An A-Z of Lithuania

A is for Arrivals

2011-01-21T14:19:00.003+02:00

You have arrived at an A to Z of Lithuania. Welcome. Sveiki Atvyke!

What a suitable way to start an A to Z than with Arrivals!

Please do scroll through other entries on the right hand side. I hope you enjoy. All comments welcome.

“How’s Latvia?”
“Lithuania.”
“Sorry?”
“Lithuania. I’m in Lithuania, not Latvia, it’s the next country south.”

So begins the typical conversation with people when I return to the UK after spending time in the aforementioned Baltic country which has been my home for the last two years.
With people I meet for the first time the conversation usually begins…
“Oh, Lithuania. How interesting.” Pause. The cogs turn, they try to visualise a map in their head and I see their eyes wandering over Eastern Europe, rather lost and confused. “Where is Lithuaniaexactly?”
I like that often people use the word exactly. It makes it sound like they do actually have a clue about the existence of a country about one third the size of England. Exactly, as if they know it’s somewhere off a motorway, and is it junction 21 or 22. If you want to know exactly then you might like to ask your Sat-Nav;

If you start in London, then let it be known that your journey starts in a congestion charging zone. After this expensive start, travel to Dover...

Board the ferry DOVER-CALAIS at Dover for the next 1.18
miles.1.16 miles (1,9 km)79.4 miles (127,8 km)
Leave the ferry DOVER-CALAIS and continue on DOVER-CALAIS.0
miles (0 m)79.4 miles (127,8 km)

I'll spare you the intimate details, but, once in France, you're heading East, through Belgium, the Netherlands and then say “auf wiedersen” to Germany, “do widzenia” to Warsaw and, after being sat behind a lorry on a single carriageway road for 10 hours, you’ll come to Lithuania. This is actually a personal variation on the sat-nav suggested route. She's a lovely voice, but doesn't fully understand the intricacies of European history and politics. Whilst Poland and Lithuania are fully signed up members of the EU and as of last week also the Shengen zone, the Russian Kaliningrad oblast is not. You will need a visa to transit this living reminder of European 20th Century history, so, it's better to head South a little. However, should you drive too far south you will find Belarus. Like it's Russian cousin Belarus won't allow you in without a visa and various other documents, so you may as well turn around and come to Lithuania, where the border guards will (as of last week) no longer ask to see just as many documents, but, thanks to the EU, will welcome you to Lithuania. If you have driven over one thousand miles to Lithuania, they will probably look at you with some bemusement since most people travel the other way, and usually by aeroplane or bus.
Anyway, as you cross the border of North-East Poland into Lithuania you will know exactly where Lithuania is.

If that hasn’t helped, put your fists side by side, the left hand is Germany, the right hand is Poland. Raise your right pinky a little. You just found Lithuania. In case you’re still wondering, raise it some more and you’ll find Latvia, raise it to the full and Estonia will greet you as well!

Welcome to Lithuania!

Y is for Why?

2009-06-18T00:46:00.002+03:00

Why visit Lithuania? Maybe you meet someone on a bus and they’re from a country you’ve never heard of before and you decide to visit. There are worse reasons.

This is what a guy called Kevin has done. He made contact with me recently to ask about LT. He linked to my blog so I thought I would link to his as I’m interested in seeing his perspective. You can check out his posts at http://kevinciorra.wordpress.com/ and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/blakaghost

X is for X-List (Celebrities and a Top Secret Nuclear Site)

2008-08-08T12:30:00.006+03:00

DISCLAIMER

This post is a work in progress. If you're in Lithuania, tell me your favourite Lithuanian celebrity in the comments at the bottom.

Here's a quick run down of some of Lithuania's most famous people...

Many of Lithuania's most famous citizens have long since died - most notably MK Ciurlonis, who was a composer and artist in the early 20th Century. Even fictional characters have roots in Lithuania - Hannibal Lector is supposed to be born on the outskirts of Vilnius and the captain of the Red October, as played by Sean Connery is based on a similar story involving a Lithuanian sailor.

However, who's still alive?

Basketball is often described as being like religion in Lithuania. The comparison works if you're religious and most of the country goes to church or mosque and enthusiastically celebrates every religious festival and saints' day. If you're from the UK or the rest of Western Europe and most of the Europe for that matter, let me help you understand - basketball is like football.

Basketball players are the Beckhams and Roonies of Lithuania. Lithuania look promising to pick up a medal in the basketball having already beaten Russia in the Olympics. (Lithuania got its first medal when Mindaugas Mizgaitis took bronze in the men's Greco-Roman 120kg wrestling. Now that's a proper olympic sport!)

Also in sport Žydrūnas Savickas is a big man who've I've seen on TV a lot, mostly lifting blond ladies and advertising some sort of food. He came second in the World's Strongest Man competitions of 2002-2004.

Jurga is one of Lithuania's most succesful music artists. Last November she won an MTV Europe award for Best Performer. Check out her website at http://www.jurgamusic.com/ and one of her videos below. I saw her supporting Bjork where she danced the robot, heavily pregnant and gave an amazing performance.

Hearts FC, from Edinburgh, Scotland have a number of players from Lithuania.

Also under X-List come Lithuania's Top Secret Nuclear Missile Silos. Hidden deep in the forest near Plunge in North-West Lithuania lies Plokstines Missile Silo, the mouth from which death and destruction would have been spat had the late 60's and 70's ever turned hot. Okay, so they're not secret any more, and for a fee a lady will organise a mini bus to take you there and give you a full tour of the tubes. There are no missiles left as the Russians kindly took them away in 1978 when the CIA discovered the location of the site. A visit here is sobering as you walk around the clammy, rusting control rooms and look down the launch tubes themselves (so I've been told. My friend has been, but I haven't personally).

W is for Women

2008-07-24T17:04:00.010+03:00

M was for men and in V we read about Vilnius having a 20% higher female population than men, so it feels right that W is for Women. Lithuania is of course the land of beautiful ladies (which gives me an excuse to inbed this video again)

There are three main types of Lithuanian woman in common parlance, močiutė, lietuvaitė and everyone else.

A močiutė - or grandma - is what our Russian friends might call a babushka. She's traditonally short, rounded, a little weather-beaten but still has plenty of fight about her. She cares for her family and she can tell you some amazing stories of what it was like in her day.

She can also batter her way onto a trolley bus with no remorse and will doubtless find a bargain everywhere and anywhere.

A lietuvaitė on the other hand is currently living in "her day". Literally meaning a Lithuanian girl/ young woman the name sums up tradition, village life, purity, youth, beauty, singing, patriotism and everything that the illustration below represents.It's this that many people - not just men - have in mind when their first question to newly arrived foreign men is, "what do you think of Lithuanian girls?"

I would have to concede that there does seem to be a higher percentage of attractive women in Lithuania than in other countries I have visited, but it becomes both uncomfortable and almost obscene as people ask your opinion of their womenfolk in the same way a farmer might begin selling his prize livestock.

Behind this pride in breeding stock lies a sadder and much less innocent reality. The divorce rate in Lithuania is perhaps the highest per capita in the EU, yet it is culturally more acceptable for a woman to be divorced than to have never married at all.

Lithuania is in many ways a matriarchal society. Except for politics and big business - where men rule the roost (though I'd be interested to meet their wives) - women often seem to be the ones who lead families, who do the hard graft both at work and at home, who go to church, who get involved in social projects and who want to create better futures. Even amongst students I find it is the young women who get higher marks, who speak more foreign languages, who travel and have dreams and plans for their lives - whereas the young men often seem content with the status quo and even if they're not, who don't seem to want to put in the effort to make any changes, firstly with themselves or with their surroundings.

