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Cindy Aserkoff's Travels
Morning begins with short ride to city of Trakai, de facto medieval capital because Duke Vytautas the Great preferred landscapes with scenic lakes and islands over Vilnius. After short boat ride around the lake we explored the Trakai castle built. To fend off German Knights. The castle was once an. Island but today is a peninsula. We then had lunch at a restaurant owned by local Karims, who belong to the oldest Turkish tribe, Kipchaks, who were brought from Crimea to Trakai in the 14th century as bodyguards for the castle. We made kibinai, meat pastries for lunch. Returning to Vilnius, we toured the KGB museum where we saw the cells where prisoners were detained and interrogated. We then had a discussion with a journalist about the Russian occupation. It was a long, varied and interesting day.... Lithuanians seem very proud of their democracy and how far they have come from years of occupation.
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