Lithuania, a Tassie-sized Baltic country, has a lot to offer visitors despite its tiny dimensions. Once the largest country in Europe (15th century) and first mentioned more than 1000 years ago (that is correct), Lithuania has accumulated majestic history and culture. Its flourishing capital Vilnius boasts a confident air thanks to its thriving economic and cultural life. Many Lithuanians are multilingual, speak two or more languages and there is a good chance one of them is English (they might even understand your Australian 😉).
Welcome to the geographical centre of Europe (spot-on mate, Lithuania is right in the middle of the continent.)
MEET the beautiful Balts
Did you know that the first non-Anglo-Celtic migrants that arrived in Australia were actually from Lithuania? Do you know why? Simple answer: because they were beautiful. Australia’s first immigration minister scoured post-war Europe for refugees and came upon Displaced Persons with ‘surprisingly good complexions and figures’*. That is how the 843 migrants from the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia had been recruited to be resettled through the Australian government’s post-war migration program. They were nicknamed 'the beautiful Balts'.
* The Border Morning Mail (1947)
GET SPEEDY
Living in a splendid isolation Australians will find Lithuania amazingly well connected in more ways than one. Fast and readily available internet is pretty much the standard everywhere. In Lithuania an Aussie traveller will enjoy one of the fastest internet speeds in the world without a disturbing Telstra price tag. And being very centrally located Lithuania can offer quick and smooth access to any country in Europe.
GET CULTURED
Vilnius (Vil-nee-uhs) is a charming capital of this charming little country. It is super green (has 3 times more green space than Amsterdam, Berlin or Warsaw), super fresh: drinking water and air* is among the cleanest in Europe and super well preserved: Vilnius’s Old Town is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as an exceptional illustration of a medieval Central European town and it is the among largest in Eastern and Central Europe.
* talking about major EU cities.
BE THRILLED
Vilnius is one of the very few European capitals where you can touch the sky flying in the hot air balloon. Trust me on this one – it will take your breath away, be it a rising morning’s magic or a peaceful sunset. Floating over the Old Town in a tiny basket will open your eyes to an entirely different perspective of Vilnius and experiencing the mind-bending height (you will be lifted in the air as high as seven kilometres) will give you a rush of adrenalin and a true sense of adventure.
FEEL IT
Lithuania maybe tiny compared to a vast down under continent but its compact beauty is most subtle and unique. Another UNESCO World Heritage site is the mesmerizing Curonian Spit, a 98 km strip of long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. Traditional fishermen villages coexist in an exceptional harmony with nature: you can sample smoked bream (local specialty), explore the Witches’ Hill full of fascinating wood carved sculptures or lose yourself in a lush pine forest leading to the Baltic sea. Legend has it that the Curonian Spit was formed by a giantess, Neringa, who was playing on the seashore with a white sand. Come and see by yourself, on a sunny summer day she might as well still be there…
RELAX (that’s NO WORRIES Lithuanian style)
That might come as a surprise, but there are no dangerous animals in Lithuania.
NO, NOPE, NONE.
Nothing can actually kill you, no salties, no freshies, no dangerous spiders, no venomous snakes (well Angis - common European viper doesn’t really count as relatively speaking, bites from this species are not highly dangerous). You can sit on the grass, lay on the sand, dig without gloves, run without shoes and swim anywhere without any worry at all. And you can surely light a camp fire.
Travelling in Lithuania means no bush fires, droughts, earthquakes, storms or floods. Natural disasters are not on the menu in Lithuania. It is such a safe country that a fellow Aussie might need to pinch themself to realize it isn’t a dream.
BREATHE IN
Lithuania’s country side breathes undisturbed natural purity. You’d get to experience ambience of 6,000 pristine lakes and 30 thousand rivers and springs of various lengths. Just hop into a kayak and let yourself loose, only dragonflies to disturb your zen experience. Kayaking trips (for a day, two or more) are very popular in Lithuania during the warmer months and it is something not to be missed. Country holiday houses, usually on a bank of a river or a lake, are extremely authentic and five-star, but still very affordable just like the rest of Lithuania.
BE INSPIRED
Have you ever wandered what a man needs to do for the tallest mountain in mainland Australia to bear his name? Australia’s tallest mountain Mount Kosciuszko at 2,228 metres above the sea level was named in honour of Polish-Lithuanian freedom fighter General Tadeusz Kościuszko and if history is your thing you will find lots of inspiration in Lithuania walking the streets (in Vilnius and Kaunas) named after this equal rights fighter and visioner. He lived three centuries ago and became a national hero in four countries of the world, including Lithuania and the USA.
BE STUNNED
There is a special place in Lithuania where at night you might feel uneasy. Enormous amount of various size crosses, and the energy of the place called the Hill of Crosses (near Šiauliai city) will stop you in your tracks. In reality the mesmerizing site symbolizes gratitude, hope and perseverance of Lithuanian people. During the Soviet era the little hill withstood numerous attempts to destroy it. Despite the grave danger of punishment, crosses kept on being erected secretly at night. In 1993 Pope John Paul II prayed and set up a crucifix on the hill as a gift to Lithuania. No matter your religious beliefs or absence of them, Hill of Crosses is something to experience firsthand. The Lithuanian art of cross-crafting, is on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
EXPERIENCE
Lithuania loves to celebrate all year round. There are countless festivals and some of them you might find absolutely crazy as well as unique. Immerse yourself in Užgavėnės (commonly known as Shrove Tuesday) or Sea Fest, Song Festival or Midsummer Celebrations. Lithuania was the last nation in Europe to adopt Christianity, so more often than not pagan motives and traditions intertwine with a Christian feast. Each and every celebration is equally inspiring, strange and hugely entertaining.
How is that for a stopover while visiting good old Europe?!
Kick back and choose your excuse to be amused.