Lal and I spent extra time over breakfast in the Maritim
Hotel in Riga – it was a feast. The coffee was great too. The restaurant was
filled to overflowing. Large tourist groups patronise the hotel, which is
located within striking distance of the Old Town. With breakfast done, in royal
style, both of us affixed green stickers to Latvia before loading luggage into
the car. Next we approached the travel desk for directions to leave the city
and hit the road to Kaunas. The young chap at the Concierge desk was most
helpful and he suggested a route that did not seem very complicated. Within 10
minutes of leaving the hotel I was on the A7 to Kaunas, Lithuania, the 10th
country on our journey.
The road condition was good almost all along the way and the
road signs as clear as ever. I did not feel the absence of an electronic device
to guide me. Having only stopped for fuel and a few photographs at the
Latvia-Lithuania border (there is hardly any border control activity visible in
the place) we were at the outskirts of Kaunas City by noon. Not wanting to
repeat the experience of Riga while searching out the hotel I spoke to the
hotel desk, where a comely voice told me that the hotel is in the Centrum. To
find the Centrum was the next task. I moved further on and stopped at a bus
stand behind a taxi with the intention of seeking directions to the hotel.
While talking to the driver it became clear that trying to find the place on my
own would be a waste of time. I requested him to lead me to the hotel, which he
did for Euro 10, even though he had asked for 50 Litas. Euros can be exchanged in
Lithuania but the currency in use is the Lita, which is 3.5 to a Euro and 2.5
to a USD. The hotel check in was done in quick time after the car was parked in
a secure parking lot. Later when I came down to collect a few things from the
car I found a young family admiring the branding of the journey on the car. I
further explained to them what we had done so far and gave them a couple of
bookmarks as souvenir. Their young daughter did a remarkably quick and
efficient job in affixing the green sticker on Lithuania.
After dealing with some documentation for a while I dropped
on the cot for a short nap. That nap nearly ruined the available time in
Kaunas. Nearly three hours went by. Fortunately, the major sights in Kaunas
were a short distance from the Kaunas Hotel. The front entrance of the hotel is
from the promenade that runs to the Old City. The area was mostly built up between
the 14th and 17th centuries; the buildings are in Gothic,
Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Open spaces, parks, and places of
interest are in a compact area of the Old Town of Kaunas and I was told at the
hotel reception that a walking tour is the best way to explore it.
The tree lined promenade, the Laisvės Alėja, with wide walkways
on either side of it and a cycle track is meant to take life easy. A short walk
from the hotel brought us to a Park with a fountain that had an Asian sculpture
in the centre of it. As I was moving slowly through the park I came across the
bust of a person with an inscription by the side. I was moved by the historical
significance of it. It was that of Romas Kalanta, a high school student, who became
well known for his act of public self-immolation protesting the Soviet
occupation of Lithuania. On May 14 (strangely, my birthday too!) 1972 he poured
gasoline and set himself on fire in the square adjoining the Laisvės Alėja in
front of the Kaunas Musical Theatre. R. Kalanta' death provoked the largest
post-war riots in Lithuania. Demonstrations spread to other cities as well. Romas
Kalanta became a symbol of the Lithuanian resistance throughout the 1970s and
1980s.
The Kaunas City Hall is in the main square of the Old Town and
is surrounded by buildings with lots of restaurants, bars, coffee-houses,
museums, art galleries and hotels nearby. It was built in the middle of the 16th century when Kaunas was a flourishing
city of merchants and is a fine example of renaissance architecture in Kaunas. The
locals call it The White Swan. In 1836 the City Hall was reconstructed
and was converted as the residence for Russian tzars.
Kaunas was an important center of wax trade in the Middle
Ages. The wax stones (each weighing
nearly 16 kg) were melted in 9 stoves of Kaunas and later stamped with a Coat
of Arms of Kaunas for export to Europe. The unique exposure of the 15th
century wax melting stove near the Tower entrance of the City Hall was opened
in 2002 to give an idea of the wax melting process. By the side of this is the Kaunas Arch-cathedral, the largest
Gothic (with Renaissance and Baroque elements inside) church in Lithuania. It is
said that the church is mentioned in documents dating back to 1413. The Perkunas' House is one of the
most beautiful Gothic buildings in the Old Town. It is called the House of
Thunder because of the "flaming”. The building presently belongs to the
Jesuit order of priests and houses a small museum of the poet Adam Mickewicz.
We walked further in the direction of the Kaunas Castle. The Kaunas Castle was built in the
middle of the 15th century and is the oldest building in Kaunas. The
imposing round tower of the Kaunas Castle today houses an art gallery. The
castle also hosts festivals occasionally. Near the Kaunas castle is the serene Santakos park, which is set at the
confluence of the two largest rivers of Lithuania - the Nemunas and Neris.
The St. George Church is located near Kaunas Castle. The Church's Gothic walls have
survived despite frequent fires. The Church and the adjoining monastery were built
in the 15th century. It is a medieval Gothic monument with unique
façades and the interior is a pleasant mix of valuable Renaissance and Gothic
elements. Complex is under renovation at the moment. The saintly priest seated
at the entrance to the church took pains to explain that the renovation process
is slow due to paucity of funds; how the roof and windows were done first and
how the frescoes are being touched up now. He proudly pointed out to the
paintings contributed by school children and the statue of St George made of
straw! He blessed us as we took leave of him; it was a calming experience.
The Laisvės alėja is Kaunas' most famous walking street, which is only meant
for pedestrians. It runs for almost 2 kms from the Old Town to the Church of
St. Michael the Archangel. Two lines of Linden trees, bench seating and flower
beds run the length of the avenue. There is a good assortment of shops, banks,
supermarkets, restaurants, a cinema, casinos, nightclubs and museums on either
side of the peaceful walkway. I felt as if I would be able to spend the rest of
my stay in Kaunas in the Laisves Aleja and not get bored. It is lively and clean.
It is to one of the restaurants lining the avenue that we settled for dinner. The
Retro Bordo promise great steaks and a variety of drinks. We ordered a glass
each of the local favourites - Svyturys and Kalnapilis beer. The huge portions
of beef and lamb steaks did take its time appearing on the table. But when they
did, they were classic. I also had a pancake with ice cream to wind up dinner.
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