Europe Mania…Lithuania!

Red Rover Red Rover, Can Randy Come Over?
Usually the tickle in my tummy on the airplane comes from turbulence and/or a slight fear of flying (who would’ve imagined, right?) But this nervous feeling was from something totally different. As we touched down in Vilnius, Lithuania, I was the fifth passenger off. The anxiety increased with every step further into the airport. I was praying there would be no uniformed officers checking passports in hopes to snag an American like me. It was October 1^st, 2020, and most of the world was still in lockdown mode – Americans were at the top of the “unwanted” list. All it took was an official to ask to see my passport and I was done for. The most nerve-wracking part was not knowing what to expect. In a normal year, one can travel between EU nations with zero border control. But of course 2020 was anything but a normal year. Rules and regulations were changing by the minute, including many European Union nations who wrote up their own rules, re-secured their internal borders, and even banned entry of people from fellow EU nations. It was all extremely difficult to keep up with, and I’d already lost a small fortune on airline tickets due to some last minute pivots required to conform to the ever-changing rules. But here I was, on the ground in Vilnius, heading towards the airport exit – I was almost “in.”

Moment of Truth
I passed through baggage claim and could tell I was probably just feet from the exit. I was feeling positive. Passport control is always before you hit the luggage area, so I figured I was out of the woods. I was wrong. My heart stopped as I saw four uniformed officials checking documents of the passengers in front of me. Crap! I had my story ready and backup flights if I was turned away. It was midnight and I wondered what would happen if they didn’t let me in: Would they let me at least stay in a hotel near the airport for the night…or would I end up sleeping on the floor inside the airport – or worse, sleeping in a cell? I already had my backup plan in place: I could be in Zanzibar by Saturday if they didn’t let me in.

I brought up the QR code I’d downloaded to my phone before I left: I’d filled out the mandatory national travel/entry form online which recorded my data and issued me the code. As I walked towards the officers, I held up my phone to show them. They said, “Okay thank you,” as I passed without having to stop. 15 seconds later I walked out of the airport doors and out onto the curb where I let out the biggest sigh of relief. It was nothing short of a miracle – Americans were not allowed in Lithuania. I was now officially in country #150.

I grabbed a taxi to the hotel and I was out. I’d been up for two days – it was so nice to finally have a bed. I was up at 10:30am and out the door soon after to walk the old city.

I enjoyed Vilnius. My time here was uneventful, but very pleasant. I stopped for blueberry pancakes and coffee at Gusto Blyninė before beginning my walk down those cobblestone roads. The town was clean and relatively quiet – I don’t remember hearing one car horn. The weather was crisp and the leaves were just beginning to drop. Fall was in the air.

Doing Old Man Things
I enjoyed a peaceful stroll through Bernardine Gardens, watching ducks float down the river like an old man. My head was still spinning from all of the border drama and I did my best to slow it down.

After the gardens I enjoyed more exploring, checking out the various beautiful old buildings and churches before taking a climb up to the top of the Bell Tower at St. John’s Church. A few hours later I found myself back in bed. I needed a nap.

Foraging for Food
After a nice snooze at the hotel, it was time to venture out for dinner. I walked a couple of miles to and from my first pick, which had either closed down or moved. I wandered into a traditional Lithuanian restaurant but nothing on the menu excited me. I finally decided on The Georgian House. Although it wasn’t the local fare, I sure did enjoy that khachapuri. After dinner, it was back to the hotel to get a few winks before my 4AM taxi.

RAMBLIN’ TIP: I stayed at the Domus Maria which looked more like a fort than a hotel, with big giant walls surrounding the grounds. The location and price were great – I recommend. You can book the Domus Maria HERE.

The Pleasure Was All Mine
Country #150 would’ve been a little unceremonious, if it wasn’t for the fact that Americans weren’t allowed in at the time – that made it special and definitely added some excitement to the whole thing. Vilnius was a great city: clean, classic and peaceful enough to give me the reset I needed before marching on with this major fall expedition. Latvia up next, kids!