Sitting in Aspen, Colorado I silently hum John Denver’s Back Home Again…. “Hey it’s good to be back home again, yes it is…..” until I remember that the “home” I’m thinking of is Vilnius, Lithuania, and suddenly the the song in my head switches to InCulto’s Welcome to Lithuania!
I left Vilnius one year, one month and eight days ago today, but less than a month from now I’ll land once again at VNO, get my bags, and walk through the dozens of people waiting outside of baggage claim with huge bouquets of flowers for friends and loved ones. Hopefully, some of those people will be waiting for me! Sadly, this time I will not be arriving on a one-way ticket, I do have a job to return to in Aspen. I will however pack as much into the 10 days I have there, visiting friends, family, colleagues, and of course my Kalnu Ereliai ski racers! And for my readers, I’ll attempt to gather enough new information, pictures, tips and trips to fill this website until my return.
Stay tuned, as I’ll be posting plans and lists of things to do, and places to go until my departure. But for now, check out one of my favorite Inculto videos, and as always, Welcome to Lithuania!!!
In my absence, one of my Kalnų Ereliai skiers took on the very difficult job of sifting through the season’s best photos and videos and putting them together with music to motivate and inspire us through the summer until next season. Here is the fantastic result!
It’s that time of year again, when Europe gets it’s tackiest songs and craziest costumes out of the closet for the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest. Held this year in Oslo May 25-29, the contest, Europe’s favorite TV show, promises to feature more ridiculous songs than ever from across the EU and beyond (Is Israel even IN Europe???)
But once in a while, someone comes up with a really great song – ABBA won with Waterloo in 1974 – and this year Lithuania enters with a song that truly makes you want to get up and dance!
Congratulations to InCulto, and good luck! We’ll be watching you in Oslo!
“Last call for Lufthansa Flight 141 Detroit to Frankfurt. Please proceed to the gate.”
Six months after packing up my apartment in Colorado, I was finally on my way to my new home in Vilnius. I was moving on a hunch. I had no apartment, no job and only a few contacts, but I had a passport and a gut feeling that told me my future was in Lithuania…
In Lithuanian, the word užupis means “beyond the river,” though the Vilnelė River, which divides Užupis from the Vilnius Old Town, is actually more of a winding creek. In 1997, a group of bohemian artists and writers declared the neighborhood independent and founded the People’s Republic of Užupis. Independence Day is April 1st, and a sign marking the entrance to the district features four distinct symbols including a smiley face and the Mona Lisa warning you of “art ahead”…
March 11, 2010 (Kovo 11) celebrates the 20th anniversary of modern-day, independent Lithuania; though it was nearly 3.5 tumultuous years before the last Soviet troops retreated to Moscow. On this day I reflect on my first trip to Lithuania, and all the things I could not have done it it were not for those brave men and women who stood up to the Supreme Soviet and declared their independence.
I first came to Lithuania in July of 1997 to study the Lithuanian language at Vilnius University…
Kazuiko Mugė, the centuries old St. Casmir’s Fair, stretches along Gedimino gatvė and throughout the senamiestes (old town) with stalls selling baronkos (hard bagels on a string), verbos (dried feathers and flowers on a stick – the Lithuanian version of palms used on Palm Sunday), handmade meats, cheeses and honey, textiles, crafts and sweets for the children…
There are obviously a few places in Vilnius where you can get Lithuanian food, but the quality and authenticity vary drastically from place to place. Here’s a round up of the best potato pancakes, šašlykiai and dumplings in the city and around the country…
One of the greatest benefits of living in northern Europe is a long summer evening spent gamtojė (in nature). A holiday weekend thanks to King Mindaugas Day (July 6th) and a summer training camp for the kids I coach, took me to Ignalina for four days of mountain biking, rollerblading and swimming. We stayed at the Lithuanian Winter Sports Center, and shared training facilities with Lithuania’s national teams for cross-country skiing and biathlon. Each morning while the thin nordic skiers dressed in spandex did laps around the 7.5km asphalt track on rollerskis (short cross-country skis on two wheels), our young alpine skiers ran sprints, did strength conditioning and played football.