Many men do have low self-esteem in Lithuania which is partly why many become alcoholics, therefore becoming less useful at work, often unemployed and leaving a wife to look after the house, the family and become a model to her children. I've also been told that because so many men have gone to fight over the numerous wars over the last century and a half, men have become a precious commodity and as a result "mothered" by their wives and mothers - sons treasured and allowed to do what they want while daughters have been made to work on the land and earn their due. This leads to men living in an extended adolesence whereas women mature even quicker than relative to their brothers.

V is for Vilnius, Village and Versions of history

2008-07-24T16:13:00.006+03:00

Vilnius
To many urbanite foreigners Vilnius is a small town - 1 airport, 1 train station, 1 bus station and you could walk across it in a few hours. To many Lithuanians, Vilnius is a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis. For first impressions of Vilnius, and because many of my readers are new, please read
B is for Beginnings.

Since I first arrived in Vilnius a little under three years ago, a lot has changed. There are a lot more new cars, the beer is about 20% more expensive (rising prices and a weaker pound), there's an Irish bar, more of the churches have been renovated, there are more expensive shops, there are more road signs guiding you to nearby streets and there are dozens of new shiny tower blocks being built. Vilnius is a city that is growing like any other (Central) European city. It is swallowing up the surrounding countryside to house more people as people come in from outside or as others move to newer premises. Others buy land just outside the city to build their own houses, in turn creating the beginnings of a modern suburbia.

A recent edition of the Baltic Times had a front page article headlined "City of Women".

High suicide rates, alcoholism and emigration have led to females outnumbering men by more than 20 percent in Vilnius, according to the most recent government statistics. The Statistics Department released numbers indicating that despite similar birth rates, women outnumber men in Vilnius in all adult age groups. Other cities show similar trends.

One woman who recently made big news in Vilnius was Bjork. She played live, outside in Vingio Park to an audience of 8'000, of whom I was one, right at the front. Her final song was Declare Independence, which seemed very fitting as Vingio Park was home to the "Singing Revolution" when even larger crowds (parents of today's young Bjork fans) would gather to sing national and traditional songs during the latter years of the Soviet Union.

This is the official video. There's some live footage on youtube, but it won't let me embed it.

Village

Where Vilnius represents modernity, the future, realised dreams, creativity, (and a greater chance to find a wife?) "The Village" represents something quite different but perhaps even more important in the Lithuanian psyche.
Going to "the village" means more than a trip to the countryside. It means returning to parents and grandparents, to sandy-dirt roads, to wooden houses, stone churches, immaculately carved wooden crosses by the roadside, infrequent buses, clean air, lakes, forests and farms.
One might argue that Lithuanians, deep in their soul are agricultural people. Vilnius itself was mostly populated with Poles and Jews up until the early 20th Century. For Lithuanians the land is important for identity and for life. It's in the countryside and the villages that they fought the Partisan War, the resistance movement against Soviet Union. It's the villages that suffered under collective farming. Returning to the village is returning to the very idea of Lietuva, to tevyne - the fatherland - of their ancestors.

It's also the land of hard work, little profit, unemployment, and alcoholism. It's unsurprising that like most of the world, the young people move away to the cities for education and work. Yet it is those same young people who seem to have a wild glint in their eyes when they tell me they're going "home to the village" for the weekend or for the summer.

Versions of History

Lithuania's history before, during and after World War II is a sad and often complex affair. Recent history never seems far from current affairs and in the last few weeks, as Pime Minister Kirkilas visited Jewish communities in New York. The BBC's Crossing Continents recently reported,"A judicial inquiry into the wartime activities of Jewish anti-Nazi resistance fighters in Lithuania has led to accusations that the small Baltic state is trying to distort the history of World War II."

For copyright reasons and general manners, I shan't repeat the whole article and would rather you read it in its entirety on the bbcnews webpage (click the above quote).

If you want to even begin to try and understand the situation in the 1940's, it's worth asking yourself, especially if you're a young man, this question,

"who am I going to fight for? Hitler's Nazis or Stalin's Soviet Union?"

U is for Užsieniečiai

2008-06-28T17:24:00.003+03:00

An užsienietis is a foreigner, literally someone from behind or beyond the wall. Although it‘s a small country there are many užsieniečiai in Lithuania – okay, so not as many as UK or France, etc, but enough. In my opinion there are three main types – tourists, WEs and EWs.

Just by listening to people speak and looking at the number plates of buses, most tourists to Lithuania are from Poland – taking short breaks in Vilnius and the South East region – perhaps in memory of their imagined empire. There are also many tourists from Germany and also from the UK. I haven‘t actually seen many British stag-do parties this year, but in my previous two years I have cringed to myself as I‘ve walked past such groups.
Stag-do parties tend to be the same everywhere; A football-shirt-wearing, prematurely balding young man, someone dressed as a women, someone with something bizarre on his head and one person looking a bit shy and wishing all of his friends would be a little bit quieter.

There are also other groups of non-Lithuanians living in Lithuania, see Demographics.

Tourists come and go, but WEs and EWs stay for longer.

WEs are “West to Easters”, meaning they have travelled from the West – The USA, Canada, Europe. In more common parlance, these people are called "ex-pats" and are generally people who didn’t need to come to Lithuania, they’re not seeking a better life here, although they might be looking to make a few more Litas.
Some came for love – mostly men – having met a Lithuanian beauty (Lietuvaitė) somewhere else in the world and decided it would be interesting to meet the parents and see what the future might hold in her native land.
Others come for different family reasons. Throughout the 20th Century, thousands of Lithuanians left their fatherland and sought a more peaceful stable life in countries as far away as the USA, Canada and even Brazil. Years later their children or grandchildren return to Lithuania to seek their routes, learn a little bit of the language, and if they’re really cunning, get a Lithuanian passport so that they can study more cheaply in Europe.

By contrast to WEs, EWs (pronounced like a Geordy forming his own second person plural, “youse”) are “East to Westers”, coming from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
These are people who didn’t need to come specifically to Lithuania, but somehow they found an opportunity to and they took it. Interestingly, these people aren’t often called ex-pats, they’re labelled “immigrants” and have to accept all the charged stereotyped baggage that comes along with such a word. While in the UK people complain of “those Lithuanians, stealing our jobs”, some Lithuanians can also be heard saying the same thing about those of darker skin colour who reside in the same country.
Unlike WEs, EWs don’t often live in the best parts of town, probably don’t own a car and instead of owning cafes, work in their kitchens.

I have friends who left a country in the Middle East because of religious persecution and came to Lithuania in order to work and eventually bring their families to live with them. Despite working nights and living in one cramped room, life hasn't gone according to plan and they haven't achieved the "European Dream". Recently they have been discussing moving on to another EU country now that they have a Schengen visa.

Another group came from South Asia with a view to entering Europe. They originally enrolled as students, though 3 years after arriving, I think only 2 are still pursuing their studies, a few others are working in restaurants and the rest have found their way to Paris, Manchester and Vienna through various and, as far as I can tell, illegal means.

T is for Trolleybus

2008-06-28T16:39:00.005+03:00

SOPs for boarding a Trolleybus

1. Decide before the trolleybus even arrives that you are boarding the next bus no matter how busy it is or how many people have been waiting at the bus stop before you.

2. As the trolleybus approaches, estimate where the doors will open and stand in that place.

3. As the doors open, deny anyone on the bus the opportunity to exit. Raise one hand onto the handrail and haul oneself against the flow of people.

4. Curse anyone who even slightly touches you as they try to exit the trolleybus.

5. Once two feet have been placed on the steps of the entrance, release the hand hold and adopt the elbow barge postion.

5. a. Grit ones teeth or adopt a scowling, me verses the world, do-you-know-what-I’ve-been-through expression.
5. b. Bend both arms at the elbow with hands meeting together at the in the middle of the chest
5. c. Extend elbows outwards until the hands are touching the sides of the waist. (You should be looking like an angry teacher by now). Make sure at this point your handbag doesn’t slip off your wrist
5. d. Step forward, possibly with your head slightly bent downwards, twisting your body from left to right
5. e. Do not be afraid of others. Your stern facial expression will deflect their comments or looks and your incredibly thick coat, even in summer, will absorb any physical action.

