Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is a member of the European Union. Lithuania regained independence in March 1990. The Capital of Lithuania is Vilnius.
We decided to stay in Vilnius the Capital we did not know much about Lithuania so we were pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it is, we also felt it was a place we could easily live. We stayed in a wonderful Airbnb just outside the walls of the old town, the Gate of Dawn
Vilnius’ UNESCO-listed Old Town is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval old towns in Central and Eastern Europe. Needless to say, many of the city’s most popular attractions can be found in the Old Town, which makes for an easy, pleasant walk. In fact, most of the city’s landmarks and facilities are within walking distance. It has been said that it has the best air quality and also that it is one of Europe’s greenest capitals, with 2 rivers Neris and Vilnele, great for lovers of the outdoors. The weather was cooler so it was ideal for site seeing.
I loved walking around the old town, I was blown away with how beautiful the Tenants decorated each shop both inside and out. They have great coffee shops with delicious cakes. They also have great second hand clothes stores, vintage, name brands and just your everyday clothing. It was great to see that people are recycling clothes and that others are happy to buy them. I bought a great waterproof rain jacket that fit like a glove.
70% of Lithuania are Catholic, so there are some beautiful old churches. Just inside the Gates of Dawn the miraculous painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the most famous Renaissance paintings in Lithuania. It’s also called the Madonna of the Gates of Dawn or the Madonna of Vilnius. The legend tells that in 1702, when Vilnius was captured by the Swedish army during the Great Northern War, Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn came to her people’s rescue. At dawn, the heavy iron city gates fell, crushing and killing four Swedish soldiers
Blessed Virgin Mary at the Gates of Dawn
We decided to do a bike tour and Bike Vinius Velotakas is a great company to use. We did the Small-Group – Bike Tour of Vilnius I would definitely recommend it, not only are the places we went to very interesting but the guides are very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Lithuania. Lithuania has a very Tumultuous history. So many times they have been taken over and each time they came back stronger, until finally they regained their independence in march 1990. It was interesting to hear the guide say that they need more people in their country, it was very noticeable that there is very little multiculturalism in regards to people. Yet their culinary delights are from all over the world with some of the best food we have had. On the tour we stopped at the following places Bernardine Garden, Gediminas‘ Castle Tower, Vilnius Cathedral, Cathedral square, St Anne church, the old town although it was hard to cycle on the cobble streets.
The guide also brought us to some of the newer areas of Vilnius, one place I really liked was a recreational area that has something for all age groups from babies to our most mature. I think is is a lovely idea to have all activities together, therefore creating a real sense of community.
Užupis this is a Hip, Trendy, & Quaint little Neighbourhoods On the east side of the Old Town just across the small Vilnia river, Užupis is well known as the artsy Bohemian alternative neighbourhood of Vilnius. It is a great spot to spend a few hours.
Our next stop is Latvia we took a 4 hour bus journey from Vilnius Lithuania to Riga the capital of Latvia. We really loved Vilnius Lithuania and could certainly see ourselves living here for six months. Put it on your bucket list.
Latvia is a country on the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Estonia. It has wide beaches and dense sprawling forests. Latvia’s capital is Riga, it has a large Central Market and a medieval Old Town. St Peter’s church and the Beautiful Freedom Monument has been Riga’s central landmark for almost a century. This 42.7 m tall granite and copper work of art is a symbol of the Latvian nation’s striving for freedom and independence. Latvia got its independence 21st of August 1991
We did a beautiful boat tour on the Riga City Canal that continued out to the Daugava River. It was a beautiful evening, the views of the park that runs along the canal and the scenery on the Daugava River are just stunning.
