Trakai

What a picture perfect castle! In all the years I have been coming to Lithuania, I have never been to Trakai. It is a lovely little castle on its own little island in the middle of a beautiful country. As we walked over the bridge to the castle, I could imagine knights at the drawbridge with their lances drawn. The closer we came to the castle, the more familiar it seemed. It is on all the tourist literature because it is such a fairy tale castle.

It has also been used as a location with many Medieval movies. The day before we were there it had been the set for a Snickers commercial. I will be watching for that one. We wandered through the castle. It was a typical keep with easily defensible lines. Our tour guide told us about the holes where some of the prisoners were kept. We didn’t look for them. This castle was built by Gediminas who was apparently a very hospitable character. He often had guests and served sumptuous feasts. As we got closer to the castle, we could see the reconstruction, but it was artfully done. It really looks like it must have when it was first built. The castle sits on an island and then has three lines of defense. It is amazing to see how organized it all was, from the training grounds for war—mongering to the dining and bed chambers.

If the invading knights got past the outer wall of the castle, they would then encounter the moat. Empty now, it is easier to see what a wonderful defense it would have been than if it were filled with water. The man walking along the moat looks like an ant. It is hard to imagine getting across it and then climbing up the remaining stone wall, and then managing to crawl out from under the overhang to attack, all the while under attack from the knights in the outer keep.

Assuming that the invading knights managed to get to the Outer Keep, which is highly doubtful, then they would have to get through the gate. The drawbridge would be raised and the iron gates closed. They would have to find a way through this. I can imagine hot oil and rocks being dropped on the knights from above. Anything from that height would be deadly. It is a
formidable entrance to an otherwise lovely castle.

This inner courtyard is where knights would have practiced their skills while waiting for an invasion that was bound to occur sooner or later. They lived in the rooms here as did many others who served Gediminas. This is also where fairs and festival s would have taken place. Traveling troupes of actors would have set up shop here. This is the marketplace where goods and services would have been peddled. This girl is doing what has always been done here – plying the

crowds.

A view of the castle from the Karain restaurant on the mainland. We had Kybas which are similar to the pasties of Michigan made by a Karaim chef. His station is near the front door and so it was impossible not to stop for a few minutes as he made the dough. Tall in his white chef's hat, he added the secret ingredients to the silky white flour with such panache. They are probably still made as they were in the 1500s when the Karaim came to Trakai. The Karaim still live here. The kybas was excellent. It was baked to a golden brown and served still warm from the oven. A traditional dish here at the castle. Sitting in the restaurant, watching the sailboats go by, it could easily be a long ago time when all of this was still a working castle.