Lithuania

[Todd]

Hi All,

I've been to 5 countries in Eastern Europe/FSU over the past 8 months, and I thought that I would post some observations about each.  I will probably go in reverse order:  Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Moscow, and Belarus.  For each trip, I was with my fiance Kate.  Today is Lithuania.

 

Observations

I would go back to Lithuania in a heartbeat.  Vilnius is not yet overrun by thundering horde of tourists and is a very pleasant, walkable city.  Kaunus is even more off the beaten path and has an interesting history.  However, it is in need of a face lift.  As of 2004, it is a member of the EU and does NOT require a tourist visa.  Air travel to and from Lithuania is easy and relatively cheap.  (I know there are now discount carriers from London for those potentially interested in going.)  The food is good and very inexpensive.  (The exchange rate is 2.8 Lita/$1, and most main courses are around 20 Lita.)  Dinner with three courses plus drinks will generally run $50-60 for two.  I also found the hotels to be relatively inexpensive.  I booked a 4 star online at the last minute for $65/night.

I found the people to be extremely friendly.  Certainly between Kate's fluent English and Russian, she was able to talk to everyone.  People at the hotel went out of their way to be helpful, and the tour guide that I hired to go to Kaunus was also very competent and helpful. 

Finally, the weather in the summertime is beautiful.  All 5 days were sunny, no humidity, and 70-80 F.  As we were there over the summer solstice (and a fertility festival...gotta love those pagans!), we had 17 hours of day light.

Conclusion

Of the 5 countries that I've been to in this part of the world in the past 8 months, this country is the one that I would recommend first.  Also, for those of you in an ongoing relationship with someone from Russia, this might be a good place to meet as Lithuania is half way between West and East.