Photo Gallery as Promised

I need to get back to our life in Vilnius so here is a rapid picture review of our time in Israel.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

The goal for the day was walking over to Jaffa (we did not expect anything to be open), going back to stay out the hottest hours of the day, coming out at 4 to go swimming, and going out to dinner with my GCP team. The plan worked as intented - added bonus was that most of the galleries were open. We also caught a mass at St. Peters performed by singer with a beautiful voice. A minus was that for various reasons and none only Sharon and Einav could join us for dinner (Israelis paying back for US team ditching on the last night?). But we had a really great time at Dita.

Here is a pic of antique store sign in Jaffa. It was closed - perhaps they ran out of the ancient history and are waiting for the fresh delivery.





All of the street signs in Jaffa are made with these clay tablets. I assume Mazal Talev is the name of the street. Some doors also would have the image (like goat) next to their door with a number.

Street decoration? Artwork? This tree is growing out of the 3d oval suspended in space by 3 cables tethered to the roofs of the building around. The question is what happens when it outgrows its box?

One of the streets in Jaffa. One of the most memorable galleries was that of crochet art. One would think crochet - pretty knitted stuff with to decorate flower pots with. No, this was crochet on Red Bull Gone Wild (if Google indexes this phrase out of context, I am sorry searchers - this was just a figure of speech). There were door sized weavings with tangled ropey cables and a mass of little crocheted bags like nests of eggs, and masses of tangled hairs with occasional knots coming out. Basically it looked like viscera. If it was dyed accordingly, it would be intensely scary. We squeezed through the gallery under the watchful eye of hawk-faced owner lady forgetting to take a picture and exhaling with relief once we were out in the heat of the street.

A week in Israel

July 9th, 2008

Dan's mom, Georgia and I walked to the kindergarten to show the route. The nice elderly nanny was there and Georgia went straight to her. She asked "where is your grandmother". Georgia showed complete lack of recognition. Great! We tried to fix it up by saying Georgia, where is Baba Anya. At least that worked.

We waited outside the wedding palace. Dan arrived in the cab and we went to the airport.

Outside the check-in counter we were questioned by El Al employee who seemed fluent in Lithuanian, Hebrew, English, Polish, Russian. Pretty amazing. They have very efficient technique of getting you really comfortable so you share all the intimate details on the holidays that you celebrate. The check-in was really quick.

We had another 1.5 hrs so we went to the bar. Ponchik did not delight. The airport has really expanded its past-passport-check waiting area so it was nice to walk around a bit before the flight. The flight was 4 hrs, nice food, & good service. As a food venue it is a bit on expensive side - the flight was $700. Our plane was about half full.

Cultural differences start at the passport check. There was a mob with barely discernible line structure. Families (as we did) stand in multiple lines and rejoin the faster line. They have it done better in US where everyone stands in the same winding line.

When we got to our register, hysterical Russian pilgrim woman jumped in front of us and started crying and screaming. It sounded like she was delayed at the passport check and lost her group. Our counter agent (looked totally Israeli) said in Russian "Lady, stop screaming at me or I will call security." It did not help so she said it again a few times. Finally another Russian from the line asked the pilgrim to wait and promised to take her to the luggage area. I wonder why they could not call security to start with and escort the lady to the luggage counter of her flight.

There were few people at the carousels - since most were still standing in lines. So the luggage just kept going round and round.

We planned to buy a plug adapter and a phone sim card at the airport but the plug was only in the duty free area and our phone did not pick up the network at the airport. So we caught a shared minibus for 50NIS and went to Jerusalem.

Our hotel St.Andrew's Scottish Guesthouse is really beautiful - made out of Jerusalem stone. It is right next to the windmill in front of the Jaffa gate. The room is very modest - no mirrors or TV but there is Internet and the rest of the hotel has lots of amenities - including a library, tearoom, and other things. The staff is really really helpful.

We were meeting with Olga for dinner so we walked through the windmill park towards Jaffa gate aiming to catch a cab when we get close to our meeting time. Landscaping with lavender, sage, and rosemary is beautiful and nice-tasting. There are lots of olive trees too.

Near the gate we came up to the cab and asked about the fare to Crowne Plaza hotel where Olga was staying. Cabbie said 50NIS. We walked a bit further and caught another and requested a meter. Ended up being 20NIS. At the hotel we met up with Olga's friends Avital and Amy and caught cabs to Focaccia restaurant (5-6 minutes). We learned our lesson, but the girls were ripped off. Michelle and Sue joined later.

