This time, I remember…

It’s a sunny day, for the first time standing by the linen shop facing the embassy: Hey boubou, I was just passing by n wanna say I love you.

Wearing his blue striped shirt, waving back at me with his warm smile: love you too, hey, don’t buy a painting from street artists they will rip you off.

Slowly finding my way, I remember my thoughts: it’s a beautiful city, people walk together, in couples, with grandparents, in families.. they don’t walk much with their smartphones, headphones and backpacks.

It is religious… that feels familiar !!

Drinking Latte at Double Coffee that closed down its chain, double coffee was just opposite the DVD store that turned into Ober Haus at Didzioji 20, the DVD store in Gedmino 09, the indoor Go-kart and Billiardo hall in Panorama, why the hell did that shut down !??

The Tunisian restaurant that shut down as soon as I heard of it, Trattoria Da Antonio, which changed to Trattoria Di Ravello, where we crashed our new years eve 2009!

The delicacy store by Dominikonų gatve, the only place sold olives with a taste of home.. it changed to an Irish bar only to shut down shortly after, they say its because of the church who owned the land!

I remember, the handsome tall well dressed young man, who -when realising we didn’t speak Lithuanian and didn’t get that he was begging- spoke perfect clear English when the maximum store sellers in the touristic area said: “no English”!!

The old Lady, with Marilyn Monroe, printed on her bag, one of the most colourful faces in Vilnius.

The old Singing man with the pipe and the old stinky man who carried his life in a sack, bought coffee from the kiosk every morning and roamed the streets of Vilnius.

I remember the Old black stray dog who roamed Uzupis every day, looking for a friend maybe!

The four alcoholics playing backgammon on the bench in the little green area by Kriviu gatve.

Torres !! that restaurant with the most amazing view, it never managed to stay open for two seasons in a row no matter how many renovations or owners it changed, they say the place is haunted !!

I remember, swearing-in all languages I knew and didn’t know when walking 2 min in -20 only to pay for a cup of tea that felt worse than the -20!

The first time I went for a coffee morning with IWAV, I remember looking for an unfound mosque only to discover what became my little falling apart church!

I remember the first time seeing old people of faith running for the wine & bread on a random Tuesday afternoon prayer.

Uzupis republic !! and the constructions in the street to the right of the Angel the led to the other bridge. I remember the first picture we took walking down the street in a beautifully sunny cold winter day…

The beautiful Lithuanian brides celebrating publicly in the streets and bridges of Uzupis.

7 years and the construction down the street is not finished, but it’s possible to drive there.

I never found my mosque, the completion of the renovation in my church replaced the peace and faith I was searching for -when burying tete- with many touristic cameras ticking without flash.

I still swear in all languages I know (they are increasing) and don’t know, but I swear less since I moved from cold to colder, or maybe from colder to cold.. can’t make my mind yet !!

It still snows there, the beautiful brides all covered in white still roam the streets of Uzupis taking lots of pictures.

I got concerned not seeing my old black stray dog for a while, only to discover that he apparently changed districts Uzupis to somewhere around Pylimo gatve.

I met new homeless faces that I haven’t said hello to before, I wondered where did the others disappear?

The handsome tall English speaking young man? could he have died from an overdose?

The old lady with her colourful face? the backgammon neighbours?

Many new foreign faces, the sellers nowadays greets you with “hello”..and it warms my heart seeing a restaurant called & offering one of my favourites “Zaatar ” !!

And just by Trattoria Da Antonio -we never called it Di Ravello- the singing old man with the pipe happily and loudly greeting a “new” old fellow… while the stinking old man passed by silently.

Iki has new shopping plastic bags, and it seems the Myth around Torres is still standing!

People still walk together, in couples, with grandparent and families, however, they walk more with their smartphones and backpack…

And to my astonishment and surprising discovery, they have good Kizomberos (the name given to male kizomba dancers) which lifted the trip down the memory line to another dimension…

It is the old, it is the familiar, the warmth of old small town.. when a long visited dentist recognises you, the thump up Vitalji signals to me after 3 years of absence, and I just love it when unexpectedly my mobile connects to a wifi network telling me: Yeah Rasha I have been there, here I am connected. I know my way in the streets of Vilnius and Trakai…

It was just yesterday when I left…

Standing in the darkness by the linen shop facing the embassy…the light is switched off, I see his face, and I make the call:

“Hey boubou, I was just passing by and wanna say I love you… sleep well… God nat sov gott..”

He stands, wearing his yellow striped shirt, he waves and smiles back at me “love you too”.

In the shades of darkness, once again he fades away in the reflection of the rear mirror…