We had opted to stay in the Old Town as this was another internet recommendation, being close to the markets and local bars, restaurants and surroundings.
Vilnius is simply stunning, the Old Town is vibrant enough to attract the foreign tourist but the general feel of the city is authentic Lithuanian. We have been to a few capitals now and you see the countries that have adapted to the foreign tourist with American Diners on every street corner, streets adorned with Argentina Grill Houses and the likes, Vilnius had dumplings, Zeppelins and more dumplings.
Our first full day it had snowed in the morning, and when I say snow I mean real snow. It was thick, white and fluffy. It also had not stopped the daily routine and roads had been cleared in under an hour. This was Isabella's first experience of snow and the first flake went straight into her eye. For the rest of the holiday we were told, with her newly forming vocabulary, that "Snow went in my eye".
The lights from atop the main Christmas tree reach down to each hut, each little hut is covered with fairy lights and the Christmas music plays whilst you take in the delights and smells. This was, although very small in comparison to other markets we have seen, definitely the most Christmassy.
The local specialty dish, aside from dumplings, was a delicacy called a Zeppelin. We had seen a few locals eating them at every meal, so whilst in Lithuania.....
They are basically grated potato wrapped in lard, covered in a gluttonous mass and then smeared with butter and meat. They looks and smell disgusting, but they taste great for the first two minutes, then there is no way any other nationality can eat any more. They are pure stodge on a plate. Whenever I saw a bowl of 7-10 Zeppelins arrive out of the kitchen my stomach would inflate. The Lithuanians demolished these like they were nothing but air.
We walked as much as possible in Vilnius trying to capture all the amazing culture, architecture and atmosphere that the capital had to offer. There were city views on top of panoramic hills, stunning parks with streams of ice and snow, grand squares and huge streets but it was definitely a city you could cover in a day, without trying too hard.
The Baltic regions have not failed to delivery something new to our continued trek around the world and this is somewhere I can heartily recommend. The Lithuanians are warmer to outsides than our Latvian friends, the food is excellent yet basic, the beer is always tasty and the Christmas Markets are amazing.
They are basically grated potato wrapped in lard, covered in a gluttonous mass and then smeared with butter and meat. They looks and smell disgusting, but they taste great for the first two minutes, then there is no way any other nationality can eat any more. They are pure stodge on a plate. Whenever I saw a bowl of 7-10 Zeppelins arrive out of the kitchen my stomach would inflate. The Lithuanians demolished these like they were nothing but air.
The Baltic regions have not failed to delivery something new to our continued trek around the world and this is somewhere I can heartily recommend. The Lithuanians are warmer to outsides than our Latvian friends, the food is excellent yet basic, the beer is always tasty and the Christmas Markets are amazing.
It was always great to finish every day with a trip to the market to soak up the day with another blast of mulled wine, Christmas songs, festivities and everything else on offer under the big Christmas Tree
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