Sostinės dienos (Capitol Days) is a good time of year to be in Vilnius. Always the first weekend of September, the city is alive as students and families return from the seaside, sodyba (countryside garden) or grandmother’s house in the village. The tourists have mostly gone home, and Vilnius is left for its Vilnečiai.
For three days, the full length of Gedimino prospektas is taken over by stalls of artisans selling their wares, local restaurants grilling sašlykiai (sishkebabs), griddles frying enormous bulviniai blynai (potato pancakes) and serving troškinys (stew) bubbling hot in large cast-iron pots. To drink there is alus (beer) and karštas punčas (hot wine punch). Near the Parliament building games and activities fill the street with children, a DJ spins favorite teenage tunes while a group of boys plays 3-on-3 basketball in front of the national library.
Lidija Rasutis was singing with her women’s ensemble, Eglė, on a stage set up on Lukiskių aikštė, with the sun setting behind them. Though they were all dressed alike, Lidija still stood out as the most fashionable, dancing and swaying while she sung. The music was old-fashioned, but the crowed enjoyed it.
There were all types strolling along, eating, dancing, listening to music and buying fresh breads and sweets; young families, elderly couples, rebellious teenagers and even a few angels. Life can be hard in this small country on the Baltic Sea, but from the smiles along Gedimino prospektas in September, Vilnius seems to be the happiest, most carefree city around.
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.
“Why?”
It was a question often asked. Why would a nature-loving ski racer want to move to a country with long, dark winters and no mountains? Why would an American want to move to Lithuania? I went through a whole list of responses: I always wanted to live in Europe, Lithuania will soon be part of the European Union, I don’t want to be a nature or sports photographer, I’m tired of cramming my feet into ski boots. Finally I just answered, “Why not?” And that usually satisfied even the most curious inquisitor.
“What if?”
I awoke in a cold sweat my first night, suddenly panicking that my gamble wouldn’t pay off. I wouldn’t be able to find a job, I wouldn’t make any friends, and I would miss “my” mountains too much. (more…)
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…
