EuroBasket 2011 is over

The basketball event in Lithuania is over. For Lithuanian team it was over earlier than anyone expected. Sad.

Lithuanian team after losing to Macedonia

But it’s time to move on. We had a really great time here in Lithuania during EuroBasket 2011. Basketball was our life. I know that guests and basketball players from other countries were quite happy about the organization of the event. It’s a relief… The only ones disappointed were Lithuanian businessmen. Not so many fans as expected came to Lithuania. And those who came were not willing to pay cosmic prices for hotels, beer and food. It’s a good lesson for Lithuanians: maybe basketball is a religion in Lithuania, but in some countries people don’t even know about EuroBasket.

EuroBasket 2011: so far, so good

EuroBasket 2011 continues successfully for Lithuanian team. I believe Lithuanian team is getting better every day. We will beat French team today!

Lithuanians celebrating after beating Serbia

You can feel that there is a festival in Lithuania these days! People are crazy about basketball in Lithuania!

I live not far away from the hotel Le Meridien Vilnius where all teams (except Lithuanian) are staying. So I can hear police sirens when they escort teams from and to hotel at least 20 times a day. It’s really annoying cause it wakes me up in the morning  (I love to sleep till late…).

Mushroom picking time!

Today I will tell you about interesting phenomenon in Lithuania – mushroom picking. I know that in many western countries this is not popular at all, so I hope you will be interested about mushrooming in Lithuania.

Mushroom picking time in Lithuania starts in the middle of summer and lasts till first frosts. I believe that mushroom hunting is second favorite sport in Lithuania after basketball :) When rumors start to float around that mushrooms are starting to grow in the woods, Lithuanians take baskets, get up at 6 am on Saturday morning and go to the woods. You can actually get into traffic jam at that time :D

Mushroom picking in 2010. I have never seen more mushrooms in the woods than in the fall of 2010!

Dzukija is a region in southern part of Lithuania known of its mushrooms and berries. We even have a saying in Lithuania: If not mushrooms and berries, girls of Dzukija would be naked. People in Dzukija often gather mushrooms and berries, sell them and make money for living.

I picked all these mushrooms myself on one autumn day in 2010!

EuroBasket 2011: the beginning is fun!

EuroBasket 2011 has just started! And I will be updating you on most interesting moments. I won't give you results or analyze games, but I will definitely tell you most interesting stories about life in Lithuania during EuroBasket 2011.

Just look at the photo. And please comment what was your first thoughts.

Basketball players from Spain in their hotel room in Panevezys, Lithuania

Spanish Marc Gasol tweeted this photo of his hotel room in Panevezys... Do you think they live in some ugly old house? No! It's art on the wall! Lithuanian art is very very original... I am afraid most of the world will not understand it...

Another funny story widely spread in media these days: Lithuanian basketball team lives in a hotel not far away from wastewater treatment place. So the smell is so wonderful... But most Lithuanian players grew up in  the country, so they are used to the smell of manure... Real Lithuanian smell is not a problem and we will win!

And here is a photo of the EuroBasket 2011 opening show in Vilnius. Our local celebrities are very very sexy... Photos of singer Mia's panties was all over the internet...

Lithuanian singer Mia is a very sexy girl

Tourist route of Neris left bank

Yesterday I had a wonderful bike tour in Neris Regional Park!

Neris Regional Park

If you want to see the beauty of Lithuanian nature, I recommend you to visit Neris Regional Park. If you are coming to Lithuania just for a few days, Neris Regional Park is not the top place you should see. But if you have time and love nature, you should visit it.

The river Neris

Allotment gardens in Lithuania

Hi, everyone! I hope you had a nice summer. I surely did ;) The weather in Lithuania was not very pleasant with lots of rain and not too warm. But I had great vacations. Now I am back and ready to write more blog posts.

Most of my summer I spent in the allotment garden outside Vilnius, so today I will explain you what it is, because I know that in some countries allotments do not exist.

During the times of the Soviet Union people living in the cities were given small (6-8 a) plots of land outside the city. The areas of these plots were called “collective gardens”. Usually people grew vegetable and fruits in their land and they also could build small houses. Building big serious houses in allotment gardens was forbidden, so the houses there were suitable to live only in summer.

Nowadays allotment gardens still exist near all the biggest cities in Lithuania. But the times have changed, so the primary purpose of having a garden now is not growing vegetables, but having a country-house and a nice place to spend weekends. Now many people build big houses in allotments and move to live there all year long.