The food was awesome. We finished around 11 and walked back via Ben Yehuda street. It was nothing like the happening place it used to be. Lots of Hasidic families eating together in the street or plaing musical instruments. Many stores were already closed. Lots of homeless people. Walked down King David road - lots of pretty galeries.



Thursday July 10, 2008
Today we were planning to visit the Old city and go to the wedding at 7:30. Forgot turn off alarm clocks on our cell phone that we left for Dan's mom (6am and 7am). Sorry. Georgia did not even mention us. Had nice breakfast at 7am. The best dish was a kind of cake from philo with farmer cheese, nuts, and halvah.

Entered the city through Jaffa gate and wandered around, asking police for directions to Holy Sepulchture. There were very few people out. Walked down the Latin Patriarchate street and found some pilgrims who could only be going there.

Awesomely big and interesting church complex. From our last visits we remembered this place as deeply spiritual where people cried all the time and got around by crawling. That day it was nothing like it. There was a big crowd of tourists waiting to enter the little holy chapel. No one was crying. There were sounds of drilling - they must fixing something in the church. A serious looking guy in jeans and a priest opened the doors, very matter of factly crossed themselves, and lit up the candles. The crowd piled in.

We walked through the Arab market - very pretty. Then through the Jewish market - even better. Got a piggy bank box for Georgia, kipa for Dan, and a headscarf for me. Walked to the Wailing wall - lots and lots of people. There were bar/bat mitzwas going on. We went past the bar mitzva tunnel where multiple families were laying out the refreshments under the cool arches. Next was the coffee shop - not to miss :)

We planned to go to the Golden Gate to go out and see the olive tree complex and Mary's tomb but everything was closed between 12-2:30. On the way we stopped at St.Anne's church and water cistern. Had no idea that she gave birth to Virgin Mary. There was a group of Russian women pilgrims all in white "babushkas" with a male tour guide. They spoke like something you'd expect from a pre-revolutionary fairy tale "Batyushki svety, nyeuzhto bogoroditsa tam kupalas'?" The guide wore anguished expression.

Accidentally started walking towards the Dome of the Rock. A soldier called us over and asked "are you sure you want to go there?" Dan said "Yes." He asked "Are you Moslem." Dan said "No." The soldier said then go back. So we left.






Walked around the city wall ramparts. Beautiful views. Finally we went to Kg. David's citadel museum. They play a move there covering the changes in the city since its inception.
Movie is way too policitcally correct - wonder if cartoons were chosen as a media on purpose. Walked around but most of the exhibits are covered in the cartoon so it is not that interesting. Around 5 we got out of the city and walked back to hotel to drop off our stuff.

Went back out and went to Ben Yehuda street to grab a bite to eat so we are not too hungry at the wedding. Stopped at the Lebanese restaurant. The waiter offered to put us through the course of Lebanese hospitality - all the salads + the main dish for 80NIS each. We asked for just one salad each and a meat dish. He seemed very offended but came back with extras and did not charge for them.

Having a salad and a meat dish was being greedy - we were ready to go once we were finished with humus.

The wedding
We got the cab to go to the wedding, looked at the invitation and got horrified - it said 7pm. When we got though there was just one other group of guests - Russian co-workers of Amnon's father. Huppa on the terrace was beautiful. We decided that we were entitled to the bridal suite and went inside asking the staff where to find it. We ran into Amnon's uncle who was the organizer and then into t.Alla and Amnon's parents. t.Alla looked very good but could use looking a bit more excited about her only daughter's wedding. Amnon's father and uncle were very cordial and sweet. His dad was beaming, he looks like bride's dad from the Big Fat Greek Wedding. The uncle took us to the bridal suite. Olga's looked stunning!!!

We went outside and met with with Olga's girlfriends. Almost everyone of them very gifted (especially Karen) and have interesting occupations (modeling and talent search agencies, a chef), Reception started around 8. By 9pm most of the people filled in. Most are dressed casual, there were some men wearing jeans as Olga had predicted a day before. Then the uncle came over and said that Dan, Karen (Olga's friend), and I are walking in after Amnon's brothers. We've never seen brothers before but they all look very similar to Amnon.

The ceremony was very casual and friendly - everyone stood around huppa and sang and clapped with cantor. Brothers, their wifes or the father were holding the babies. Chairs around were optional. It looked like the whole family was marrying them. Bride's responsibilities were minimal - stick out the finger at the right time. The groom took care of everything else - pledge, signing of the khatuba, putting on the rings, and smashing the glass (how come they never let women do it). The reception was very nice too - non-stop dancing music and great food. It was very similar to a Russian wedding. The only different thing was that there was no toasts and no games. We left at midnight when it started to look like everyone was pulling out. Olga said that it would probably last till 3am.

