16 TRAVEL + INDULGENCE THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, NOVEMBER 3-4, 2018theaustralian.com.au/travel

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Busy Cathedral Square lies at theheart of the UNESCO-inscribedOld Town in Vilnius, Lithuania.From the belfry, walk south to ex-

plore cobblestone streets full of shops, muse-ums and cafes; southeast to reach thecrumbling grand facades of the bohemian dis-trict of Uzupis; and west to find the formerheadquarters of the Gestapo for a grim re-minder of Lithuania’s recent past.

Yet to fully understand Vilnius, you needto descend many metres underground, to lay-ers of the city that remain concealed wellbelow street level and the thousands of feetthat crisscross its surface every day. Datingback to medieval times, Vilnius was buriedand built over due to wars, fires and the pass-age of time. And a tour titled UndergroundVilnius offers unparalleled access. “This is aside of Vilnius that most tourists never see,”says my guide, Emilija.

We first descend via stairs leading severalmetres underneath the grand floor of VilniusCathedral. The temperature drops; the smellsof damp earth and stale air grow stronger.This is a restricted area, accessible only in thecompany of a local guide. A couple of straytourists try to follow us, rattling the lockedgate as they go, but Emilija pays them noheed. She is absorbed in telling me how thecathedral has been destroyed and rebuilt sev-eral times over the past seven centuries. Dur-ing one of its restorations, the altars of apagan temple dedicated to Perkunas, the Bal-tic god of thunder, rain, mountains, oak treesand the sky, were discovered on the site. Sac-rificial animals, including snakes, goats androosters, were kept here, along with an eter-nal fire maintained by virgins who would beput to death should the flames go out.

Indeed, there are many reminders thatLithuania was Europe’s last pagan state. Justoutside the cathedral is a monument to thefounder of the city, the Grand Duke of Lithu-ania, Gediminas. Legend has it that Gedimi-nas consulted a pagan priest about an unusualdream he’d had of an iron wolf at the top of amountain, howling loudly at the moon. This,the priest explains, represented the fame ofthe future city that Gediminas was to estab-lish, with a reputation that would spread far

and wide, “as far as the howling of the mys-terious wolf”.

We step carefully through low-slung Goth-ic arches to a display of relics and other itemsuncovered during archeological digs, such asshards of handcrafted pottery, arrowheadsmade from bone and iron, gold rings and gild-ed pins. There are also fractured tombstones,clay tiles, candlesticks and coffin holders.

At least 27 known crypts lie here, the finalresting places of ancient nobles and clerics.The oldest burials, dating from the 13th and14th centuries, were discovered at the level ofthe earliest floor, more than 3m belowground, and some of these coffins can still beviewed in the echoing halls.

Archeologists continue to unearth freshdiscoveries. Last year, the ruins of ritualbaths, used by congregants of Vilnius’s largeJewish community, were found. Nazi soldiershad razed these and other buildings, includ-

ing 12 synagogues, schools and a library, whenthey occupied the city in June 1941. It’s clearthat this nation of three million is still recov-ering after almost 50 subsequent years of So-viet occupation. It declared its independenceas recently as 1990. As such, the scars remainfresh; the wounds still raw.

We explore the Jewish Ghetto as part ofthe Vilnius Tourist Information Centre’sshorter two-hour walking tour. Our guide ismoved to tears as she describes mass shoot-ings, imprisonment, slave labour, starvationand exile. Descending steep concrete steps tothe basement underneath the Jewish Centreof Culture and Information provides a smallbut eerie glimpse of what life was like forthose forced into hiding. I’m taken briefly intoa tiny, airless room, pitch black, sparsely fur-nished. Deep within the damp earth, it’s easyto see how some suffocated to death, whileothers were driven mad by the darkness.

We visit many other buildings in the centreof Vilnius Old Town that contain hiddenbasements that once functioned as living spa-ces, workshops, storage areas or hiding holes.

The Amber Museum-Gallery, one of manyplaces where Baltic amber may be purchased,houses a 15th-century kiln and earthenwareon its lower ground floor. Here, Perkunasagain rears his head as he is connected withthe story of local amber. According to legend,enraged by his daughter’s love for a fisher-man, Perkunas sent a bolt of lightning to killhim, and to destroy his daughter’s amber pal-ace. It’s said that fragments of amber washedashore following Baltic Sea storms are thetears of the still-grieving goddess.

I also happen upon another basementwhen I circle back to where my day started,Cathedral Square, to treat myself at Kempin-ski The Spa, located underneath the Kempin-ski Hotel. I slip into a robe and explore thesubterranean pool, spa and lounge area.There is something womblike about thissteamy, warm, windowless space, and it’stempting to linger — but I’m soon usheredinto a treatment room for the spa’s signatureAmber Experience.

Many believe that Baltic amber, the fossil-ised resin of ancient pine trees, possessestherapeutic properties. The presence of bodyheat supposedly causes amber to release oilshigh in succinic acid, which stimulates skincell renewal, calms the nervous system andregulates metabolic processes. I have no ideaif that’s true. Yet lying in this softly lit room,being scrubbed into somnolence with amberpowder, and knowing a massage and facialwill follow, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

DENISE CULLEN

IN THE KNOW

Qantas flies to Singapore and connectsto a Finnair codeshare flight via Helsinki,and then on to Vilnius. The newly opened104-room Pacai Hotel is reconstructedfrom the ruins of a 17th-century baroquepalace.■ vilnius-tourism.lt/en■ hotelpacai.com■ qantas.com.au■ finnair.com

Downtime in VilniusBelow the surface in Lithuania’s historic capital

MORE TO THE STORY

Basement dining? Saula Food Cellar (pictured) is located in the midst of Vilnius’s tourist district but its unassuming facade does little to invite exploration. There’s no menu out front, the word “restoranas” is barely visible onthe front glass door, and there’s no tellingwhat’s at the bottom of the flight of stairs.What I find, though, is a stylish basementrestaurant with whitewashed brick wallsand blond wood tables carved from Lithuanian oak in a space once occupiedby a 16th and 17th-century bazaar. Saula’s menu celebrates contemporaryLithuanian cuisine, and features a joyfulshout-out to individually named local farmers. Dishes include beef tongue served with rye bread, cream and goat’scheese salad; or fried catfish with potatoes and cauliflower puree, followedby unusual desserts such as buckthornpanna cotta or chocolate cake made withporcini mushrooms.■ facebook.com/saularestoranas/DENISE CULLEN

Vilnius’s Hill of Three Crosses, main; crypt under the cathedral, top; Old Town, above; cathedral and bell tower, below left

DENISE CULLEN