6. Maintain this position until a seat becomes available or it is time to exit the trolleybus.

7. (For undercover inspectors only)

a. Pull out your identification badge from under your blouse and let it hang by the chain around your neck so that all can see the authority invested in you to bring justice to those who travel without a ticket (in spoken Lithuanian this is called travelling “Zuikis”, or as a rabbit!).

b. Take out a small notebook from your immensely large handbag.

c. Mete out justice.

S is for Sun and Snow, Sensible Shoes and Sunglasses

2008-06-04T13:44:00.008+03:00

Lithuania has a continental climate - it's like a continental breakfast - you know what you're getting and it's a slightly odd experience for the English.
Cold meats for breakfast? -20 In January? “Sunshine in Lithuania? I thought it was cold there?”

From mid November until April the temperatures go below zero or hover around the single digits and snow can be on the ground – though less and less it seems each year – global warming!
Despite the cold weather, when the sun does shine on the snow covered towns of Lithuania – it can be blinding. Sunglasses are a must and can make even the most cold-fearing tourist wrapped up like the Michelin man look cool!

One of my favourite times is when the Sun is finally getting itself to peak in the sky and the snow is melting. Despite the thaw and inevitable slush and flooding that follows, it is fun to play a kind of Russian-roulette when you get dressed in the morning. Am I going to need this thick jumper or not? Will I need gloves?
Whatever the weather, sensible shoes are a must for negotiating Old Town cobbles, sandy village roads or just about anything in between. I would recommend anything with a slightly higher ankle – and if you’re a lady, then it needs to be no shorter than the lower knee cap.

Crows on the rocks - Crows take it easy as they float downriver on the thawing river.

In the summer – an indefinable length of time between the long spring and long autumn but usually involving some of June and July – the sun is out for up to 18 hours a day and if the clouds behave themselves you can enjoy weather that is better than anything the Mediterranean might offer – which has been the case for the last 5 days. 5 days isn’t much, but it’s wonderful when it comes – a time to strip off the confines of layers, let your boots gather dust and of course, don some sunglasses and strut around the cities of Lithuania or lay on the beaches until the late evening.

Of course, it's also a great time to enjoy ice-cream.

R is for Random

2008-05-29T22:34:00.005+03:00

Here is a collection of observations and notes that so far didn't find themselves in any other letter. They are in no particular order and I will probably update them as well.

1. The first random point is a song. Listening to it always brings a smile to my face. Inculto's "Welcome to Lithuania" was a potential Lithuania's entry in 2006 for Eurovision. In words and pictures it summarises everything about today's Lithuania. I needn't write more, feast your eyes and ears.

2. In a small town called Ukmerge, on the way to Riga from Vilnius, there is a small shopping centre with the name Eifelis. Next to the name there is a small representation of Eifel's tower and the outside walls are covered with a map of the Paris Metro system. Pourquoi?

3. On the north-eastern edge of Vilnius there is region which is almost entirely made up of student dorms and university campuses. It runs west to east along a street called Sauletekis - literally sunrise. Although the dorms are currently going (slowly) through large scale renovations, it used to be that those in the East were the worst to live in and had the furthest to walk to the bus and trolleybus stops, thus requiring a longer walk and a longer journey to central Vilnius. Certainly not a welcoming way to start a day of studies, especially in the winter. I don't know when, but for as long as anyone can remember, the dorms located on the west of the street have been called "New York", that glimmering, glass-towered bastion of hope, freedom and big bucks! On the eastern side the area is known as "Kamchatka", an area of distant, possibly desolate Russia that most people only know about from a Risk board.
Nowadays, Kamchatka isn't such a bad place to live - in the dorms that is, I've no idea about the area in Russia - and it's where most of the Erasmus and international students live.

4. "How's life in Vilnius?"

"I've got no hot water at the moment"

"Oh? Can't you just turn it on? What's wrong?" What, indeed, is wrong? Coming from a country where each person heats their own hot water for their morning showers and for their central heating this is a perfectly reasonable question. However, in most flats in Lithuania (and across the former Soviet Union I should probably add), hot water for both washing and heating is provided centrally so you can't ever, in theory, run out. Hooray!

However, my hot water has currently run dry as a result of a pipe problem somewhere in the hair salon below me and there has yet to be any agreement with the authorities who fix these things, when they can go and fix it - at least that's as much as I understand.

5. Vilnius has a bronze bust of Frank Zappa - apparently the only one in the world!

Q is for Queen

2008-05-19T21:37:00.003+03:00

17 October 2006
In the middle of Vilnius Old Town, normally quiet and sedate, snipers can be seen on the roofs, men with bits of telephone cables hanging from their ears walk amongst the thronging crowds, sirens wail and flags wave frantically.
Away from the crowds, in one of Vilnius University’s many courtyards, students and staff gather to watch the arrival of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Trumpeters herald the arrival of the Queen into the courtyard, led by the Dean of the University. She takes time to talk to some of the people gathered at one end, roped off. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly; people waving flags, a few cheers, and exchanges between friends, and of course her majesty and her interlocutors.
“Your majesty, we’re from England!!!”
With only the merest reaction she turned her heard and gently made her way towards two young, students, who, as they made clear with the eloquence of hoody-wearing, cider-drinking, bench-outside-the-co-op sitting, yoofs, are from England.
Fortunately, the overexcited Englishmen weren't rewarded with ASBOs, but a question.

“What do you do here in Lithuania?”
“We study Lithuanian language here at Vilnius University. We are the only British students in the whole university.”
“Yes, it’s true.” Confirmed the Dean.
“Do you enjoy it?”
"Yes, and we enjoy living in Vilnius, it's a great city", I answered in such a horrible chocolate box way. I wish I'd said something better, and not as 'nice'.
“And what will you do afterwards?”
Apply for the foreign office, your majesty, or some other government post, the military, or even for a large corporate institution.
“We don’t know”. She didn’t seem very impressed by that answer and moved on to the next members of the crowd.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of UK, and President Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania.

P is for Panevėžys

2008-05-08T20:42:00.005+03:00

In the middle of Lithuania there is a town called Panevėžys. Panevėžys is a town that I doubt any tourists go to. Should you go however, perhaps by mistake or to fill up with petrol on your way to Riga, there is a very Soviet feeling hotel in the very centre of town which offers a fantastic view of the city. Fantastic meaning, you can see the city and out to the forests around. The city isn’t exactly beautiful. When you have enjoyed the view - for which you just need to take the lift to the top floor, rather than book a room - you may find your ears ringing with the sound of classical music. Look up to the trees and lampposts to see, no not an angelic choir making a visitation, but speakers as part of the city’s initiative to make the centre a more peaceful environment.

In Lithuanian street folklore (urban myths) Panevėžys is gangster town. At least, it used to be. Now it’s a city which is sprouting huge shopping centres and supermarkets like a pubescent, newly-testosterone filled adolescent develops muscles on his shoulders. It’s what everyone else is doing, so let’s do it better and maybe it will even impress the ladies.

Panevėžys is also the home of Kalnapilis - one of Lithuania's most famous beers. It's personally not my favourite however, I am assured by a friend that the tour of the brewery is well worth it (book in advance to avoid a busy day!!).

Until very recently Panevėžys had it's own amusement park. I say park, it was more a handful of static rides. However, in it's abandonment it felt like we had entered a post apocalyptic nightmare…Or at least something to play on.