Friday July 11, 2008

In the morning we walked back to the Old City determined to see the olive grove and Mary's grave. On the way we stopped on the street near the Jaffa gate and looked for the stop of the minibus to Tel Aviv. Did not find anything but a guy with rosemary branch in his hand found us. He seemed very helpful at first and offered to enter the city from a different gate claiming that Arabs would be coming out of the mosques and we would not be able to get through. As he kept going on and on he seemed to involve himself in the rest of our day activities "And then I will walk you through the Armenian quarter..." Dan was pulling me away for some time now but now I realized that this is a scam. We walked off and heard the guy mutter back "You will never make it on time."

In the city we remembered that Alicia asked us for some soil samples and stopped in the store near Sepuchture. There was a Russian pilgrim lady inside with the shop owner hovering around her. I found a little cross pendant with a tiny vial of soil attached to it. The box said $5NIS. I offered a coin to the guy and he said it is actually 15NIS. When I said the box said $5NIS, he countered this saying that this actually means US dollars. So I started walking out and muttered when passing the lady "He is lying to you" in Russian. He heard it and said "here, this one is 5 shekels" pointing to the box with oil, water, soil, and frankinsense bottles. It was bigger than the cross but I decided to take it anyway. As I reached for it, he said "Oops, I made a mistake, and pointed to the smaller box of these things." I've had enough and just took that box and left but the lady got suspicious and started to question him on that.

Near the wall both of us had de-spiritualizing experiences. Dan got ripped near the wall by a ultra-orthodox jew (hasid). As Dan stood there thinking, hasid approached him, grabbed his hand and asked who he is thinking about. When Dan told him, he proceeded to appear praying for a few seconds and then requested some money. You hardly argue with someone who has just appeared to pray for your family. Dan only had 50NIS on him so he gave him that. This is one place on earth where you don't expect to get scammed - this is it - and this is exactly where it is happening. The sign near the wall says "Do not disturb other people, it is a personal experience." And so you think that no one will disturb you. So, next time you want to visit the wall - do not allow the preying lying leaches get you.

Some may disagree, but there are many reasons why I think it is a scam. Starting from the fact that they think they are the REAL jews and everyone else is worthless and exists to feed them. This little scam is nothing compared to what is happenning on the grand scale with the State of Israel, which completely subsidizes them. There are exceptions, but they prove the rule.

For me the experience was not as dramatic. I saw some women prostrate themself against the wall and rub their faces over it. Others (like one really fat one) just sat there on the chairs eating a sandwitch. I touched the wall hoping to feel something but it was just a dead old wall.

We went back to the hotel at noon, got our stuff and ordered a cab. A pleasant Israeli girl joined us for the ride - she was going to the main bus station too. She looked 18, but seemed very mature and serious. Turns out she was an intelligence officer in the army (3 years) and traveled for several years already.

There was a line of people outside the station waiting to have their luggage x-rayed. Then we saw a minibus waiting outside the station and asked where it was going - it was going to Tel Aviv and so we got in. Inside we had a conversation with a group of people who came to Yad Vashem for annual seminars on how to teach about Holocaust.

In Tel Aviv there was a line of taxis outside the main bus station. We asked for the price to take us to our hotel. The amounts quoted ranged from 80-120NIS and kept increasing. We started getting nervous but then found a Georgian cabby who agreed to use the meter and got us to our hotel for 50NIS.

The final surprise of the day was at the hotel. Kikar Dizengoff Luxury Apartment hotel is not really luxury, the photos must have been dramatically edited, and you have to pay $16 daily ($56 per week) for the barely reachable Internet. The staff was very pleasant though.

We dropped off our stuff and went swimming. The water was really warm and pleasant. There are lots of sunbathers. Had a drink and meal in the beach side cafe on the way. Many people are playing a kind of ping pong near the water. Watch your eyes.

Walked almost to Jaffa. On the way we had stopped at the Dolphinarium memorial - 21 young people died there in the night club bombing in 2001. The club and the surrounding area were not rebuilt. We walked past this place many times in the next few days. Looks like a wound. It does not help that there is a park forever in construction next to it.

Tel Aviv seems to be growing in some areas while others, like the beach section is embarrassingly delapidated. Piles of trash put Vilnius to shame. In some areas there are panhandlers that are sitting down with their faces covered (drug addicts?). There are much fewer visitors that what we both remember. The boardwalk used to be filled with street performers and now there are maybe 2 or 3. However the presense of Americans is very prevalent - you hear American English everywhere.

