Vilnius and just some of its marvels.
I took the train from Kaunas to Vilnius, the capital and this was my first sight of the railway station...
...I wasn't quite prepared for the size of some of the locals at the station such as this chap who was more than two storeys high.
The front of the station facing the city.
An architecturally interesting building and it was well preserved but it had no plaque to identify its origins or its current used but obviously of some importance given the grandeur.
Just one of many Art Deco style buildings throughout the city but since I had already taken so many photos of buildings, I restricted myself to posting just this one from Vilnius.
The Vilnius main synagogue, not that I made a point of visiting it, I just happened to be lucky to pass it.
And another building that I passed was the Gediminas Tower, an iconic symbol of the city but sadly for aficionados, a reproduction built on the ruins and all that remains of a very extensive fortification...
...as I was on my way to the highest point in Vilnius, the Three Crosses monument, alleged site of where several Christian missionaries were murdered by local pagans.
..
A view from the Three Crosses towards the Gediminais Tower and the small though interesting museum that it also holds. The Grand Dues of Lithuania's palace is the partly obscured white building to the left.
An after a long walk down one hill and across the river and up to the top of another hill, I reached the Gediminas Tower
From the Gediminas Tower is a side view of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania...
..and after another long walk down a hill and around the base of the Gediminas Tower, I reached the entrance to Grand Dukes' palace in Vilnius.
Inside to the left of the entree looking back was some fine architecture and to the left of that...
...was the Observation Tower and another range of buildings.
There was a lot to see inside the museum which was an odd mixture of both news and ancient as modern concrete pillars to support the buildings above had been driven through the foundations of the original palace and the courtyard to expose all the ancient cellars and foundations of some of the original buildings. Foundation stones and walls are not my things so I was only too happy to get above ground to see something more to my taste.
The library...not particularly interesting but after an hour of subterranean dusty foundations, so much better!
The Grand Duke's Throne Room...
...a detail of the ceiling...
...an oven in order to keep the room warm in one of many state rooms...
...one of the Grand DUke's private rooms...
...such as his study, leading onto his...
...dressing room and beyond that was his...
...state bedroom.
There were more foundations to see, exhibits and public areas to see but I just walked through them in order to tick the box and get on to see something else such as the cathedral's west entrance...
...with its south side overlooking Cathedral Square...
...dominated by its separate Bell Tower.
I walked up Pilies to the Town Hall...
...past several churches but I am only going to post a picture of one, St Nicholas'...plus...
...just one of many old buildings along the route....plus...
...one of the most important Medieval pilgrim sites in Europe...the Gates Of Dawn...
...plus the easily recognisable symbols for pilgrims next to the door of the scallop steel in familiar colours that all ancient and even modern pilgrims will recognise. The shrine which is imposing and glittered in gold but is a small chapel , much reverred with observant pilgrims making their way up the stairs to the shrine above the main central window.
The other side of the Gates of Dawn is just a regular defensive gate of the era ad the only city gate to survive.
Nearby the Gates of Dawn is a much more modern construction of a bastion to add to the defences of the city's walls
The outer face of the bastion...
...a detail of the bastion...
...the city side and entree to the bastion...
...the 48 metres long tunnel down to the bottom of the bastion....
...an a couple of views of the lower chamber housing canons.
A candle in the centre with a Santa Claus on Blackbridge Lane
A gingerbread house outside the main post office
Father christmas and an Elf
