Crosses

Trip Start Aug 23, 1996
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Trip End Ongoing


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Friday, October 10, 2008

It's been a while since Lucy and me have been away, what with the changing of the economy, well the meltdown is hitting me hard, in fact comparing last year to this year, we've done fuck all travel, so I'm putting my foot down and righting a wrong. It's wrong that I'm not out there bringing you all stories and photos so under popular demand, here we go !!!
 
Same Old Story
 
Flights, car, room booked. Blah blah blah
 
Since more countries are being let into the EU, we have been trying at least to see the capitals, and as we had earlier in the year compared Riga to Ukraine, it was time to see what Lithuania had to offer. My friends who had been said that it was the Jewboy price that you like, and luckily for us, Flyandscare fly to Kaunas, so four days of looking around would be good for a taster.
 
We jumped in our car and hit the road, and according to the book, the police are quite hot over here. Nobody was speeding. Actually, there were quite a few around, hiding with their radars, so we just pottered along for 200ish K's until we reached our destination
 
Siauliai
 
Now I know you are all expecting a write up on Siauliai, but we never went there, but 10 K's down the road was a monument I really wanted to see.
 
History Lesson First.
 
Back in the 14th century, on a little mound, someone placed a cross. Another joker followed suit, and they bred just like rabbits. They came, they went over the centuries, but there was always one. Eventually, the Soviets took control, knocked down the crosses, but they kept re-appearing. Can't stop those Christians !!! Once they left, the crosses grew. By 1990, they say there were 40000. Pope JP2 arrived in 1993, said mass and the crosses exploded to 400000, so we kind of needed to see this.
 
Once there, We parked the car and the first thing we saw were the cross shops. I checked them out, but they all had Jesus on them. Being of the non-believing born to Catholic/Jewish parents, I couldn't bring myself to part with the money, but I actually blame that on my Scottish roots which I'm sure I have in there !!! Under a bridge, down a paved path, and there it was, the little mound. At first, it didn't look like there were 400000 crosses, so we followed the stairs up the middle. The further we went, the more there were. They were everywhere. No way was there 400000, more like 4000000 !!! As the wind blew, they knocked each other, it was a little eerie. There was various versions of Jesus. In pain, chest out, bored, the standard, big head, gimps and so on. Actually you could follow what various countries thought what he looked like, but then again, that's religion for you. But what amazed me more was the all seeing eye. The symbol of the Mason. I saw him twice. What was he doing here? As I moved further in, I found out that were other tight people like me. There were the bought crosses, but others made of sticks, tin foil, thumb tacks, pens and even stones, it was quite amazing. There was even a pulpit built for JP2.
 
After walking around it for ages, it was time to leave. Realistically, we could have spent hours upon hours there just checking out the different ones, but a couple of coaches had arrived and the serenity had gone, and we also had a 250ish K drive to Vilnius to undertake.
 
And Finally
 
It was amazing seeing this place, seeing the crosses and people's devotion, but as usual, it didn't change my outlook on life, didn't make me want to live for an icon, but I'm glad I went as it's now ticked off of the list.

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001 Our Car, Siauliai 001 Our Car, Siauliai 002 Lonesome Truck, Siauliai 002 Lonesome Truck, Siauliai 003 Pathway, Siauliai 003 Pathway, Siauliai 004 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 004 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai
005 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 005 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 006 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 006 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 007 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 007 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 008 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 008 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai
009 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 009 Hill of Crosses, Siauliai 010 JP2 Memorial, Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 010 JP2 Memorial, Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 011 JP2 Cross, Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 011 JP2 Cross, Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 012 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 012 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
013 David & Lucy at the Hill of Crosses, Siau 013 David & Lucy at the Hill of Crosses, Siau 014 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 014 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 015 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 015 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 016 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 016 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
017 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 017 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 018 David at the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 018 David at the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 019 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 019 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 020 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 020 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
021 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 021 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 022 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 022 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 023 Lucy at the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 023 Lucy at the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 024 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 024 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
025 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 025 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 026 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 026 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 027 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 027 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 028 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 028 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
029 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 029 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 030 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 030 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 031 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 031 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 032 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 032 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
033 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 033 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 034 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 034 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 035 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 035 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 036 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 036 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
037 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 037 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 038 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 038 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 039 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 039 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 040 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 040 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
041 David at the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 041 David at the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 042 Lucy at the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 042 Lucy at the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 043 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 043 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 044 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 044 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
045 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 045 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 046 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 046 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 047 Lucy in the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 047 Lucy in the Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 048 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 048 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
049 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 049 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 050 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 050 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 051 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 051 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 052 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 052 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
053 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 053 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 054 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 054 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 055 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 055 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 056 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 056 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
057 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 057 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 058 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 058 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 059 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 059 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 060 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 060 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
061 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 061 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 062 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 062 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 063 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 063 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 064 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 064 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
065 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 065 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 066 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 066 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 067 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 067 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 068 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 068 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
069 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 069 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 070 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 070 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 071 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 071 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 072 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 072 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
073 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 073 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 074 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 074 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 075 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 075 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 076 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 076 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
077 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 077 Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 078 Cross Shop, Hill of Crosses, Siaulia 078 Cross Shop, Hill of Crosses, Siaulia
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Comments

llelyn
llelyn on Oct 14, 2008 at 08:54AM

wierd
The hill of crosses is the wierdest thing you've shown me since I started to read your stuff. Granny Ann

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