City of churches
The snow only got heavier as we got into Vilnius from Riga. It almost felt like Christmas in the middle of April! With 65 churches nestled in the historic Old Town of Vilnius, which is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, it isn’t hard to miss the various types of cathedrals and churches dotted at almost every corner. Amongst them, Vilnius Cathedral and St. Anne’s Church are the most well-known. Vilnius Cathedral is the main Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lithuania and has over forty frescoes and paintings dating back to the 16th century. Even the coronations of the Great Dukes of Lithuania took place in the cathedral. St. Anne’s Church is a signature red-bricked Roman Catholic church built in a gothic style. Vilnius University also lies amongst these beautiful historic buildings.
After a walking tour of the Old Town in the morning, we headed towards the famous island castle Trakai in the afternoon. Located in Lake Galve, this 14th century castle is a real life version of Lego castles that I used to love building as a kid. Complete with a connecting bridge, defensive towers, movable gates, stables and more, the castle did serve a military purpose at the beginning and later evolved into a summer residence, a prison and now a tourist location! It was pretty cool seeing locals fishing in the middle of the frozen lake-must need a lot of patience for that, especially in the freezing cold weather!
As my trip in the Baltic countries wraps up, I head to Oslo-a beautiful city filled with artistic sculptures!
The snow only got heavier as we got into Vilnius from Riga. It almost felt like Christmas in the middle of April! With 65 churches nestled in the historic Old Town of Vilnius, which is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, it isn’t hard to miss the various types of cathedrals and churches dotted at almost every corner. Amongst them, Vilnius Cathedral and St. Anne’s Church are the most well-known. Vilnius Cathedral is the main Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lithuania and has over forty frescoes and paintings dating back to the 16th century. Even the coronations of the Great Dukes of Lithuania took place in the cathedral. St. Anne’s Church is a signature red-bricked Roman Catholic church built in a gothic style. Vilnius University also lies amongst these beautiful historic buildings.
After a walking tour of the Old Town in the morning, we headed towards the famous island castle Trakai in the afternoon. Located in Lake Galve, this 14th century castle is a real life version of Lego castles that I used to love building as a kid. Complete with a connecting bridge, defensive towers, movable gates, stables and more, the castle did serve a military purpose at the beginning and later evolved into a summer residence, a prison and now a tourist location! It was pretty cool seeing locals fishing in the middle of the frozen lake-must need a lot of patience for that, especially in the freezing cold weather!
As my trip in the Baltic countries wraps up, I head to Oslo-a beautiful city filled with artistic sculptures!
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