It might sound like I give Panevėžys a wide birth, however, nothing could be further from the truth. I have had many happy days in Panevėžys, running along the river with friends, playing on the amusement park, receiving a massage from a lady who looks like Yoda and despite being the same size had the same force-like strength, and for some reason, nearly always experiencing blue skies when I arrived.

Below is a a very creative and funny song about Panevėžys, playing on all of the common stereotypes. I won't translate the whole song, but the chorus goes, "Mama, buy me a pistol, I want to be a Panevėžeter"*

*This is my own translation of a person from Panevėžys, as in Londoner is a person from London

O is for "Oh no!", I can't think of anything right now.

2008-05-08T20:17:00.001+03:00

Oh, I can't think of anything right now, so I'm moving on to P instead.

I may however write about my experience at the hospital. "Oh no!"

N is for Nida and Nuclear

2008-04-26T01:08:00.006+03:00

Today I want to take you to the most Westerly part of Lithuania and one of the most Easterly – the towns of Nida and Visaginas respectively.

Let us begin with Visaginas. This town of almost 34’000 people, located in a corner of Lithuania bordering Latvia and Belarus is famous for having an almost entirely Russian population and Lithuania’s only nuclear power station. Established in 1975 the town was built to house the workers of the nearby Ignalina Nuclear Power Station, most of who were brought to Lithuania from other parts of the Soviet Union. Whereas most Lithuanian towns have at least some remnants of an old town – including old wooden buildings or a church, Visaginas is an example of Soviet functionality – A collection of grey concrete and red brick blocks, yet set beside a lake and with tall pine trees everywhere. The town could almost be said to be built in a forest, rather than near it.

A short drive from Visaginas through countryside that feels bleaker and bleaker you will arrive at Ignalina Nuclear Power Station. The first unit of the nuclear plant started generating power in 1983 and at the time was the world’s most powerful nuclear power station. The design and build is the same as that most infamous of Soviet power stations – Chernobyl. Fortunately lessons have been learnt and modification made so I hope not to be engulfed in a cloud of nuclear radiation any time soon. The EU have told the Lithuanian authorities that the aging reactor must be decommissioned by the beginning of 2010. Most experts and the news here in Lithuania seem unconvinced that this will be the case.

Discussions are being had between the three Baltic States and Poland to build a new nuclear plant in the region under a new power-bridge agreement– allowing power to be shared on a regional grid system.

On April 16th Russia, casting an ever present shadow over the region and looking for more ways to flex its energy muscles, announced its desire to build a brand new plant in the Kaliningrad oblast which is currently dependant on the Baltic States, through which energy passes from Russia. The announcement is deeply provocative. The region is clearly too small to contain two nuclear plants and thus by beginning to build its own plant in the region before the EU States it would hope to cause the region to become dependant, not only on Russian oil, but also Russian atomic energy. The Russian company has suggested that 49% of the power generated could be passed to its EU neighbours. For now, it may simply be provocative words, but it may help the stalling negotiations between Poland and the Baltic countries to make quicker and further progress in building a new plant.

For more information and pictures of the Ignalina plant take a look at www.iae.lt

Travelling towards Kaliningrad, you will eventually come to the town of Nida. This lies on the unique geographical feature called the Curonian Spit or Kuršių nerija. Legend says that Neringa, a giantess daughter of the gods, gathered sand in her apron and placed it in the sea to protect the Baltic fishermen from storms. It is a little more likely the Spit, which is essentially a large collection of sand dunes, held together by pine trees, rare grasses and shrubs came into existence around 6000 years ago by sand drifts from further west along the coast, making it one of the most recent geographical features in the whole of Europe.

My two French friends with whom I travelled were amazed by how similar it felt to the South of France, and with weather as good as the last few days, it easily could have been. In fact, even having lived in Lithuania for almost 3 years, I could hardly believe I was in the same country. Rather it felt like a mixture of a desert as I walked on the dunes and a Suffolk sea-side village as I walked in the harbour watching men renovate their boats.

Bon vacances!

The Great Dune - Looking south towards Kaliningrad

M is for Mašinos, Men and Mortality

2008-04-14T23:30:00.008+03:00

Deus ex machina.
God out of the machine.

It's possible that many Lithuanian men think of themselves as a minor god when they step out of their black BMWs (yes, we're back to them again, I can't help myself) or their 4x4s. Dievas iš mašinos. (Young) Men and their machines will always be a cause for concern the world over, but in Lithuania it seems to be a particular problem. The power, the speed, the unnecessary sound of a drilled-out exhaust. Collecting your lady on a Friday and Saturday evening in a blacked-out BMW, Audi or Mercedes seems to be what many men attain to in life. Fortunately “pimping” ones car hasn’t really taken off in a big way yet, except for blacked-out windows. I wonder if that’s to hide who your friends in the back are or so that no one can see your lack of friends?

More seriously however, young men and their cars (Lithuanian, mašina or automobilis) are a very significant problem in Lithuania. Motoring accidents are one of the biggest killers in Lithuania and in a country with an already diminishing population this isn’t a good thing. There are big signs on the main motorway stretching the length of the country, from Klaipėda to Vilnius and passing through Kaunas, letting you know how many people have been killed and how many injured on that stretch of road. So far this year 1 dead, 25 injured – less than in the same period last year. However, it is on the smaller roads where most accidents occur.
I travel on the roads between cities at least once a week and normally I can expect to see at least one recent crash. In Vilnius I often witness shunts as cars tail-gate those in front and fail to brake in time at traffic lights. Nothing serious in that, but it reflects the common attitude of drivers here – drive fast, brake hard, give no room to others and drive as defensively as possible – not dissimilar to downtown Baghdad, just with less Humvees.
The Lithuanian daily newspaper Lietuvos Rytas has a section called "Wheels" on its internet site which seems to be a daily update of crashes on Lithuania's roads.
It is reported that Lithuania has one of the worst records per capita for driving accidents and yet compared to other (mostly western) European Countries the relationship between these accidents to alcohol is low. Meaning that Lithuanian drivers are often sober but dangerous.

It’s saddening to read stories of young men, on an evening out, packed into a car, ending up involved in an accident either through their own fault or the fault of others. This usually occurs at night when overtaking on single carriageway roads. Should all the occupants of the car be killed it can often leave a whole family without its sons or a peer group without its men. It is no wonder therefore that there is a whole project dedicated ending the carnage called, “stop to the war on the roads”. http://www.lrt.lt/stop/

Deus ex machina. So far there has been no resolution and as a philosophy professor recently told me, “It will take more than warning signs and programs. It will take a change in culture”.
Dievas į mašiną?

L is for Language

2008-04-12T16:25:00.003+03:00

When back in the UK I am often asked a common question.
“What do they speak in Lithuania?” Pause “Lithuanian?”

Actually, in the capital Vilnius, about 9% speak Russian and another 10% speak Polish as first languages. But yes, Lithuanian is the official language of Lithuania. Lithuanians love the Lithuanian language. They’ll tell you it’s beautiful, that it’s related to Sanskrit, that it’s one of the most archaic languages in the world.
After a few weeks of living in Lithuania, and attending language class I only had one thought about the language – it’s hard. It’s more complicated than rocket science, it’s impregnable to my English ear and it seems to have no relation to anything I’ve ever seen before. It is in Latin script, so life was a little easier, but beyond that it’s a mixture of vowels, ks, zs, prefixes, declensions and cases that all conspire against the average foreigner to make him or her sound like they’ve got a lump of fried bread stuck in their throat and are in desperate need of the Heimlich manoeuvre.

There are 24 different ways to say the same word, depending on if it is male or female and then one of six possible cases. Let us not go into the intricacies but instead look to some of the novel things to be found about the language.

The first word that brings a smile to British tourists is the word for thank you, Ačiū. The little v over the c gives it a ch sound and thus this word is pronounced almost exactly as if sneezing, though normally on demand. From my experience it takes about 5 minutes before a-choo no longer becomes funny.

