Have you ever met alive TV tower? I have. It was really strange experience.
From architectural point view Vilnius TV Tower (or also "Vilniaus televizijos bokštas") is a typical soviet project for all TV Towers. The same tower must have been built in my homecity, but it didn't happen. A lot of years ago there was a fire, so all the building processes were stopped. That part of the tower which had been built is the highest object in all the city now. It is also one of mostly mysterious places.
But let's get back to Vilnius Tower. Me and my husband wanted to look at it and to imagine what we would have in our place if there wasn't any fire tragedy some years ago. So we took a map and started our walk to the Tower on one rainy day.
Protecting ourselves with an umbrella, we crossed Neris, found out a student dorm and at least reached Vingis park. It was early morning so the only people we met there were those brave guys jogging across the park in such a rainy day. As far as the Tower is really high we were strongly sure that we were on the way to it and would reach it very soon. When we came into the park it was to the left. So we started walking to the left. We found a giant slain (I wrote about it in my previous story about Lithuanian cats) and also saved a frog which felt down into a refuse bin. We almost crossed the park, and the Tower was in front of us and a little bit to the left for all the time. Then we lost it because had to go between some high pines and some other trees... When we came to the park stadium, we couldn't see the Tower. We looked around - the Tower was gone. We continued walking. Then I walked and turned... And saw the Tower behind us. And it was to the right.
- How's that? - I said. - It must be in front of us according to the map!
It seemed to me that the Tower wanted to play. And hide-and-seek game started.
We turned back to Neris and saw the Tower standing on the other bank of the river. Its top was hidden between big grey clouds.
- Will you swim to reach it? - my husband laughed at me.
- Ha-ha! - I replied angrily. - You know that I can't swim!
We started looking for a bridge and came through all the bank of Neris... But - no way. We had to get back to the park entry - firstly we couldn't see the Tower and believed it was to be to the left, how it was at the beginning of our small journey... But when we left the park it was to the right...
There was a mix of emotions in my head. I was angry, hungry and excited at the same time. This happened one year ago and we still call the Tower "a walking Tower". Probably that's even more interesting than to visit a museum or whatever else having strong touristic meaning...
On the next day we came to Trakai, but still were bearing in mind an idea of visiting the Tower. As far as our first try seemed to be a big mistake, we just came to a hotel assistant and asked her to show us the easiest way to it. She told us to get on a trolleybus and get of in some number of stops. We did it successfully, reached the Tower really easy and even ate ice-cream in the caffee in the top looking at amazing Vilnius.
Thanks a lot for such a happy end.
But I still think that sometimes the Tower starts walking and playing hide-and-seek with some other tourists. And I also feel a little bit sorry about that journey: we weren't stubborn enough to find the Tower on our own, without any help. But on the other hand - who knows? If we didn't try it on our own, we couldn't save the frog and the slain who crept to the middle of the road and could die under some jogger's feet as well.
So... God bless the Tower which walks and which is alive! Alive!
