Vilnius Day 3: Churches, Churches, and a little Jewish Fix

Vilnius Day 3: Churches, Churches, and a little Jewish Fix
A semi-sleepless night trying to get adjusted to the time zone. Hopefully this will get better soon.
We got on the bus for a city tour. Vilnius was first mentioned in history in a letter by the Grand Duke Gediminas in 1353, inviting Jews from Germany to settle in Lithuania. The town probably dates to much earlier. The pagans were supreme until Christianity took hold, but not until the 12th century. The main church we saw today, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vilnius_(Wilno)_-_cathedral.jpg, sits atop ruins of the old pagan temple. There were multiple churches: catholic, orthodox, and others. The Church of St. Peter and Paul had fascinating frescos and friezes depicting aspects of Lithuanian and Christian history.
After lunch, we walked the the one remaining synagogue in the city. Vilnius was once known as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" as it had about 40% Jews and was a major learning center. The work of the Gaon of Vilna in the late 1700s made Vilna a major center of Jewish thought. We followed up with the State Museum of Tolerance which had art works of Lithuanian Jewish artists and a holocaust memorial of children. Very moving.
Then the skies, which had been threatening, broke open. We sat around the museum waiting with the museum ladies who never broke a smile. After a while we asked them to call a taxi for us. Grudgingly, one did, but yelled at us every time one or two of the group bailed out to walk home instead. It finally came down to 7 of us in the cab, which sort of worked, as it was more of a van than a car.
Dinner after a nap at Zuvine, a fish restaurant across from our hotel. The perch and dorado were nicely done. Gelato from a shop on the street capped off for desert. Hopefully the quantity of beer I am drinking will help my sleeping, assuming I am not up 6 times to pee....


Stephen J. Rockower, MD
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