For my last half-day in Vilnius, I went to some (more) Churches that I had not been able to get into. They are all very nice - I just hope I remember which is which when I go back through my pictures. The only place in town I did not get to was the Museum of Genocide. I am not sure if that is an accurate name or not; the Museum is about the Soviet Occupation from 1944-1990. I don't think there was much of a Jewish population here - they are almost all Catholics here. Still, it is not for me to challenge. This was a major new museum, and I am sorry I could not get in to see it.
I am fearing the worst with this airport, so I get there about an hour and a half early. Based on the Soviet-era looks of the join, I am envisioning hours of waiting to get on a plane. This was not the case. There is no waiting. Literally, none. There is no one in line at check in and no one in line at security. The security guy looked to be in his mid-50s, and he looked like he had seen it all. As "tough" as security is post 9/11, I bet it was a piece of cake compared to the days of the USSR.
The flight was fairly uneventful. It was on AirBaltic. I was a bit worried, but I figured, if this is the end, it has been a good life. That put my mind at ease until we came in for the very rough landing. I recanted - there is much I need to do, still! The airport in Tallinn, Estonia, and again, there is a very nice, very new airport. This one is in a floated concrete, wood and glass theme. Very stylish, but I bet it will look like crap in 20 years.
I am staying in the heart of old town, an incredibly charming old town. There is no other way to describe it; it is absolutely amazing. Like Prague, but with a minimal number of cheesy, tourist shops. Everywhere you turn, the old town, is picture perfect. Only one problem - it is cold! Somewhere in the 40's (maybe) and windy. The Minnesotan in me refuses to admit that I'm uncomfortable (this does not even qualify as a "little cold"), so I press on. I make my own walking tour route through town, including a climb up St. Olaf's church, which offers magnificent views of the city. Unfortunately, that means you are up high, and my fear of heights kicks in again. These will not be my best photos.
I have dinner at traditional Estonian' restaurant, which was quite good. Yes, there were potatoes and some type of cream sauce, but the food was good, aside from the pickled pickles (double yuck). I end up chatting with an Australian couple, who was having trouble adjusting to the cold (I had wondered where people who live in a country with an almost perfect climate go for vacation . Estonia, is apparently the answer). They had arrived recently, too, and the one thing we both agreed upon was the lack of warmth with the Estonian people. As charming as the city is, that did not transfer to the people who actually inhabited it. In most every shop or store we had walked into, we got the distinct impression they would be happier if we were not there.
I found a decent bar that night to watch some footy matches. I retract what I said about wanting the distribution rights for all Baltic Beers. Latvian beer = excellent. Lithuanian beer = very good. Estonian beer = tastes like @ss. A le coq sucks. And I gave it many tries - still, it did not improve.
Tervist!
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