Thermals and Pigs' Ears

We arrived in Vilnius after a rubbish sleep on a night bus (the driver had his radio onand the music included Chris Rea and Jem) on an overcast morning. Me, Finn and an Aussie guy (ANOTHER!) called Seamuswho was on our bus, decided to head in the wrong direction to find some accomadation. Our collective sense of direction really was appalling - and we were following a map, but after about 40 minutes of lugging our packs around Vilnius we found a room in the 'Arts Academy'run bypossibly the most miserable man we've met so far.Tired and hungrey we decided to headout for some breakfast. After about another40 minutes we settled on a small local'scafe and pointed at some poor woman'splate which looked like pancakes and orderedone each. The pancakescame out and were made of potato and drenched in microwave melted butter and sour cream.The pancakes were also filled with some unknown meat. After carefully eating around the unknown meat, and feeling very queesy,I went backto the room, got into bed andwallowed in my lack of proper breakfast in a slightly too clean and perfect looking city. Poor me.

The nextday,I 'belted up' and stoppedfeeling sorry for myself. It was a perfect blue skyin Vilnius and the first'thermal day'. We decided we needed to get out of the cityand jumped on a bus to Trakai. It's a very small town surrounded by lakes and forests. Right at the very end of the town is a beautiful red brick castle and you cross two bridges to an island to reach it. I felt like I should be in aBollywood film but restrained myself from dancing like an idiot across the bridges.It felt so good to be out of the city.

The following day we appreciated Vilnius much more. It's a beautiful city, but perhaps too beautiful in a way. The old town is very clean and the people are all expensively dressed. It was very different to what I expected andthere almost felt like a falsness to it.However I don't think we were the only ones who felt this because in the afternoon we crossed the river to the Republic of Uzupis. It's a community of poets and artists who 'broke away'and have rules like 'we are all allowed to carefor and stroke the cat' or something. Very nice, and very quiet. That night we went to apub for dinner and Sheamusorderedthe local delicassey of 'pig's ear, peas and mustard'. There wasmuch speculation about what it might look like andwe decided it would be a little pink triangle of hairy meat. It wasn't. Not to be too graphic but it was a WHOLE EAR. As in theoutside ear bit AND THE INSIDE!And it was boiled.And I think someone shaved it. I thinkit was possibly the most revolting thing I've everseen. Apart from that thing I saw at Brighton SeaLifecentreonce. I can't say it'sname cos it still gives me shivers.