Trakai, Lithuania Jun 8, 2015

On the recommendation of a friend, I did another side trip today outside of Vilnius.

This time it was to Trakai, Lithuania, home of the Trakai Island Castle -
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Trakai_Island_Castle

I can't believe how easy travel is in these countries and how very very inexpensive.  I read up and I asked my hotel people for confirmation about how to get to there, and everything I read and heard was confirmed.

A.  You go to bus station
B.  You buy ticket (1.77 Euro = approx $2 one way) - ticket sellers also speak English
C.  You go to platform designated and get on bus
D.  You go to Island
E.  When you get to Island, you have to walk a ways to get to the castle, but it's not that far.
F.  To get back home, you reverse the process.

That's all it takes.  So for $4 round trip, and approx 6 Euro to enter the castle, you can't beat the experience.

I lucked out and made a friend from Denmark on the bus.  We spent the morning together talking about our travels, and enjoying the Trakai adventure.  He went on to another city early in the afternoon, but I came home to see another part of Vilnius.

Anyway, Trakai is about a 25 minute bus ride from the center of Vilnius - if you have traffic working with you.  I'm sure on weekends and busy hours, it might take a little longer.

We made good time, though, and the drive there was just like the drive from Riga to Vilnius - very scenic.  It's like driving through a perpetual forest in these places.  Lots of villages and settlements dotting the landscape, but nothing jarring or unexpected - just green and beautiful.

When you get to the bus station at the other end, you are welcomed by this:

Wouldn't that be great to wake up to on a Monday any time?

For those of you who like maps and readable info:

As warned, it is a walk from the bus station to the castle, but if you have someone to talk to and you're surrounded by really interesting stuff, the time just seems to go by.  Here's what we saw along the way:

Then you get to the first wooden bridge that takes you across to the first island. And once you get across that island, you come to the 2nd bridge that brings you right in front of the castle:

The next photos are out of sequence, but it will give you an idea of what the castle looked like from the outside:

Those last two were taken from the 1st island, and believe me if they had river boat cruises, I was not going to sign up.  I think that little white haired lady from the Lutheran Church might have had a hand in this....

Anyway, here are some more shots of the castle exterior and interior:

And of course every castle has its museum housing all its treasures - this one had several little rooms dedicated to a variety of objects:

Those look like actual horns on the helmet...

For my friends who are into "bead" work...

After getting a good look at the inside, I went out and walked around the castle:

The water is so clear..

Some trinkets that were available in the souvenir shop:

So, it's just around 12:30, and I'm ready to head back home.  I get back to the bus stop, and there is already a bus sitting there with the sign Trakai - Vilnius.  I board, pay the driver, and within minutes, we are heading back to the city.

As I was making my way to the park, I chanced upon another church I had somehow missed from yesterday - The Church of All Saints - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Church_of_All_Saints,_Vilnius

No more churches.  I promise.

On to Kalnai Park - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Kalnai_Park

I saw this park during my walk on Sunday, and I wanted to come back when I was not so tired.  Today was a perfect day for being outside.

Couldn't have picked a better day to be outside.

I hope you enjoyed the walks.

Steve