We have arrived in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. As we broke through the cloud cover I saw a countryside of forests and castles.
We landed - got our bags, walked through the door and we were there. No customs, no checks.
And then we saw a crowd of people amongst the marble floor and columns of the arrival area. This was the entourage who had come to meet us. Rita, her brother mindaugas, their parents Ella and Kazmieras; Donatas, his wife Vilte and son Niko and his father Vytas.
Mindaugas then drove us in his Mercedes to our apartment in the old part of town - basically the centre of the city. Best position. The apartment is in this ancient building - but after walking up the flight of tiled stairs - we walked into an ultra modern flat. It is a great space for us to call home for the next two weeks. After dropping us off and leaving 449 kilos of cabanosi style sausages and a slab of cheese the size of a small European car in the fridge,the Lithuanian connection left us to unpack and get ready to go out. Mindaugas had organized to take us out to a traditional restaurant. We drove out of Vilnius. Out and out. Through the old town, past mansions, cathedrals, castles, then through industrial areas, past tiny shops and soviet style apartment blocks, covered in graffiti and broken balconies. We then got to the forests - dark, dense and wild- waiting for stags to charge across the road in front of us. Speaking of charging , this is sort of how Mindaugas drives his Mercedes. Why stay behind a car when driving at 160 km/h over unbroken lines can get you in front of them? All the while saying "mmmmm" or "OK, OK" or "no prob lem". I don't want this description make him sound like a madman. Far from it - he seems to have a very kind heart, and I think he was concerned that we were uncomfortable in the car, hence his need to get to our destination quickly.
We arrived at traku dvarkiemis in the middle of the forest. Think 400 year old multi story hunting lodge made of logs - or maybe Norman Bates motel made of logs. You get the picture.
We entered a massive space, lined with logs, wooden beams, wooden carved columns, wooden floor, wooden ceiling , wooden furniture , and not a soul in the place. You could probably fit 200 people in there, but it was only us, and the man walking around looking at powerpoints, and the two young blonde waitresses who found it difficult to smile, and the old lady in the corner lit up by the glow of the CRT TV. She did not look at the TV, but just stared at us - mouth agape. Made me wonder how many guests they have had in recent times and what might have happened to them. After eating our genuine, traditional Lithuania meal, complete with chips, Lauren, Audrey and i asked to use the bathroom. We were pointed upstairs. I looked up this imposing , carved wooden staircase to see it was pitch black up there. We walked past glaring grandma, then climbed the stairs and using my iPhone for light discovered another floor, as big as the one below, with rooms filled with wooden furniture. Through one hallway we saw a door open and something seemed to be moving around and chewing on something. The thought of it was very conducive to digestion. And them back down- past grandma who was now baring her teeth and sort of growling, and into the cold Vilnius air.
We got back into Mindaugas car, and setting some new land speed records- we returned to our apartment in the old part of Vilnius.