Summer Holidays

December 7, 2008

From Lithuanian Heritage July/August 2007

One of the greatest benefits of living in Lithuania is being able to leave it once in a while.  Though our own airline, FlyLAL (formerly Lietuvos Avialinjos), is struggling, Latvia’s Air Baltic* is adding new routes every month direct from Vilnius.  With frequent internet specials, Lithuanian residents can fly direct to Odessa, Tel Aviv, Rome, Malaga, Stockholm or St. Petersburg, if you can get a Russian visa in time.  For any destinations not serviced by Air Baltic, Czech Airlines, the only airline to still serve meals on their flights, offers convenient connections via Prague.  With rain predicted for the weekend of Joninės (St. John’s Day), I flew to Zagreb, the capitol of Croatia, to meet a friend and drive to Baska, a small resort town in the southern tip of the Island Krk in the Adriatic sea.  The weather was good, and the water was warm, but every painful step on the rocky beach reminded me of Lithuania’s soft white sandy coastline on the Baltic Sea.

Air Baltic is not the only low-cost airline which is quickly expanding, another young airline, Norwegian.no, flies direct from Rijeka, Croatia to Oslo, as well as Vilnius and throughout the rest of Europe.  Before returning to Lithuania, I was sent to Norway to test drive the new Nissan X-Trail as a representative of the magazine I work for in Vilnius.  Fortunately Nissan was picking up the bill, because no matter how cheap the flights are, landing in Norway is never a low-cost affair!  After two days in Voss, a small town known for extreme sports situated up in a green valley surrounded by mountains 60 miles from Bergen, I have to admit, I was not looking forward to going back to Lithuania.  In Norway, everything is kept clean and organized, from the red and yellow houses of the small private farms, to the large but unassuming paper factories.  One day, I hope Lithuania will be the same, but it will take a very long time.  For now, I can think of no greater contrast than the view from the airplane window when taking off from Oslo, and the view when landing in Vilnius, the airport surrounded by dilapidated sodybos (gardens) and Soviet-style apartment blocks.  As the plane descended through the clouds, Vilnius was unusually dark for only a few days past midsummer.  The churches and street lamps were lit, and as we flew low over the city, through the mist, the Senamiestas (Old Town) looked like a fairytale.

No matter how much fun it is to travel, it’s always good to be back home, and if home is Vilnius in July, that means taking part in the various summer activities and festivals on offer.  King Mindaugas Day was on Friday July 6^th this year, giving Lithuanians another long weekend to celebrate.  There was no shortage of things to do with the Lithuanian Song and Dance Celebration taking place in Vilnius and Kaunas, and the International Archeology Festival in Kernavė.  Situated just 30km from Vilnius on the banks of the Neris river valley, the annual festival which takes place at a UNESCO World Heritage site attracts archaeologists and history buffs from all over Europe.  Visitors of all ages were able to try sword fighting, learn how to make pottery using medieval tools and make music on various ancient instruments.  Those who like to sing in the rain stayed in Vilnius, and participated in Dainū Šventė (Song Festival) in Vingis Park.  The only requirements for entry were a strong voice and a plastic rain poncho since the weather was nothing but wet in Vilnius from Friday morning to Sunday night.

Summer in Vilnius is usually nicknamed “Tourist Season” by the locals, and this summer, despite the rainy spring in Europe, is no exception.  Busses with license plats from Norway, Finland, Poland and Germany line the road near the Cathedral waiting for their riders.  The Song and Dance Celebration brought thousands of Lithuanians from the United States and Canada to participate, and while we’re used to hearing the various European languages being spoken, it was strange to walk down the street and hear so many foreigners speaking a mix of English and Lithuanian.  Their faces looked Lithuanian but their clothes were American, and their accents were predominantly Chicago.  Having lived more than three years in Lithuania, I am no longer considered a foreigner, though most people have a hard time placing my accent.  When the summer holiday is over, it is always a pleasant feeling to walk through passport control at Vilnius airport where with a quick flash of my pasas (passport), the officer says to me, “Welcome home.”

*As of fall 2008, Air Baltic is flying only to Riga from Vilnius, from where you can connect to a wide variety of flights.  This I find to be a huge hassle, combined with the fact that Air Baltic also charges per piece of luggage.  To connect anywhere from Lithuania, I suggest Czech Airlines (the only airline I know of to still serve food on their flights) or FlyLAL (who flies direct to several cities including Paris, Dublin, Istanbul, Frankfurt and Amsterdam), both are Sky Team partners with KLM.

Filed under: Daily Life,Lithuania

Tags: clips, Lithuanian Heritage, Vilnius