Rode the Vilnius bus to Trakai, and it was so overloaded that my face was near the front window, and I was rather cramped, but that was the best place to be. The bus driver kept pushing my arm indicating I needed to lean back so he could see the mirrors.

I think it was only about 15 miles to Trakai, but along the road there was the kind of woods that draw you and attract, pulling you in. You want to enter the mystery of the coolness and tones of green. There are many Douglas firs, although they are not indigenous to the area (am I?) and Birch trees, the white trunks creating contrast and rhythm with the dark and soft looking firs.

 Trakai was exquisitely delightful and detailed with vignettes of lovely flowers, carved shutters, and traditional homes in interesting colors with wood shingles and painted corrugation.

Here are some photos of the residences.

The to walk to the island castle was perhaps a mile and a half, but it was taking forever because I was consistently waylaid, stopping to look and drinking in the luscious details.

Ornate shutters, crumbling walls, quaint old houses with corrugated tin roofs settling over the years unevenly, like rickety and arthritic old men but, with the same lines indicating there are tales to tell.

The tree-lined streets were charming, and there was detail everywhere.

I walked along the edges of lakes, and people made their own little entries to swimming holes. I saw a mother Swan and her three babies. 

Gray and fluffy but getting big and hopefully ready for the winter.

This one was exercising fledgling wings.

And competitor ducks floated in an optical illusion. Maybe seeing is an art, but this was just the beginning of seeing. Part two soon.