LITHUANIA • It was rainy and cold for the first few hours of our only full day in Vilnius. However, I was determined to make the best of it and in the hours between when it stopped raining and the sun finally came out to stay for good, I found the upside I was looking for in the giant puddles that accumulated all over the Old Town's cobblestone streets. There were suddenly reflective surfaces everywhere and every time I saw one there was something beautiful waiting in the still water because the historic section of Vilnius that somehow managed to escape too much damage during Soviet rule is gorgeous. Lots of details make the buildings so charming and since they are protected with UNESCO status, they will stay that way forever. It felt a bit metaphorical in a way as well since the Baltic states went through some dark times in the past but Lithuania appears to have emerged into the light of a new era with hope and vigor. Everyone we met from the hotel staff at @kempinskivilnius to the gu...