Užupis

I opened my eyes around 10:30. I was on a couch. Most of the cushions had been pushed off, and someone had put a blanket on me. The smell of waffles filled my nose, and the absurdly loud voices of two Turkish beauties besieged my hearing. Ugnė saw I had awoken, and laughed at me to herself. I closed my eyes.

Now it was 11. I mustered the energy to motion to Ugnė for water... She obliged, and asked if I wanted waffles. Of course I said yes. It wasn't the best decision I've ever made, but I stand by it.

After two glasses of water, two waffles, two aspirin and a mug of tea one of the Turkish girls made me, I was able to get around without as much pain. It only took 45 minutes. Which was a shame because Pete had organized a free walking tour for Jonas and I today at noon. I attempted to get Jonas up, insisting that we had promised to go on the tour, but he wouldn't get up. So I went alone. 

I met my tour guide, a young Lithuanian girl whose name I cannot pronounce not remember, on the steps of the town hall. I was the only one on the tour. 

These tours are free, and work off tips alone. I felt a little bad about making my guide coming out just for me, so I resolved that if the tour was good, I'd tip handsomely. Unfortunately, though, I had forgotten my wallet. 'I'll deal with that later' I figured. 

The tour was really wonderful. Because it was just the two of us, we could move a lot quicker, and got to see a lot more of Vilnius than these tours usually get to. We walked through some of the first streets in Vilnius, through the old Jewish ghetto (where only a small stone memorial stands today, next to a restaurant named Transilvania), the oldest church in Vilnius, one of only three gothic buildings in Vilnius, and the only one that's also a church, the old Vilnius defensive city wall, Užupis, a hill overlooking the city, and through the old town, too. 

Užupis is a self-declared republic consisting of an artistic community. They have a president, prime minister, and a standing army of 12. They also have a constitution, which I've rewritten below, due to the, well, you'll see:

1. Everyone has the right to live by the River Vilnelė, and the River Vilnelė has the right to flow by everyone.
2. Everyone has the right to hot water, heating in winter and a tiled roof.
3. Everyone has the right to die, but this is not an obligation.
4. Everyone has the right to make mistakes.
5. Everyone has the right to be unique.
6. Everyone has the right to love.
7. Everyone has the right to not be loved, but not necessarily.
8. Everyone has the right to be undistinguished and unknown.
9. Everyone has the right to idle.
10. Everyone has the right to love and take care of the cat.
11. Everyone has the right to look after the dog until one of them dies.
12. A dog has the right to be a dog.
13. A cat is not obligated to love its owner, but must help in times of nee.
14. Sometimes everyone has the right to be unaware of their duties.
15. Everyone has the right to be in doubt, but this is not an obligation.
16. Everyone has the right to be happy.
17. Everyone has the right to be unhappy.
18. Everyone has the right to be silent.
19. Everyone has the right to have faith.
20. No one has the right to violence.
21. Everyone has the right to appreciate their unimportance. 
22. No one has the right to have a design on eternity.
23. Everyone has a right to understand.
24. Everyone has the right to understand nothing.
25. Everyone has the right to be of any nationality.
26. Everyone has the right to celebrate or not celebrate their birthday.
27. Everyone shall remember their name.
28. Everyone may share what they possess.
29. No one can share what they do not possess.
30. Everyone has the right to have brothers, sisters and parents.
31. Everyone may be independent.
32. Everyone is responsible for their freedom.
33. Everyone has the right to cry.
34. Everyone has the right to be misunderstood.
35. No one has the right to make another person guilty.
36. Everyone has the right to be individual.
37. Everyone has the right to have no rights.
38. Everyone has the right to not be afraid.
39. Do not defeat.
40. Do not fight back.
41. Do not surrender.

(typo in original)

So there it is. Užupis in a nutshell.

After the walking tour, I made my guide come back to the hostel so I could get my wallet and tip her. I gave her 10 Litu, which I assume is a good tip. I wanted to give her 20, but I only had 10 and 50 bills.

It was 2:30 when I got back, and Jonas was still asleep. I had seen almost all the city, learned about Lithuania and how they make fun of Estonia the same way we make fun of Canada, seen the place where a girl died by electrocution by drunkenly urinating on a live power station, and found out that my tour guide thinks Communism works, and Jonas was still sleeping off his hangover. He got up just before 3.

I made ham and eggs for lunch in the kitchen, alongside Michael, who made some hard boiled eggs and fried ham. He was very impressed at my one-handed omelette flip (thanks, mom).

We spent the entire rest of the day in the hostel. Ungė helped us order food for dinner and hung with us until her shift ended at 7. 

We got Chinese delivery. For the three of us we spent 70 Latu, which was not cheap (by US prices). But the experience was almost worth it.

Michael and Jonas and I had family dinner. We didn't order rice, as we made our own, but the food (with all the sauce too) came in boxes that rice comes in in the US. It was comical. 

Urtė showed up for her shift, and we all watched some movies. First we watched the Descent, then a movie about cannibals called Ravenous, then Ong Bak, a Thai fighting movie. I liked the third one best.

Bed @ 4. I stole a bed upstairs in the empty 12-person dorm room and had the entire room to myself to sleep in. Of course, I picked the bed tucked away in a corner, but still.