On the Move

7:00a.m. came early this morning, but to a comforting sight. The trip from Vilnius to Klaipeda was interesting considering that our group, along with our luggage, was shoved into a passenger van for four hours on the rough Lithuanian highway. This morning as we opened the door from our cozy bed and breakfast, a beautiful charter bus was waiting there. There would be no more clinch-ing to the armrest in an effort to stay in your seat. Each person had their own two seats and John spread out in the back. We pulled the curtains to keep the morning sun out of our eyes, and completely missed the dark clouds in the sky as we came into Vilnius (let me remind you that 7:00a.m. is 12:00a.m. ET & 11:00p.m. CT...).

Anyway, we boarded the bus and dozed off with dreams of Skybar and what was going on back on the Plains (only one stop for coffee and "to take a leak" in Bruce the Wise's terms). Thoughts of the dolphinarium (if that is a word) and the odd creatures around Kliapeda were gone.

The bus was great, but the next part left us stunned. We arrived a little after 11:00a.m. and had 30 min to get ready. Our local leader met us in the hotel lobby to give us the keys. The elevators were small, and we didn't know what to expect turning the door. Before us lay two double beds, a TV larger than 12", wireless internet, a bathroom that we didn't have to share with a bathtub and a shower, two chairs around a table, along with a small bench. Thoughts of going out to see the town evaporated in thin air while the thoughts of a comfortable bed and a spacious room filled our heads. Walking over to the window that was larger than our first hostel room, those clouds we didn't see were dumping sleet on the Europe's "Cultural Capital."

The schedule was tight, and we all changed and rushed back downstairs. The plan was to have a company visit at 12:00p.m., then visit Parliament at 2:00p.m., lunch at 3:40p.m., free time, and a city tour at 5:00p.m. We began with a laser manufacturer, Light Conversion Ltd. (www.lightcon.com). Founded in 1994, they manufacture two major lasers but alter them for specific customer needs. Their first laser, a.k.a. TOPAS, caters to a small market of femtosecond and picosecond parametric amplifiers (we we're lost too). PHAROS, the second laser, is a femtosecond laser system combining millijoule pulse energies and high average power. Our host, Dr. Algirdos Juozapavicius, explained that the company enjoys its independence and looks to continue to grow. At the moment, Light Conversion is split into two facilities, but they are preparing to consolidate into one building. We were allowed the opportunity to tour both facilities (about 5 minutes apart), viewing both laser systems and the manufacturing process.

The group left Light Conversion impressed and headed to Parliament. Tragically, we were not allowed to go due to mis-communication. We had been told that passports were not needed, but in fact they were. Instead, we found a pizzeria and got in just before another band of rain moved through. The extra rest time was well deserved, and needed before our tour. The tour was a walking tour, and required some determination to make it to the end.

Our guide had a daughter that lived outside of Chicago. The tour began at the Vilnius Cathedral, we trudged through the rain and more sleet, saw more cathedrals than I can count, and ended up on the complete opposite side of main city. Whitney was splashed by a passing car, while Bruce, proving his name, was wise and bowed out when the rain began. The jackets got zipped up after the rain and sleet brought cold weather. We made it through two plus hours as we walked through the Gate of Dawn at the remnants of the old city wall.

The last story we heard was about the beginning of Vilnius. The legend tells that the Grand Duke of Lithuania was out hunting. After a great hunt he decided to spend the night in the forest. As he closed his eyes, he saw in his dreams a great iron wolf standing at the very top of the hill he had just hunted. The iron wolf let out a howl as it reared its head toward the heavens. Accordingly, the howl sounded as loud as a hundred wolves. Upon awakening, the Duke went to his pagan priest to reveal the dream. His priest told him that the gods were telling him he was to found a city by building a castle (the iron wolf) to become the capital of Lithuania and fame of this castle will spread (the howling). And thus, Vilnius was founded.

Thanks for reading,
Thomas