A Journey Between Two Seas

I landed safely yesterday, having been out of my country for a two-week trip to Lithuania and Poland. This was a long-awaited trip because I was first inspired to make it five years ago, when Lithuania became the first country where we could use the name "Taiwan" for our representative office in Europe. A lover of both history and culture, I learned in my subsequent preparations about the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which, before being partitioned three times, had been the largest state in Europe, with its territories spanning between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. I was fascinated by the rise and fall of the commonwealth and decided to include Poland in my trip as well. 

So I embarked on this dream journey and arrived in Vilnius after a 23-hour journey with connections in Hong Kong and Frankfurt. Three days later, I traveled to Kaunas by train. The next destination was Warsaw, followed by Krakow, where I took my return flight that took slightly less time (thanks to jet stream) with connections in Zurich and Hong Kong. I discovered and enjoyed countless things during this solo travel, and kept a travelogue on Facebook every day. Still, as a serious blogger I felt obliged to conclude this unusual journey with a blog post, using a few photos taken during the trip.

I love the Lithuanian pub next to my hostel, and visited it three nights in a row during my stay in Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania. As a beer enthusiast, I enjoyed every single Lithuanian beer recommended by the bartender, though I knew little about the extensive history of Lithuanian breweries. I also loved Lithuanian fried bread, said to be one of the best beer snacks. Inspired, I actually purchased dark rye bread from the supermarket as a snack to bite during the day, too. The vibe in the bar was extraordinary for me because of the historical state flag of Lithuania hung on the wall. Also known as the Vytis flag, it features the knight, or Vytis ("The Chaser"), carrying a blue shield adorned with a golden-yellow Double Cross, a dynastic symbol of the Jagiellonian family that started the personal union between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1385.

Unbeknownst to me before arrival, I was about to stay in the neighborhood of Laisvės Alėja (Liberty Boulevard), the longest pedestrian street in Eastern Europe that also showcased how Kaunas got its nickname: Little Paris. Between 1920 and 1939, when Vilnius was annexed and became part of Poland, Kaunas served as the temporary capital of Lithuania. Therefore, during the interwar period Kaunas was celebrated for its rich cultural and academic life, fashion, construction of countless Art Deco and Lithuanian National Revival architectural-style buildings as well as popular furniture and interior design of the time, and a widespread café culture. 

The duration of my stay in Warsaw was three days, which was too short to even scratch the surface of Poland's capital. However, during the brief stay there, I still gained insight into the recent history of Warsaw and Poland. Among other things, I was most impressed by the Warsaw Uprising, the 63-day struggle of the Polish resistance against Nazi occupation in 1944. Sadly, the unsuccessful uprising infuriated German leaders, who decided to destroy the city in retaliation. Consequently, German forces dedicated an unprecedented effort to razing the city, destroying 80–90% of Warsaw's buildings, including the vast majority of museums, art galleries, theaters, churches, parks, and historical buildings such as castles and palaces. They deliberately demolished, burned, or stole an immense part of Warsaw's cultural heritage. As I strolled around the city, however, I could not see any traces for city razing. To this end, I was deeply impressed by the resilience of the Polish people and the massive efforts they made to rebuild the city.

The fourth and the last city that I visited during the trip was Krakow, one of the leading centers of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life. It was the official capital of Poland until 1596 and is the second-largest city in Poland after Warsaw. My hostel was near Kraków Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where I visited every day during my 3-day stay in the city.  As a history lover, I was particularly fascinated when learning about the story behind the iconic "uneven towers", part of St. Mary's Basilica, the landmark of Kraków Old Town: every hour, a trumpet signal is played from the top of the taller tower, breaking off mid-note to commemorate a legendary trumpeter who was shot while warning the city of an attack from the Mongols.

This was by no means my first trip to Europe, but it was the first time for me to stay at hostels throughout the trip in Europe. My first trips to Europe dated back to the mid-90s; they were all business trips, or AHO trips in my words, featuring airport, hotel, and office - the only locations involved in the trip. Having retired four years ago, this time I came for sightseeing, and stayed at hostels where self-service and room-sharing are the norm, allowing for more interaction with both hostel staff and roommates, often visiting from overseas like me.

While I enjoy exploring new places, I don't like joining guided tours. To this end, the well established public transport networks in all cities I visited this time met my need well. Every morning, after I planned my itinerary of the day, the public transport means - be it buses, trams, metro, trains, or even funiculars, would impeccably bring me to my destinations in a pleasant, comfortable, and insightful manner. During these rides, I often forgot I was a tourist, but instead substantially felt the daily life of local people, and, to an extent, local culture.

As a member of Toastmasters International, a non-profit educational organization with over 13,800 clubs around the globe, I connected with our club in Warsaw before the trip, and was able to join their regular meeting after arriving in the city. The meeting was inspiring, with personal stories and thoughts shared by over 20 participants, who were from at least seven countries and many of them were younger than half my age. I felt rejuvenated because as a retiree, I felt "revived" when joining a room of like-minded folks - young and otherwise - who wanted to improve themselves. In this connection, I saw my younger self over 40 years ago, and can't help smiling at this writing.

The sense of rejuvenation was not just limited to the meeting with my fellow Toastmasters in Warsaw; the entire journey was one of rejuvenation in retrospect. Throughout the trip, I lost count of how many young people I interacted with, though I estimated that I came across more than 15 nationalities in these interactions. I hope that when I return in the future, I'll be "young" enough to join my roommates for Pub Crawl: an all-you-can-drink tour to 3-4 bars and clubs, begining at 22:30！