In the evening we went out with Inga and Alik and walked to Tel Aviv port. It was really busy - lots of people, all the stores were open despite this being Friday night already. The most memorable place was a few beach cafes where they had put coffee tables in the sand with red or green cone shaped lamps and lit up the water front. You can sit on the sand and watch the waves.

Back from Israel, a post from July 8 first

We are back from a week long trip to Israel. I dread the thought of typing up the whole detailed account. So here is the last post from Vilnius. And then I'll put up a photo gallery of our trip.

Tuesday July 8, 2008

Dan’s mom was to come today. Last night his dad sent an email indicating that her luggage checked through only to Copenhagen. It was necessary to pick up the luggage and go through the passport control in an hour to catch the connection to Vilnius. He was pretty upset. Then Continental showed that flight was to be two hours late so she would be missing her connecting flight. Plus she did not have her cell phone with her so we did not know if she already arranged to catch the next flight to Vilnius. The final catch was that if she was not making it on the 8th we were not going to Israel the next day.

We tried calling Baltic air and Continental but the offices were closed in both locations. So we started Tuesday morning by calling them again and Orbitz as well. Orbitz were nice and dismissing – very hands-off attitude. They’ve sent us to Continental. Continental at first did not acknowledge responsibility but eventually told us that spot was reserved for Dan’s mom on the 3pm flight but they cannot confirm if she got the boarding pass for privacy reasons. The argument that she is elderly and does not speak English (sorry ya’ll who is reading this but we were desperate) did not work. Gave us a nice sense of perspective considering sending a kid (not ours, older one) flying. We tried Baltic air and they said that if we come to the airport and prove that she is a relative they would tell if she is on the next flight. Alicia could not get them to open up either.

So at 5 Georgia and I headed out to our favorite Hyper Maxima and Dan and Alicia went to the airport. And Dan’s mom was on that flight. On the way back from the store Georgia was singing “Baba Anya, Baba Anya” non stop. It was a very nice meeting.

We went to Chili Kaimas for dinner. While trying out various farming equipment the restaurant is decorated with Dan’s mom nearly decapitated herself with a miniature household guillotine.

As we finished eating (too much) and Alicia prepared doggy plate, a guy came over and asked if we can give him leftovers. We gave him that plate and he sat an at empty table and very quickly ate it. He was in his low 20th and was wearing a baggy windbreaker. It looked like he was missing his right arm below the elbow. I wonder what social services are like here.

Then Alicia took a cab home and we walked around the old town and then back home via Vilnius gatve.

Day 37 – Taking it easy

Nothing much happened today so if you are out of time, this post can be skipped.

Today is a day off on account of it being king Mindaugases coronation day. Went to the market with Georgia in the morning and got two cups of wild strawberries – have to feed the addiction. We went home and ate them all together. After that we were back at youth park. At 10:30 we were the only ones there. Then older lady with a girl a little older than Georgia came. The girl spoke beautiful Russian. I asked her grandma how come. She probably does not get to speak a lot so she gave me a brief family history which was kind of interesting so I will put parts of it here.

They are from Ukraine but are trying to immigrate here. So they bought an apartment and now live here for 6 months in a year to be able to claim in 5 years and after a test a kind of Lithuanian green card. Little girl Sonya is still little and only knows Russian, but her 14-year sister Lisa, speaks Russian, Ukrainian, English, and French. She has been going to the kindergarten from a French embassy. After turning 6 she has been sent to France to stay with some French family every summer as a part of some program till now. So her French is like she was born there. Now she is going to the American school to pick up English. She is also expected to take the test in Lithuanian to get the green card for her parents. Damn. I got these details here because it will be a roadmap for Georgia only she does not know it yet. We are starting next summer in Argentina.

Speaking of French, we went to Saint Germaine restaurant for lunch. It is on Literatu – very pretty looking outdoor seating. The place is frequented by the new Lithuanians – many with children. It is more expensive than Bistro 18. The service was great. The only thing that was disappointing was the food. Dan got Beef Stroganof that consisted of tooth-quality meat shavings swimming in the mushroom sauce together with French fries. I got sweet and sour pasta with plums and iron-wood pieces of meat. Should have suspected it when we went to the bathroom and the restaurant smelled like Soviet stolovaya. Feel bad for the staff gracing this waste of the food establishment.

