To Latvia we go: To another baltic state we go

I decided to take a relatively spur of the moment trip to Vilnius (fine so I came up with the idea last week but that's my version of spontaneity). For the year, Vilnius and Tallinn shall be my versions of NYC; just a short, cheap bus ride away. Luckily these cities are MUCH cheaper and the bus rides far more enjoyable. And I'm actually traveling to a whole new country... So really, they're nothing like NYC. At least Vilnius finally offered good food and a whole new take on art. A whole new republic of art to be exact.

I've been hearing a lot about this oft under appreciated baltic Capitol recently so I decided to see it for myself. Tallinn is usually regarded as the prettiest, Riga as the hipsteriest (im not sure if this is because of all the hipsters or delightful babushkas with sore hips) and Vilnius gets talked about like she's the last pick at a party: big and cheap. Lately though, I've heard about the beauty and (what really gets me moving) the food. So I decided to take advantage of the pre-camp "slowness" to get out of town.

After a lovely 4 hour moving nap I arrived in the bus station. For a moment I was worried the bus driver had just driven me around Riga for a few hours because I was immediately greeted by the same casino and pizza place I have next to my apartment. Then I looked at the language, which didn't help either because I don't know Latvian or Lithuanian so its all familiar letters in unfamiliar words anyhow. I decided just to walk and hope that would help. And it did. I realized I was on the street of a Belorussian restaurant someone had said was life changing and since I haven't heard those words in relation to food in a while I decided that was to be my priority. The hostess was very confused by the girl wandering in for lunch at 2:30 speaking in English and muttering Russian but luckily she let me sit. I ordered the most Belorussian looking thing a vegetarian could eat: something fried with potatoes and smoked fish. Sorry mom, I know this is blasphemy, but they were the best latkes I've ever had. And somehow the fish didn't make it too salty.

While the meal was wonderful, one of those traditional peasant meals is enough for one weekend/lifetime so I decided I could skip Lithuanian food for this trip (also because I'm not super interested in sausages stuffed with potatoes or fried pig ears. Shocking, I know). I settled on multiple meals of Indian instead. The dream.

Then it was time for a Hannah tour of the city: I got totally lost. I had a map and occasionally followed the hostel owners advice, but mostly, I just walked. It turns out I walked around the old city, which is hilly and colorful and made me think i was seeing what would happen if Nice and Tuscany had a baby. There are probably as many cathedrals in Vilnius as there are in Italy so I felt right at home. This cathedral may be my favorite:

Apparently under the soviet anti-religious campaigns they repurposed all the cathedrals into storehouses, movie theaters... (sounds a little like Portland) but this one was special. Welcome to the museum of atheism! It's rumored they kept torture instruments inside and said they were used by religious leaders so religion must be evil. Too bad the weapons were clearly from the soviets but that doesn't mean soviets are bad... Also, I found out I probably would have been the first to convert to Catholicism because the way they converted the entire country was by promising them free white t shirts if they showed up to the baptism and they put a market outside of the church to lure people in to services. They know my weaknesses!

Don't worry dad, I counterbalanced all the churches by trying to see the Jewish stuff too. The synagogue wouldn't let me in (from what I gleaned they weren't letting in girls today)

so I convinced some nice people at the community center to let me in even though it was closed. I'm really too good at smiling and looking so lost people want to help me. It also helped that the guard was a babushka who only spoke Russian and found my desperate attempts to communicate hilarious (I have a way with those women, I swear).

I also saw one of the many Holocaust museums, which featured one of the most touching exhibits about Jews in hiding I've ever seen. It was an all-encompassing movie in a cold, creepy attic. I haven't been that uncomfortable in a long time, which is exactly how it should be. The museum also had a fascinating section about the doctors in Vilnius, who created the most sanitary conditions they could, improving and saving an incredible number of people. In addition to the museum and plaques about the ghetto I saw where the old synagogue stood. Jews are crafty! When they were told the shul couldn't be taller than a cathedral they said okay and built part of the building underground so it sat 5000 people! Well done. Also, the highlight of the Jewish tour:

The gaon of course.

As if the city wasn't fun enough, some artists decided if Lithuania could be independent of Russia they could be independent of reality! And so, uzipis was born. On independence day you need a passport, visa, or smile to get in. This is their parliament:

And constitution in Yiddish (they had a bunch of languages but obviously I chose this one):

And their symbol is an open hand with a hole in it because: have an open mind, if you cover your eyes like that you can still see, and artists are poor so money slips through their hands.

This place is real. And just as fabulous as it sounds.