Skiing

Ok, so the autumn was a bit warm. Few days of snow and everything melted on the same afternoon. You are thinking now that the December will be better and there will be more snow and you will be able to go out skiing? Well I got not so good news for you. December will be warmer than usual. So there won’t be much snow this year. However I have something that might cheer you up a bit. There are special ski resorts. Yes, I know, there will be some payments just to go skiing, but it’s better, than not go skiing at all, also the prices aren’t that high.

So in Lithuania there are few popular ski resorts. If you live in Vilnius city, then you are in good luck. Liepkalnis is a ski resort that is located in the south part of Vilnius. There different tracks for different level of skiers. There is one track for people who are just learning to ski. Four different tracks if you are an intermediate skier, also 3 tracks for more advanced people and 1 track designed for experts. So if you are interested and want to try out this place, Liepkalnis ski resort is founded in Minsko pl. 2 street.

If you are not in Vilnius but want to go skiing, there is a Snow Arena also in Druskininkai city, which is also known and located in the south of Lithuania. This arena has few tracks that newcomers can learn with instructors. They also have the main track for advanced skiers and experts, and also an outdoor track which works when there is enough snow outside and the weather is below freezing. So if you are interested in the Snow Arena, you can find them at Nemuno kelias 2 street.

 

EXIT Night Club

One of the most popular night club among Lithuanians and foreigners (after Salento :D ) is EXIT night club. How popular is it you can see here:

So if you don't want to stay in along queue we suggest you to come a bit earlier before midnight (and don't pay for entrance) or come later around 1 pm. After midnight the price is 3eur.

Check this out!  Parties like this and even more crazy are going on every Friday and Saturday. You can meet there famous Djs like James Zabiela and so on.

The location is not far away from city center, so you no need to pay a lot for taxi in the morning in order to come back home:

Lithuanian style and what you will see on the streets

Hey everyone and congratulations on the first snow for everyone currently staying in Vilnius :)!!! 

Today's post is about Lithuanian fashion. I believe that we are a fashionable culture, surprising everyone with our unique taste and shape of clothing. We differ from the West by incorporating more colors, expression in our clothing, and by the fact that our designers make a lot of unique hand made peaces. 

Few of the most known Lithuanian designers:

Agne Kuzminskaite -  one of the most prominent Lithuanian fashion designers of a young generation, exceptional for her functional conceptuality. One of the most popularly used elements in clothing is a butterfly logo. You can see her work here ->  http://www.agnekuzmickaite.com/collections/

Juozas Statkevicius - the most prominent Lithuanian fashion designer, well-known far beyond the borders of the Baltic States. He is the first designer from the Baltics to present his haute couture collections in Paris (in 2001 and 2002) and the first Lithuanian who has made appearance on glossy pages of L'officiel, Elle and Vogue fashion magazines. His designs are worn by such stars as Bjork, Kyra Sadgwick and Naomi Watts wear them. He is also one of the initiators of the most famous fashion show in Lithuania - Fashion infection ( "Mados ifekcija"). His upcoming fashion show will be on December 2nd in Siemens Arena, tickets are available via Tiketa.lt. You can see his previous work here                         -> www.statkevicius.com/

Other Lithuanian designs worth seeing and popular among the youth - Nunu (https://goo.gl/hAKPuw), Tiulio Fėja (http://shop.tiuliofeja.lt/), Julia Janus (http://juliajanus.com/en/)

Street fashion 

Lithuanian street fashion is highly seasonal.

Summer clothing: currently among young students you can see a lot of summer dresses, or short shorts with a tank top. On chillier nights girls pull out some leather pants and a nice shirt. Summer 2015 had a lot of navy prints mixed with red accessories. 

Spring clothing: jackets, coats, thin scarfs and floral prints.

Autumn clothing is warmer. Commonly you will wear leather or any kind of rainproof shoes, a nice semi-warm coat and,on colder days, a scarf and gloves are quite a secure choice for not getting a cold. Dominant colors: yellow, green, dark red 

During winter Lithuanians throw in many layers of clothes to combat the frost: furs, scarfs, gloves, caps, socks, tights under pants... Most of these warmest clothes are removed while in heated interiors (at some institutions this is even mandatory). 

Vincas Alesius facebook page has become popular among the Lithuanian youth for viewing street fashion photographs. His usual scene is the center of Vilnius, Gedimino pr. - and you never know, one day you can appear in his album, secretly photographed for your unique look. - http://www.alesius.lt/ . His photos are also shared on a facebook group Humans of Vilnius where you can follow Lithuanian street fashion. 

