on so late, so no one goes to bed early. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, which means it might be a museum day.

 

Posted with Blogsy