Hill of Crosses

Today I will present you a unique sight you MUST visit if you come to Lithuania. It’s the Hill of Crosses. I have never heard about other place like this on Earth…

As you probably know, we, Lithuanians, are Catholics. We are a very godly nation. So in 19^th century some devout people started building crosses on the hill not far away from the city of Siauliai. The origin of the tradition to leave a cross on the hill is not known. But it is thought that it is connected to the Lithuanians uprising against Russians in 19^th century. Families did not know where the bodies of some dead rebels were, so they started building crosses in a place of a former hill fort.

During the times of Soviet occupation Russians tried to destroy the Hill of Crosses three times, but Lithuanians did not stop bringing crosses to the hill. Only in 1985 the Soviets finally left the Hill of Crosses in peace.

In 1993 Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses.

Now hundreds of thousands of crosses are on the hill. Actually, the hill is too small for so many crosses so nowadays they are built around the square near the hill. The variety of crosses is amazing! If you come to the Hill of Crosses leave the cross there too and ask for God’s blessing for your family.

Here are some photos of the Hill of Crosses I made this summer:

Hill of Crosses

Crosses near the path to the hill

Festival "Summer of Naisiai"

Last weekend I visited my grandparents. They live in a small town near Siauliai called Naisiai.

In Naisiai

Cherries in Naisiai

Sunset in Naisiai

Sunset in Naisiai

A few years ago Naisiai was one of hundreds small towns in Lithuania no one knew. Naisiai was just a cozy village with about 600 residents. When I was a child I spent great summers there. Naisiai was always special because people there were very active, friendly and hard-working.

A few years ago Naisiai became famous in Lithuania! Rich farmer from Naisiai and the member of Lithuanian Parliament Ramunas Karbauskis had an idea – to make TV series “Summer of Naisiai”. Now “Summer of Naisiai” is on TV for 2 years and it is one of the most popular Lithuanian TV series. Now everybody in Lithuania knows the name of Naisiai! Moreover, you can buy milk, butter and cheese called “Summer of Naisiai” all around Lithuania! And you can watch the life of storks in Naisiai online 24/7! And there is a modern paintball center in Naisiai.

Storks in Naisiai

Klaipeda (part 2): sights you must see!

In my last blog post I presented you 3^rd largest city in Lithuania – Klaipeda. In this blog post I present you most interesting sights in Klaipeda.

Klaipeda old town

The old town of Klaipeda is small but very cozy and very beautiful. It is very different from other Lithuanian towns because Klaipeda was a part of Prussia and German at the times the old town was built.

Klaipeda (part 1): German city in Lithuania

Klaipeda is the 3^rd largest city and my 2^nd favorite city  (1^st is Vilnius) in Lithuania! It is situated near the Baltic Sea, in the western part of Lithuania. Port of Klaipeda is the only port in Lithuania! Klaipeda is a nice modern city with very interesting old town. The old town is very different from other Lithuanian towns and is more similar to German towns. About 180,000 residents live in Klaipeda now.

Don’t forget to visit the Curonian Spit if you come to Klaipeda! Just take a ferry and in a few minutes you are in the wonderful land of sand and dunes!

History of Klaipeda

Klaipeda was founded in 1252. At the time the Livonian Order built a castle there called Memelburg and the town Memel began to grow around it. In 1323 Lithuanians led by the duke Gediminas conquered the town and forced the Livonian Order to sue for a truce. Knights from the Livonian Order were replaced with knights from the Prussian branch of Teutonic Order. The town was attacked by Lithuanians again later in 14^th century.

In 1422 border between the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was stabilized and remained unchanged until 1919. At first Memel was part of Prussia and since 1871 it became most northern city of Germany.

Lithuanian girl in London

Last week I visited my friend who lives in London. It was my first trip to such a huge city. London was interesting, I had a great time there. So today I will tell you about my feelings and impressions after this trip. Of course, I am not going to describe London. It is not the purpose of my blog! But I can tell you how London is different from Vilnius and how British people seem different from Lithuanians. I would be really grateful to all British for comments about this blog post!

I took a flight to London from Vilnius with Wizzair. It really surprised me that only a few passengers were not Lithuanians. I guess cheap flights do not attract many tourists to Lithuania… Passengers mostly were young Lithuanians living in London and travelling back home to UK after visiting their relatives in Lithuania.

When I got off the plane in London I experienced something I can call… cultural shock. I had been told Luton is a small airport. Well, it was not very big, but the crowds of people were huge! I had to wait in line for about half an hour to have my passport checked at the boarder!