In the evening we went to Alicia. Got a light stroller for Dan’s mom. A few more things to finish before we go on Wednesday

Day 36 – Moletai

We were planning to go to Moletai for some time to see the lakes and the town. The basic piece of information that we had was that it is a beautiful lake-filled region with no industries and correspondingly no industrial pollutants (if you ignore possible issues with Ignalina nuclear power plant). It was really difficult to find good information on the Internet about getting there and suggested itinerary. Here are the links with the best (but not sufficient) info (most of the best info is in Lithuanian):
· http://www.supertravelnet.com/search/index.php?serv_no=1&country=201_5087_7&show=1&language=3
· http://www.moletai.lt/index.php?-2023850377
· http://www.travel.lt/ntisFiles/uploadedAttachments/Manual_2007_en200723094413.pdf
· http://www.tourslithuania.com/pages/tours_sight20.shtml

We did not do expect any museums to be open today. So we decided to make today’s trip exploratory and come back again to do it right. The bad part is when we were packing Dan and I thought that the other person packed the camera and as a result we do not have any pictures from today.

We took A14 for about 60 km and then made a left onto 173 which becomes Vilnius gatve in the city. The town gets nicer towards the old part, once one passes non-reactive old car dumpster. We’ve stopped at the information office but it was closed. There was a Lithuanian family at the nearby museum into which I wandered by mistake. They took me to the souvenir shop at the museum where I got the map and recommendations and directions to visit lake Siesartis some 3km away.

Essentially one has to stay on Vilnius gatve, cross A14, and make the first right into the gravel road. If one sees the small billboard with the map of the area, it is too late – it is necessary to come back and make the first left.

Subsequently while on the gravel road we made a wrong turn at the fork and went into a little village that was next to the lake. The houses are really beautiful, in very good condition, artfully decorated with wood, flowers, and pottery. They are also really close to each other but that’s the way it is here.

We got on the right road (left spike of the fork off the initial gravel road) and drove on a sort of nature path better suited for the Jeep. Dan spotted some wild strawberries and we pulled over. There were sooooo many of them on the sides of the road and deeper into the forest. There were lots of blueberries too. We picked several cups of berries and fed them to Georgia.

Then we got back in the car and drove further until we reached a clearing next to the lake. There were bunches of campers there. It would be a great place to come back to make a bonfire. The air smelled great of burned pine. The lake is really pretty and it was very peaceful. Georgia walked around, picked pine cones, and called out to us “Ay.”

We picked some more berries (they taste better next to the lake). Then we headed back and got lunch at Gojaus Smukle (on A14 just before the turn onto 173 next to another lake). It is a awesome place. There is outside sitting with benches. Since it was overcast we sat inside and it looks very good too. Food arrived at unbelievable speed and it was really great!! So far it is a winner in terms of the taste Lithuanian food. Too bad one has to drive so far to get there. Dan got ground potatoes baked in a clay dish with pork leg inside and sour cream outside on the top.

Outside there is a big circular sandbox with a birdhouse forming a roof above it. There are lots of kiddy toys around the sand box. Behind it, there is a fruit tree grove and old rusted very picturesque looking car. They have one of each: pears, apples, cherries, plums, gooseberries, red- currants. There used to be a nice playground too but the swing and slider are broken. We walked along the path from smukle towards the lake. There are more berries there. We’ve stopped at the pier to look at water lilies.

Next we grabbed a cake and some beers and headed to Dina’s parents dacha. They are a few houses away from Vitalik’s dacha. We had a really great time there. Dina and her sister Yulia brought out their toys – they have impressive collection of dolls, make believe settings, 2 strollers. They also have red currants in great quantities. Georgia had a blast there. She picked apples and put them in a little handbag Dina gave her and "went to work." Dan and Vitalik grilled some sausages. Alica and Diana joined us for desert.

It was sad to leave but it was time – someone was running out of clean clothing. Tomorrow is a day off again here. Diana offered to go to Kernave tomorrow where they would be having Archeology days - basically Baltica festival times 10. We might do it, but there are a few things to finish here first.

There were fireworks in the city in the evening.

Day 35 – Baltica Festival

We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed out to the bakery. It was closed – set to open at 9. We walked around the town looking for any place that is open and eventually settled for the good old Double Coffee on Pilies. It is open non-stop.

Then Georgia and I went to the youth park, and Dan went home to work. We were the only ones on the playground at 9:30. By 11 people started to fill in and we headed out. In the main part of the park lots of booths and several stages were being set up for the Baltica festival. The man at one of the booths said they are to open at 4pm.

In the afternoon Alicia came with her guest from Poland Basya. Dan got some cake from the bakery. She brought some sheep cheese and huntsman sausages and we had a quick snack together. Basya took a lot of pictures. She understands English and Russian. She has not spoken English for a long time so it was difficult for her to talk to us – especially that we speak to each other in Russian.

