Labas rytas! Good morning from Vilnius, Lithuania. Snow and sleet and rain are in the air so we've postponed our first big shopping trip till this afternoon - although the forecast calls for the same weather for several days.
Debbie Spangler, who writes a beautiful blog called "Plot 55," says, "Dad, just do it! Just get started on the blog - don't wait till the perfect time or the perfect idea."
So here goes post no. 1 - some pictures of where we are.
Here's our living room, bedroom, office, as you come in the door.
And this is the view back toward the door. This family room is about 13 ft. by 20 ft., and the ceiling slants from 3 ft. above the head of the bed at the right to 12 ft. on the other side of the room.
A look toward the kitchen and the bathroom. Both of them are 8 ft. by 11 ft. A tiny fridge and a two burner range. No oven, but Liz used a large slow-cooker to make excellent beef stew. And there is an oven that we could use downstairs in the community hospitality room. The shower was lukewarm the first morning, but since then it's been nice and hot!
That's our flat - the two skylights on the left and the little dormer window on the right. We have a little candle holder with seven candles perched in the right window.
We walk through the arch under the bell tower and toward our front door, straight ahead. The apartment building seems to be kind of a senior housing complex and also has an office for social services for the poor and aged - like us! The laundry room is down in the "cave" below the building.
The Lutheran church is on the left - built in 1555, two years before Luther died! Amazing. Our congregation rents space from them and has a service at 9:30 on Sundays. The Lithuanians worship at 11. (Yesterday there was also the annual Danish Christmas service. I went and sat in the back and listened for a familiar carol, but nope - none! But it was fun. The pastor wore the traditional robe with the fancy lace collar. They had communion and a baptism as well. I don't know if they have any other services during the year. The pastor was apparently Danish and didn't seem to know any Lithuanian. He had to call out some instructions to the Lithuanian organist in English!)
The entrance from the street. The gate is locked at 11 pm. But we have a key - a big old heavy one.
A sign posted near the gate. I doubt that you can read it. Reminds me of a similar sign posted outside Protestant churches in Brussels. Both cities, with large Roman Catholic populations and tiny Protestant communities, are not very familiar with "protestants." So the signs try to give a little education.
And this is a larger street view of our gateway. It's a very interesting and busy street, with coffee shops, several banks and ATMs, beauty shops, pizza places, a Hungarian restaurant, a gourmet Italian wine and cheese shop, where, our first evening, I tried out my Lithuanian! The girl spoke perfect English, but she said she appreciated my attempt!
And the street is also very nice because it's a boulevard with a broad path down the middle.
We're just two minutes from the Town Hall square and about a fifteen minute walk downhill toward the Neris River and the cathedral square.
That's probably enough for my first attempt! And now I'll see if I actually can post this!
Warm greetings on a snowy morning in Lithuania!!
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