Border expansion

Slowly ploughing through the City of Strangers book, which despite containing a number of minor factual errors is the best thing I ever read about Vilnius. Consequently, and for reasons I’ll go into later, I’m now thinking about spreading the ‘borders’ of the project to outside the confines of the old city walls, including the whole of Vilnius as the subject. I need to think about this in more detail, but so far it makes sense. I really like the way my ideas chop and change. Anyway, today I briefly the Dawn Gate (Aušros Vartai), the single remaining gate of the five originally built into the city walls at the start of the 16th century. It contains a small chapel with a likeness of the Virgin Mary inside and is considered to have magical powers. Almost everybody who walks through the gates will glance up at the Madonna (turning round first if they’re walking into Old Town) and cross themselves. Some will go on their knees, and some will stay down for a long time. I took a few snaps (above) to get some ideas about how I could do a postcard about it, and am still thinking. Whatever, it’s one of the most important places in the city, regardless of one’s opinion about religion. I then took a number of bus journeys (above) in a fruitless attempt to find a jar of peanut butter. It seems there’s none left in the country. I like the people I find on buses and in the markets. Visually I believe the city deserves more than just what I can achieve in Old Town. Time to start talking to people about this in more detail. I’m starting to drown in my thoughts.