Today we knew it was going to be cold. The hotel staff had already been telling us every day, and so had numerous weather apps….

After breakfast, I went back to the room to put on several layers and then we went out. I’d wanted to visit the bell tower in Cathedral Square, as it was our final full day in Vilnius. It had been closed on New Year’s Day, with it being a public holiday (it is also closed on Sundays). It took us about ten minutes’ walk from the hotel, and there was hardly a soul about. It was minus 7 degrees then, and there was also a little fluttering of snowflakes as we walked.

The bell tower looked a little different to how we’d last seen it on New Year’s Eve. Then, it had had images projected on to its sides, which formed part of the light show. Today it was back to normal, a white tower with lovely arched windows up its side. It is 57 metres tall and is situated next to the Cathedral Basilica of Vilnius where it has stood since the 1200s. Originally part of the defensive wall of Vilnius, it later had its function changed to a belfry tower in the 16th century.

There was no queue when we arrived at the bell tower admission desk. It cost us €6 each to enter. Firstly, we were directed downstairs to watch a video about the bell tower, which had an option for us to watch in English. We then had to climb up the 50 metres of the tower, which is far as we were able to go. The stairs were stone and the first couple of floors were also quite modern to begin with, and it was also quite warm. We then had to go up some more steps and open a door at the top. This is where we could access the remaining steps…and it was suddenly really cold. Getting up was quite tricky as they were steep wooden steps. Trying to get up there wasn’t an easy task and snow flakes were fluttering through the steel mesh covered windows. It was sooooo cold!

Anyway, we saw some amazing views at the top: Cathedral Square, the Three Crosses Monument, the Monument to Grand Duke Gediminas, the three statues on top of the basilica (St. Stanislaus, St. Helena and St. Casimir). We could also see the wooden huts of the Christmas market being dismantled and removed from the square. We didn’t stay up there too long as it was absolutely freezing so made our way back down.

We saw the Stebuklas “Miracle” tile which is part of the paving slabs outside the tower. There used to be more information about it here:

https://walkablevilnius.com/places/the-miracle-tile/

We also found the bronze footprint embedded in the slabs near the tower. This represents the starting point where 2 million people joined hands starting at Vilnius, Lithuania, all the way through to Riga in Latvia, then finally to Tallinn in Estonia. It was a peaceful protest that took place on 23rd August 1989 in response to the occupation of the USSR in the three Baltic states. It grabbed worldwide attention and is known as the Chain of Freedom, or the Baltic Way. It spanned over 600 kilometres from start to finish.

https://www.lithuania.travel/en/news/the-baltic-way-a-human-chain-linking-three-states-in-their-pursuit-of-freedom#:~:text=Eglė%20Burbaitė-,The%20Baltic%20Way%3A%20A%20Human%20Chain%20Linking%20Three,in%20Their%20Pursuit%20of%20Freedom&text=As%20a%20show%20of%20unity,Lithuania%2C%20Latvia%2C%20and%20Estonia.

After leaving Cathedral Square we walked down roads we hadn’t been down before, capturing pictures of street art along the way. We ended up back in Užupis for lunch at a local pizzeria. We then wandered other streets back towards the old town before stopping off at a bar, just to get warm.

https://uzupiopizzeria.lt/meniueng/

Back at the hotel, we had a rest and chilled out before packing most of our things into our bags.

We had a table booked at Markus Ir Ko, a steak restaurant only a 2 minute walk from our hotel. It was fairly quiet when we arrived, with only two tables occupied. One was a Lithuanian family, and the other was a woman asleep with her dog in her lap (I think she had drunk too much). She did not stay long when the dog started barking when it could smell our food!! The menu was a good choice of steak and other meats, with fresh vegetables and salad. It was fabulous meal with great service and we would definitely return.

https://markusirko.lt/?lang=en

So here ends our final evening in the wonderful city of Vilnius.

Did I like it? I loved it.

Did I feel safe? Yes.

Were the people nice? They were lovely.

Would I go back? Most definitely.