The cold grey conditions of yesterday have not gone away today. Only difference
as been a lack of much rain. Just a little during the morning.
Tally for today:
Two churches, one town hall, walking (partly to keep warm) around the old town.
First up I went into the large church in the square just up from the guest
house. High spacious interior but much plainer than most churches I seem to
visit. It is a military forces church as well as public. Stations of the Cross
are done by a series of modern almost abstract oil paintings, hung in sequence
along the pillars. There was still and old lady progressing slowing from
painting to painting and kneeling to pray before each picture. At one side of
the front of the church was a plain white statue of Mary but without all the
attachments and decorations of other churches, although there were candles
burning.
What I liked however was on the other side. Here instead of an anguished Christ
on the Cross which would normally be the case, they had a statue, bit like a
wood carving, of Christ sitting on a chair, with his head resting in his hands.
Still looking sad but quite a different impression to being on the Cross. A very
plain curved white backing to it, made it all very simple yet meaningful.
There was a steady flow of folk coming to sit and or knee in the church in quiet
contemplation.
Today I headed off along the tree lined avenue again. On the way I regular
notices about the free wi-fi coverage all along the street. I wounder if it is
a faster service than here at the guest house?
The end of the avenue merges into the Old Town with its older (of course)
buildings and narrower streets, some hardly wide enough to take a car down
them. I worked out in one such street that the pavements were just two feet
wide which must be about 600 mm. So to pass someone, one had to step out onto
the road.
Into the old town and I found a photo exhibition in a small park. The large
photos on display all showed transport in Kaunas during the early part of the
20th century. Interesting seeing the empty streets and the old buses and horse
drawn trams. There was a tour group of old people looking at the display as
well. One lady wanted and did take a photo of me because I was wearing my
colourful knitted beanie to keep warm. This is not the normal head wear around
here, in fact most people don't seem to wear anything on their head.
Next along was another church. This was large red brick and was the largest
gothic church in the city. It had an impressive looking organ up high at the
back of the church. I would loved to have heard it playing. There was the usual
mixture of worshipers and sightseers.
Around the corner was the town square with the old town hall in the middle.
Today apparently it has little more function than to act as a wedding service
centre with the registrar in attendance. A nicely up dated interior without
loosing the old feel. I chatted to one man who could only speak Russian but
another who could understand a little English translated. We talked about
photography and where I had come from and was I traveling alone etc.
Wandered down to the riverside a couple of blocks away. It was wide and judging
from the height of the stop banks it can get pretty high in a flood. A few
hundred metres downstream and another river joins into it.
I wandered back to the square along some back streets and found some old
abandoned buildings which were great to photograph. The highest was at least
three stories and on the top floor was a door with the remnants of a crane
sticking out. So I assumed that it must have been a storehouse of some sort or
a mill.
In the square was the groups of school children being escorted around by
teachers. Once again the students were well behaved. There were a number who
would pause to photograph each other with their digital cameras in front of
every statue in the square. Mostly girls were doing this and each would take a
model like pose for the picture.
Then along a block or two to see the castle – a small a fair which is closed
for renovation – well it looked more like a rebuild. A bit of the old town
wall ran up to the tower. The castle is, or is going to be, the Tourist
Information Centre.
By 2:30pm there were lots of school children walking home. High school rather
than primary. A lot of the girls had smart shortish check or tartan like skirts
and some had a blazer. The boys were all in mufti.
Lots of little shops in the back alleys of the old town. Whereas the main and
slightly wider, street had a number of tourist targeted shops in the mix, in
these back streets the shops were much more for locals. Some were very
fashionable, a painting gallery, some w omen's clothing shops, a mini mart and
lots of restaurants. None very large. There was a steady flow of locals walking
with purpose as well as the odd tourist like me walking more slowly and gazing
around.
I stopped along the main avenue for a late lunch or early dinner. It was 4pm. I
had beef prepared in coffee and blue vein brie with vegetables. The vegetables
included several roasted chillies which turned out to have retained their chili
heat. I didn't really feel that I could spot the coffee and blue brie flavour
but it was a nice warm meal which with a local beer cost around NZ$15.
Back at the guest house and the warmth of my room I took a moment to lay down.
Next thing I knew it was over two hours latter. Obviously sleep was needed at
that moment. Certainly my feet appreciated the rest. Actually I have a blister
on one heel which I am taking care of and keeping a plaster on. So foot care is
a concern at present.
The usual problems on the Internet. Problem getting the signal and problem
staying on line. At one moment there is a signal then there is nothing. Loading
web pages is so slow that the browser times them out and I just get a no go
message.
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