We took a train trip from Riga Central to Sigulda, Sigulda is a beautiful town about an hour from Riga it is a good area if you want to do some hiking. We did a lovely hike here and stopped to visit the Sigulda Castles . The Castle grounds are beautiful, there are some very nice shops and markets here, but today we are here to see the Sigulda New Castle and the Livonian Order Sigulda Castle (the ruins of the Medieval Castle). In the castle ruins, you can walk along the ancient stone walls, climb the towers and visit open-air stage events. The view from the tower is wonderful, across the Gauja Valley. There are also some fun sculpture (a parade of Knights at the parking area)
We had another beautiful day, we took the train from Riga Centre to Jurmala Beach the weather was 25 Degrees, quite warm for Riga, but the water was freezing hence the name I suppose Baltic sea, and I like cold water !!!! but this was so cold I could not stay in for any length of time, to say it was refreshing would be an understatement. Jurmala is a beautiful area with some very nice homes.
We did a bike tour around the old city it was a great way to learn the history of Latvia, like Lithuania it has a chequered history, but it is great that they now have their independence. They say that Riga is the Northern European’s Art Nouveau Capital and this was clearly visible as we cycled around the city.
Riga had some great bars and restaurants, their food courts are next level. The Most Romantic Cafe in the Old Town with Homemade cakes, great selection of wines and delicious coffee is Parunasim kafe’teeka, Coffee was great here, just loved it. Second hand clothes shops are also fantastic in Riga, name brands and vintage clothing a plenty.
Riga in Latvia like Vilnius in Lithuania we could easy see ourselves living here for 6 month. You never know what the future holds !!!!
We flew to Croatia and then got a bus to Montenegro our final stop for the month of August.
Montenegro is a Balkan country with rugged mountains, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beaches along its Adriatic coastline. We stayed in Lepetane a beautiful old fishing village. It is in the Bay of Kotor, kotor resembling a fjord, it is dotted with coastal churches home to Durmitor National Park, which has bears and wolves, it encompasses limestone peaks, glacial lakes and 1,300m-deep Tara River Canyon.
The country is very scenic, it goes from mountain ranges to the sea with lots of the small towns clinging to edge of the coastline. Lepetane is one of these towns as i mentioned it use to be a small fishing village, and although fishing still happens here nowadays the village is best known for the ferry crossing between kamenari and lepetane. It is beautiful spot, just one small shop, a few restaurants and beautiful views out across the bay. Our Airbnb was basic but perfect for us.
We did a wonderful boat trip around the coastline. The water is so clean and clear it is the Adriatic sea so not as cold as the Baltic. The tour took us around the Bay of Kotor, the Lady of the rock, the Tivat area and the Blue Grotto.
The Legend of the Lady of the Rock was that sailors from Perast found a picture of the Virgin Mary on a rock protruding from the sea and taking it as a good sign, began laying rocks on this same spot after every successful voyage so that a church could be built on top of the rocks. The Blue Grotto is a massive rock cave with iridescent blue water popular for boat tours, kayaking & snorkelling, it is a beautiful stop for a swim and snorkel. It was very refreshing being out on the boat the Bay of Kotor is wonderful.
The hike we did was called Vrmac trail it is the long limestone mountain that divides Kotor Bay (aka Boka Bay) in Montenegro. High above the glistening waters of Kotor Bay, the highest peak along the ridge. The trail delivers panoramic views of the Dinaric Alps, Boka Bay, and the many villages that cling to its shore. We also found a small dilapidated Church.
We did a day trip to Kotor old town . The old town of Kotor has a great number of monuments of the medieval architecture: churches, cathedrals, palaces, and museums. Its beauty is complemented with the multitude of narrow streets, squares, and markets. Kotor is considered to be the best preserved medieval urban entity in the Mediterranean. The largest and the most impressive are, by all means, city bulwarks ( defensive walls)which surround the town.
We took a trip to Kamenari on the other side of the ferry crossing, if you walk along the road away from the ferry you will come to some lovely restaurants and beach clubs. The Adriatica Restaurant, Grill and Beach Club is very nice but very expensive compare to other restaurants and beach clubs. You need to walk further around the coast line and you will come to a lot more restaurants that are not half as expensive but the food is just as good. We also took a trip to Tivat which has a beautiful harbour.
We loved our time in Montenegro it is so worth a trip. Our next stop is to Albania we caught a bus from Montenegro to Albania it took about 4 hours.