Trakai and Panerai: 21 May

Like yesterday, today was a slow starter. For one, we had good conversation with our Lithuanian host. For two, we needed time to savor these:

Then we hopped on the train to Trakai, totally modern and spotless:

Trakai was the seat of power in the 14th century when the Lithuanian dynasty stretched all the way to the Black Sea and almost to Moscow. Over the last 100 years, the castle was carefully researched and rebuilt. Besides being a tourist attraction, it appears to be a significant point of pride for Lithuanians. Foreign dignitaries are hosted in the Great Hall.

The castle sits on an island and there was a moat around the keep.

and

The walls of the Great Hall are original:

and

This guy was probably glad he wore his armor that day:

My favorite place was the courtyard of the keep:

and

While there, we tried kibinai, a fried meat pie that dates back to the Lithuanian dynasty–supposedly, the Warriors ate them:

It was OK but we don’t need another.

On the way to Trakai, we stopped at Paneriai, a place in the forest where the Germans shot as many as 100,000 people and let them fall into pits. These pits, conveniently for the Germans, had already been dug by the Soviets for eventual placement of liquid fuel tanks. Later, they forced prisoners to dig up the bodies and burn them in another pit. The present peaceful manicured setting belies the horror that happened here.

Tomorrow an afternoon bus to Riga, Latvia–after one last breakfast of croissants.