Bičas – Despite what it sounds like to English ears, is the word for a good male friend, “mate”. And originally comes from the word bite or bee. Bees were sacred animals in pagan Lithuanian tradition and were highly respected. To kill a bee meant bad news for you. There are plenty of other words in Lithuanian that sound rude or not altogether wholesome in the English language, but I won’t share those with you.

Language is also a great preserver of culture. There are many words and phrases which are based on the agricultural history and culture of Lithuania. Two examples are below.

Man šakas tau! – meaning something like, “I have a pitchfork for you”. This isn’t a friendly gesture from a neighbouring farmer to say, “I’d like to help you move your hay.” Rather it’s a form of abuse.

grybauti – to pick mushrooms. Mushroom picking is an important and common national pastime in the late summer. This verb can also be used about someone who seems to be late, as if to suggest they have been temporarily distracted by some attractive and tasty looking fungus.

Do you fancy your chances learning Lithuanian? Have a go at http://www.oneness.vu.lt

L is for Love

2008-04-07T23:57:00.005+03:00

At the prompting of my colleague at "Late Night TomasAdomas"*, I have decided to update my blog on time this week. However, this is a temporary post. L is actually for Language - but it's a work in progress and I have an early start and a busy week of travelling ahead of me, so you will have to wait until the weekend.

Instead, (skirtas jums visiems mano Lietuvių draugams bei pažįstamams) a very short note to say I'm loving Lithuania at the moment (aš nejuokuoju). Spring has arrived and despite the rain today, there is a feeling of new potential in the air. I've lived here for getting-on 3 years and whilst sitting with friends over dinner (žinoma, šnekėdami lietuviškai) this evening and recollecting my initial and most memorable experiences - girls who would only talk Lithuanian to me (I appreciate it now, but at the time thought it was just rude), guys who showed me where to buy food, feeling like I was about to die in an empty building that may or may not have been a hospital** - I realise I have come to love Lithuania with all it's quirks and rude old ladies.
I'm leaving this summer and believe me, it's going to be hard.

Lietuva, aš myliu tave! Ir net šiandien myliu močiutėlę, kuria gyvena apačioje.
Gal aš per daug bulvinių blynių persivalgau?

*http://www.youtube.com/user/prenlex (out of date, bizarre and pseudo-arty/ comedy pieces - watch the ones without us in.)

**a post about that event will follow in due course.

K is for Klaipeda

2008-04-01T12:13:00.003+03:00

On March 23rd 1939 German warships pulled into the town of Memel. Later Adolf Hitler stood on the balcony of the theatre and announced to the predominantly German speaking population that the town was part of the Third Reich. You can still see the same balcony today, in the Lithuanian coastal city of Klaipeda. No, the balcony hasn’t been moved, but European borders and empires have.
Officially the city was founded in 1252 by Teutonic Knights. For almost 400 years, between 1525 and 1918, it was the Easternmost City of the Prussian Empire, interrupted by Swedish rule 1628-35 and Russian 1757-62.
It was administered by the French military on behalf of the League of Nations from 1918 with the aim of setting up an independent territory. However in 1923 it became part of Lithuania for the first time in its history after the latter took over the territory.

Lithuanians often say that Klaipeda looks more German than Lithuanian. Indeed, there are more redbrick buildings and sloping roofs (take a look at the central post office) but to my mind, Klaipeda is more a mixture of post-World War II, Soviet era modernist buildings and standard concrete blocks alongside modern glass-fronted buildings. As a strategic port and a base for German submarines Klaipeda was almost entirely raised to the ground during WW2. One of Klaipeda’s newest sights are the D and K buildings – a hotel and apartment block – named after their shape. They stand taller than any other building in Klaipeda and the views from the café at the top are fantastic – though the menu is less satisfying.

Today Klaipeda, Lithuania’s third city with a population of around 200,000, is a popular tourist destination. From here it’s possible to make the short journey to the Curonian Spit – an almost unique geological feature. or further up the coast to Palanga. In the summer, this town is all sea, sand, sex and sun – probably in that order of frequency. The sandy beaches are wonderful and the Baltic Sea less salty than those that wash against Western Europe. In the summer months most of Vilnius moves here, including MTV who broadcast from the beach. In fact everyone moves here and ends up sitting in traffic for hours as the town’s population bulges and the road network fails to cope.

In the winter there’s definitely less sun and a lot less sex. On one particularly bracing walk along the beach the sea had frozen in large chunks, about a foot deep and several feet across. These mini icebergs rubbed together making a sound like grinding plastic as the lapping waves underneath gently lifted them up and down. Approaching the entrance to the port of Klaipeda was like witnessing a huge Slush Puppy. Fishing boats and cruise liners sailed perfectly normally across the dark blue and green sugary syrup in and out of the port.
If you needed yet more reasons to visit, on the northernmost tip of the Curonian Spit, a brief ferry ride away, is a Dolphinarium. You could almost be in Florida!

The D and K buildings - obviously!

Part of Klaipeda's old town

The Post Office

Part of the Old Port. Still fully operational.

Where you might have lived as a 19th century fisherman.

J is for Jews and Japanese

2008-03-27T23:33:00.002+02:00

This week takes us back to history and the incredible story of Chiune Sugihara, Lithuania’s Oskar Schindler. He was born in Japan, studied English Literature against his father’s wishes and later joined the Foreign Ministry. Whilst serving in China he became an expert on Russian affairs and converted to Orthodox Christianity.

Until the outbreak of World War 2, Lithuania had one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe. Vilnius itself was known as the “Jerusalem of the North” and was a Jewish cultural and religious centre.

In March 1939 when Klaipėda was invaded by the Germans, the 39 year-old Japanese diplomat arrived to the then Lithuanian capital of Kaunas* tasked with reporting on German and Soviet troops movements and running a one-man embassy. Six months later the World was at war. In July 1940 the Nazi war machine advanced upon the rest of Lithuania. The Soviet authorities ordered all diplomats to leave but Sugihara remained with his Dutch counterpart. Aware of what would happen to Kaunas’ tens-of-thousands of Jews when the Nazis took the city they launched an enterprise to help Jews flee the country. The Jews would be able to leave if they had visas for another country. The pair realised it would be possible for them to travel to Dutch colonies in the Caribbean but via Japan, requiring Japanese transit visas.
Sugihara sought permission three times from his seniors in Tokyo but was denied and ordered to leave Lithuania for Berlin. Irrespective of his orders, he remained in Kaunas for four weeks and wrote out visas by hand, processing around 300 a day. His wife is reported to have fed him his meals so that he could keep on writing visas. When he left in September he handed his consular stamp to a refugee to continue to issue visas.

It is estimated that 6000 Jews were saved as a result of Sugihara’s efforts. After the war he was removed from his job for having disobeyed orders.

In June 1941 the Nazi’s broke the Molotov-Ribbentropp Pact and invaded the Lithuanian Soviet. During the Nazi occupation (1941-1944) the mass murder of over 200’000 Jews took place, 94% of the Jewish population. Lithuania was the first European country where mass extermination of the Jews was carried out, mostly by walking them out of the cities and shooting them in mass graves.

Sugihara lived out the rest of his life in relative obscurity until in 1985 he was awarded Israel’s “Righteous Among the Nations” honour. He died in 1986.

*Vilnius being under Polish occupation at the time.

I is for Ice cream

2008-03-05T23:09:00.004+02:00

It’s above freezing nearly every day now; spring is nearly here so it will soon be time to cool off with a big bowl of ice cream.

I’ve recently thought that ice cream is a great way to measure the economic and cultural “level” of a country. You could look simply at GDP, or at GDP per capita. Other ways include counting how many cars are in the country per household or counting how many fridges there are per capita. You could investigate the political freedom enjoyed by citizens. However, I think you could also investigate the ability to purchase, the consumption and the quality of ice cream!

