Wedlock And Padlock

We got a late start this morning. After breakfast, we went CD shopping, which means, of course, that I went CD shopping; Sarah just got bored. I don’t understand why the missus doesn’t have more of an interest in music, but there you have it. Of course, she did take care of the children while I was listening to the local talent, which was much appreciated.

In fact, we didn’t do much of anything today. It was quite a lazy day.

I took the children to a park in the afternoon, while Sarah went shopping for amber.

We must have seen about fifty different newly wedded couples today, replete in full matrimonial regalia. After the wedding ceremony, it’s customary to walk around town with all of your gear on, while your photographer takes photos of you in contrived poses.

We saw couples on the swings at the park; couples walking down the middle of Gedimino gatvé, as if they owned it; couples bending over one another in dashing glamour poses; couples getting married in the cathedral, whilst guided tours milled around; couples here, couples there; couples everywhere.

Another grand tradition here is to affix an engraved padlock to the railings or trellis of a bridge. This signifies the locking of their love. I wonder if the couples also deposit the key with a notary, in the event that they want to toss the padlock into the river when they divorce.

Dinner was shite tonight: bad food and bad service. I had high hopes for the surroundings of Čili Kaimas on Vokiečių gatvé, but it wasn’t to be. The only redeeming factor was the starter: fried bread and cheese. That was great and is a popular snack with beer all over the country.

Tomorrow, we move out of the capital, first west to Trakai, then on to Druskininkai. The drive will put us in the far south of the country, just 8 km from the border with Belarus.