Kaunas

After visiting Vilnius, it was time for us to explore new places. That’s why we decided to take the train to Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. We left Vilnius train station at 11:15 AM for a one-hour journey. We traveled with Jean and Aude, two French friends we had met at the +++ bar. Mathieu wasn’t with us that day because he was in Riga with his family (see article Family Visit).

Our goal for the day was to explore the city and attend the Lithuanian Cup semi-final in basketball, where Žalgiris Kaunas was playing against Lietkabelis (ranked 1st and 4th in the Lithuanian league, respectively). The game was scheduled for 7:30 PM, so we started by discovering the city.

After quickly checking some tourism websites, we planned to visit Kaunas' city center and the Ninth Fort. The most famous landmarks in the city center are the Basilica of the Resurrection of Christ and St. Michael the Archangel Church. We started by visiting the church—it was beautiful!

Next, we went to the Ninth Fort, which was a bit outside the city. We had no idea what to expect when we arrived. At first, the atmosphere was light—we were joking and laughing. However, the mood quickly changed when we understood the history of the fort. It was an extermination camp during the Nazi occupation. Experts estimate that 50,000 people were killed there, mostly Jews. Personally, I found the visit very interesting. We learned a lot about what happened in Lithuania during that time.

After returning to the city center, we decided to visit the Basilica of the Resurrection of Christ. The basilica has rooftop access, offering a panoramic view of the city. Our timing was perfect, as the sun was setting. Watching Kaunas under a beautiful sunset was an amazing experience.

It was now time to head to Žalgiris Arena for the basketball game. At first, we were surprised that there was no one around the stadium, even though the game was starting in 30 minutes. The stadium doors were also closed. After waiting 15 minutes in -10°C, we finally decided to check the game details online—only to realize the match was actually being played at Twinsbet Arena in Vilnius… A huge disappointment, especially for me.

In the end, we went to a restaurant to watch the game on TV. Despite the disappointing end to the day, we had an amazing time in Kaunas!