After all, to produce, transport and sell ice cream requires a significant infrastructure. You need established dairy farms, or at the very least some cows, goats or Soya to produce the milky goodness, a working energy source (or very cold weather) to power your freezer, you need freezer trucks to transport your tasty treats to the shop and then you need yet more freezer power to keep it in perfect condition for your consumers to enjoy it properly. The more you think about, the more technology that is required in the ice cream business. I wonder how our desire for frozen pleasures is actually warming the World?
Ice cream also allows a lot of variety and creativity. From flavours to texture to what is included in the tub – from chocolate to cookies and cream. My basic assumption is that in somewhere like the USA or Western Europe, you can find the largest choice of exotic, tasty colourful ice cream – to buy over the counter or to take home in a nice plastic tub and watch in front of Friends, etc. Luxury!

Once the reserve of rich people with enough space to build an ice-house in their grounds, ice cream is now a luxury item enjoyed by millions across the world. I use the word luxury to mean something that serves no real function in sustaining life but is an otherwise enjoyable novelty. I know ice cream is technically a food, but it’s not something you need, has very few nutritional properties and yet I think still has a special place in people’s hearts! Hearing the ice cream van playing its monophonic tune still brings a smile to most people and what apple pie or dessert isn’t made that extra bit special by a big scoop of vanilla-flavoured frozen milk products?

In the final days of milk being given to British children in schools, a friend of mine in Lithuania – Stepas (who used to play on the concrete slide, see E is for Entertainment) – would hide empty beer or lemonade bottles that he found in walls and under windows. When his mum asked him to pick something up from the shops, he would take one of his bottles from its hiding place and upon giving it to the shop-keeper would receive 20 Kopeks. This princely sum is also how much a portion of ice cream would cost.

From my observations of Lithuanians, particularly young people, ice cream is still a popular treat. You can’t buy it for 20 Kopeks anymore but even in winter you can see people walking around licking from a cone. Whether it’s from McD’s or somewhere more expensive ice cream is readily available – though the choice isn’t very varied, tending to be vanilla or chocolate. As with many things, Lithuania isn't far behind, but it doesn't yet have the quality of, for example, cornish cream, or the selection of your average Tesco.

However, one little gem in Vilnius is Soprano which is the Avant Garde of Lithuanian ice cream offering a wide selection in the Italian style (but it's website only in Lithuanian).
Another recommendation would be Gusto, a pancake cafe and a reasonably priced for desserts.
For other cafes, most of which serve ice cream, take a look at http://www.vilnius-life.com/
I’m sure others of you know good places to buy ice cream – write me a comment and let me and the world know.

I might even try a top 5 list of ice cream in Lithuania, or at least Vilnius...

H is for History

2008-02-18T23:32:00.004+02:00

Kosovo might well be Europe’s newest country, though currently we’re still waiting for the international community to recognise it. Here in the Baltics Lithuania celebrated its own Independence Day last Saturday. Although most people might assume that this is from the Soviet Union, Lithuania actually celebrates 90 years since, in the midst of war and revolution, it first declared itself as an independent, sovereign democratic state. It had been a part of Russia’s Northwest Territory yet at the time was occupied by German forces.
Although the borders changed as Lithuania fought with Poland over the capital Vilnius, Lithuania enjoyed independence until the secretive Molotov – Ribbentropp Pact led to occupation by German and then later Soviet Russian troops. Lithuania finally regained it’s independence in 1991 during the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Walking through the snowy streets of Vilnius’ Old Town in the bright sunshine and past Signatories House where the first declaration was made it is hard to imagine Lithuania’s past. Young men try to impress their recent Valentine dates with their black BMWs and smartly dressed business men drink coffee or local beer in glass fronted cafés. Only eight days ago Vilnius held a meeting of NATO defence ministers.

Last weekend Lithuanians have been remembering the long, difficult and occasionally bloody history of its previous 90 years. Laisvė – freedom is very much a loaded and emotive word even amongst the young people and students who can’t remember those times. Many of them gathered in the capital’s Cathedral square for a free concert by some of Lithuania’s most popular singers. Every year the square sees thousands gather, waving the yellow, green and red tricolour, often in snow and subzero temperatures to declare their love of Laisvė and Lietuva. The concert was entitled 9 steps and each one does give a good overview of Lithuanian history over the last 90 years.

The Act of the creation of the state. This is when the then ruling council declared independence as above.
The Partisan War. What we would today term an “insurgency”. This ran from 1941 until 1953.
Romas Kalanta. In 1972, this 19 year-old student set himself on fire in protest of the Soviet Occupation.
Sąjūdis (1988) – Meaning movement (as in a people’s movement), this was a group of the Lithuanian intelligentsia with the aim to reform Lithuania and bring about cultural openness and political change.
The Baltic Way (1989) – Around 2 million Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians link hands from Vilnius, via Riga to Tallinn on the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
March 11 1990, The Lithuanian Supreme Council declares Lithuanian independence from the Soviet Union.
January 13 1991, 14 unarmed civilians are killed as Soviet tanks storm the TV tower. Civilians barricade and form a human wall around the Parliament building.
May 1 2004 Lithuania becomes a member of the EU.
February 16 2008. Nothing actually happened on this day, except to remember the past 90 years and to remind Lithuanians of the cost of their freedom.

What the future holds for Lithuania and what the next steps might be continues to be a topic of much discussion for Lithuanians. Even today in the English language, Baltic Times President Valdas Adamkus is quoted as saying,

"…let us purify our aspirations from anger, hatred and short-lived interests. Let us be worthy of our state and nation: let us be the architects of a new Lithuania.
"Today we are walking down a path where we feel more secure from external threats than ever before in the course of our history. It is globalization and the rapidly changing world that create crucial challenges."

Cathedral Square, showing the clock tower and stage.

Close up of the stage showing important military people, the Lithuanian President, Valdus Adamkus and the Latvian and Estonian Presidents.

G is for Gimtadienis and Greetings

2008-02-12T21:01:00.000+02:00

On Sunday evening I got a text.

"Dalyte, rytoj darome siurpriza Adomui 8:30..."
(Dalia (a girl's name), tomorrow we're making a surprise for Adam).

I had been working over the weekend and hadn't slept for very long Friday and Saturday nights, so it was I looking forward to a lie-in and enjoying my birthday and a day-off at the same time. However, having been pre-warned I was showered, dressed and ready on Monday morning to receive guests.

According to plan, friends arrived with breakfast - oat cakes, croissants, bananas and apples and a feast of smiles all round. We laughed that I already knew they were coming.

I'm not sure it's a very cultural thing to do, but it's now the second surprise birthday breakfast I have taken part in and I can recommend it to anyone.

I've taken part in many birthday parties and celebrations in my time here in Lithuania. I think my favourite was Sergej's surprise barbecue party in a forest just outside Vilnius. It was exactly that - a lot of his friends in a forest, quite a way from anything with a barbecue made from half an oil drum. He arrived blind folded I think and then more people appeared from behind bushes and trees to greet him with a song. It was a hilarious time and one of the first chances to enjoy the start of the Lithuanian summer. It also involved something I have only ever experienced in Lithuania - the greeting circle.

The basic concept is that people in the circle say a few words to whoever is standing in the middle.

This might involve a serious speech or just a few words, such as "I wish you joy", "I hope you have a good year."

This basic form can be used at birthdays, weddings, celebrations of almost anything. I haven't been to a funeral yet. I don't think they'd do it there. The greeting circle comes in different levels of extremity; from the basic, whoever wants to give a greeting to the full blown, everyone present must say something and the person or people in the middle should respond with thanks and a greeting of their own.

For a culture that can be quite closed on first contact, this is the total antithesis. I've seen howls of laughter and full on tears as people have shared their stories and wished others fruitful and joyful futures.