Dan's mom called to tell us the happy news. Congratulations to Dan & Diana R. on their brand new baby A.D.R!!!

We walked together back to the park. As we walked we heard the rumblings of thunder and it was overcast but not rainy.

We got some very nice honey and a wooden carving of Baba-Yaga similar to the one Dan’s dad has. Georgia had mixed feelings about the purchase. Another nice booth was where they cut pictures from paper (by folding it and cutting in special ways). Then we walked into a booth where there were really weird pottery animals, some pretty nasty and realistic. The artist Clyaunas looked pretty weird too – with a very big head, hat, and big blue eyes, dressed for the role like a farmer.

We liked the blue crow. Dan went to the bank machine and we waited nearby. Then it got pretty dark and all of the sudden it was like someone pushed the flush button in the toilet – it started raining. Clyaunas let us into his booth while we waited. Dan got some cover under the some building arch. It was really intense. At some moments it was like complete sheet of water. Pretty much everyone around got cover in the booths. We kept pushing up the roof to empty out the water. Georgia took the custody of the camera and sat very quietly in the stroller. It was over in about 10 minutes.

Dan came back, we got the crow, and did a quick walk through. People were coming out of the booths, merchants rolled back the plastic, and most people got straight back to the business of celebrating. It was really great to see how well adapted everyone is to the weather.

We did not see Alicia – turns out they did not stay long at the festival. The rain got them at the cathedral square and they ran inside to get the cover. Alicia got all wet.

We went home to drop off our acquisitions and Dan changed. We went back out to the city to grab some coffee from the Coffee Inn. We also made a quick run into the bathroom desolation café on the way. It was actually very clean and we will probably eat there in the future.

On the way home we got a call from the car rental company that they are in our backyard. Don’t know why they don’t give us more head time – that would save them time. When we got there, the guy said that we got a better car for 120LT (even though they know the deal is the basic car for 100LT and confirmed that on the phone today).

Finished the day at Gusto crepery.

Day 34 – Kaunas at Last

In the morning weather.com said 70% chance of the evening rain. It was a risk worth taking. We packed and left the house at 7:30am. Georgia was very good about getting ready to go in 15 minutes.

We caught an 8:15 train to Kaunas. It was a nice trip. We got let out a stop early on Kaunas 1 because they were fixing the train tracks near the main train station. There was a group of people on the street waiting for the trolley or the bus. We asked a few how to get to the center of the city and they were very helpful and told us the number of the trolleybus (5) we had to take.

We got to the center city, got Kaunas in Your Pocket at the news kiosk, and figured that zoo was not very far from where we had arrived. The lady at the news kiosk suggested to take the #3 bus. So with the help of a few more people we finally arrived there.

Having not had our breakfast yet, the first thing we did after getting in was to head for zoo coffee shop. Since we assumed that no one speaks any language we tried the body language to convey that we would like the list of the cooked, preferably deep fried dishes. The bar girl seemed at a loss. Then a lady who spoke Russian came and offered belyashi. Once we got some oil flowing we found out the bar girl speaks a pretty good English.

We had very low expectations about the zoo, based on reviews that it is almost 100 years old and in deplorable condition. The trip was to show Georgia some kind of live versions of the animals she saw in the zoo and on the Internet.

We were pleasantly surprised. Even though the zoo is very old and many areas could really use a lift, the zoo grounds are continually taken care of, and efforts are being made to make it a pleasant place for both animals and visitors. There are some run-down areas but it is very clean and there is new construction. Some environments are comparable to US. Caretakers we saw seem nice. There are many play areas for kids. Some are really cool like the giant slide to the zebra/pelican section of the zoo. The only thing that reveals the deadly nature of the place is that there is a lot of animals of the same kind (back-ups?): lamas, camels, pekari, zebras, and, in some instances, there are none even though signs indicate there is still someone living there.

My favorite were the porcupines. They have 2. It is a big thing. One was running around and looking threatening and nervous. Supposedly they have 30,000 loose hanging needles that are waiting for the chance to get detached and stuck in the victim’s skin. The second one was lying next to the pile of food and dead leaves. The zoo attendant was hanging around it. I figured it was dead and he came to pick it up, but attendant said it was sleeping. It looked very peaceful compared to the other one.

By the time we were done with the zoo it started raining. We caught a cab to the center on the Laisves aleja next to the post office. The plan was to get some lunch and put Georgia to sleep in the stroller and walk around and see some galleries. It worked on every account. We got lunch at Maesto Soda (Dan said City Garden) – a huge restaurant with great food and service. Georgia fell asleep as soon as we wrapped her in the water-resistant jacket. And we walked around. We even got a bonus when it started to rain again and we got the cover, cappuccinos and cakes at Kavine Kerai.

