Adventures of NaDave: Dave Germany: 81-84 (Lith

The Hill of Crosses is probably the #1 place to visit in Lithuania, so I was very pleased that the trip had gone well, and that the day was gorgeous. The Hill started back in the early 1800s, as a silent protests to the religious oppression by the Russians. Catholicism was not allowed to be practiced, so this Hill became a symbol for the Lithuanians. It got bull-dozed several times, but the stubborn Lithuanians kept building it back up! And since the wars have passed by, the Hill is now preserved and considered THE place of pilgrimage for Lithuanians.

I cruised along the country side in silence after I left Kaunas, seeing farms and forests, and again with my thoughts going to family. The only 'experience' along the way was stopping for gas. It was my first time fueling up in Europe, so there were a few nerves. But all went well, and I was back on the road. After 2 hours, I arrived to the site. It was a small site, but very busy on Saturday afternoon. I parked the car, and first walked over to an area where things were being sold.

During all of this timing of thinking, I had thought of a very special, very powerful idea for our family. I wanted to purchase a cross for our family, and place it on the Hill of Crosses. I wanted to symbolize our return as a family. I wanted the Urbon blood line to always have placed a cross on the Hill. I would quickly learn how emotional this would become.

I first set out to find a cross for our family. Luckily they sold crosses on site, as several old ladies were making them on site. If you know me, I looked up and down each one, thought and thought, until finally the right one called to me. Again, this wooden Cross had to be special. I paid the lovely old lady, and then asked for a picture with her. At first she didn't understand (she didn't speak English!), but a younger girl translated, and the old lady got all excited. I came around the table, and she grabbed me around the ribs like I was family. I asked the girl to translate why I was here, and the old lady smiled. Pretty neat.

The next step, was to personalize the cross. After lots of thought, I wanted to put everyone's name in the family, starting with Benedicta, and ending with me. And also wanted to include the partners/husbands/wives too. I took a marker and slowly put everyones name down on the back. Then I wasn't sure what to say with the extra space, but then it just came to me, and when I read it back to myself, I started to tear up. Wow, this was becoming very real. There was also a spot for a message on the front, so again, I wrote what came to me. Words can't fully explain how I felt.

I collected myself, and then walked over to the Hill with the cross in hand. The hill wasn't huge, but it was very powerful. As you got closer, you realized there were probably over 1 million crosses of all different sizes. i took the time to walk around the whole place, and paused to read several messages. I was hoping to find an "Urbonas", but no such luck.

I then needed to find a place for our cross. We're not a family that wants to be up in the front, thats not Gpa Urbon! There was a nice creek in the back of the hill, and I thought how important water was to our family. Gpa loved to fish, we all love to fish, we all love to swim, and Benedicta had to cross water to come to America. So I found a special spot, with a clear view of the water, and placed it in the ground. I sat there for a while, soaking in the view and just reflecting. I was very proud. Even years from now, when the cross itself is gone, our family spirit will always be on the hill.

I could have stayed there all day. But I walked back to the car, even feeling a little guilty for leaving, but I had to keep moving. The next stop was to be a rebel, and cross the border and head to Riga! Crossing the border was just like the states, just a sign. But I pulled over, and snapped a photo. The funniest part was that a guy was mowing his lawn, and of course stopped mowing at the border. You think the property line between a neighbor is intense...imagine cutting the grass of another country!

I used the GPS to get into Riga, but only used the maps feature, just to make sure the car company had no evidence I was there. When I got there, a major festival was happening, so I found a parking spot in a big lot, did my best to read the sign and pay, and then grabbed my bag to 1st head to the Museum of the Occupation. Tanya had been in Riga in 2005, and recommended the museum. It was free, and helped me a lot to learn about the Gulags (Russian Work Camps) and how Russia & Germany ruled over these people in the 1900s (very sad). I then headed over to the hostel and checked in. Again it was cheap, but very nice. I rested a bit, then headed out to walk around the port city.

I thought a lot about Tanya, and how I was re-tracing her path from 2005. Pretty neat for a little brother. The city was having a major festival & it was Saturday night, so I had plenty to walk around and see. I hit all the top sites recommended for travelers, then walked over the main part of the festival along the water, and grabbed dinner, and of course a beer. I true Baltic meal! I was pretty exhausted from the day, so it tasted great. I sat there, watching people celebrate a summer night, listening to music. I wanted to stay around until dark for fireworks, but my body was too tired. Sunday was 3.5 hour drive back to Vilnius to catch my 230pm flight.