This post could just have easily been titled “Our August Trip to Vilnius” since that’s the topic I am covering the most.  My August was pretty ordinary until the day for that trip arrived.  I do have two other favorites, though, so I’ll start with them.  Here we go!

FAVORITE #1

My workout at Orangetheory Fitness on the 4th of the month included the 200-meter Benchmark Row.  I went into it hoping to beat my PR of 40.01 seconds, and whaddayaknow…I did!

And not only did I make a new PR, but I ranked #1 in my age group!

I’m finding the older I get, the harder it becomes to better my personal records, so I was quite excited about this one!

 

FAVORITE #2

Every new school year, I look forward the the first-day-of-school pictures of my granddaughters.

 

I love these girls so much!  I hope they have their best school year yet!

 

FAVORITE #3

And here we go!  We left for Vilnius, Lithuania on August 20th, flying from D/FW to Helsinki, where we connected to our flight to Vilnius.  We’ve been looking forward to meeting our grandson in person for months now, and finally the time has come!

Monday p.m., August 21st

Big Eagle and I reserved an Airbnb that is located in the same apartment building as our son Danny and his wife Erin.  It was SO convenient!  Danny and Erin were so kind as to shop for breakfast and snack items for us and leave them in our Airbnb.  How thoughtful!

Once we got situated, we went to their apartment for dinner and time with little Leo.  He had just turned 4 months old on the 18th, and I was smitten with him right away.  I’ll let this little video introduce you to him:

Video chatting is a wonderful invention that has enabled us to “visit” with Leo on our devices, but nothing compares to holding him in my arms, taking in that wonderful baby smell, feeling that baby-soft skin, and interacting with each other in person.

 

Tuesday, August 22

The next morning after getting up, dressing, and having breakfast, Big Eagle and I went back over to Danny and Erin’s.  We hung out there for the rest of the morning and then went across the street to the burger place on the corner, where we had lunch together outside.  That afternoon Erin, Leo, Big Eagle, and I walked to the Japanese gardens not too far from their place and enjoyed seeing everything there.  I didn’t think to take any pictures.

Back at their apartment, I played with Leo whenever he was awake.

He loves to spend time under this bird mobile, reaching for the birds and kicking at them.  And I loved watching him. 😍

That evening, from the balcony we saw hot-air balloons flying across the city sky.  So cool!  We saw them on another night, too.  Evidently it’s a regular occurrence.

After dinner that night, we got to try a traditional Lithuanian dessert!  Danny and Erin had bought a Sakotis cake.  Erin explained that whenever one of her students had a birthday, this is what they would usually bring to share with the class.

It’s not very sweet.  To me, it kind of tasted like a waffle.  Maybe could use a little honey or melted chocolate drizzled on it, but I did enjoy giving it a try!

 

Wednesday, August 23rd

Late Wednesday morning, we all walked through an area of town they call The Ponds.  The plan was to walk to a spot to have lunch and back.  Along the way we passed this pond that had these beautiful water lilies in it.

 

Our lunch destination was this cute little bakery called Brukne, which Danny said means blackberry in Lithuanian.

In the back they have a deck area with seating, where we ate.  We had handheld savory pies and some little sweet pies for dessert.  Erin had laid a little pallet on the grass for Leo, and when I finished lunch, I played with him there.

 

Thursday, August 24th

Got a surprise call from Danny in the morning inviting us to have eggs benedict at their apartment.  Couldn’t say no to THAT!

Danny actually made them himself, and I have never had better.  Wow!  So fancy!  Who makes eggs benedict at home?  Danny does!

I couldn’t resist snapping a picture when I saw how beautiful these three looked together.

 

Also got this one of Grandpa holding Leo.

 

After a while we walked to Old Town across the river to a Thai restaurant for lunch.  It was so good, and I stuffed myself!

During our walk back, Erin pointed out St. Anne’s Church.  It was established between 1495 and 1500 and is one of the best representations of Gothic architecture in the city.  Beautiful!

 

 

Friday, August 25th

On Friday we drove to an area to the east of Old Town called Belmontas.

There used to be a flour mill there, but now it is a beautiful park area with the river running through it.  Once we got there, we went for a walk through the forested park.  First we crossed this wooden bridge and got a beautiful view of the spot where we would later eat lunch.

 

Erin stopped to feed Leo, so Danny took us to an area where the disc golf course is, and we circled back around afterward to meet back up with Erin and Leo.

Danny had brought a disc with him, so he and Big Eagle played one hole.

We enjoyed some gorgeous and interesting sights along our walk.  Afterwards, we had lunch at the restaurant alongside the river.

By the time we got back to the apartment, it was late afternoon.  I think Leo was worn out.

 

But later he perked back up, and I got this shot of him with Grandpa.

 

Saturday, August 26

At some point during the week, we had been at a typical market area with Danny, and he told us there was a market closer to the apartment that was even bigger.  So Big Eagle and I decided to go on our own to explore that market on this morning.

