The two most interesting activities in Vilnius that didnt involve eating and drinking were climbing Gediminas Tower and exploring Užupis - a self proclaimed republic in the centre of Vilnius. 

On the hill behind Vilnius' main catherdral is Gediminas Tower. You can climb to the top and inside is a pretty cool muesum. You also get great views over the whole town.

​The walk up is relatively easy - though there is a cable car you can take (this has been out of order for a while though). 

We paid to go into the muesum located inside the tower - this allows you to go to the top of the tower and get even better views.

Inside the muesum it was interesting learning about the Baltic Way - or Chain of Freedom. This was a peaceful protest in 1989 in which 2 million people across the Baltic states joined hands and formed a giant chain to draw global attention to the states' desire for independence - it publicised the illegal occupation by the Soviets. A few months later, Lithuania became the first of the three states to proclaim independence.  The end point of the human chain was the tower - just another factor which makes this tower so important to the citizens of Vilnius. 

Apart from the history, the  views were great, and provided us the only glimpse we had of 'new' Vilnius.

Next up - explore Užupis! Located in the old town - Užupis means 'the other side of the river'. Apparently it used to be mostly a Jewish quarter, though most of them were killed in the holocaust, and after that the misfits of society began to move in. The district, now popular with artists and intellectuals, has been a self declared republic since April Fools Day 1997. 

The republic even has their own army (12 members), 4 flags (one for each season), and the best constitution I have ever read. Here are some peices of brilliance from the constitution, which you can read on a wall in the district:

• Everyone has the right to love and take care of a cat.
• Everyone has the right to look after a dog till one or the other dies.
• A dog has the right to be a dog.​
• No one has the right to violence.
• Everyone has the right to make mistakes.
• Everyone has the right to love.
• Everyone has the right to cry.
• Everyone shall remember his name.

The angel of Užupis marks the centre. There are some great pubs (Spunka was my favourite) and restaurants. The original Snekitas is located here too - that's an interesting experience. 

It does feel like a home of artists. Wander around and who knows what you'll find! (Search for Tibet Square and backpacker Jesus).

Don't miss the KGB muesum for a really informative look at the horrors that happened to Lithuania during the second world war. A really extensive muesum situated in a former Gestapo headquarters. You can go downstairs and see the prison. It's an eye opening experience and explains how the KGB worked in Lithuania. 

We also did a really good escape room - it's called The Wrong Room. We did 'party at Jamaika' - difficulty level 'advanced' which was a lot of fun. We made it out pretty fast too! 

Vilnius was not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to feel strongly 'Russian'...whatever that is! I was expecting grey and red - something slightly drab and very Soviet bloc-ish. Instead, we experienced something else altogether. While there are definitely reminders of the Soviet era, Vilnius felt extremely continental and in fact, quite alternative, with a thriving cafe and craft beer scene. 

Before you venture into the various cafes and pubs on offer in Vilnius, you should explore the old town area. We were there in late October and it was freezing - only about 1 or 2 degrees celcius so wrap up if you're there outside of summer. 

The city was very quiet, we hardly saw another soul on the streets. When we did, they were locals. Meander through the winding lanes and enjoy the mix of gothic and baroque architecture. Don't miss St Anne's church and St. Catherine's Church for good examples of both. 

There is lots to look at it. The Vilnius cathedral is pretty spectacular and is surrounded by a large square - with the Gediminas Tower on the hill behind it.

If you get bored of churches, then just explore all the different alley ways. There are loads of boutique shops and random statues which will keep you occupied. There is a lot of Jewish history in the old town, as part of it used to  be a Jewish ghetto - try to find the gate to the old ghetto - we couldn't! Sorry for the photo onslaught....

When you get tired of walking, pop into one of Vilnius' many cafes. One of our favourites, where we spent hours sitting and not talking to each other, was Mint Vinetu. A cosy coffeeshop with loads of books to peruse - and buy! There is a decent English language section too. 

My absolute favourite however was.... wait for it........ the cat cafe!!!!! I finally got to go a cat cafe and it lived up to all my hopes and dreams. The cats were gorgeous and happy - and the food and coffee was great. 

One thing that really surprised me about Vilnius was the great beer! It felt like being back home in Wellington. There were loads of cosy bars with great beers on tap.

In fact, Alaus Biblioteka even had an NZ beer on tap. This was probably the best pub of the lot...we loved it! A little too much..... but anyway the staff are knowledgable and friendly and gave me free gummi bears so I highly recommend it.

Other ones to check out include Spunka in Uzupis - a cosy pub run by a gruff and slightly grumpy Lithuania man who definitely has a heart of gold. It has a large selection of local beers and the pub was full of friendly locals. Actually maybe this one was my favourite!

Bambalyne is another place to not miss - you choose your beer out of the fridges and then sit down and drink it. It feels like you're drinking in a cave. 

We were out mid-week and it was very quiet - in a lot of pubs we were the only people. However, it definitely got busier on Friday and Saturday night! So don't dismay if its quiet mid-week. I'd love to go back and summer and drink outside in some of the gorgeous plazas - eg at the pub Who Hit John.

Food was an interesting experience in Lithuania. A mixed bag we shall say. The food is mostly game-based - a lot of boar and venison and beaver... yes beaver. It is also the land of the potato pancake! They don't waste parts of the animal here either....

Restaurant Lokys was delicious. I had a beef stew while the others tried beaver. Dirty river water is how I would describe it. Busi Trecias was delicious too! 

The strangest meal we had was at the legandary Snekitus in Uzupis. Great beer! The food was..... horrific. I think that's just because we're spoiled New Zealander's who have never had to struggle to put food on our plates. I was really excited to try zeppelins - giant potato dumplings stuffed with meat. However, the zeppelins I tried seemed to be stuffed with raw offal...or something...it was the worse thing I've ever eaten in my life. Yes, I'm a drama queen. We also had pigs ears - you don't need to try these. The potato pancakes were good though! Anyway, none of us could eat any of it so we tried to make it look like we had eaten as much as possible, downed our beers, and legit ran away.