The train from Warsaw to Vilnius was long (10 hours) and uneventful, with the connecting train at Sestokai held for us – this second train had bus style seats, which made the final 3 hours pretty uncomfortable.
We spent the first evening meandering round the southern bit of the old town before stopping to eat at the first Lonely planet recommended place. It would appear that surly service is the norm in these parts, and the waiting staff have developed quite a knack of ignoring you; I had a child sized casserole while Kirsten had an entire pig.
We spent our first full day wandering round the usual tourist sites - the Gates of Dawn in the far south (and near our hostel), via a few coffee shops and on to St Anne's church - a striking Gothic structure. It seems that this is the place to have your wedding photos, and while we were there a couple of monstrous limos pulled up, and spilt out their meringue clad brides, who were duly photoed in various dubious poses. It turns out that they actually do a tour of Vilnius' landmarks and we bumped into the same wedding party several times (whom I'm sure are grateful to have us in his 'n' hers matching EXIT tee-shirts ruining the back of their shots).
From St Anne's we wandered to the cathedral (via some Olympic opening ceremony at a cafe) and up to the upper castle via a funicular - more bridal parties and good views of the old town. We descended and walked up the adjacent Hill of Three Crosses - apparently the local pagans took exception to some Franciscan monks doing a spot of god-bothering and crucified them up here. From here we walked via a third hill to Uzupid - a breakaway republic in the Monty Python sense - it's good that they can joke about these things.
Following a mini pub crawl home, we put on our finery (i.e. the stuff that smelt the least) and headed back out. All I can say is that when you see two grown men doing air guitar to Mr Brightside you wonder why you left home.
Today we just wandered from cafe from cafe (via a small Georgian anti-Russian protest - "Russia not peacekeeper but piecekeeper") and only remembered late afternoon to tick another "must see" of the list. So perhaps the KGB Museum (aka the Genocide Museum) was not a good choice for a rushed visit.
Tomorrow we go to some place with a castle on a lake.
The day trip to Trakai: A 40 minute bus or train from Vilnius (we went out by bus and back by train) gets you to this peninsular in a lake; at the other end of which lies the main draw – a-castle-on-an-island-in-a-lake. While it's pretty enough in its own right, it's out of its depth when compared with Lake Bled. We did the normal tourist stuff: chased some ducks around the islands in a pedalo; got plagued by wasps in a lakeside restaurant; tried our hand at archery; and looked at the usual bunch of old shit inside the castle.
There's another castle and a rare Jewish sect shipped from Baghdad via the Crimea, but the real highlight is the chocolaterie on the way from the bus/train station – their hot chocolate is literally melted chocolate.
If you're in Vilnius for more than two days and haven't been to lake Bled, then this makes an easy and enjoyable day trip. Otherwise just stay in town and drink more.
Kirsten's Flashpacker Review:
Old Market Guest House, Vilnius (http://www.oldmarket.lt/en/) - This recently opened small guest house is conveniently located only 5 mins walk from the station on the edge of the old town. The rooms are smallish but the clean lines for the simple decoration mean that they feel light and airy. Each room has a different theme – ours, the Fish Room, came complete with a rather sad looking Siamese Fighting Fish in a bowl. WiFi in the rooms and a decent breakfast served in your room whenever you want it are a big plus. This place has only just opened so let's hope it doesn't loose its squeaky cleanness and enthusiastic staff too quickly.
B&B Florens, Vilnius – (http://www.guesthouse.lt/english-hotel-style-bed-and-breakfast-florens-in-vilnius-old-town.php) - We booked this place through HostelWorld.com and initially went to the location stated on the website. Turned out they have two B&Bs and we were actually staying in the “boutique” one round the corner. Not sure if this is what we had actually booked or an upgrade but I think it was a good thing as the first place looked a bit grotty. Our place was located just near the Gates of Dawn. We had the Lilly Room, which was large, light and airy and came with air-conditioning, a great shower and WiFi. Again breakfast was served in the room, but only until 10am and it was pretty dull. Major plus for me was a dalmatian was visiting when we were there, but no guarantee the he will be there if you go!
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