For a young Englishman this can all be quite overwhelming, especially when you know you're going to have to say something and instead of listening to what the people before you are saying, you're watching your turn come towards you like a rabbit in the headlights of an 18-wheeler.

"Come on Adam, think, think, what new words did you learn in lessons last week? What greetings do you know? Oh no, he just said that one. Right think of something else. Something quick, easy to say, that needs no extra explanation and maybe no one will notice you..." Deep breath...

"Linkiu tau daug... išminties". Wisdom

Wisdom? Well, wisdom has become my standard response to these situations. Money, joy, happiness, a wife or a husband and success have normally gone by the time it comes to me. And let's face it, we can all do with a little bit more wisdom in our lives.

After a day of relaxing at home I made my way yesterday evening to Quiz Night at a local bar via Edgaras flat. We drank tea and at 19:20 I suggested we leave as we were going to be late. We walked out of his flat and soon afterwards walked into each other. "Where are you going?" I asked. "This way" he responded. I realised we weren't going to Quiz Night at all, but actually back to my flat where in the previous 30 minutes his girlfriend and various other friends of mine had let themselves in with his spare key and decorated the flat with balloons and again provided snacks and goodies for us to feast upon. This time the surprise really was kept under wraps. It is indeed a very strange experience to return only 30 minutes later to your flat and have it full of people!

I actually got away without having the greeting circle. However, I did receive two A3 pages with drawings indicating my future. Staying in Lithuania featured heavily, as did moustaches, teaching Russian and Lithuanian and a wife. In case you don't know, I am leaving Lithuania this summer, do not have a moustache, speak no Russian and don't yet even have a girlfriend...

This is me and my future wife about to commit suicide from the top of Gediminas' Castle in Vilnius.

This reads, "Adam teaching Lithuanian/ Russian languages". (I don't speak Russian and my Lithuanian's not worthy of a bow-tie yet.) I do like the moustache though. Maybe that will come true.

This reads, "Family...When? You know."

F is for Festivals

2008-01-31T17:42:00.000+02:00

F if for Festivals, or more precicely festival, in this case Užgavėnės (Shrovetide, Mardis Gras).

Across the country people dress up, make a lot of noise and even set fire to a mock-up of Winter herself. Just another Saturday evening for students some might say, and for others a little too reminiscent of the The Wicker Man.

In my dictionary, the nearest related words are užgavėjas and užgavimas, meaning, 'one who insults' and 'an insult'. Although the word Užgavėnės actually means "before fasting", insulting is pretty much sums up what happens at this time of year. Whereas in the UK we might make a few pancakes on Pancake Day/ Shrove Tuesday and maybe give up something for lent until Easter (both of which do happen here), the tradition of Užgavėnės also involves dressing up and making a lot of noise - with the aim of scaring away winter. This year, the winter has not been very cold, so there's not much to scare away - but nonetheless, the turn-out in Vilnius city centre was impressive. I'll let the photos do their own talking...

E is for Entertainment

2008-01-29T21:32:00.001+02:00

I have spent the last few days travelling across Lithuania, to the towns of Klaipėda and Panevėžys. There will be more about both these cities in future posts. In Panevėžys I took a walk with a friend through one of it's parks. It was here that I was able to photograph another contrast, loosely related to the theme of entertainment.

Exhibit A

No, it's not an anti-tank obstacle or any sort of retro modern art. This testament to the beauty of concrete is a child's slide. Can you imagine the fun that must have been had as you passed through the first concrete cone, climbed the iron ladder and made your way to the launch platform, before launching yourself at a sharp 45 degrees! (If your ankles didn't shatter on the floor)

Just around the corner in the same park is a brand new skate park.

Exhibit BBMX biking, roller blading and skateboarding is very fashionable and popular amongst the Lithuanian youth and such parks are popping up all over the place. There's one near the centre of Vilnius and on any day without snow it's the scene of many small boys making their first tentative descent on a half pipe and budding Tony Hawks pulling Funky Chickens, Elephant Glides and Firehydrants.

If extreme sports is not your thing or you're all grinded out then Lithuania still has plenty to offer in the way of entertainment. There are bars, cafes, theatres and cinemas - all of which you can find details about in a guide book. What you can't read in the guide books, but need to visit the Tourist Information Office or have a friend in a band, is the amount of free concerts that happen throughout the year, expecially in Vilnius. The producers of Palin's New Europe (BBC TV 2007) felt the need to show about 5 minutes worth of local people singing. It was embarrassing to watch. Lithuania is however a nation of singers as Palin sought to illustrate. The free concerts and performances that litter the calender are a truer testament to the singing heart of Lithuanians. The quality can range from blond haired girls singing cheesey pop at the annual Christmas Concert in Cathedral Square to traditionally dressed troupes singing folk songs. There was even a day last summer when almost anyone who wanted to was able to play and sing on Vilnius Street Music Day (photos below). The best advice for anyone coming to Lithuania - follow your ears!

You could of course stay inside and watch TV. Especially for the Dviračio šou - Literally The Bike Show - which includes two men dressed up as mice debating the current political goings-on. It's very Fast Show and Not The Nine O'Clock News.

Pasilik Lietuvoje (Stay in Lithuania) Concert - Encouraging young people not to travel abroad, but to stay and live and work in Lithuania (The organisers were foreigners who live in Lithuania).

Childline Birthday Concert, Cathedral Square

All below from Vilnius Street Music Day

D is for Demographics

2008-01-19T13:22:00.000+02:00

According to the last census, taken in 2005, this is the make up of the population in Lithuania. Since joining the EU in May 2004, tens of thousands of Lithuanian residents have left to work in Western Europe and America. Population decline is a regular news story. Therefore the figures aren't entirely accurate. Only time will tell how many of these people will return to Lithuania in the future.

Ethnicity Total
Total 3483972
Lithuanian 2907293
Pole 234989
Russian 219789
Belarussian 42866
Ukrainian 22488
Jew 4007
German 3243
Tatar 3235
Latvian 2955
Roma (Gipsy) 2571
Armenian 1477
Azerbaijan 788
Moldovan 704
Georgian 437
Estonian 419
Karaite 273
Chuvash 264
Other 3253
Not indicated 32921

I’m assuming that most people don’t know who the Karaites are. In general, Karaism is a form of Jewish religious belief. The Karaites in Lithuania originate from the Crimea and speak a Turkic language. Around the late 14th Century AD, Grand Duke Vytautas invited several hundred Karaite warriors to be part of his personal guard at his castle and capital in the town of Trakai. This is were most of the Karaite community still live and today it is possible to visit one of their religious buildings called a Kenesa (When I went, the man who opened the door, spoke to me in a language I didn’t understand – so I think he was a Karaite, or drunk).

I’ve never met a Chuvash, but I suppose I wouldn’t know one if I did. The Chuvash are a Turkic people, predominantly Orthodox Christian. I currently don’t know enough about them to know where they have come from and why they are in Lithuania, but most Chuvash people live in Chuvashia, a region of Russia 600 km east of Moscow. Are you Chuvash? Let me know.

The “other” includes various amounts of Ex-pats. Interestingly enough, the French lead the way in Vilnius with having the largest ex-pat community. They haven’t been invited by the president to be his security, rather, in my experience of French people here, they are living out their retirement, studying, working for international companies and of course, falling in love.
Apart from the Café de Paris, you won’t really notice the French presence on the streets This is until France are playing rugby or football. Then you realise just how many there are as they squeeze into the Irish Bar to watch big screen sport.

From personal experience, I can also tell you there are 3 Egyptians living in Lithuania, until recently 2 Bangladeshis and a handful of Pakistanis.

The data above was taken from the Lithuania Department of Statistics, available in English at http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/
Apologies for not posting the proper table, I couldn't figure out how to get it to look right.

