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28/07/2010
Vilnius, Lithuania
July is coming to a close, I can not believe I will be in Poland tomorrow: the longest stint of the trip- I will be there for a week. I will be sad to leave the Baltic, but will have more company as will mainly be staying in hostels and/or be with tour guides the whole time.
This morning I get the train from Vilnius to Paneriai, out in the darkest depths of the Lithuanian forests. The train is simplistic- a typical Eastern European train, however since 2008 they have begun to introduce the high speed double deckers here- I can see one on platform 1. The smoking ban does not seem so strict here- everyone is smoking on the platform and there are ashtrays, whilst the guard is smoking on the train: this is not allowed though!
I managed to buy a ticket with relative ease, go to left ticket office- not right, different companies- I think? Can not buy from the right office anyway. I ask a guard "Bilietasi Paneriai" and show him the location on paper and he directs me. I show the ticket lady and receive my ticket for 2 Litas (That is about 60p). Her communication skills very outstanding- she typed the time onto a calculator and pointed at her watch- very inventive- I salute her!!
I have been told, to get to Paneriai I must turn right out of the station and follow the path alongside railway track and will eventually discover the memorial and museum. To find train must look for both Platform and Track. English and Lithuanian are detailed at the Vilnius station and in announcements- it is not difficult. Each platform has 2 tracks, Platform IV has tracks 7 and 9. 9 goes to Trakai (which I must check out in the future) via Paneriai- the trip should take 9 minutes.
Paneriai is one stop south-west from Vilnius, a far escape from the cosmopolitan city though. Here you must carefully walk across the rail tracks towards the main station building, turn right and walk for about 1 km through the woodlands paths.
On my arrival the museum was not open so I followed the guidance on the large displayed map to the different memorials in the complex. On my way out a man asks "tourisji, museji?" and I reply "Yes", he opens the small museum for me. A brief, but powerful exhibition is offered of photos and data regarding the site. In Lithuanian he points out the figure with a star of David on the front and back of her coat and I can work out the word "Geto" as he points to the barbed wire and himself- I think he is trying to tell me that he is one of the few survivors, this would not be surprising as most of those involved in the different Vilna Goan museum sites are. He is very patient and quiet allowing me to take in the museum and is very gracious.
Luck is on my side once more as I arrive to the station- I work out (my default) that my train is from platform 1- so no having to cross rail tracks on my own! On top of this the train is in 10 minutes (they are every 70 minutes) - result! I decide to take a trip up to Uzupio to have a break from the somber.
There is a nice little cafe/ resturonas in Uzupio on the corner of Paupio by the Constitution- lovely raspberry and cream crepe- nom nom nom!!! I love the fact that this area has its own President, prime minster, flag, constitution and the Dali Lama is an official resident- Viva la independence!
I spent the rest of the afternoon in the Museum for Genocide Victims, affectionately known in Vilnius as the KGB Museum. This, a like the similar display in Latvia is a horrific detailing of the Soviet's cruel rampage through the country, the Holocaust is mentioned only on a board of figures, unlike the Latvian museum which gives over half its space. This is despite the fact the Riga museum was inside a Soviet building and that this building was used by both Soviets and Gestapo. In the cellar is the old KGB Prison: it is hard to walk down- it feels like it hasn't changed- there is the prison courtyard outside too: it is tiny. This building was the nerve centre of a terrible, terrible ideological force (and not just the one but many others too). Approximately 170,000 people were deported from the country and hard labour camps/ the prison were still being used in the 1950s and to some extent beyond this.
I have avoided the rain: just! and am not in my hotel room, its amazing how you keep yourself busy when you are travelling- I was back by 3pm, however I feel like I have so much to do: upload photos and blog (done), sort out washing, pack bag, check Warsaw stuff online, have a shower, do some repair work on crap travelling trousers bought, read booklets from museum! So much!- there is no time to be bored ever.
I fly in 11.5 hours now to Warsaw, will arrive there at 6.50am and go back through a time zone, it will be 5.50am back in London- think of me having to get up at 3am here (1am your time) to do this!! I wonder what will be in store at the Tampa Hostel....
My last note on Vilnius- traffic lights- all but 1 set in the city are traffic lights both for pedestrians and vehicles, no pedestrian lights (well they look like car traffic lights). Also don't stop and wait for a driver to let you pass at crossings- just go! Otherwise you will never get across.
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