We arrived in Vilnius late in the evening, and settled into our suite at the Artis Centrum Hotel. It was a bit 80s-dated.
We spent the day on a walking tour of Vilnius. Our first stop was the Tower of Gediminas.
The 13th-century Tower is the only remaining part of the medieval fortress.
The view of Vilnius from atop Gediminas Hill.
The Tower stands alone atop the hill, surrounded by a large viewing area.
You can see the 16th-century Palace of the Grand Dukes, now a museum, from Gediminas Hill.
A view from inside the Palace of the Grand Dukes. We toured the huge museum inside the Palace, which was completely restored after the Russians sacked it in the 19th century.
We walked to Cathedral Square, where the Greek theater-like Cathedral sits, with its odd abandoned lighthouse-like belltower. Previously Gothic, it was redesigned in the 18th century.
The interior of the Vilnius Cathedral. The official name is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus.
The nativity scene inside the Cathedral.
The Cathedral also features the famous Baroque Chapel of St. Casmir, the patron saint of Lithuania.
The Gate of Dawn, one of Vilnius's symbols. It's both the last surviving medieval gate, and a chapel containing an icon of Mary.
At the entrance door to the chapel, we noticed a Camino shell. Apparently the Gate is a Lithuanian pilgrimage destination. With no connection to the real Camino, Lithuania created the Camino Lituano, a loooong walk through Lithuania.
The Lithuanian Parliament.
A lovely street in the old Jewish quarter. Lithuania lost the most Jews of any European nation in the Holocaust- only 5% of the population survived, and have never recovered.
More lovely Christmas lighting in the old city.
It was getting cold and dark at 3pm, and we discovered a CAT CAFÉ...so time to warm up with mulled wine.
Some of the feline residents of the café.
Soooo cute.
These furballs were right next to our table.
Vilnius 2023