Splish, Splash'n in Vilnius

Elder & Sister Davis realize we have been called as Baltic States Missionaries and we have been so busy lately in Riga, Latvia, we thought to ourselves, we aren't doing our job!  We need to visit those YSA's in Lithuania and Estonia and make sure they are having as much fun as we are.

So our first trip was to the south, the city of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania; home to Elder & Sister Flake.

We checked into the Congress Hotel....near Old Town.

And Sister Davis was so very happy....

Not because the bed was soft,  (it wasn't)...



Not because there was free WiFi (she just takes that for granted).... 

 Not because of the hot breakfast included in the price.....

none of those things had the impact of seeing..... 

drumroll, please....

that our room had a BATHTUB!

 

Hallelujah!  It has been nearly a year since Sister Davis got a bath. Our apartment in Riga does not have a bathtub and she is tired of taking only showers. There is nothing quite so relaxing as soaking in a warm, bubble bath.  While in Vilnius for 4 days, Sister Davis took 3 bubble-baths, but that doesn't beat Elder Davis's record. He actually took 2 bubble-baths in one day in that tub. Ahhhh!

True luxury.

Splish, splash, I was takin' a bath
Long about a Monday night,

A rub dub, just relaxin' in the tub
Thinkin' everythin' was alright!

It  was raining when we started walking to the "teaching center" in downtown Vilnus.  So we were splish'n and a splash'n through the puddles on the way to FHE.

Anton ( a recent convert) and Brigita ready to start FHE with Sister Flake. Elder & Sister Davis provided the pizza but where are the other YSA's?

They must have been a-splishin' and a-splashin'
Reelin' with the feelin'
Movin' and a-groovin'
Rockin' and a-rollin'...

because by the end of the evening,  we ended up with 7 YSA's, and 6 missionaries at FHE.

Anton.....

And then we played a new game:  Phase 10....

The next day, we picked up Elder & Sister Flake and did a little sight-seeing.

A- well-a, splish, splash, I forgot about the bath
I went and put my walking boots on...

First Stop:  Cathedral Square. It's the main square of  downtown Vilnius and is a very popular attraction in Lithuania.  In the square, is the Vilnius Cathedral built in 1251. Most of the current church is from the late 1700's and looks like a Greek Temple. It was closed by the Soviets in 1950 and used as a picture gallery until given back to the Catholic Church in 1989.

google image

You can see how massive this place is by how tiny the people look in the front of the Cathedral.

 

Bing, bang, the church bells rang
walking down an Old Town street

Flip, flop, I didn't want to stop
All the sight-seeing was such a treat.

 Vilnius Cathedral Belfry

And this is the founder of Vilnius,  Grand Duke Gediminas and his horse. Gediminas had a dream and was told to build a castle near the River Vilnia.  A town was built around the castle and Gediminas announced Vilnius as the nations capital in 1323.

  

In the center of Cathedral Square is this unique tile.

Stebuklas is the  Lithuanian word for miracle. 

This tile is said to be the exact place where the "Baltic Way" started in Lithuania. 

What is the Baltic Way, you ask?

In August 1939,  foreign ministers Vyacheslav Molotov,  from the USSR, and Joachim von Ribbentrop, representing Germany, acting for Stalin and Hitler, signed a treaty which affected the fate of Europe. This pact, and it's secret clauses, divided up countries to either the USSR or Germany and led to World War II, and to the occupation of the three Baltic States - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 50 years later, on 23 August 1989, the three nations living by the Baltic Sea surprised the world by taking hold of each other's hands and jointly demanding recognition of the secret clauses in the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and the re-establishment of the independence of the Baltic States. More than a million people joined hands to create a 600 km long human chain from the foot of Toompea in Tallinn to the foot of the Gediminas Tower in Vilnius, crossing Riga and the River Daugava on its way, creating a synergy in the drive for freedom that united the three countries. The Baltic Way  showed how three small countries - the Baltic States, regardless of their unique, individual national characteristics, had a common goal - to overcome the consequences of World War II and to destroy the totalitarian regimes.   The Baltic were united together in peace. Second Stop on our sight-seeing tour:  The Upper Castle Tower which is located up a steep hill. It was a bit chilly out so Elder & Sister Flake suggested a quicker route: the funicular! View from the bottom I was a-rollin' and a-strollin' Reelin' with the feelin'

                                       

                            View from the top:

Movin' and a-groovin'

Splishin' and a-splashin', yeah

 At the top of the hill was another short climb to the tower.

Good view of Vilnius

 

This is the place, where in 1993,
Elder M. Russell Ballard dedicated the country of Lithuania for missionary work.

 This photo is important because of the smokestack in the middle of the picture.

The smokestack has smoke coming out of it...which is good news. The heating system in Lithuania is communal. All the heat comes into homes from hot water brought under the streets to radiators in homes.  That smoke means heat to homes...and Elder & Sister Flake had been waiting for their heat to be turned on for several weeks because it's getting cold.

Vilnius is a curious mixture of new and old...

We were curious about this group of workers installing a sod lawn on this very steep hill. The sod was slid down a metal chute to where the men stood on the hill wearing spiked shoes putting each piece neatly into place.

Medieval Missionaries....

The beautiful fall leaves still on the trees...

Pilies Street....one of the busiest streets in Old Town.

Lunch was in a basement under an old building...

Brigita told us where to find the BEST ice cream in Vilnius....Dione's.

 

It is all hand made and wonderfully delicious...

"Well,  how was I to know there was a party going on..."

I was a rollin' and a strollin', reelin' with the feelin',
Movin and a groovin', splishin' and a splashin, yeah!

with gratitude for Bobby Darin and his song "Splish Splash"