Here you can see how Lithuanian make-up and hairstyle trends changed over the pats 100 years :) :

Ballooning

One of the most fun outdoor activities in my opinion is flying a ballon. Lithuania is only one of the few countries in the world where you could fly a ballon over big cities and so you could fly over the capital of Vilnius if you wanted to. Why Vilnius is exceptionally good place that you could fly over it? It is mostly because of the good geographical location, and it doesn‘t have big traffic controls. Flying over Vilnius is great, because it gives you a big experience to see the difference of the city between the beautiful old town and the new. Of course you would have to see it either early in the morning or in the evening, because of the better weather conditions.

 

So seeing this great town from birds view is a spectacular things to do in Lithuania, so don‘t miss the chance to see the real face of Vilnius.

Traditional snacks:

Kepta duona su sūriu

The literal translation is fried bread with cheese

You can find this in every, every single bar/restaurant  and it is, perhaps, the most common thing that lithuanians eat while having a beer, watching their favorite sport: BASKETBALL (the same as in Portugal with the “tremoços”).

It´s surprisingly easy to make, and somehow it´s magical, the fried, the cheese, the crunchy... hummmm.

Kibinai

Traditional pastries with mutton (sheep meat) and onions. The dough is really nice and there are many varieties, you may find Kibinai with vegetables, mushrooms, cheese as filling. Normally is associated with Trakai, but you can find in most of the supermarkets, and in some traditional restaurants.

Dumplings

Very crunchy either with meat or vegetables or even mushrooms, normally they are accompanied by either spicy sauce or sour cream, or even both.

 p.s: I do not own the photos rights

Going to celebrations in Lithuania

Hi everyone! 

In this post I will share my knowledge with you about what to expect when you go to Lithuanian celebrations, and hopefully help you find something that you can't find somewhere else on the web. 

If you are interested in Lithuanian public holidays 

you can read about their meanings and traditions on various

websites about Lithuania (f.e. http://goo.gl/peuB7G ). 

Yes!!! Christmas season is approaching and all the Erasmus students, and travelling foreigners might be interested in what to expect from this FREEZING winter celebration. Of course not every Christmas we get the pleasure of seeing some snow, but believe me, those kids in the movies that wake up in the morning and run to the window to see if it's white outside are so much alike every Lithuanian, no matter how old you are. And there's no need to say that Christmas is a family celebration, as it is quite clear I believe for everyone, but there are at least three days to celebrate here and you can spend it with your friends as well. 

Sadly, Christmas in Lithuania has become quite westernized, and much more importance is put on gift-giving, but I believe that there are still some families left that do decorate Christmas trees (at least fake ones if not real) and prepare  12 dishes, from which very importantly you must have "Kūčiukai" and "Kisielius". (Recipe link: http://goo.gl/zUQgnb and http://goo.gl/AdptmZ).    

               

If you are unable to visit your families at home and you are staying here for Christmas, don't worry, you are not alone. Firstly, there will be a lot of nice Christmas fairs and markets where you can go lift your spirit, and try to find some fellow students staying here for the holidays as well, you can have your own little Christmas, or someone from a Lithuanian family can actually invite you to their house, as Lithuanians are quite welcoming and warm especially around the holidays. 

If someone does invite you to visit them during one of these three days of Christmas, don't forget to bring something with you (depends on who you will be visiting). Some suggestions?

• A nice dish (but don't experiment, better to make something that you have made and liked before); 
• If you are from a culture that usually has eggnog during the celebrations, make some of that, Lithuanians will be surprised as it is not traditional for our culture; 
• Bake ginger cookies or gingerbread, smells and tastes delicious; 
• Some people bring Christmas tree decorations, especially cute if it's hand made!; 
• Winter socks or gloves! even if it seems weird, in the end the receivers will wear them when the cold winter days come and they will be saying how thankful they are for those; 
• And lastly if you really have no creativity or cooking skills, just buy a bottle of whisky or vine, a box of chocolates will also be just fine. 

Exciting! The Lithuanian superstition says "The way you'll meet the new year is the way you will spend it". Some take it more seriously than others, but believe me, especially among the youth it is (at least subconsciously) very important to look your best, drink the best drinks, eat the best food, have the best fireworks, and be at the best party. Of course not everyone has the opportunity to do so, especially after the usually expensive, costly Christmas celebration.  