When I got in to my bus to London I was also very surprised. This time by the behavior of the driver. He was nice and helpful! He was joking and laughing. It was something you don’t usually see in Lithuania. British people seem really relaxed and happy. Lithuanians mostly are sad and worried…

At first I was really confused by the system of public transportation in London. But it took me only one day to get used to it. Metro is really a great way to travel in such a big city. In Lithuania we also have discussions if we need metro in Vilnius. After visiting London I can say that metro in Vilnius is a bad idea. Vilnius is small, the amount of passengers is quite small too, so building metro would be waste of money.

Another thing that surprised me in London was prices. They were not as high as I expected. The prices of food in supermarkets are almost the same as in Lithuania. And some products are really cheaper (like cheesecakes and cheddar cheese). My friend lives near the market and I was absolutely amazed by the low prices of fruits and berries there! 2 pineapples for 1 pound! A bowl of cherries for 1 pound! Unbelievable!

Are Lithuanian girls most beautiful in the world?

Yes, they are!

I believe Lithuanian women really are the most beautiful in the world. I am sure most men who live in Lithuania or have visited Lithuania agree with me.

Lithuanian girls

Why are Lithuanian girls so beautiful? Because they want to be beautiful! In many countries where feminism and fast food are popular women just don’t care how they look, what they wear, how fat they are. It is not like that in Lithuania! We want to be beautiful and we try!

Also Lithuanian girls have good genes. Blue eyes, blond hair and pale skin are considered beautiful in many countries and these features are common among Lithuanian women.

Lithuanian girls

Sights in Palanga

In my last blog post I presented a famous Lithuanian resort Palanga. Today I will describe most interesting sights you must see in Palanga.

Basanaviciaus street

Basanaviciaus street is the main pedestrian street in the centre of Palanga. In summer t is very crowded and noisy place with many restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs. In winter Basanaviciaus street is dead and most restaurants are closed.

Basanaviciaus street, Palanga

Botanical park and Amber museum

Batanical park in Palanga is very beautiful! It has many cute ponds with ducks and swans. You can also find a copy of Lourdes (a place where Virgin Mary appeared in France) in the park. In the centre of the park palace of Count Feliksas Tiskevicius is situated. It is surrounded by beautiful roses... The palace is also Amber museum which is really worth visiting!

Swans in botanical park, Palanga

Amber museum, Palanga

Famous Lithuanian resort - Palanga

In this blog post I will tell you about famous Lithuanian resort near the Baltic Sea - Palanga. A few months ago I published photos of Palanga in winter.

Last weekend I visited Palanga again. It was an opening of summer season. The festival was not very successful because of typical Lithuanian weather: rainy, windy, +12 C…

Palanga in summer is a busy, crowded and noisy place. I am not a big fan of it… But it is much cheaper to spend holidays in Palanga than in other much more beautiful resort near the Baltic Sea – Nida. If you love to party, Palanga is for you! Otherwise, one or two days in Palanga is enough time to see it.

If you travel on a tight budget, I don’t recommend you to book a hotel in Palanga in advance. It is much cheaper to rent a room or a flat from grannies who will attack you when you get off the bus in Palanga :) They also stand near the road to Palanga with posters “Rooms for rent”. Don’t you ever believe when they say their houses are 100 meters away from the sea, they lie!

Grannies offer rooms for rent near Palanga

Sights in Kaunas (Part 2)

In my previous blog post I described a few most interesting sights in Kaunas. Today I will give you information and pictures of other interesting places in the city.

Laisves Avenue (Avenue of Freedom)

Laisves Avenue is the main pedestrian street in Kaunas. It connects new and old parts of the city. Laives aleja is a nice and lively street with many shops, reastaurants, casinos, nightclubs, museums etc. And the street has more than 500 lindens!

Laisves Avenue

Laisves Avenue

Kaunas funiculars

Kaunas has two functioning funiculars. It is the only city in Lithuania with this type of transport. Not many functioning funiculars are left in the world nowadays.

One funicular connects the old town and Aleksotas district. It takes people up the Aleksotas hill. Taking this funicular is very entertaining and you can see a wonderful panoramic view. Another funicular connects the centre of Kaunas and Zaliakalnis district. Zaliakalnis funicular is one of the oldest in Europe!

Funicular in Kaunas

Sights in Kaunas (Part 1)

In my previous blog post I introduced you to Kaunas – second largest city in Lithuania. Today I will give you the list of the most interesting sights in Kaunas. All sights described in this article are in the old town and in the centre of Kaunas, so you can visit all of them in just a few hours and you can easily reach all of them on foot.

Kaunas Castle

Kaunas Castle was built in 14^th century at the confluence of rivers Nemunas and Neris. It was the first stone castle in Lithuania and it is the oldest building in Kaunas now. This Gothic building helped to protect the town from Crusaders’ attacks.

