CIMG0399 The entrance to Jono Meko skersvejis / Jonas Mekas alley in Uzupis in September of 2005

The entrance to Jono Meko skersvejis / Jonas Mekas alley in Uzupis in September of 2005

CIMG0399 The entrance to Jono Meko skersvejis / Jonas Mekas alley in Užupis in September of 2005

CIMG0399 Here is the entrance to Jono Meko skersvėjis from the Užupis street. It approximately means “Jonas Mekas alley” (it’s named after Jonas Mekas, a Lithuanian-American filmmaker, poet and artist of mid-20th century), but the name contains a pun that’s difficult to translate into English. Perhaps the closest approximation would be “Jonas Mekas breezeway”. In any case, back in 2005 the alley did not yet have this designation; it was just a passageway between crumbling, decaying houses. But as you follow it, it turns into stairs that go down all the way to the Vilnia river.

Užupis, Vilnius, Lithuania, September of 2005