Gates of Dawn (Ausros Vartai) Vilnius

Lithuania welcomes us following an overnight bus ride from Warsaw, thanks to Ecolines. This service is much better than our previous experience on Eurolines. Modern bus, blankets, curtains, food & drink menu, spacious and smooth driving. A good kip was had! Once exiting the bus station and some Lithuanian Lita's in our back pocket, we get our …

As we drive to Vilnius, our guide gives us an impromptu lecture on European history, art history generally, and some insight into the Baltic countries. A few of the comments that he makes helps to put a few things into context.

The first of these is that since 1991, this has been the longest period of peace experienced in Europe (and I …

... 's some nice sights to see in Vilnius - Cathederal Square (complete with a Greek temple looking catholic church), Gedimas Castle, Gates of Dawn (sounds like a Schwazenegger movie), St Annes church (yep, catholic again) and a bunch of other stuff. Again, ...

... of on foot to discover the UNESCO listed old town instead. Entering through the rather romantically named  "Gates of Dawn", we wandered the old cobblestone streets enjoying the atmosphere and learning about the old buildings that comprise the ...

... grim reminder. It was another sobering experience to add to our many throughout Eastern Europe. The next day, we headed to the "Gates of Dawn", the only one of the original town gate towers still intact. More famously, it houses an 18th century ...

... part of the city and where most of the action in Vilnius happens. Entry to the old town is through the 16th century 'Gates of Dawn' approximately 500meters from the hostel. The gate is the only intact remainder of the town's original nine gates. If I was ...

... her 24th birthday in Lithuania, but it ended up being quite the party locale. During the day we walked through the Gates of Dawn into Vilnius' Old town, the largest one in Europe. We saw the University, the cathedral, and the ever-popular Frank Zappa ...

... 7am and I hadn't slept a wink. I just went about my day catching some of the sights the city has to offer - the gates of dawn; the upper and lower castles; old town; and the Lithuanian girls. Unfortunately the KGB museum was shut (on a bloody Tuesday!) ...

... , we happened to be near a place we'd thought too far away to visit, so this time we headed there deliberately. The Gates of Dawn are the only gates of the original 16th century town wall still intact. The gate building houses the 18th century Chapel ...

... . Meanwhile the 'real' city where the local people live and work and shop is also being renovated on the other side of the river. What old town Vilnius does need, is not another branch of 'Shop of amber' (or another strip club), but a few more decent ...

... Cathedral, main square, St. Anne's Church, Church of the Holy Spirit, a few other churches, the Black Madonna in the Gates of Dawn, and some shopping. We had an evening meal at the top restaurant in Vilnius (according to the "inyourpocket" guide) which ...

... don't think any Russians who glanced in my direction really got it though.     I then walked through the gates of dawn, noting how many people crossed themselves then walking beneath it- it is the cities only remain gate from the original ...