Visiting Vilnius was a bit of a homecoming for me. My father is half Lithuanian (on his father’s side), and although Lithuanian culture never played much of a role in my upbringing, I was always reminded that I had Lithuanian blood coursing through my veins. I didn’t take this trip to track down some long-lost branch of my family tree, but I did find myself contemplating my roots, and what better place to do that than Vilnius’ many parks and green spaces?
Vilnelė River Walk
Vilnius is nestled in the confluence of the Neris and Vilnelė Rivers, and a walk along either (or both!) is a necessary evil after noshing on Lithuanian pastries all day. The Vilnelė is the smaller of the two rivers, separating Old Town from the Užupio district. The stroll here is idyllic and bucolic. The bustling capital disappears and you’re one with nature for a moment.
Neris River Walk
In contrast, the Neris River cuts right through the heart of the city, bisecting Old Town to the south and the Modern City to the north. The Neris is lined with dueling foot paths on top of the river banks and bike paths closer to the water. Modern sculptures, like the pipe you see above, line the route and everything from 18th-Century churches to Soviet behemoths to 21st-Century skyscrapers jockey for your attention.
If you’re lucky enough to visit in the summer months, you’ll see the words, “I love you” spelled out in red flowers on one side of the river, with the other bank answering back, “I love you too!”
Halės Turgus (Hall Market)
Ok, not a green space, but if you’re going to have a picnic, you need to know where to stock up first. Halės Turgus has been around since 1906 and has reinvented itself into quite the urban food hall. There are fresh foods aplenty: produce, meat, cheese and herbs fill the center of the hall. Around the perimeter are kiosks with various hipster-y restaurants and enticing bakeries, the most famous of which is Prezo kepyklėlė. Prezo serves up delicious coffee and even better breads and pastries- both essential picnic foods. Once you’ve shopped until your heart’s content, make your way over to Kūdrų parkas.
Kūdrų parkas
Kūdrų parkas is a little outside of the city, but still an easy walk from Old Town. This patch of green appeared to be the go-to park for wedding receptions and young people trying to enjoy the warm weather before the cruel Lithuanian winter set in. For me, Kūdrų became my favorite journaling spot, which allowed me to record everything I’d done that day lest the details slipped away forever into the ether of my mind.
Open Kitchen Vilnius
Sitting in a nook of Kūdrų parkas is Open Kitchen Vilnius, the largest street food fair in the Baltics. It’s open every Friday and Saturday evening from April 5 until late September (weather permitting). There’s live music, activities for the kids, beer, wine and lots and lots of food. I had some delicious Asian fusion from the Awokado Noodle Bar food truck which offered vegetarian and vegan options.
Downtown Forest Hostel & Camping
Beyond Kūdrų on the eastern outskirts of Vilnius is the Downtown Forest Hostel & Camping (don’t let the name fool you, this is nowhere near downtown!). I stayed at Downtown Forest and it was a different experience from most of the hostels I’ve chosen to lay my head down at night in. You really feel like you’re at summer camp with tents out back and hostels dorms and private rooms in the “lodge.” The front patio functions as the common room and you can reserve one the grills that line the stadium-seating wall for a barbecue session if your heart so desires. Truth be told, it wasn’t my favorite hostel (smelly bathrooms; a breakfast you had to sign up for the day before that had limited spots), but the setting was a nice change of pace and I did meet some cool people there.
Trijų Kryžių Kalnas (Hill of Three Crosses)
Climbing to the top of the Trijų Kryžių Kalnas (Hill of Three Crosses) is probably the most strenuous thing you can do in Vilnius, but the vista at the summit overlooking the city is worth the toil and trouble it takes to ascend the hill.
According to the story, 14 Franciscan monks were murdered here in 1613 and three wooden crosses were erected in their honor. Over the centuries, the material weathered and in 1916 concrete crosses replaced their wooden predecessors. (You knew I was going to find a way to slip some Soviet history into a post about rivers, trees and hills, and here it is.) In 1950, the Soviets literally blew up the crosses with dynamite, riling the populace into a furor, although they would have to wait to serve their revenge stone cold.
But get their revenge, they did. In 1989, at the height of Lithuania’s push for independence from the USSR, the current crosses were installed on the hill, giving the citizens further resolve to stay the course and fight for the their freedom. What was lost could be made new again.
A good tip I picked up from a fellow backpacker at Downtown Forest was to get to the top of the hill while it was still light out, wait for the sun to set and watch the lights pop on throughout the capital below. There were only about ten people up there the night I did this and I can definitely verify that I was given great advice.
This experience really highlighted one of the reasons that hostels are my preferred type of accommodation: they are hotbeds of honest advice and up-to-date recommendations. Breakfast is the time when everyone sits around and talks about their plans for the day and you can bet someone else has already done what you’ve got in mind and will have a tip that will enhance your experience. (Of course, there’s always a know-it-all who wants to one up everyone and pooh-pooh your ideas, but most people are well-intentioned and do give good advice.)
As darkness covered the city, I contemplated my heritage and wondered if I’d have some great epiphany up on this sacred hill with a spectacular view of Vilnius. The truth is, no great awakening came. Saul didn’t transform into Paul on the road to Damascus, so to speak. I loved my time in Vilnius and would easily recommend it to any traveler, but I can’t fake a deeper connection that I never felt.
I have never been one to live in the past (although I’m fascinated by history) and the past wasn’t about to start defining me now. Perhaps if I had a stronger bond with my grandfather before he passed away I would have experienced something more. Truthfully my greater worry was the possibility of disappointing my father with the news that this mystical Lithuanian connection wasn’t there for me. Eventually I had to learn the life lesson that feeling nothing is just as valid as feeling something and not to let this realization take anything away from the great time I had or diminish the new relationship I was starting to build between Lithuania and my future.
