The Queen of the Baltic- Lithuania
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The Queen of the Baltic- LITHUANIA
I am a born traveller, and love visiting different parts of the globe very often. But when one is travelling with a purpose to build a long-lasting friendship, then it is like icing on the cake. What more one can ask for?
I remember the evening when I got a call from a Rotarian friend asking for participation in the RFE programme in Lithuania.
RFE is short for the Rotary Friendship Exchange programme for Rotarians by Rotary international organisation. It’s a kind of cultural exchange programme between two countries, where the Rotary members travel to another country and stay in the host Rotarian’s home for up to 2 weeks, next they come to our country and stay with us for the same duration.
This allows experiencing and exchanging the cultures, social aspects, food and of course the Rotary values and ethics.
Coming back to Lithuania, I had not even heard of Lithuania before the call. I hesitated before confirming. My friend said “please do not refuse before checking this destination. Check it, think about it and then only decide.”
Just because he is a very dear friend of mine and because I knew, he will not insist on anything unless it is worth it. I decided to check it. I asked for a couple of days to decide.
But the curiosity won, I almost immediately searched for Lithuania. And the first image I saw, got me to make my decision of confirming the participation.
Of course, RFE participation meant – to host the Lithuanians and travelling to Lithuania as guests. So I got ready for the same. Ready to host, ready to spend time with them, for them. We were 4 couples going from Mumbai to Lithuania from our rotary district 3141. And they were 7 of them who had visited our Mumbai from Lithuania. It was very exciting as the difference was not only the culture but the language, and also the age group. Lots of planning went on for weeks, for their stay in Mumbai and our stay in Lithuania.
I was ready to travel, to understand and experience the country’s history, culture, food, living style, families, education and many more aspects of this beautiful country not as a tourist but as a guest. And I was in for the experience of my lifetime.
Let me give you a brief introduction to Lithuania.
Lithuania is a country of North-Eastern Europe, the largest of the three Baltic states. Lithuania was controlled by Germany for a brief period during World War II, and then Russia was incorporated into the U.S.S.R. in 1944 as one of its constituent republics.
On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared its independence and in 1991, the new Soviet parliament gave its acknowledgement. Lithuania was admitted into the European Union(EU) in 2004.
The official language of Lithuania is the Baltic language of Lithuanian, which is one of the oldest languages (Indo-European) in the world, it is said to be originated from Sanskrit. Russian is also very much used. English is not much spoken here.
We travelled to Lithuania in July (2019), when its beauty is at its peak, as it is summer time and the weather is very friendly. We arrived at the Capital city of Vilnius, where our hosts were present to welcome us in their traditional way, in traditional dresses with cheese and sweets. They sang beautiful traditional songs to welcome us, along with their traditional dance.
The Happy notes, Happy steps of the dance and Happy and positive vibes were oozing from every side. And that’s how I will always remember my first hour in this very different country Lithuania.
Friends, all this atmosphere was not only because of the country or for traditional dance and Music. It was all because of our dear Lithuanian Friends, who had gone out of the way, literally out of the way as they all stay in a small city Šiauliai and had travelled a distance of around 213.00kms. to Vilnius to welcome us, to pick us up.
And there, our experience of unique friendship started. We did explore the typical tourist spots there but to leisurely walk on the street dedicated to Writers was a unique experience. Not all our hosts were fluent in our common language English. But it was never a limitation as there was sign language, there were expressions or lastly, there was an ever-present Google translator.
Our host city was Šiauliai. En route to Šiauliai, we visited – Vilnius, Trakai Castle, and Druskininkai.
We were driving all the time in a VAN and a car. It was allowing us to enjoy the beautiful landscape, to see the historical architecture and to experience the local cuisine on our way. To see how the fish is smoked in the room was exciting to know and then the unique taste of that smoke on the fish was another experience.
Vilnius
Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, is known for its baroque architecture, seen especially in its medieval Old Town. But the buildings lining this district’s partially cobblestoned streets reflect diverse styles and eras, from the neoclassical Vilnius Cathedral to Gothic St. Anne’s Church. A walk around the old city takes you through the history of the Country.
Trakai Island Castle
En route to Silauliai, we visited this beautiful small Island ‘Trakai’ in Lake Galve. There, it was standing, the beautiful 14th century, one of the best examples of Gothic Architecture, the TRAKAI ISLAND CASTLE. The blue calm, serene water of the lake, the grey, brownstone offset by the terracotta colour, conical roof domes, the beautiful ducks and white swans swimming in the lake. The views are still so clear in my mind, that I feel, even now that I am standing on the shore of that lake. The shore was lined up by the amateur artists trying to capture this beautiful landscape with their colours and brushes as best they could.
Druskininkai
We are aware of the SPA concept in Mumbai or Bangkok or some Asian Countries. but this small town is also known for its traditional naturopathy and mineral SPAs, mainly due to HOT water springs.
Šiauliai- Stay with Host Families
We stayed in our host’s homes. We visited their workplaces, we visited their families & friends, partied with them, cooked with them and played with them. The warmth we received from our Lithuanian friends and their families was amazing.
The kayaking in the private farm’s winding river without time restrictions, the hot air balloon ride in the early morning above the open meadows for as much time you wish to, watching the jumping dears in those meadows from the Hot Air balloon was an amazing experience which probably we will never be able to experience as tourists. To see the private collections of motorbikes from before the 19th century was another unique experience.
Hill of Crosses
One of the places which are a must-visit is ‘Hill of Crosses’ a place of pilgrimage, the site was established in the 19th century as a symbol of resistance to Russian rule. It now includes more than 100,000 crosses.
The Queen of Lithuanian Mountains, Šatrija
The most beautiful Samogitian hill ‘Šatrija’ is 228 m high. The legend has it that witches from the farthest corners of the country gather here. The witches made a very clever choice – spectacular views of Samogitian hills open out from Šatrija Hill.
We visited one Pagan temple close by. Where ever we went across Lithuania, we noticed that the Pagan culture very much exists in their rituals and mind of people. One can very much notice the similarity with Hinduism.
Klaipeda is a port city in Lithuania, where the Baltic Sea meets the Danė River. We had a night stay. The experience of putting my feet and jumping in the waves of the Baltic sea is something, I am unable to put in words.
Beach of Palanga
23 KMs away from Klaipeda is the Beach of Palanga which is one of the major attractions in Lithuania.
It has a stretch of about 10km of sandy beaches backed up by small dune coves and pine trees. The sand on the beach is fine, soft and silky and is perfect for sunbathing or serene walks. The beach is very much enjoyed by adults and children alike.
Basanavicius Street, busy with restaurants and cafes, leads you all the way up to the central beach.
We collected so many new experiences during this trip but none is close to the feeling I had when on the beach of Baltic sea, we were standing on the Lithuanian land and in the distance was able to see the Russian land and the clouds so low that you feel you can touch them.
In school, we had learned about the Baltic sea as one of the major Seas of the world and Russia as one of the biggest countries of the world and Lithuania never even heard of. And I was standing and overlooking all these 3 things. I had never in my wildest of dreams, envisioned that I will ever travel to these destinations and that feeling was overwhelming.
I can write pages after pages on this trip and the experiences. But one thing, I have experienced is, where ever you go in the world, the food may taste different but basic ingredients remain the same. The weather may be different but the Sun, Moon, the sky remains the same. You may be from different cultures, maybe of different colours, a different religion, the love between the people and friendship once formed remains forever.
I am thankful to Rotary International for bringing people across the world to experience the bond of friendship and oneness. I wish everyone should be able to experience such friendship which remains with you forever.
Aparna Garud