Baltics
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Lithuania by Bill Krock
I recently spoke to a woman who had the opportunity to visit Lithuania, which is a third world country tucked between Poland and Latvia, along the Baltic Sea across from Sweden. She was asked by a World Health Organization to help set up modern laboratory equipment in pediatric wards in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. While there, she took time off to play tourist and was enthralled by the people and the country side. Her stories were so interesting, I decided to write what I could remember to share with the adventurous soul looking to getting off the tourist map. Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia comprise the North Baltic States. These people were and are, a fiercely independent people, even after the Soviet Union took control of them at the end of World War II. Today, although the towns appear depressed, the people are extremely friendly and jovial. She reported that the towns are not well lighted at night, yet she learned that street crime is virtually non-existent. There are many small shops in Vilnius selling a wide variety of Russian Folk arts and crafts. Amber, which still can be found along the sea shore at low tide, is abundant. Compared to the rest of Europe, she found prices to be very reasonable and even with that could strike a bargain with the shop keepers. The tourist season is from April to September. She was there in early Dec. for 2 weeks and didn't come in contact with any American tourists. She said she was craving the opportunity to speak English and only run into a tourist from Poland who spoke English with her as they shared a dinner. Food is plentiful, simple and cheep in Vilinus. The local style is to serve it cold—plenty of fish and meat (always over cooked) with lots of chilled beets and cabbage. Our friend related she fed over 40 people on her last day there, and the bill ran a little over $100. including wine. There was one main hotel in Vilnius which offered excellent accommodations for about $15.00 a night. She said she got information and directions for renting a car for a few days from the tourist information office. She said the money she saved on food and lodging was easily used on gasoline and car rental which are extremely high in this area. She said the money spent on transportation was worth it because the country was so interesting and beautiful. There are many lakes and rivers winding through rolling hills, which are dotted with farms. Each village has its church and there are many castles which are in amazingly good condition. She related she was especially interested in seeing a Church which was over 600 years old—but the doors were locked. She went to the rectory and found a Priest who was delighted to open the Church and gave her a personal tour. She said he wouldn't take any money for his trouble, so she left an offering in the Church box. This does sound like a detour for further study and exploring. Thanks Bill for this story and for wetting our appetites.
Check out these TERC articles and web sites for more information:
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