Vilnius, Lithuania (Day 1)

Wow! Vilnius is a beautiful city. It is old and new with something to see around every corner. We started our day with a very steep walk up many, many steps to the “Three Crosses Hill”. There is a legend surrounding this hill (known as Bleak Hill) that 14 Franciscan monks were invited to Vilnius and started preaching about God. At that time Lithuania was Pagan and the people didn’t really appreciate the monks bad-mouthing their Lithuanian Gods. So, the people revolted and killed them all. 7 were executed and thrown from Bleak hill and the other 7 were crucified and thrown into the Vilnius River. Today, they are known as the Franciscan martyrs of Vilnius. The long hike up was worth it as we had great views of the city. We then walked up the steep, cobblestone road to the Gediminas Castle Tower where you could see more views of the great city. We strolled through Old Town and saw many beautiful churches and buildings. We visited Cathedral Square which is home to Vilnius Cathedral, the clock tower and the Palace of the Grand Dukes.