Vilnius

From June 10th to June 12th, 2024

Day 1

We flew in from Madrid on Air Europa and rented a car in Kaunas from Enterprise. It took a lot longer than expected, but eventually we were off. Hailey was driving because Max misplaced his license over a year ago. 

It was about an hour and a half drive until we reached Vilnius and we stopped in Uzupio for some delicious Italian food at Uzupio Pizzeria. We ordered bruschetta, pizza and pasta. 

Just a 15 minute drive further and we arrived at our hotel the Grand Hotel Vilnius. We had a room overlooking the main square with a balcony.

Day 2

Started the day off at the spa: sauna, steam, jacuzzi, pool, repeat. 

We walked all around the main town and even up to the tower to overlook the city. We then ate burgers and beers at a local spot called Smash. Max went for a haircut while Hailey walked around shopping and exploring the city. 

We walked through Literatu Street where the street walls are adorned with plaques and unique art. We went for drinks at Apoteka and waited out a rain storm. We stopped for one last minute drink at Nick & Nora before heading out to dinner.

Dinner that night was at Dziaugsmas (translates to ‘happiness’) - the spot was hipster, many locals coming in and out. We ordered all kinds of things including the bone marrow and hamachi. The food was incredible!

We finished the night off with cocktails at Nomads Cocktail Bar.

Day 3

We left around 11am to head out towards Riga, Lithuania, but not before we stopped off to get some killer bagels & cream cheese at Beigelistai on Literatu Street. 

Just an hour outside of town we stopped at Traku Castle in Trakai. We paid 5 euro for parking in somebody’s gravel parking spaces at their house. It was such a beautiful little town - easily could see how many people like to spend their weekends here on the lake. 

We hopped back into the car and made our way to Hill of the Crosses. On a random hill in the middle of the countryside there are thousands of crosses amassed. We took a moment to reflect on where we were, enjoy the beautiful weather, and feel the power of the pilgrimage and religious place. 

We then cruised our way over the border to Latvia.