Lithuania: Trakai Castle

Travelling through the Baltic states is most easily done by bus - they are very inexpensive and are in good condition too.  There aren't actually any trains from Poland to Lithuania, not if you want to avoid having to get a Bielorussian visa (even though Poland and Lithuania share a border, the train still goes through Belarus...?)  I took a night bus from Warsaw to Vilnius - pretty comfortable other than the stiff neck in the morning, plus it saved travel time and a night in a hostel.

I had read about this medieval Trakai Castle a short bus ride from the Lithanian capital, Vilnius, so after dropping my bag off at the hostel I set off to go explore it for the day.  One the way there I was lucky enough to meet two American students on exchange to Lithuania and their Lithuanian friend, who was going to show them around Trakai for the day.  We had quite the day exploring the castle and the charming town of Trakai.  It was nice to hang out with other exchange students and speak in English for a while!

Trakai Castle, in Lake Galve.

The castle is located on an island in Lake Galve, a favourite weekend destination for Lithuanians enjoying the beautiful summer weather.  There were also lots of couples taking wedding photos against this beautiful backdrop! Lithuanian weddings last two days: one for church and taking the photos, one for the party! The lake reminded me of the lakes around Kingston.

Lake Galve.

Rowboats on Lake Galve.  Love the colours!

Sailboats on Lake Galve - there were also lots of windsurfers.

It's a custom in Lithuania to put a lock engraved with the names of the happy couple on a bridge on their wedding day, and toss the key into the lake. 

Swans! They baby swans have grey feathers.

The castle was built in the 13th century, at the height of the power of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which once controlled vast areas of eastern Europe.  Destroyed during a Russian invasion in 1655, ironically it was the Soviets who completed the reconstruction of the castle from the ruins in 1987.  It has a very medieval flair to it, including a working pillory I got to test out!  The castle also includes a History Museum, which had some pretty amazing artifacts from different periods of Lithuanian history, including a fantastic collection of Meershaum pipes. 

Entrance to the keep.

View from the inner courtyard.

Defensive towers.

The pillory.  Yep, it still works!

Meershaum pipes in the history museum.  

After all that walking we decided to stop for a traditional Lithuanian pastry at the restaurant shown below.  Kind of like a pizza pop but with lamb and cheese inside - very good when dipped in broth.  We shared one made with nutella inside for dessert - delicious!  Tried kvass, a fizzy drink made from bread.  Had a great time learning about Lithuanian culture and way of life, and exploring the beautiful castle with some new friends. 

Traditional Lithuanian pastry restaurant.