As I mentioned, you can find a link where to read 

about traditional New years in Lithuania, but I will put it in a more

 simplistic and more current way of celebrating for students.

If you go to a New years party in Lithuania, which is not a club event or some New Years Mascaraed ball (usually happens annually in one of the cities in Lithuania), you will have to dress appropriately, formal shirts, dresses, chic outfits, party tops and so on. Do not forget to bring your alcohol, some even ask you to participate on chipping in for the commonly bought food for everyone, as this is purely treated as a get together and just drinking the night away with fun and dancing. 

And remember DON'T fall asleep before midnight so be a responsible drinker! Not only will you miss amazing fireworks and the most fun part of the night, but also, it is said that it is bad luck to do so, because you will be tired and lazy all year. It is also believed that you have to return all borrowed money and things before the new year, and start the year fresh, with no debt or hard feelings. 

B-days are celebrated here the Western way - with parties and presents. However some, primarily people past their 30's, avoid this, as getting older brings them negative feelings, so try not to make jokes about the age older people approach. 

If you are invited to a birthday party in Lithuania, usually the details are given quite clearly about the dress code, place, drinks, gifts and food. If not, make sure you are aware of the surrounding that you are going to. Some parties are really low-key and chill, where you can wear casual clothes, bring a simple symbolic gift and eat some food and have some drinks. But most parties are actually quite the opposite, that is why I tell you to be aware. Some people go to the extreme and rent out a club and invite up to 50 people to their birthdays. Make sure you don't do much damage if you get super drunk, you might be asked to pay the next morning for the damage you've caused. And remember mind the neighbors, you don't want the police to arrive. Also, think about a sleepover, will there be one?, should you bring something to sleep in to be more comfortable? is an extra blow-up mattress needed, for you not to end up sleeping in a bathtub? 

An advice for a birthday gift from me would be: if you don't know the person very well, try to chip in on a gift that the closer friends are buying. :) 

Not much to say here... Like New Year parties, bring your own booze, chip in on food, or bring snacks, and prepare to have fun and dance. NOT ALL HOUSE PARTIES END UP AT HOME. You might be asked to join going to a club after midnight. Usual student parties don;t have much normal cooked food, unless it's a pizza, and don't bother bringing any, eat something at home and just bring snacks. There will be no time to eat with all that dancing and drinking going on. Also, ask the fellow Lithuanians to teach you some fun drinking games!  

RePUBlic No. 4

Republic - this is the old English style a modern analogue of the London pubs in Kaunas and Vilnius city center. It is located in on of the most famous Vilnius street which on is surrounded by many bars and pubs. More than 19 kinds of draft and more than 30 kinds of beer in bottles, plus countless whiskieses from Lithuania and all Europe.
Exclusive handmade oak bar, which is decorated with more than 20 kinds of long-matured whiskey and various Lithuanian spirits won't allow you to be bored and let to discover a new favorite flavor. Staff with long-term service experience will give you the best and most reliable quality. The chef serves dishes such as "Nachos" which suit with beer or juicy beef steak to blood-heating temprannillo or special Pub's dried beef steak with fragrant Moltu. Try the delicious beef salad with balsamic sauce. Best Lithuanian beer: the hard-to-find Nežinomas krantas (Unknown Coast) with its taste like strong red wine.

This pub is often full of sports fans. So If you like to watch basketball, football or any other sport, this place is for you!

Visit their website and you can check the meniu: www.pub.lt. Many drinks and good food.

Morover, you can see sports broadcasting.

It works everyday, so you no need to worry it is monday or weekend.

Working hours:

• Pirmadienis11:00 - 00:00
• Antradienis11:00 - 00:00
• Trečiadienis11:00 - 00:00
• Ketvirtadienis11:00 - 00:00
• Penktadienis11:00 - 01:00
• Šeštadienis11:00 - 01:00
• Sekmadienis12:00 - 00:00

Salento DiscoPub

It‘s a middle of the week? You‘re bored? In Vilnius you can find a party every night!

In the middle of the Old town there is club which works EVERY NIGHT! The word “Salento” for Vilnius residents and guests became inseparable from exactly the Salento DiscoPub. It’s a great place to dance or simply spend time to drink cocktails at the individuals tables.