Kaunas center does not appear to have has changed since our last visit three years ago. Many buildings are still dilapidated. The main cathedral needs some freshening up. While some of the nicest places in Vilnius seem to be gone, the same shops are still there in Kaunas. The one area where Kaunas can beat Vilnius any day are the art galleries. Things are moving forward faster than in Vilnius. We visited them in turns.

When Georgia woke up we caught a mini-bus back. She was really good. And even though she had to go to the bathroom 2/3 into the trip back, she held out and entertained the other riders by singing and trying to pick my nose (the latter one is the payback for what I tried to do to her while she was sick).

Then Alicia came and we headed to Cili Kaimas for dinner. We stayed inside this time. The menu is very extensive and the food is great. Near the entrance they have a cage with funny looking rooster with sideways comb (it was sort of handing across its head like bangs). One of the waitresses went to the cellar with us to open us the section with a pool where a hippo was swimming. Just kidding, there were some rainbow carps. They also have a snake in a terrarium near the bathrooms. When we were leaving, there was a crowd of people waiting to get in and they started to open up the pool section.

So today, we traveled by train, trolley, bus, cab, and a mini-bus. Quite a day. Back home we ate ice-cream with the last remaining strength.

Day 33 - Tentatively no Rain for Friday

Diana Olshevsky called and we decided to go together to the tour of the crypts. She will check about the dates.

Today was a good day at the kindergarten – Georgia did not cry at all. She was in the good mood on the way there and back. I found out that they have individual potties – beautiful multi-colored plastic ones with sparkles. Georgia’s is number 12, red. Incidentally they still have not charged us. Should be 1LT for the service, 6LT for food per day.

We went to Double Coffee for lunch. They’ve extended the menu. Does it count as the new location? We are really behind – only 25 restaurants covered in 33 days. One of the best parts about it is that they have the best service we’ve seen so far – in all the locations we’ve been to.
Saw a funny picture today on Pilies. There was three groups of Goths/Grunge kids about 5 meters from each other, all playing guitaras. Don't know whether they did not like each other, or could not find the strength to drag apart further, or they were sitting near some magical spot. As I was passing, a minubus pulled up with a big sign Gotas on the front. It was funny.

Was looking for the souvenir for Olga’s wedding (a bell),found that the store on Pilies that is the last one before St.John’s square sells the nicest ones. Went to the gallery in front of St.John’s. Beautiful exhibition. Extremely bored girl guarding the door.

Found out that St.John’s is open for a visit. Will try to get out on Monday morning. Here is a site with lots of pictures of what’s inside: http://www.openstockphotography.org/stock-photography/Church-of-St.-Johns-in-Vilnius. Some info about the campus: htttp://www.vu.lt/en/welcome/maps_pictures/ & the university: htp://www.lituanus.org/1981_2/81_2_01.htm

There was some kind of Egyptian performance near the fountain outside our window. It was pretty nice. A little crowd gathered. Here is also a picture of another bachelorette party. Not very interesting theme.

Here is a mysterious road sign that we Dan cannot decipher - are cars allowed up that street or not?

We went to Alicia for dinner. She is all ready for her guest from Poland and is worried sick that she will not be able to entertain her well enough.

Day 32 – Alternative city transport

In the morning I took Georgia to the kindergarten and grandma was there. She was really happy to part with me and go into her arms. Some recent enhancements possibly inspired by the kindergarten (or us) are that she can pull up her own pants and is neater eater.

Most of the galleries have working hours between 12 noon and 4pm. So we have not seen any new ones yet. By the time we get out in the afternoon – they are closed. But the souvenirs and paintings sold on the street seem all the same.

What’s really creative are the different musical acts that people put up on Pilies. In the past when we were here for only a few days it would usually be the same people. But having walked down the street at different times we now see that different people perform at different times and on different days. There is a mysterious beautiful young woman who appears, plays accordion, and disappears somewhere pretty soon. There is a guy with amazing voice who sings something Lithuanian-country style. We saw the same guy work as a velo-rickshaw. With that kind of voice he should really be performing professionally, unless there is a fatal flaw. On weekends and around holidays young girls, probably from villages, sing acapella. There is a changing array of performing Goths, John Lennon wannabes, and other miscellaneous types. Some alcoholic makes fun of other performers but on occasion plays harmonica.

