As park run continues to grow in popularity not only are more events being added in the United Kingdom but also across the world. Lithuania is the latest country to hold a weekly run with their inaugural event taking place last September. Having never visited Lithuania before this now provided the perfect opportunity to combine some tourism with a new park run venue.

The trip once arranged was to span from Thursday to an early Sunday flight home, departing from Luton airport. Following a flight lasting approximately two and a half hours, and despite a slightly bumpy landing, we were safely in Vilnius the capital city of Lithuania. Amidst the excitement we weren’t totally paying attention to the bus we should be catching to our Airbnb and this led to a walk of about fifteen minutes across town to the apartment.

We had actually started our journey in the early hours of the morning so it was decided that beer and an evening meal were required relatively quickly, then a catch up on sleep to ensure we made the most of the coming days. I had a vague memory that Lithuania loved its basketball but this was quickly reinforced in the pub where many tables were already reserved to watch the televised games that evening. Pretty much the same way they would be for football in England.

For food we kept it simple with a pizza restaurant. Here we made two further discoveries. Firstly customer service is a little different in Lithuania. Far fewer (if any) ‘pleases’ and ‘thank you’s’ but all done with efficiency. Also, empty plates and glasses don’t remain long on tables, in some cases glasses being removed before they’ve actually landed back on the table!

After a reinvigorating nights sleep the plan for the Friday was to take the train out to Kaunas and save sight seeing in Vilnius for after park run on the Saturday. As shown by the tickets below train travel is inexpensive in Lithuania, with first class accommodation being just slightly more than second class, and a free bottle of water included. Additionally, the trains are clean and punctual.

The train station is some way from the central area in Kaunas and initially it seems there is little to see here, however that first impression is far from the reality. A large indoor market makes a good first stop on the walk to town with numerous huge sausages and cuts of meat on display. From there it is a fair walk before you reach the impressive thoroughfare that is the backbone of the town and has an array of shops flanking either side of it.

Eventually we reached Kaunas Castle and the imposing cathedral across from it. The shelter of the cathedral became particularly welcome as rain began to fall. This soon relented though and before long we were able to head back into town for a savoury treat and drink in one of the cafes back along the thoroughfare.

One interesting sight close to here is the abandoned Hotel Britanika. It is a fourteen story building with around 500 rooms, initial plans for it in the eighties were too ambitious and technically complex for the budget available. A second attempt via a contract between Kaunas City Council and a building company in the late 90s also failed when the building company failed to do its part. Currently the plan is to demolished it, for now though it remains an incongruous view in the city. After a short visit to the pub to sample the local Ekstra Sviezias lager (basketball of course featuring on the televisions) it was time for the return journey to Vilnius.

That evening we went to a traditional Lithuania restaurant where I was able to tick off a must do item on my trip list. Cepelinai is Lithuania’s national dish. A potato dumpling which blends grated and riced potatoes with a stuffing made of ground meat, dry curd cheese or mushrooms. I went for bacon which was delicious if not particularly healthy. Cepelinai having previously but brought to our attention as a pointless answer on Pointless.

Saturday morning fortunately dawned a lot brighter than the previous days with no rain. We were up early and dressed for park run. After a ridiculously cheap Uber ride to Vignis Park from our centrally located Airbnb (less than £4) we arrived not long after 8am to find volunteers already setting up. The park itself is beautiful although rather hilly, which gave us what turned out to be justifiable concerns about how difficult the course would be. There were lots of other English people in attendance and also some Germans and Italians to the point that there was pretty much an even split between tourists and locals.

Eventually there were 101 participants on the start line. The course was basically two laps with a little extra added on at the start and finish. The lap consists of a pleasant initial down hill part, a long flat stretch and then the feared uphill portion. My son finished second while my daughter and I both got round unscathed and without stopping. Mission therefore accomplished.

Another bargain priced Uber returned us to our Airbnb and after breakfast it was time for sight seeing around Vilnius. The castle provides fantastic views out over the city. Better still if you can’t face the steep walk up there is a small cable car that can take the strain on your behalf. Not far from the castle is the ‘Hill of Crosses’ which being higher up still affords even better views. However there is no option here other than to walk. There are 256 fairly steep steps to negotiate before a more gentle incline carries you to the summit. Back at the bottom there is a nice park, with a cafe for a welcome cool drink.

Fortunately on the Saturday we were there a car show was taking place close to the cathedral. Everyone will have their own favourite but the Cadillac on display was impressive, while also begging the question as to how on earth they are parked safely with their huge size. The trip was capped off with another pub visit (more Lithuanian lager and basketball on television) and a restaurant just outside of town. Here huge portions abounded.