Being May 1, a public holiday, and the weather looked to be better than it had been in a while, Rasa decided we all needed to take the day off and do something. “What?” You ask. That’s the fun of this. When she wakes up in the morning and says we should do something, we never quite know what it is we’re going to do.
On this particular Friday, after doing a little bit of research, Rasa found a place called Unopark, which offered exploratory paths through the forest a little north of Vilnius. Now, long time readers will remember Father’s Day two years ago, when we took one of the most painful walks ever through a forest path. This was in the back of my mind as we loaded up the car and headed out.
On the road, though, Rasa set the GPS for someplace different to actually start the journey. At some point a few months ago, we had thought about going to find the Geographic Center of Europe, which also happens to be just outside of Vilnius. I don’t remember why we never made it that time, but this time, it was kinda sorta on the way, so why not? Now, to be fair, it really depends on how you measure. According to Atlas Obscura, “though there are many candidates claiming to be the centre of Europe, this one is marked as such in the Guinness World of Records,” so we’ve got that going for us… which is nice.
The drive there was fine, with the one exception of Monki getting a little carsick. This is a thing with her, happens all the time when she goes on long drives in anything but our car or on a regular highway. Here, we were in our car, sure, but the road was not great. While we drove I told her about the old Palmdale Highway (Route 14), which, when I was a kid, was called “the bumpy road,” for how many hills and valleys it had.
For a while, she was just uncomfortable, but when the sick started creeping up, she let us know what was going on and Rasa pulled over so Monki and I could get out and she could leave her breakfast for the birds. It was bad that she got sick, but at the same time, she was aware enough of what was going on with her own body that she was able to let us know and not get sick in the car. I’d call that a win.
There was another advantage: Monki understood that once she did get sick, that was it, she wouldn’t get sick again on the same ride. So we were good to go.
When we got to the Geographical Center (which, for some inexplicable reason, was in the middle of a golf course), we made our way along the path to get to the actual monument. Just before the final destination, though, there was a small booth set up, sponsored by some tourist organization. They had flags and cookies and even a t-shirt for Monki to draw on to talk about what she loved about Lithuania. And that was all before we saw the actual monument.
The spot itself is marked with a large monolith, topped with a crown of gold stars and a set of benches in a semi-circle, surrounded by the flags of all the European nations. Be a great spot for a small summer concert or public speech.
By the time we left there (and let’s be real, you’re not going to spend more than a few minutes, taking pictures so you can have bragging rights that you’ve been there), it was getting close to lunch time. Since we were going to be driving past it anyway, Rasa suggested we have lunch at Ozas, a big mall in Vilnius. We like Ozas for a few reasons, but the main one is that it has a food court – something rare here in Lithuania. There are about a dozen restaurants ranging from Hesburger (a fast-food burger chain here) to 9 Dragons (a higher end Chinese place). Monki had her usual Subway sandwich, Rasa had some traditional Lithuanian food and I, for some reason, didn’t have my usual No Forks (a Chipotle-style Mexican joint). Instead, I had Meatbusters. I gotta say, the food was good, but the service was horrible. Maybe I’ll try again next time we’re there, but maybe not.
From there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to the area where Unopark was. We parked in a nearby supermarket parking lot and walked over, passing a fun assortment of artwork benches (and Monki dutifully sat on each and every one). The park itself seemed a bit busy, with tons of kids running around (it didn’t take long to realize there was a birthday party or three happening). There were so many kids that when we first went to pay our entrance fee, they didn’t have any harnesses in Monki’s size.
That’s right, harnesses. Sure, this was a path through the forest, but it wasn’t on ground level. This was climbing and zip lines. They told us we’d have to wait about an hour until a harness might become available, and after a brief discussion amongst the family, we decided to wait around and see what we could do. In the end, we only had to wait about 30 minutes before they were bolting Monki and I into our harnesses and carabiners. That’s right, Monki didn’t want to go alone, she wasn’t sure if she’d be okay, but Rasa knew she wouldn’t be, so it was me. Interestingly, adult prices are about half of what the kids’ costs were. They know that most of the adults are getting hooked up solely to follow their offspring around, shouting words of encouragement.
We found an instructor to show us the basics on the first of three different routes designed for kids and we were off. There were other courses as well, some more intense strictly for older kids and grown-ups, and one for both Adults and adventurous kids Monki’s size and age.
Following her around on the first course, I quickly realized she didn’t actually need me there. She was fine. I, on the other hand, took a few zip line runs to get my bearings, but only after slight injuries to my hands.
On the second course was the only time Monki had a bit of an issue. Up until that point, she’d tell me she was terrified, but it wouldn’t stop her. Then we hit a wooden tunnel, made in three parts, which swung wildly with empty air between the various segments. Yes, you’re attached with no way to get loose until the end (or without special tools) so there’s no chance of falling, but still, it was a bit too scary for her, and we took a moment to catch out breath. She wanted me to go in front of her so I could be there waiting on the other side, but those same safety measures which wouldn’t let us fall also wouldn’t me pass anyone. So we breathed and gathered our courage, and she went through it like a champ. I went through it, too, but since it’s designed for kids, I hurt the hell out of my knees crawling through.
After finishing all three kid course, we decided to try the more grown-up course. This one was higher off the ground (still not the highest) and a bit more intense. I noticed that on our path was another wooden tunnel obstacle and just before we reached it, about halfway through the course, Monki decided she’d had enough. She wanted to get down.
The amazing workers there jumped in and got a repelling rope, hooked it up and then hooked her up to it. They carefully and quickly got her back down to Earth. I, of course, had to finish. At least this time, the wooden tunnel was a bit bigger so I could duck walk my way through. By the time I made it to the end of my path, Monki had started a second run on one of the tracks she was more comfortable on. I caught up to her and we finished out our time. All told we did 5 courses in about an hour and ten minutes. And it was exhausting.
After all that, we were ready to head home. Monki “rested her eye” on the way back, and then decided that she might like to go to the Unopark in Kaunas for her birthday party this year (that’s right, there’s one in Kaunas – we didn’t have to go to Vilnius). In the end, it was a great day, full of new sights and lots of bravery.
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 