Joe: "Will you turn the car around."

Methos: "Give me one good reason."

Joe: "Because we're going the wrong way!"

Methos: "I beg to differ. The bullets are back that way."

~ Highlander: The Series - Season Six: "Indiscretions"

14 November, 2005 - Vilnius, Lithuania

All Highlander fans will recognize this opening scene from one of the great Highlander episodes as we watch Methos and Joe wend their way across France on what we have come to know as the Immortal Road Trip. Why is this relevant? Read on.

The night before (Sun 13th Nov) we had come in from the cold where we had been watching a street shooting scene. There is nothing quite so surreal as an Aussie, a Brit and two Americans walking the deserted Vilnius streets in the very early hours of the morning .f:r:e:e:z:i:n:g but exhilarated. We knew that a 'Joe's Bar' scene was going to shoot later in the night and decided to come back for a warm drink at the hotel.

As we approached we could see Jim holding court in the Bar, looking a million dollars and singing 'Hoochie Coochie Man'. We had our very own Joe's Bar and sat back to watch this amazing man entertain those fortunate enough to be there that night. Peter sat with us and we all just soaked this incredible experience in (along with some local brew). Jim was soon called to the set and while we were getting back into our 16 layers of clothing in order to go back and listen to Jim play his originally composed song on the set, Peter told us that he and Jim had decided to take advantage of the Tuesday 'Down' day and intended going walkabout for a couple of days to explore wider Lithuania.

I christened this 'Indiscretions in Lithuania' and we all laughed at the cosmic irony of Jim and Peter repeating their famous 'Indiscretions' episode road trip here in this amazing country. Jim, as always, had become an local expert and seemed to know more about the history and local attractions than all of us put together. Every day he could be seen out and about soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying the passing parade.

So - a car was to be hired for the next day and they were excited about going off to discover the Hill of Crosses.

"...The Hill of Crosses, Kryzių Kalnas, located 12 kilometers north of the small industrial city of Siauliai (pronounced shoo-lay) is the Lithuanian national pilgrimage center. Standing upon a small hill are many hundreds of thousands of crosses that represent Christian devotion and a memorial to Lithuanian national identity. The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 and occupied by Teutonic Knights during the 14th century. The tradition of placing crosses dates from this period and probably first arose as a symbol of Lithuanian defiance of foreign invaders. ...The size and variety of crosses is as amazing as their number. Beautifully carved out of wood or sculpted from metal, the crosses range from three meters tall to the countless tiny examples hanging profusely upon the larger crosses. .... On windy days breezes blowing through the forest of crosses and hanging rosaries produces a uniquely beautiful music. ..."

On the Tuesday night (I think - the days began to blur!) I heard my phone ringing.

"Hello Carmel? It's Peter....we're in a Bar in Siauliai..."

"Why am I not surprised?" I retort, laughing.

Unfazed, Peter continues..."and we've just had our photo taken by some locals who are going to email it to you..."

Needless to say, whether the result of too much Lithuanian alcohol or who knows what, the pictures never arrived. So somewhere in Lithuania there is a camera with some very precious pictures of two strange men who blew into this Bar one night and proceeded to entertain the locals. But as far as I was concerned we were destined to never see any tangible evidence of the famous Lithuanian Road Trip... that is .until the wonderful Mr Byrnes sent me an email, signed "Labas a Lietuva, Jacobus Byrnesas" with some pictorial evidence.

And here they are.

As well as the obvious pictures of Jim and Peter he has included some shots of some beautiful churches and street scenes in Vilnius.

I have no doubt that Jim will have found inspiration not only in the heart-breaking history that he and Peter came across in their travels, and in the friendliness and toughness of the locals but also in the affirmation of genuine caring and friendship they shared with each other in a land far far away.

Carmel Macpherson

Note: All text and images (including thumbnails) are © Highlander WorldWide 2005. No distribution in whole or part is permitted without permission.