Vilnius, Lithuania - Day 61: Biking to the Green lakes

Vilnius has a vast network of bike lanes and car-free parks that make it an ideal city to explore on a bicycle.

After having traveled through the better part of Eastern Europe, I now know that a city that has dedicated bike lanes and biker friendly roads speaks volumes of its respect for the environment. It is also indicative of a certain lifestyle - chances are that the locals do not suffer from obesity, spend a lot of time in the outdoors and live a simpler life. A biker for example will only buy provisions sufficient for tonight's meal which can fit in his bike basket. Compare this to an average American who needs all the space in his SUV to transport his monthly supply of groceries from COSTCO. I don't want to make this an essay about the benefits of non-polluting vehicles, but suffice to say that I hope this current global financial crisis gets people to rethink the cost efficiencies and health benefits of riding a bike to work, school or the local grocery store. We spent all of today biking nearly 40 kms around Vilnius' main park and then to the beautiful Green Lakes nestled in the thick forests of Verikai Regional Park.

There was a certain energy that filled the air as we approached the lakes - echoes of children laughing as they jumped into the water rang through the trees and suddenly the forest cleared up and the sun lit up the clearest green waters I have ever seen.

Vilnius, Lithuania - Day 60: Making new friends

We met Ivona yesterday on the train from Sestokai to Vilnius. Isaac kept jumping up on his seat and peering over her shoulder prompting us to start a conversation. Perhaps the nicest part of a journey like this is the opportunity to make new friends.

Ivona invited us to her home for dinner in Vilnius this evening with no qualms of us being strangers that she had just met on a train.

We had a lovely dinner and the fantastic company of her husband and multi-lingual children. Ivona is one of those interesting people who can talk passionately on just about any subject under the sun - world music, Montessori education, travel destinations, languages....

I sincerely hope we get to meet and hang out again.

Warsaw-Sestokai-Vilnius - Day 59: Day trains

If train schedules permit, we prefer overnight trains. It kills 2 birds with one stone (morbid expression, but I can't think of any other); We save on a night's accommodation AND sleeping is a better option than running behind a very active toddler!

Unfortunately, only day trains run between Warsaw and Vilnius with a switch of trains at Sestokai (a town that borders Poland and Lithuania). All in all, it took about 9 hours, and since there are no restaurant cars, we have to shop, pack and travel with enough food and milk to sustain our son. Thankfully, Eastern European trains seem to run half empty, so there is always lots of room to stretch out and catch up on some reading/writing.


That's Isaac amusing himself with some strange stuffed giraffe ritual.

Warsaw, Poland - Day 59: 20 years of freedom

Before we arrived in Poland, T had warned me that Warsaw was perhaps the most polluted and dirty city he had seen when he visited as a boy in the early 90's after the fall of communism.

A CNN article once wrote - ...'there was a time in Poland when the economy was so maddeningly out of touch with the needs of its people that anyone lucky enough to own a car would remove their windshield wipers at night and take them inside. In their command economy -- oblivious to the laws of supply and demand -- some official forgot to order wipers and consequently, they weren't for sale anywhere. Inspired by a hungry black market, thieves would work late into the night snapping them up.'

20 years later, Warsaw has little trace of the city my husband and the article said it once was. It has clean modern buildings, a beautiful preserved old town and very few reminders of the decades of Soviet neglect.

The timing of our visit couldn't have been better - Warsaw is full of infectious energy - street art, concerts and exhibits celebrating 20 years of the transition from communism to capitalism and the 'Autumn of Nations' . For 3 days, we walked through an open air exhibit near the old town - an inspiring reminder of the sequence of events that led to the breakaway from Soviet domination.

Warsaw, Poland - Day 56-58: Perogis and 'Milk bars'

Last night, we had dinner at Zgoda Grill bar - a Polish restaurant that served up heavenly perogis and warm red wine. Polish perogis are very similar to Tibetian Momos or Chinese dumplings - just lighter and way more tastier! T's best friend - Robert is of Polish descent has always waxed eloquent about the comfort of warm homemade perogis. We loved it so much, we went back twice.


Today we had lunch at a Polish "milk bar" that I chanced to read about online. The food itself was plain and watery, but the experience was priceless - trying to decipher a huge Polish menu list tacked to a wall and watching matronly women serve up large portions from steaming vessels. Milk Bars are one of the few remnants of the Communist era - basically a cafeteria style restaurant that provided subsidised food to Polish factory workers much like a company canteen.

Prague - Warsaw, Day 55 : Polish train safety

When planning our train travels through Eastern Europe, we had come across several warnings about Polish overnight trains. What had me most nervous were 'gassing incidents' - passengers in coupes who were gassed before being robbed of their belongings. We checked with several sources and everyone said it was safe now and that the incidents were more of an urban myth.

We got safely (and uneventfully) from Prague to Warsaw. Interestingly, we were told at the ticket counter that the only available tickets were 2 upper berths in a 4 passenger couchette. We bought it grudgingly with visions of being pushed off the upper berth by my toddler who I would have to share it with.

The coupe turned out to be 6 berth couchette and completely empty! So much for the Polish train reservation system!

Prague, Chech Republic - Day 52-55 : Wrestling tourist mobs!

It took us 4 hours and 3 different trains to get us from the lil' town of Velke Mezirci (where Lucia and Matt had their reception) to Prague. There are buses that ply that route in less than 2 hours but getting Isaac to actually sit on a bus seat seemed highly improbable, so we opted for the train(s).

Prague is pretty without a doubt but what overwhelmed me was the quantum of tourists (even in this cold damp weather!). At times I was elbow wrestling just to get them from stepping on my toes. T had to fly to London for a potential job interview, so Isaac and I had about a day to ourselves. With T gone, I stuck to simple domesticity - walked through town, took Isaac to a park beneath Charles Bridge and cooked a Kerala fish curry paired with some chilled Chech beer. Large departments stores (such as TESCO) are so homogenised, even in Prague I can pick up the fish, coconut milk and spices to make such a peculiarly regional dish!