Vilnius, stop-over to Saint Petersbourg
Trip Start
Apr 27, 2007
1
20
164
Trip End
Jul 15, 2009
Vilnius,
Poland
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Friday mornig, I wake up early to move to Vilnius. I still don't know whether I'll HH or take a train at least to the border. But I feel like trying it out and I take a bus to the road that goes to Lithuania via Augustow (not the road that goes through Bielorussia basically because I have no visa to go through it).
In case HHing doesn't work, I still can get a bus back to the train station. There is a train at 10:05.
But no need to take neither a bus nor a train. Just 20 min to wait and a Slovenian truck stop by. Actually, the driver is Lithuanian. A mix of English, Polish and German and we manage to talk. Well, at least share some global information about our lives! :)
He goes only to Kaunas (just say that so that you check where it is!) but instead of dropping on any dodgy side of the road, he makes a real cool thing! He calls for any driver going to Vilnius with his CB. And just like that, we pull over at a petrol station and I just have to jump from one truck to the over. So easy!! :))
With this driver, no conversation at all. He's a very nice old guy but speaks Lithuanian, Russian and German. And I don't really feel like trying to be inventive onto any universal language now.
He drops me at super market car park in the outskirts of Vilnius. It's cool! I'm starving. So I can buy a few things on top of the cheese and bread I've got with me.
So, I buy a few things, seat down under the shade and start eating. Today is luxury, I even have apple pie Agata offered me!
I'm warmly offered to have a nice meal by people passing by. I've got a happy feeling people look quite easy going here.
Time to move on and HH to the center. Today is definitely my day: I wait for... 3 cars! And a very cool English speaking guy leads out of its way till the very center! I'm lucky it's friday and people are in a good mood! :) Still, this guy was very nice!
I contact Marija, the HC girl supposed to host me. We meet at the park I was just dropped by. She's quite cool and smily! We go in her place, I drop my stuff, have a shower, grab my camera and head back to the center. Alone this time as Marija went out to meet up with some mates.
I wandered around the old town which definitely precious!! I steel feel this easy going attitude in people's behaviour, Maybe it's because of the tremendous weather and of the Friday night effect.
Vilnius is quite lovely. Actually, there is quite a tourist business but there is no internet cafes, no kebab, at least in a dumping effect appearance like in Poland. The city is rich, cars are impressive, everything is net. I was not expecting this. And everything is really beautiful, really!
Maybe it's because it's kind of the first main city of the trip I discover but it gives me a very positive impression.
Another intersting point. I reckon it's the first time I'm this upnorth! We're approaching the equinox and the sun takes a looooong time to set. So, guess what! I had great fun taking photos with this perfect light! :))
Today, I've bought my train ticket to Saint-Petersboug! I'm delighted!! :))
Sorry, I won't traduce it in French now cause it's quite late and I need going. Sorry about that.
Take care! All of you! Thanks for keeping reading me! Well, don't forget it's should be just the beginning! :)