Every day we see people on Segways – their office next to St.Catherine’s where you can rent one for $40 for hour. Pretty reasonable rate compared to the other prices. In contrast, to ride a little baby car in the youth park is $30 per hour. We figured we will throw in extra $10 and get Georgia started on Segway. Incidentally velo-rickshaw staff looks very delicate. I always feel sorry when they carry a couple.

Tomorrow will try go to St.John’s, the university church, at Irochka’s suggestion. It would be really awesome to get a tour – I’ve been there a long time ago on a tour and nearly every object there has a history.

Day 31 – Planning the trip to Israel

In the morning I spent some time finalizing the travel plans in Israel.

There are some country specific quirks. We are planning to stay the night of July 11 (Friday to Saturday) around Safed and I’ve tried to make reservations at Beit Yosef B&B. They don’t respond to emails. When I called and they said, “No problem, but since it is Sabbath, and we won’t be able to check you out on Saturday morning, you will have to charge you for two days.” Later I noticed that many sites have similar weekend arrangement with a mandatory weekend stay.. and sometimes the weekend starts on Thursday.

Some guesthouses turn off Internet on Fridays possibly not to invoke the wrath of god as it is concentrating on running electrons everywhere else in the universe.

Many websites offer special rates for tourists: “Show us your passport (ye dumb tourists) and we will give you a better rate.” Yeah, right.

Car rental has issues too. One company, Tamir, has a nice interface allowing different pick up and drop off points so I’ve made a reservation. They’ve sent me an email indicating that they do not allow that. I said that what they are doing is false advertising. They sent an email with a word “Sorry” and a smilie. This is what they mean by “service with a smile” :).

Once you complete reservation with Avis Israel, pick up/drop off points become Ben Gurion Airport. Their email support person sends semi-automated emails of the sort “Sorry, please go back to the website, rebook, and then cancel.” We finally went with Budget. Their office is closed on Saturday so we will have to keep the car 1 extra day but the price is reasonable and I don’t want to experiment with any more options.

To wrap up this long tirade with a nice ending, Scotts Guest House (http://www.scotsguesthouse.com/) in Jerusalem where our trip begins and Kikar Dizengoff Apartments in Tel Aviv (http://www.hotel-apt.com/) where it ends were fast, clear, and so far great to work with.

To completely finish this off, after I finished the reservation in Sefad and was discussing the trip with Dan we realized that most of the stuff in this highly religious town would probably be closed starting on Thursday based on how they define the weekend. So we decided to go to Tel Aviv on Friday and take a day trip to Safed & Acco on Monday.

Georgia re-started the kindergarten with less crying than before. On the way there she was sullen but kept up the conversation. Once we got there she started to cry but then the kids sang a song for her and she stopped crying and joined in. Cooks served muffins (among other things) for breakfast on Monday, which definitely lightened things up. I forgot to mention easier that on weekend when Dan and I said anything that contained the root of the word “sad” as of the root of the Russian word kindergarten (like po-sad-ka, za-sad-a, sad-istic), Georgia picked that root in the conversation.

We met up with Dan and went looking for a place to eat. We first settled in the coffee shop on the corner near the main post office. But when we went to the bathroom with Georgia and saw the desolation we decided to seek better places.

Next, we went to Transylvania, the Romanian place. Len and Susan ate there and it has good reviews. Unfortunately (lunch?) waitresses don’t know English and Russian and don’t respond to the body language. We also don’t know how to say “menu” in Lithuanian so we tried multiple varieties “ménu,” “menú,” “meeee-nuuuuu” (the Estonian variety). One of them was saying something but we had no idea what that could have been. Possibly asking about our blood type.

So we went home and made cold borsch and got wrapped cheeseburgers. I was wondering how they taste. They look like a real thing and it is interesting to see them sold as this one package. Well, the bun and cheese are like a real thing and the meat is not ground but more like a thin-cut shaped like a circle. The taste is between sardine and something else, not sure what. I originally said the floor cleaning cloth but I've never tasted so I could be wrong. In either case goes OK with ketchup.

In the evening we went to Alicia. On the way Georgia said what when she grows up she will go to work and I will go to the kindergarten. Probably true.

She was waiting to see Aquilla but she was with her girlfriends. The weather channel said it will rain at night. I figured that was just a suggestion but turns out they meant it. That run back was like a cardio and wet yoga combined.

Georgia did not get wet but we rubbed her all over with eucalyptus cream, put her in socks and pajamas, and sat her down to watch cartoons with warm milk and honey. There are great perks to being a kid.

We’ve made plans to go to Lazutka’s on Wednesday and cook something for them for dinner.