The owner of this club is an Italian Piero. His idea was to bring an Italian and Spanish pub-disco feel to the Lithuanian capital. Here you’ll always find hot and joyful atmosphere, good and popular music, local and international Djs. Each night promises a different theme, with music focusing on pop and old favorites. Even lovers of latino music and dance can find this in Salento DiscoPub.

Tuesdays and Thursdays- are ERASMUS nights. The biggest student parties in town. Each time you can find different theme and special offers related with it.

 There is not so strict rules like in mostly other Vilnius’ clubs. You no need to wear a suit or tie. Just leave your short in the luggage, put some comfortable shirts and go to party. Moreover, there is a free bus service on weekdays from Kalvariju and Sauletekis bus stops at 11pm. Entrance is FREE till 12pm, after is vary from 0-3eur.

Salento is definitely a good place to party until sunrise.

How to find it: Didžioji g. 28, Vilnuis 

Working hours:

Monday 22:00 - 6:00

Tuesday 22:00 - 6:00

Wednesday 22:00 - 6:00

Thursday 22:00 - 6:00

Friday 22:00 - 6:00

Saturday 22:00 - 6:00
Sunday 22:00 - 6:00

Running

Running is becoming a popular activity in Lithuania. More and more people every year are trying to become healthier and have a better life. Also every year more and more marathons occur in Vilnius. If you want to start running, there are many places you could choose from to go in Vilnius. But I will give advice of the few places where you could go for a run in the autumn weather.

                             First place where you should try out to run is in Vingis Park. Vingis Park is the largest park in Vilnius. It also has many other recreational activities. The park has a perfect place for morning workouts in the forest near the stadium. In the summer times, people organize groups to train before running in marathons or just give advice for the best preparations. In the autumn, when the weather is chill, Vingis Park is considered probably the best place to go for a jog.

                             Other good place is to go for a run is in the old town. The center offers an exciting view of many old structures, churches, monuments. It is perfect for interesting view. If you would get thirsty, you can just stop in to take a drink. Also if you think that you are too tired and won’t get back, there is always public transport which you could use in the time of need. The old town is becoming more and more used for many marathons. It is a good opportunity for you to try out one of those tracks that are used and try to complete it.

So grab on your best sports shoes and go outside, because running is a gift!

How to be a good neighbor in Lithuania

There's a saying in Lithuania: "Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away" („Kaimynas arti geriau, negu brolis toli." (Patarlių 27:10, Brb)). Lithuanians are quite warm people with open doors for everyone. Of course a  fellow native would probably be greeted with more affection just because of no language barriers and common knowledge of the traditions, but most of the people would accept a foreign neighbor just as well, especially if you follow some guidelines from the "neighbor bible" :).                            

The first thing that should be quite obvious to everyone is that you always greet your neighbors, and in Lithuania, most commonly any person that you see in your building (just because you are never sure if he is or isn't  an actual neighbor of yours, you just forgot).

Something that happens here in Lithuania is a game I call - all year long secret Santa. This is when you and your neighbors leave random objects or candy to give away on the window shelves or tables in your building staircase. For example, in my building staircase there was  a branchy plant that always had some chocolates hanging on them, Easter eggs, Christmas Santa chocolates, valentines day hearts, random Rafaello's. More bizarre stuff that you might find: makeup, board-games, robot toys, magazines, sculptures. And no, you do not need to leave a thank you note when you take something :) But have in mind that you are now involved in this reciprocity game and should surprise them with something.

Another thing from having a good relationship with your neighbor here is that you feel no shame in knocking on their door on that rainy day just to ask for an egg or some carrots, because it is raining outside or you are just so darn lazy. My family and my neighbors were always so close, we had monthly parties just with the neighbors, regardless the age, borrowing cocoa at night, arranging a cleaning schedule for the staircase, respecting one another and even taking out each others garbage. Your neighbor can become your closest friends, so convenient, right? :)


And for the end, just some basic neighborly rules:

If you find a letter in your mailbox that was meant for your neighbor, put it in his mailbox, don't throw it away...

If you listen to music or have a party, inform your closest neighbors or try to keep it down, imagine that sound coming from your neighbors when you have an exam the next day or an early workday.

Treat them as if you would like to be treated.

Speak your mind, if something is bothering you, do not expect them to realize themselves, and be calm, don't yell.

:) here is your starter kit in being a good neighbor here in Lithuania

Canopy walkway 

Just freshly opened a few months ago, the canopy walkaway is the first of its kind not only in the Baltic States but also in the whole Eastern Europe. It is a 300 meter long walkway at the top of the trees, its height is 21 meters. It is found in Anykščiai. 

