Why Lithuania? I blame Buzzfeed. My family and I were in the midst of planning a Northern European Summer vacation and we came across one the lists that Buzzfeed curates titled, 25 Reasons Why Vilnius is the Worst. This tongue and cheek photographic display sold us. Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia were already on the list and Lithuania made natural geographic sense, even though Vilnius is the only inland Baltic capital city. It was an inexpensive and short flight costing less than $100 from Berlin, our last stop. So, let me just show you the beauty of this country and its Bucket List worthiness.
Old Town – Vilnius, Lithuania.
There are even teapots stuccoed inside parts of the walls of Old Town – Vilnius, Lithuania.
More Old Town – Vilnius, Lithuania.
Gediminas Tower – Vilnius, Lithuania.
View from Gediminas Tower – Vilnius, Lithuania.
St.Anne’s (The brick church in the front) and Bernardine Church (the pink-salmon colored facade in between the brick spires) are both examples of Roman Catholic Gothic architecture – Vilnius, Lithuania. 
During the Franco-Russian War of 1812 it was rumored that Napoleon loved this church so much that he wanted to bring it back to Paris with him, even if it meant brick by brick – Vilnius, Lithuania.
Beautifully painted facade in Old Town – Vilnius, Lithuania.
Trakai Castle, a castle with its own natural moat – Trakai, Lithuania. Located 17 miles/ 28km from Vilnius.
Enjoy a delicious half pint, or more, at a restaurant alongside Lake Galvė. The local beers are delicious and this Pilsner style paired with a warm summer evening perfectly – Trakai, Lithuania.
Try the delicious fresh wild strawberries (Summer season) – Trakai Castle Island, Lithuania.
You can find these delicious berries for sale during the summer along the pathway around Trakai Island Castle – Trakai, Lithuania.
Fresh cherries are also delicious (Summer season) – Trakai Castle Island, Lithuania.
Kenesa, a Persian Synagogue, part of Trakai’s multicultural legacy. This city was settled by by Karaims (Turkic Crimeans), Lithuanians, Russians, Jews, Poles, and Crimean Tatars. A true multi ethnic and multi religious small city. This was a stone’s throw from Trakai Castle – Trakai, Lithuania.
Waterfront building on Lake Galvė – Trakai, Lithuania.
Rent a row boat or a sail boat to explore the gorgeous Lake Galvė to get a unique perspective on Trakai Castle and its beautiful surroundings – Trakai, Lithuania.
Pay the entrance fee to go inside this amazingly restored castle. Today the Lithuanian government even uses the halls of this part of the castle, The Ducal Palace, to host foreign dignitaries – Trakai Castle, Lithuania.
One of the highlights of our trip to Lithuania was this balloon ride. We paid around $450 USD for this one hour sunset flight around Trakai Castle. $450 can be steep, but divided between three people it gave us plenty of room to take pictures and truly enjoy the magic this place evokes – Trakai, Lithuania.
Surrounding forests near Trakai, Lithuania.
Trakai Castle from hot air balloon – Trakai, Lithuania.
More Trakai Castle and surrounding town from hot air balloon – Trakai, Lithuania.
You can’t see it in the picture, but locals would come out and wave to you as the balloon passed by. Countryside – Trakai Province, Lithuania.
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin and St. Bendict’s Church from hot air balloon – Trakai Province, Lithuania.
Šiauliai, a 2.5 hour drive from Vilnius lies the incredible testament of faith and the human spirit, The Hill of Crosses – Šiauliai, Lithuania.
Lithuanians and Poles, predominately Roman Catholics, started populating this small hill with crosses back in the late 1700s/ early 1800s as a way of honoring rebels that had perished during Russian rule. The number of crosses started to grow, but then were squashed by the ruling Orthodox Russians, the number of crosses on the hill numbered as small as 30 to low 100s – Šiauliai, Lithuania.
During Soviet times peopled continued to plant crosses on this hill as a way of showing national identity and or to testify their faith, despite the risk of being imprisoned by the atheist Soviet state. The hill was completely bulldozed three times during Soviet Rule – Šiauliai, Lithuania.
There are now more than 100,000 crosses planted here – Šiauliai, Lithuania.
Even as a non-religious person, the courage and faith that people possessed to defy those in power to claim their own faith and or own identity, is an extremely moving and beautiful experience. This sacred site is a place where you can feel the faith and spirit of the Lithuanian people – Šiauliai, Lithuania.
People often ask me what some of my favorite places to travel are. Lithuania has become one of those treasured places, especially as a must see in Northern Europe/ The Baltics. The friendly people, their indomitable spirit, the delicious summer produce, beautiful landscapes and architecture are the perfect recipe for a truly wonderful, bucket list worthy destination.
Wanderlust In Focus 