This is probably why most tourists come to Siauliai, Lithuania. Is it worth the stop, or detour, or not? Before coming, my colleague who had visited, said no: It’s just crosses, everywhere you turn. Frank being frank 😀 In a way I agree, but then there is something about it. I guess I’m 50/50. If you’re already passing by, why not stop. If it’ll be a detour, you need to think long and hard. One thing is for sure, it looks a lot cooler in photos than in real life. I thought it was going to be a hill with crosses neatly arranged. In reality, I would call it a pile of crosses. Yes, it’s on a hill, but there are so many crosses that they are just piled upon each other. Don’t be fooled by my shots, it’s a lot messier than what it looks like. Clean it up, and I think it would be a nicer experience. You can ascend the hill by either following the trails that kind of zigzag their way up, or the wooden walkway that goes straight to the top, where there is an alter like thing. The latter option doesn’t take long. Not that the trails take long either, but they let you explore a little bit more. Visiting in the beginning of October, there were few people, that’s a plus.
Hill of Crosses is 12 km outside Siauliai. You can reach it by public bus (1 euro), which will take you 10 km. The last 2 km, you’ll have to walk. There is a sign, in form of a cross, ahead of the bus stop, so it’s pretty easy to understand which road to follow. It is 1.5 km until you reach the visitor’s center and parking lot, and another 500 meters to the hill itself. However, the timetable (and details on taking the bus) I found online, showed buses don’t leave too often, approx. once every hour. Realising I wouldn’t make the next departure, I took a Bolt. Going back, just as I had the bus stop in sight, a white minibus passed, and stopped at the bus stop to wait for me. I must have oozed visitor going back to town 😀 Don’t think this was the bus I had planned on taking, as it arrived 10 minutes earlier than scheduled, so maybe just wave down whichever bus comes along, and ask if it goes into town.
What else did I do in Siauliai? Popped by the Cents Room, and had a chocolate ball at the chocolate museum 🙂
