Tripping With Toby: Trakai, Lithuania

Sept. 28, 2018- Trakai, Lithuania

We found a Hippo!! It’s only the second day of our trip and David found a ceramic hippo for our granddaughter Rylee’s collection. If you’re new to my travel emails, we have successfully searched out hippos for her in every place we’ve been. Sometimes it’s a group effort and sometimes we get lucky as we did today. Sigh.

At 8:30 AM we were held captive by a lecture from a brilliant man who had spent his career representing Lithuania globally. He had a thick accent and recited the ups and downs of the country through occupations and into the EU. After bemoaning the exodus of youth, he told us their primary destination. It is Ireland. The reason is higher unemployment compensation there than Lithuania. Try as they may, they can’t even get Syrian refugees to come here. The EU assigned Lithuania to accept 1150 Syrians. About 18 families came. Once they had documents they fled to Sweden. There are a million Lithuanians in the US. Some 95% voted for Trump. They thought he’d be tough against Russia.

There is linguistic evidence that eons ago Lithuania was more appealing. Northern Indians were among the first settlers. Trakai was the first capital and its rebuilt 14th century castle was our destination. We floated across a windswept lake to the island fortress and walked many steps to see replicas based on supposition. There were no original plans or drawings on which to base the restoration. It was a fly by the seat of the pants project furnished with items guaranteed not to be authentic. The exercise was pleasant and the weather held.

We walked to lunch at a restaurant owned by members of the Karaite community. They were originally from Northern Turkey, but in the early 14th century, while living in Crimea, they were taken as prisoners of war. They became loyal to the Lithuanian rulers and were made into guards by the 15th century. Karaites don’t consider themselves Jews (even Hitler determined they were not). A Google search lists them as a Jewish sect. They follow only the Old Testament and translate it from Aramaic into the language of the country where they live. They do not follow Talmud, nor do they have rabbis. Instead, they have priests who are elected. They celebrate biblical holidays and follow biblical dietary law. For example, they don’t eat pork or shellfish, but do mix dairy and meat. They pass their traditions to their children at home and at summer camps.

We were lucky enough to have a cooking lesson making krinis. They are baked meat pies formed into crescents. We donned hairnets and aprons and followed the demonstration in rolling the dough and crimping the edges. The filling had been pre-mixed and was dropped onto our dough rounds. Pies were labeled with our names and became part of lunch. The meal began with chicken soup served in a crock covered with thin dough similar to a pot pie. They served their proprietary drink, Karaimu, and, after tasting it, we had a chance to buy a bottle. We didn’t. I don’t know anyone I would punish like that.

Our last stop for the day was at the Museum of Genocide victims. Housed in the KGB prison, the main thrust was depicting the processing, execution, and deportation of Lithuanians under Soviet rule. There was a small room dedicated to Nazi extermination of Jews, but this is covered more thoroughly at another venue. Our guide said that most Lithuanians today were touched by a loss due to the KGB. Most in our group reacted with horror. As inhumane as the place was, we’ve seen worse. Some said it was being in the actual place where atrocities occurred rather than a “museum” such as the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC that moved them. To us, being at Auschwitz-Birkenau was our litmus test.

As an update, we learned that the piano in the river and bridge with locks pictures in yesterday’s email were taken in a community called Uzupis. It declared itself an independent territory where fairness and equality rule. It is similar in concept to Christiania in Copenhagen, a place where drugs are available and undercover police roam. Here, it is more an art community.

Tomorrow we travel 4 1/2 hours (with sites along the way) to Klaipeda. It is a beach town. Should be a good change.

Toby