It is about a 1 hour drive from Vilnius if you are living there. At the end of the walkway, there is a observation tower which is at 35 meters high. If you have motion sickness, beware,  you can actually feel  at the top of the tower how it moves from side to side.Canopy walkway has an astounding view of the nature around. 

Most importantly, the entrance is a symbolic 1 euro for everyone for the preservation of the environment! It is an opportunity for tourists from other countries to see and walk through it, because the nearest places with this type of structures in Europe are built only in Germany, Austria and Czech republic. 

If you are interested in traveling there, here is the information on how to get there:
Mobile number: +370 381 51227

Working hours:

April – October, everyday from 10-19h.

November – March, everyday from 9-18h.

Lithuanian Public Transport

Just to help those,who are planing to visit Lithuania, I will describe the main etiquette, rules, and fun facts about the Lithuanian public transport system, as it is very accurate for use, when you want to go and visit a few places in one day.                                                                                           

Sometimes the public transport "trolleybus" and bus can be confusing even for the locals. Some people think that you can only come in through the first door (next to the driver) and leave from the rest. But no one actually follows this rule anymore, especially in Vilnius. This would be maybe more accurate to Kaunas buses. 

When you get in, you have to immediately buy a one time ticket (the price depends on your age and weather you're a student, scholar or a regular worker. Seniors and students get the biggest discounts.|| http://www.vilniustransport.lt/lt/pages/view/?id=53 || http://www.kvt.lt/bilietu_kainos ||) or mark your travel card "Vilniečio kortelė" (in Kaunas "Kauno e-bilietas"). It is not necessary to mark the travel card every time!  If the travel card is paid for one month, the you have to mark it one time per month and ride calmly.  The schemes where each trolleybus and bus goes can usually be found on each bus stop, as well as online -->> http://www.vilniausviesasistransportas.lt/images/2015-04-01_marsrutu_schema.pdf

Now for some etiquette rules: 

1st - decency requires that you give your seat to women  with small children, pregnant women, seniors or a person with a disability.

2nd - The person, who was given a seat by other  must thank for that, but it should not be the basis for establishing the beneficent conversation, not everyone needs/wants to hear about your day and may have some business of their own to sort over in their heads. 

3d - you should respect people sitting around you: 

- if you have a crying child, try to calm him down instead of ignoring him/her. 

- make sure that  your headphones are not on too loud so that even others around you can hear your beats. AND DO NOT PLAY MUSIC ON YOUR PHONE SPEAKER - no one wants to hear what you concider to be good music :)))

- do not eat smelly foods, and avoid drinking when the transport is shaky not to spill anything on anyone. Alcohol is not sloud on public transport but of  course, most people going to/ from parties forget it or just don't care and it usually ends in unpleasant vomit and smelly situations. 

4th - if you are the one to get in the bus, first, let everyone who needs to get out before coming in. 

These are just some of the basics, apart from those which might be obvious. 

And now for some fun facts... Very popular and quite true portray of where you belong in the society through the place you chose in the Lithuanian public transport. 

1,2,3 - The place where homeless people are sitting. 

4,5 and 6,7 - aggressive guys and girls, usually with training clothes and "sėmačkos" (suflower seeds) and horribly exhausted girls coming home from "klubasai" (clubs) with the first morning bus.

8,9 and 10,11 - well, here sits the gray mass. No one will notice you. 

12 and 13 - all the "chicas" sit here so if you want to check out some nice girl stand next to these seats, but anyway, if you sit in one of  these there is a  possibility that the elderly will make you leave. 

14, 15, 16,17,18 - individualists, artists and so on, dreamily looking out the window, so if you are not one of them, this place has overtaken.

19,20 and 21,22 - don't even think about them. It does not matter whether you are an accountant or a young lady, this place can be left blank, because it will always be stolen by the elderly from you or you will be facing some angry stares if you don't stand up for them. It is called THE RED ZONE (or otherwise knows as the grumpy old people zone).

23, 24 - will sit on the youth of what the **** orchestral lessons and going home with a backpack, or pink zone (almost old men)

25,26 - Best location if today you feel self-satisfied and confident, you're happy and just feel like "the man". 

27,28 - reverse 25/26 place. If you are feeling a little down and just having a horrible hair day, just sit here. You can watch advertisements or you can calmly see the wall and you will not see nobody. 

So which one are you??? :)