Vilnius - Day 2

I woke up to a delightful breakfast at the hotel, and then headed out for a walk. As it was 7:45, it was still too early for anything to be open. I walked around the old town, and returned at 9:00 to the hotel to ask about where to buy some more shoes, as mine actually began to physically harm my foot. I ended up walking about 45 minutes to a shopping mall across the rivers located among Vilnius's skyscrapers. Overall prices are no cheaper than what I would pay at home for international brands. I ended up buying some Swedish shoes for about $50. Unfortunately they don't have great foot support. However, my trip is almost over, and if these shoes last for longer than six months, they will have been worth the purchase. I also bought a zip-up shirt at another store. While it was no cheaper than what I would pay at home, I don't think you could get something like it at home. After dropping my stuff off at the hotel, I headed off for lunch at a restaurant recommended in the guidebook. I had a soup, salad and a glass of wine for lunch, all for only $8! I headed off to the hill behind the main square, which also has a castle on it. The castle has been reconstructed and looks fake, but inside the tower there was an interesting museum on the castle's history, as well as a terrific view of the old town from the top. Next, I went to the museum of genocide. I've noticed that all East European capitals under communism seem to have museums dedicated to the horrors of the regime. The museum was very good, and I was able to see the prison as well as the execution chamber. Finally, I went to the Lithuanian National Museum, which was boring. I had a craving for pizza, so I went to an Italian restaurant for dinner, where although good, the pizza strangely had no tomato sauce. While eating, I sort of enjoyed the teenage girls singing various songs for money on the streets. I must say, they sing "Why is God not One of US" way too much. Following dinner I went to 'Soprano,' a dessert place, where I ordered a huge sundae which was very good. I took a little walk and stumbled across a classical music concert which I watched for about an hour. I left when they started reading Lithuanian poetry.