Trakai is a small Lithuanian town about 15 miles from Vilnius. It is the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was one of the largest countries in medieval Europe. It is the site of an old castle, as well as some interesting minority populations in Lithuania. When Grand Duke Vytautas expanded the country to the Black sea, he brought back with him warriors native to the Crimean region. These were Muslim Tartars, as well as Jewish Karaim. Both of these populations still live in Lithuania, and preserve their religions, languages, and some of their customs. We ate at an authentic Karaim restaurant, as well as saw a Karaim Museum, and Synagogue. Then we visited the castle, which is on an island in the middle of a lake. Finally, we visited an authentic Lithuanian sauna. We sat in a very hot room, which was heated by rocks and water, and then we jumped into an ice-cold lake. We were also supposed to beat each other with birch-tree branches, to exfoliate the skin. Then we sampled some traditional Lithuanian food (I skipped over the pig-ears), and made our way back to Vilnius. It was an interesting cultural experience. I like the lake more than the sauna, because it was so hot. Something well over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Here are some photos of the castle.