C is for Contrasts, Changes and Character

2008-01-10T22:44:00.000+02:00

Vilnius, as with the whole country, is a city of contrasts. On the same streets you’ll see Humvees (I’ve counted at least three – one bright yellow, one shiny black, and one white stretch Hummer) cruising the streets being driven by rich young men and old Soviet Ladas being driven by older men. Every country and city has its own contrasts, it’s old and new coexisting together, but somehow in Lithuania, they just seem starker and more apparent. It's one of the things I love so much about Lithuania.

North of the river, in one of the most recent developments, you’ll find the City Hall, a bank HQ and shopping centre, all made from towering glass with fountains outside and not a hint of concrete to be seen. However, less than 2 minutes walk you’ll find what could almost be a small village of wooden houses, each with their own plot of land and maybe one of the occupants washing their clothes in a bucket of water. Photos are below.

It's these architectural and clearly-seen changes that strike, not only a visiting Brit, but returnees to Lithuania. As residents of Stratford (London), East Anglia and Dublin will know, there are a fare few hundred thousand (probably) Lithuanians living and working in the UK and Ireland. I recently met a couple who had spent the last 8 years living in England. As we talked, they told me they had expected the numbers and quality of cars to rise, new buildings to be built, the roads to be improved and the choice of foods to increase (My local big supermarket now has a whole shelf dedicated to Eastern food. It's not big, but it's nice to be able to check your tongue can still handle the spice once in a while). However, they were also expecting the people to change more.

Lithuanians like to joke that of the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania - right hand pinky remember?), they are the most open and friendly, while the Estonians up north are more reserved and quiet. This is true, but it by no means indicates that Lithuanians are throw-your-arms-wide-open give you a kiss and hug and shower you in reverence and awe on a first meeting. There is one guy like that in Lithuania. His name is Sergej. I'll talk about him another time. My new friends remarked that it still takes a long time to build friendships here. Indeed, first encounters can sometimes be awkward.

Despite my good looks, English charm and holding the door open for a lady, I'm no James Bond. Yet, often when I meet new people, particularly amongst young men, I feel like they are sizing me up.

"Is he here to steal our secret plans to infiltrate all walks of life, only to rise up and begin the United Kingdom of Lithuania, Great Britain and Ireland? Is he here to steal our above averagely attractive young ladies? We must know..."

I've never been interrogated, but that's part of the problem. I often don't feel like people are interested or at least they don't make the banal chat about the weather or our latest holidays that would perhaps be expected on those distant Atlantic battered shores. This is of course, a stereotype. Not every Lithuanian guy is a silent, sit in the corner, eyeing-the-new-guy type. As I said, there's Sergej.

The comment that most stuck with me from this couple, was that Lithuanians "don't want to belong to groups. They want to be individuals". Consumers not committers. "We're still not open to new people."

B is for Beginnings

2008-01-04T01:27:00.002+02:00

My journeys and visits to Lithuania have always begun at Vilnius International Airport. When I first arrived in September 2005 it wasn’t much different in size than the main train station*. By the time the final passenger has left the plane, boarded the bus and been driven two hundred metres to “arrivals”, the first passenger has probably been through passport control, collected their luggage and entered through the frosted “Stars in Their Eyes” doors. Through these doors lies Lithuania – all it’s beauty, oddity, unknown. On the public side of these doors, your crowd awaits. All walks of Lithuanian life gather; old ladies, parents, students, children, all clutching gifts for their friends and family recently returned from “the West” – Ireland, the UK, Spain, etc. Despite the pushing and standing on tip-toes, straining for that first glimpse of a long-missed loved one, the crowd allows a narrow parting for people to walk down. Occasionally, when a reunion is a little too emotional, the narrow line to the doors can get blocked, but this is rectified quickly, either by an apologetic Englishman asking if it “would be possible to get past”, or by the embracing women’s father/ husband urging them to move, “we’re paying for the car park remember”.
Lined around this melee are the taxi drivers holding signs for names of investors, businessmen and sometimes tourists. Most of these names tend to be Scandinavian.
Vilnius Airport is not a tourist airport. By which I mean it isn’t primarily an airport where foreigners arrive on their holidays. It’s not full of tacky shops or car hire booths or tour guides. It is functional. It has a single bureau de change, a small kiosk where you can buy bus tickets, magazines, chocolate and cigarettes, an information desk, which will be closed if you’re arriving on any of the direct flights from the UK. Though I have never used it, there is a desk somewhere for car hire; at least, there is a sign to such a desk.
I first walked through those doors two years feeling apprehensive…

“Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Adomas”.

I was met in the airport by Jurga and Edita (typical Lithuanian names). Blonde hair, blue eyes, long coats, scarves and I think one of them even wore a hat. Think, the French Resistance from ‘Allo ‘Allo, only with much better English. Out we passed into the Lithuanian day, cold, very cold, and made our way to our lift, Rita and her trusty Vauxhall (Opel) Nova. First language experience, “err, labas” I said, or something that probably sounded more like “laa-bas” (which is, I am told, the common greeting in Tunisia!). Rita didn’t speak English.

Like most people arriving in Vilnius, I headed straight to the centre, to Old Town Senamiestis. The drive from the Airport to the Centre is like unwrapping a present in a game of pass-the-parcel. Its outer layers of Soviet blocks and decrepit industry are like grey, dusty newspaper and as a Londoner, I reflected, even less colourful than the Old Kent Road, which is where I had lived previously. You peel off the layers of newspaper, trying to read the Latin script, yet bewildered at every word, instead looking at the pictures - the train station with it's large-gauged trains, some heading to Kaliningrad, Minsk or St Petersburg and a reminder of both Vilnius' geographical and historical location. Suddenly you turn a corner, off with the last layer of the newspaper and in your hands sits the kind of wrapping paper your Mum would tell you to carefully unwrap and not spoil - “You can use it next year”. Vilnius Old Town, to everyone from the most hardened capitalist, to the stag-do drunkard would agree, that Vilnius’s architecture, little streets and magnificent churches make a beautiful beginning to any visit in Lithuania.
If it was edible it would taste of Gingerbread and cinnamon.
Here begins your adventure in Vilnius, and hopefully of the rest of Lithuania. If you arrive in summer the small cobbled streets will be alive with tables and chairs and tourists and locals, all mixing together, enjoying the short lived sunshine. If you come in the winter, you’ll find places to unwrap your layers from the snow and ice, and get cosy in one of the cafes or restaurants.

*The airport has since been expanded and has lost a little of its original charm and character, though the atmosphere of expectation hasn't deminished.

A is for Arrivals

2007-12-28T21:28:00.000+02:00

“How’s Latvia?”
“Lithuania.”
“Sorry?”
“Lithuania. I’m in Lithuania, not Latvia, it’s the next country south.”

So begins the typical conversation with people when I return to the UK after spending time in the aforementioned Baltic country which has been my home for the last two years.
With people I meet for the first time the conversation usually begins…
“Oh, Lithuania. How interesting.” Pause. The cogs turn, they try to visualise a map in their head and I see their eyes wandering over Eastern Europe, rather lost and confused. “Where is Lithuania exactly?”
I like that often people use the word exactly. It makes it sound like they do actually have a clue about the existence of a country about one third the size of England. Exactly, as if they know it’s somewhere off a motorway, and is it junction 21 or 22. If you want to know exactly then you might like to ask your Sat-Nav;

If you start in London, then let it be known that your journey starts in a congestion charging zone. After this expensive start, travel to Dover...

Board the ferry DOVER-CALAIS at Dover for the next 1.18
miles.1.16 miles (1,9 km)79.4 miles (127,8 km)
Leave the ferry DOVER-CALAIS and continue on DOVER-CALAIS.0
miles (0 m)79.4 miles (127,8 km)

Welcome to Lithuania!