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Šv. Jurgio bažnyčia (St. George's church) in the old town of Kaunas, Lithuania.

This Bernardine monastary and church date back to 1468 when a wooden church was built here. In 1471, they started to build the brick version, which completed by sometime around 1503. In 1812 when Napoleon's army came through, they used the church for storing flour. The last major renovation happened in 1936 but then during the Soviet occupation it was again turned into a warehouse (for medical equipment, apparently) and ended up suffering major interior damage. In between it suffered several fires, wars, and various alterations and reconstructions, but it's still standing.

When we were there in July 2009, it was just starting to undergo some major renovations. It was open to the public, filled with temporary seating, and already being used for masses. The catacombs under the altar are all exposed, and much of the artwork and architectural details are still intact, although damaged. I could have easily spent many hours in there with a camera and tripod, but alas, I only ended up getting a few quick snapshots.

Further reading (Google-translated Lithuanian websites):

• History of the monastary and church
• Wikipedia article

I saw several of these signs around central Kaunas, Lithuania. The official black text says, "Don't honk your horn", and the unofficial addition says, "But I don't have a car."

Before going to Lithuania, I heard horror stories about the traffic and crazy drivers. But to be honest, it was actually pretty calm. Downtown Kaunas was great, but maybe we spent too much time in the pedestrian areas (Laisvės alėja, Vilniaus Gatvė) to notice. :-) And yes, the signs seemed to work as I don't recall hearing any horn-honking.

Kaunas, Lithuania. 2010-07-16.

Statue of Man, a sculpture by Petras Mazuras looks out over the entrance to the Mykolas Žilinskas Art Museum on Laisvės alėja (Liberty Boulevard) in Kaunas, Lithuania. This is right next to Šv. arkangelo Mykolo bažnyčia, which was featured here a couple of days ago.

Kaunas, Lithuania. 2009-07-15.

Vilniaus gatvė (Vilnius Street) in the old town of Kaunas, Lithuania. A cyclist rides past a bookstore on this old cobblestones street.

It was only today, 7 months after taking this photo, that I looked really closely and noticed little bubbles floating through the air in the blue sky. If you click on the photo, you'll see a larger version.

Kaunas, Lithuania. 2009-07-15.

Laisvės alėja (Liberty Boulevard) is a pedestrian street in the "new town" of Kaunas, Lithuania. When people go to Kaunas, they tend to gravitate towards this street, as it's very central to the most touristy parts of the city, connecting the old town to the new town. We were very lucky to stay in a relative's apartment just a couple of blocks from where this photo was taken. It's interesting to note that in a case of horrible irony, this street was re-named "Stalino prospektas" for a period during the Soviet occupation.

At the east end of Laisvės alėja is Šv. arkangelo Mykolo bažnyčia (St. Michael the Archangel Church). Built at the end of the 19th century, it provides a stunning focal point at the end of the tree-lined street.

Laisvės alėja (Liberty Boulevard) is a pedestrian street in the "new town" of Kaunas, Lithuania. When people go to Kaunas, they tend to gravitate towards this street, as it's very central to the most touristy parts of the city, connecting the old town to the new town. We were very lucky to stay in a relative's apartment just a couple of blocks from where this photo was taken. It's interesting to note that in a case of horrible irony, this street was re-named "Stalino prospektas" for a period during the Soviet occupation.

At the east end of Laisvės alėja is Šv. arkangelo Mykolo bažnyčia (St. Michael the Archangel Church). Built at the end of the 19th century, it provides a stunning focal point at the end of the tree-lined street.