Kaunas castle is in Papilio str. 17. Today tourism information center is located in Kaunas castle. You can visit exhibitions and buy souvenirs there.

Kaunas Castle

Town Hall

Town Hall’s construction began in 1542. This building with Gothic, Baroque and early Classicism elements is called the White Swan. Nowadays the Town Hall is the Wedding Hall, where marriages are registered. In the basement of the Town Hall Kaunas Ceramics museum is situated.

The address is Rotuses sq. 15.

Kaunas Town Hall

Easter eggs and Easter traditions in Lithuania

The most important symbol of Easter in Lithuania is Easter eggs (marguciai). Painting, dyeing and decorating eggs is a tradition popular in Eastern European countries.  It is a very ancient custom. Although Easter is a Christian feast, the tradition of painting eggs is much older than Christianity.

The tradition of decorating eggs is still very alive in Lithuania. You can find Easter eggs in every home. I remember that dyeing eggs was very fun when I was a kid. It was so special to paint eggs together with all family members!

Easter eggs can be dyed in a single color or in patterns.

The most beautiful eggs are those painted with wax. A stick is dipped in hot wax and then patterns with the stick are painted on a warm egg. When the painting with wax is completed, the egg is dipped in dye. Later the egg is placed into hot water for wax to melt.

Easter eggs painted with wax

Easter eggs painted with wax

Visit Kaunas - hearth of Lithuanian culture, tradition and history

Kaunas is situated in the center of Lithuania at the confluents of two largest Lithuanian rivers: Nemunas and Neris. It is 2^nd largest city in Lithuania with 350,000 inhabitants. Kaunas is very Lithuanian city - 93% residents in Kaunas are Lithuanians. This city is often called the hearth of Lithuanian culture, tradition and history.

Confluence of Nemunas and Neris

History

The settlement here was first established between 4^th - 5^th centuries B.C. In 14^th century Kaunas castle was built. But shortly the castle was destroyed by Teutonic Knights. It was rebuilt in the beginning of 15^th century. At the time Kaunas became the major trade center in Lithuania. In 16^th century it was one of the main towns in the country.

During centuries Kaunas was several times attacked by Russian and Swedish armies. In the end of 18^th century the city was taken over by Russian Empire. Napoleon with his army passed through Kaunas twice devastating the city.

In 19^th century two Uprisings against Russians took place in Kaunas. Russian authorities placed large military garrisons to suppress it.

After Vilnius was occupied by the Russian Bolsheviks in 1919 and captured by Poland in 1920, the government of Lithuania established its main base in Kaunas. Kaunas became temporary capital of Lithuania. Between World Wars Kaunas was a very modern city.

In 1940 Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union. In 1941-1944 Kaunas was occupied by Germans. On 1 August, 1944 Kaunas again became a part of Soviet Union and was in Soviet Union till 1990, when independence of Lithuania was restored.

Basketball

Kaunas is famous for basketball. Very first official basketball game in Kaunas was held in 1922. Kaunas has  famous Zalgiris team and its NBA superstar Arvydas Sabonis.

Arvydas Sabonis

Facts about suicides and crimes in Lithuania

Suicide in Lithuania is a huge problem. According to data from World Health Organization Lithuania is 1^st in the world by the number of suicides. Total suicide rate per 100,000 people per year in Lithuania is 31,5 (58,5 for male and 8,8 for female). Suicide rate for men is the highest in the world in Lithuania, but by the number of women suicides Lithuania is in 11-12 place in the world.

Why Lithuanians commit suicides so often? Life is difficult in Lithuania: unemployment, alcoholism, poverty. Lithuanians also often have problems with mental health, but getting help is not easy. It is still considered a shame to go to psychiatrist or psychologist in Lithuania. Most people with mental health problems need long term psychotherapy. Lithuanian health care system does not provide it for free. And average Lithuanian cannot pay for therapy, because it is very expensive compared to our income.

Lithuanians - educated nation!

In this blog post I will give you some interesting information about Lithuanians’ education. Statistics show that we are very educated! 

In Lithuania almost everyone enters a university, some other higher education institution or college after finishing school. Only 7% of 18-24 years old people do not study anywhere after finishing school in Lithuania. The average of EU (European Union) is 15%. The number of universities in Lithuania is very high for such a small country.  Lithuania is 1st in EU by the number of university graduates each year! 30% of Lithuanians (25-64 years old) have university degree. It is more than the average of EU!

Is it good for Lithuanians that almost everyone can get university degree? Not really… University degree is not such valuable as it should be. Someone of important people (I don’t remember who) working in Vilnius university once publicly said that in Lithuania even idiot can get a university degree…