Raphael Kessler

Lithuania is a nice country, albeit bloody cold when I was there (dipping to minus 26C). The women in Lithuania are good looking, just like many in the Baltics and the people generally friendly. It was also in Vilnius, the capital, where I stayed at probably the best official Youth Hostel, good crowd, good fun, very sociable.

Near Siauliai in the north of the country there is a bizarre place, generally known as The Hill of Crosses. It is to a large extent what its name depicts, a hill covered in crosses. It is more than this though as the crosses are then covered in more crosses and in rosaries and yet more crosses. The space on the two hillocks (hill is a bit of an overstatement) has run out and the surrounding land is now steadily turning into cross country. Pope John Paul II planted a big cross here as have many other big names in the Christian world. When I was there I was pretty much alone in the freezing cold and the sound of the wind whistling through and rattling the rosaries and crosses was very eerie.

In the south of the country is a park where many of the Baltics old Soviet sculptures and other socialist iconography. Of the two million or so sculptures made of Lenin and Stalin only two had Lenin seated and one of them is in this park in Grutas. So I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get close to the big guy.