There were all kinds of fruits and vegetables, baked goods, clothing, meats, cheeses, and more!  The weather had been warmer than I had anticipated, so I was hoping to find a pair of cheap shorts and some inexpensive t-shirts.  All I had packed were long pants and only a few short-sleeved shirts.  I was successful, so now I have my Vilnius shorts and t-shirt.  Ha!

One of the vendors was selling Sakotis cakes!  And there was a big building where they sold the meats, cheeses, and eggs.

We also bought a package of baked goods, a quarter of a watermelon, and a rotisserie chicken which we had for dinner that night.

On the street as we were leaving, we saw more fruits and vegetables, flowers, and clothes for sale.  It was a bustling place!

When we arrived back at Danny and Erin’s, we unloaded the goods, and I changed into my shorts (whew!)

I loved watching Danny play with Leo at his changing table, and I got this video:

We took a walk to our lunch destination: Brussels Mussels.  It is a Belgian style pub.  We ate outside, but again…I didn’t think to take any pictures.  I ordered the mussels in white wine, garlic, and celery.  Delicious!

Erin and Danny read to Leo all the time, and I’m so impressed by that!  Even at this young age, it’s easy to see how much he loves his story time.  They read to him at all times of the day, but always after his bath at night before his bed time feeding.

 

 

 

 

Sunday, August 27

On Saturday morning when we got to Erin and Danny’s, we saw that Leo was dressed in one of his Buccaneers onesies that Big Eagle bought for him!

Our little man has been rolling over more and more lately, so earlier this week Big Eagle and I made a trip with Danny to IKEA to get the crib fitted out with a mattress and sheets.  Up to this point, Leo has been sleeping in his bassinet, but now he’s ready to graduate to his crib, which has yet to be assembled.  So on this morning Big Eagle helps Danny get it put together.

 

 

 

Afterward, Erin stayed home to feed Leo and put him down for his nap, while Danny, Big Eagle, and I went to Old Town to lunch and shop for souvenirs.  We ate al fresco on the sidewalk at a corner cafe-restaurant that they frequent called Cozy.

Then we visited a few shops.  I ended up buying a souvenir mug, a wall-hanging, and a Vilnius t-shirt.  Danny bought a birthday gift for a friend named Ryan.  Ryan, Danny learned, was currently at the Prison with a group of their friends watching the World Cup Basketball, so he wanted to stop by there on the way back to give him his gift.

The Prison really did used to be a prison.  It was closed in 2019, and is now used as a cultural entertainment center.  Erin said people rent out the cells to use as studios for music and art lessons.  The “yard” area was being used this day as sort of an outside sports bar.  Here’s a video for you:

Ryan was happy with his gift, and we got to meet some of Danny and Erin’s social circle. 😁

Erin had walked with Leo in the stroller to Old Town, and we had met up with her before going to the prison, but she stayed outside with him while we were in there amongst all the noise.  We all walked home together.

Back at the apartment, I couldn’t resist taking this video of Erin and Danny singing to Leo.  Besides reading him new and familiar books, they sing him songs that he has become familiar with.  I just love it!

 

Monday, August 28

Our last full day in Vilnius. 🥺

Got this pic of Grandpa and Leo on the balcony.

Big Eagle had made Leo a stool.  Leo’s cousin Edie created the artwork for it.  Big Eagle had it broken down for transport, and then assembled it once we were in Vilnius.

 

We decided to just hang around the apartment with Danny, Erin, and Leo that last day.  Just played with Leo…I think we played some Rummikub while he napped…had lunch at home.  We had reservations for a nice dinner out at a restaurant called Veranda.

So around 5 in the afternoon, we set out to walk to the restaurant.  A large part of the walk was along the river, and as we hadn’t taken generational pictures yet, we took the opportunity to stop along our walk and get some 3-generation pictures.

 

 

The restaurant was a perfect location, and the food was so delicious!  We ate so much on this trip…lots of really good food, but we also walked a lot, too, so I think the eating wasn’t as damaging as it could have been.  😜

At one point Leo was on Danny’s lap and sitting up to the table like a big boy!

 

Before we left, Danny got the waiter to take a picture of all 5 of us.

 

While we had been in Vilnius this week, it was discovered that Leo really likes to lay on his belly now in the stroller and survey all that is happening around him.  I had to take a picture of him doing just that while we were on our walk home after dinner.  So cute!

 

The next morning we were up early and on our way home.  I really wish my family lived closer together where we could see each other more often and celebrate special days together.  But I’ll take what I can get, and savor it all the more.

So that was August for me!  Hope you had something special going on, too, but if not…hey, we just have to make the everyday as special as we can.  So maybe you did your best to do that.  Either way, I’d love to hear about it.  Oh…and thanks for hanging in there if you’re still here at the bottom of this long post!