Lithuania. Kaunas

Kaunas is our favorite city in Lithuania. Diana was born here, and her close relatives live here. We have many pleasant memories associated with Kaunas. Our first trips together were to this city...

 Over time, Kaunas Castle has undergone significant changes. The tower was rebuilt, now housing a museum, and a bridge was constructed over the moat to the castle...

    

   View of St. George's Church from the castle tower...

 A monument to Pope John Paul II near the church...

  Holy Trinity Church...

   A monument to the famous Lithuanian poet Maironis...

  Whimsical statues...

  A fountain...

  Kaunas has phone booths reminiscent of London...

   Central Square of Kaunas...

  The Town Hall – the main symbol of the city...

 Another major attraction is the House of Perkūnas – the god of thunder and lightning, named after a bronze statuette of Perkūnas was found in its walls. Today, the house belongs to the Jesuit Gymnasium...

  Vytautas the Great Church – the oldest church in Kaunas...

  Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul...

   Strolling through the central streets of the old town... 

 St. Michael the Archangel Church, built in the Neo-Byzantine style, and a Roman Catholic church in Kaunas...

  Laisvės Alėja – the main pedestrian boulevard of the city, lined with many cafes and shops ...  

   In Kaunas, we have a small tradition of eating Lithuanian cottage cheese donuts – "spurgos" – at one of the establishments on Laisvės Alėja. But finding "national donuts" was not easy... However, there were plenty of American-style donuts in the cafes. Here’s what real Lithuanian "spurgos" look like...

   The eternal flame :

   The History Museum with lions at the entrance...

 The famous Jurgis Kairys Bridge, named after the pilot who flew under it upside down in a sports plane in 2000...

  On the terrace of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ...

 Pazaislis Monastery – a monastic complex located on a peninsula of the Kaunas Reservoir...

    Built in the Italian Baroque style...

  Near the monastery is the Kaunas Yacht Club...

  A race of one of the water formula classes...

  We loved this restaurant of traditional Lithuanian cuisine...

 Everything here is done in an old-fashioned style, even the waiters are dressed in traditional ancient costumes... 

   For lunch, we had Lithuanian cold beet soup – šaltibarščiai...

   And traditional Lithuanian potato sausages – vėdarai...

   We chose mead – a traditional Lithuanian low-alcohol drink made from honey...

    

 It's also worth mentioning the aquarium in one of the shopping centers, which is among the top ten largest aquariums in shopping centers worldwide...

 The main attraction of the aquarium is that it houses two sharks, which draw the most attention from visitors...

  We spent wonderful days in Kaunas. In the mornings, I managed to go for a run, exploring several dozen trails in the incredibly green parts of the city, and I had the chance to soak in the morning atmosphere of Kaunas streets. Leaving Kaunas, we know for sure that we will return soon, as we have so many connections to this city...