Stephanie and I just got back from a fun weekend in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Steve and Betsy Dintaman, who used our car this summer, offered to keep the kids for us. This meant we could be out late and do grown-up stuff.

We left after class on Friday, arriving in Vilnius around 8:00 pm. We stayed in an apartment in the Old Town, which was cheaper than getting a hotel. We were just off of one of the main boulevards and everything was within walking distance. That night we walked to an Azerbaijani restaurant that was quite nice. Food in Lithuania is usually not spicy at all, so it was great to have a spicy meal. We then wandered down to a British style pub and chatted for a little while.

The next day, we headed out mid-morning. Our first stop was a nice cafe in the Jewish section, where we had some coffee and pastry for breakfast. We then took some time to explore, ending up down on Gedimino Prospect. We found a nice Czech restaurant for lunch and I had a delicious goulash. To top it off, I had a glass of absinthe, a liquor which is illegal in the United States. Any drink that you set on fire before imbibing is fun.

We then did what anyone would do when looking for a fun afternoon: we went to the Museum of Lithuanian Genocide. It is housed in a building that served as the KGB headquarters and prison during the Soviet period. Prior to that it was the Gestappo headquarters during the German occupation in World War II. The basement was kept the way it was during the Soviet period. The KGB left very quickly when the Soviet Union collapsed, leaving behind their equipment and documents. They have it set up to give a good sense of how prisoners were treated, how they were housed, and the torture methods that were used. Over 1000 people were executed here. It made me rather ill being there, especially knowing that my own goverment is engaging in similar practices right now. The upstairs is a museum on the Soviet occupation and the Siberian deportations.

We then headed back into Old Town for dinner. We went to a Medieval restaurant, which had a wonderful menu. I had beaver for dinner, which is one of the gamiest animals I have ever eaten. We even finished off dinner with acorn coffee, a drink that is surprisingly good. The drunk Norwegians at the table next to us really added to the ambience.

Sunday morning we went to St. Bernadino’s church, a church where I had worshipped two years ago. The church building has not yet recovered from the Soviet period, and it gives you the feeling of worshipping in a bomb crater. But it was a great service. Although the sermon was in Lithuanian, the preacher was very animated, and it was inspiring to watch him. It was a standard Catholic mass, so even though my Lithuanian is barely passable we were able to follow along. That is one of the wonderful aspects of set liturgy: even in a foreign language you can keep up. We then found a Lithuania restaurant in a cozy little courtyard and had a nice dinner.

We drove back this evening and picked the kids up. It was a very refreshing weekend. It is a shame we have not spent more time in Vilnius. Usually on breaks we head out of the country to visit other places, so it was good to get to know our adopted country a little more.

If you want to see pictures from the weekend, check out the Vilnius 2006 album in our photo gallery, which can be accessed by a link on the sidebar to the left.