Here is a journal I received from Lou Marsh, Ontario Canada about his trip to Lietuva / Lithuania. Most interesting.
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Hi Raymond:
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Just got back from a two-week visit to Lithuania. Thought I would pass along a few of my impressions
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My first impression on arrival was the contrast between the sprawling inconveniences of Frankfurt airport with the very compact relatively new airport in Vilnius
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On the drive in to the hotel, I was impressed with the involvement in 21st century technology, the lack of crass commercialism, the efforts at restoration and the neatness and relatively slower pace of Vilnius. The city was full of tourists, literally none from North America. The city, particularly the charm of the senamiestis [ Old Town], reminded me of other cities in Eastern [Central] Europe
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For those who contemplate visiting Lithuania and are concerned they do not speak the language, it's irrelevant. Virtually everyone speaks English especially in larger cities and towns. Although I speak passable Lithuanian, almost no one, except some older Lithuanians in more remote areas on the Latvian and Belarus borders, would engage me in Lithuanian. They persisted in speaking English. I was told English is taught in schools from Grade 4 on.
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Unexpectedly, I found the people rather laid-back. However everyone was courteous and service everywhere was quick and efficient. Food everywhere was good (as was the beer) and well prepared. The food was also cheap. We estimate we could get the equivalent of about three dinners with adult beverages for the same cost we had to pay for one similar dinner later in London!
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We rented a car and drove throughout the country. Driving through the country, we found it green, neat and pretty.
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I found rather surprising, what seemed to me a disproportionate amount of BMWs, Mercedes and Audis [NB: Equal to Fords in USA] on the road. I asked people how everyone could afford to drive such upscale cars. I got various answers ranging from, "they are cheaper here than North America"too ." Lithuanians feel they haven't succeeded unless they drive such a car"
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One of my major interests was in the natural history of Northern Europe so we visited many forests. I was told 40% of Lithuania is covered by forests,which are spectacular. They are dense, with very tall trees, some being over 200 years old.
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I expected at any minute to see a troll, gnome or even Red Riding Hood emerge from the woods. The forests and natural areas are well maintained, protected and well preserved.
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I was interested too to see some relics of the Soviet occupation. These are the large, character-less, grey, largely abandoned structures of what I call "Soviet five-year planning architecture", dotted throughout the country.
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A couple of collective farms of this era still standing and still in some use were impressive in their size.
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Those stories you hear about "crazy" Lithuanian drivers. well, they are largely true, especially on the major highways. Not all of the drivers, but some. break every rule of the road, particularly driving at high speeds and passing under the most dangerous circumstances.
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The 130 kph speed limit on the highways has fortunately been reduced to 110 kph in certain stretches but it usually 100 kph. However, the road system makes very little use of stop signs, preferring yield signs (where no one yields).In many cases traffic lights are usually mounted only on one side of the and at heights making them difficult to see.
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As for stories you might hear about car thefts, break-ins, etc. and having to have your car guarded, we found or heard of none of those. Prudence of course, is appropriate, but we did not feel unsafe anywhere in the country.We often left our rental car in out-of-the-way places and had no problems.
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Parking places in the larger cities, on the other hand were trickier to find.While the nature of drivers is legendary, I had not heard before of the"crazy bicyclists" which we found, particularly in Klaipeda. There, these cyclists, looking threatening and determined, prefer to ride on the narrow cobblestone sidewalks, at very high speeds. They will not slow down for you or let you get out of the way. If you see one coming you had best defer to them.
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e enjoyed our visit very much, well worth it and glad we did it. Whether we go again or not is moot. If we do, we will likely make a more concerted effort to find my roots and track down relatives. So far it has been very difficult, time consuming and non-productive, even after being in locations where my parents were born
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.Lou Marsh Milton ON
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