Vilnius in the Air and on the Ground...."

Had some definite aspirations for Vilnius. Wanted to learn about this place of the world and go hot air ballooning. Managed to do both, so check it off as a successful endeavour. Both things were very interesting and in different ways exciting. Yesterday we thought it was going to be wet and cold so we went to the "KGB museum". Gave us a history of Lithuania from World War II until the Soviets left in 1991. Very sad account of the struggle for independence against a cruel regime. Quite inspiring as well because they never gave up trying and finally succeeded in 1991. Then did some site seeing and

ended up in a park where there was a festival going on. They were celebrating the old days in costume and song. Was quite enjoyable and a surprise to run into it. Got up this morning knowing we could do a hot air balloon ride over Vilnius but not over Trakai like we wanted. So we hopped on a bus and spent half a day in Trakai touring the island castle. Very nice place and well worth the visit. Got a good grasp on the history of the area. Very well organized place with a real plan to create a city and a country. Got back in time to grab a bite and head to the park to catch our flight. It was such a relaxed place and nonchalantly they launched about 8 balloons from this little park. Sat back and watched the process in amazement before jumping into the basket with Katelyn and 12 others. Into the sky we went for an hour trip. Was a quiet peaceful trip across Vilnius before landing in a bit of a swamp. Packed the balloon up and returned to the starting point. They burned a piece of our hair (still attached to head) and put it out with champagne as a ceremony for a

first flight. Don't believe some of the girls appreciated the tradition. For me with less hair it was okay. Katelyn and I finished the night with a beer to celebrate a great day. Tomorrow we head to the coast and the beach at Nida!