立陶宛／Lithuania（Part 1）

对里加感到失望后，不敢对下一个地点立陶宛有任何期望，毕竟期望越大，失望越大。更何况，三个波罗的海国家中，最少听到其他背包旅行者提起的就是立陶宛，似乎它不是一个受欢迎的旅游景点。正因为没有任何期望，平凡的立陶宛才显得有趣。
After being let down by Riga, I dare not have any expectations for Lithuania. After all, of all three Baltic States, this was the one least mentioned by fellow travelers I had met so far. Guess not having expectations was good, because it made ordinary Lithuania looked interesting.

＊维尔纽斯／Vilnius
最先去的自然是首都维尔纽斯。入住的房间是到目前为止最有趣的，房间采用了日本胶囊旅馆的模式，小小的一个房间有十张床，每个胶囊都有自己的灯和电源，不但省位，也让人感觉很有私人空间。
First stop was naturally the capital city, Vilnius. The room I stayed in has got to be the most interesting one so far. It was modeled after the capsule hotels in Japan. As such, you can find ten beds in one small room. Each capsule has its own reading light and power point, meaning you are able to do everything you want in that tiny space that is only half a meter wide and less than two meters long. Definitely very comfortable and lots of privacy. 与塔林和里加一样，维尔纽斯也有个古镇，虽然没有塔林那样古色古香，但比起里加，维尔纽斯的古镇较有味道。穿过16世纪的旧城门，回头一望，可以看到城门上面有个教堂，教堂内有一个很大的圣母相。当年俄罗斯和苏联入侵维尔纽斯古镇时，就是不敢碰这个神圣的圣母相一根汗毛，深怕这会得罪了的圣母。
Just like Tallinn and Riga, you can find an Old Town in Vilnius. Although not as full of character like that of the Old Town in Tallinn, Vilnius’ Old Town is definitely more interesting than that of Riga’s. After passing through the 16th century Gates of Dawn, located at the southern border of Old Town, you have to turn around to look at the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary located at the top of the gates. In it is a black and gold ‘miracle working’ Virgin Mary icon dating from the 13th century. It is said that this icon is so holy that even the Russians and the Soviets dare not destroy it when turning the old city walls into ruins. 走在古镇的大街上，可以看到不少教堂和旧式建筑。走进躲在后头的小巷子，你会看到不少有趣的建筑和铺子。
Strolling on the main street of the Old Town, you can find many old buildings and churches.　Wandering into one of the many hidden alleys, you can find more old buildings and interesting shops housed in them. 当然也有不少的咖啡座、餐厅和贩卖纪念品的商店等。
Of course, there is the usual array of cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops etc.在这里你会看到很多专卖琥珀首饰的珠宝店。据了解，这类宝石在波罗的海一带多的是，通常走在沙滩上就可以看得到。
You can also find lots of jewellery shops selling accessories made from amber. This type of stone is apparently in abundance in this region, washed ashore from the sea. 走到古镇大街的尽头，再往前走一点，就会来到维尔纽斯新镇。最先看到的是这个雄伟的维尔纽斯教堂，过条马路就会来到维尔纽斯最繁忙的购物街。去的那几天正好那里正好有庆典，整个购物街布满了小小的摊位，有贩卖当地小吃的、有贩卖艺术品的、有卖饮料的等，应有尽有，人潮汹涌。最后还有一个大舞台，我到的时候，正好有一群人在台上唱歌。
At the end of the main street of the Old Town, you will come upon the New Town. The first thing that greets you is the majestic Vilnius Cathedral. Crossing the street in front of the cathedral, you will arrive at the busiest shopping boulevard in Vilnius. There was some sort of festival ongoing when I was there, so the whole streets was lined with stalls selling local delicacies, paintings, souvenirs, drinks etc. At the end of the street, a huge stage was set up, where a group of people singing gospel songs at the time I was there. 走完维尔纽斯大街后，到种族灭绝受害者博物馆去参观。原本对里加的历史博物馆印象深刻，但来到这家博物馆后，觉得这里比里加的那个更值得一去。这个博物馆历史并不悠久，因为博物馆的建筑其实就是当年俄罗斯情报机构KGB的总部，因此当地人都称这个博物馆为“KGB博物馆”。还没有进入博物馆，你就对于里面的展览多少有一点心理准备，因为刻在博物馆外墙上的是那些当年在KGB监牢内被折磨致死或被谋杀的人的名字。看着这些名字和他们的出生和死亡日期，不难发现，在这里死去的大部分都很年轻。里面的展览非常详细地道出立陶宛在俄罗斯统治下的日子，以及爱国者多年来为求国家独立所作出的奋斗，当然也少不了解释KGB的所作所为。不过真正让人感到毛骨悚然的是地下室的牢房。在这里有不少无辜的性命被牺牲掉，每个牢房都保留了原来的模样，你可以看到牢房都是小小窄窄的。最恐怖的是一个四面墙壁都有隔音设备的牢房，据了解，当年KGB就在这间牢房折磨不少人，利用隔音设备来确保外头的人听不到囚犯们的哀号。另外，还有KGB枪毙囚犯的牢房。因为不能拍照，这里偷拍了几张。
After checking out the main streets, I next head for the Museum of Genocide Victims. I had thought that the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia was good, but the Museum of Genocide Victims was even better. This museum does not have a long history, as it is set up in the building which the Russian KGB used as their headquarters. The KGB left in 1992/93 and the local authorities kept the whole building in its original conditions, to educate the public on the atrocities of the KGB. The moment the building comes into sight, you more or less have an inkling of what to expect of the exhibits inside, as you can find the names and dates of birth and death of those murdered by the KGB carved onto the stone walls outside the building. Inside you will find exhibits detailing the post-WWII Lithuanian resistance movement and also that of the KGB work and activities. More chilling though, are the inmate cells where prisoners are kept and tortured, including one which is fully padded to keep the cries of the tortured reaching people outside. You can also visit the execution cell where prisoners are mostly shot in the skull between 1944 and 1960s. Photography is not allowed. The pictures you see here are taken on the sly.傍晚时分看到了这个可爱的云朵，那细细的线其实是飞机飞跃天空的痕迹。

Saw this cute little cloud near evening time. That 'line' through the cloud was actually made by aeroplane flying through. 晚上的维尔纽斯其实相当迷人。

And I found that Vilnius is actually pretty charming at night.