The best place to visit while in Lithuania

If I had to make a choice for the country as a whole, I would recommend The Curonian spit. Provided of course that the intention of the visit is to relax, which indeed was the original purpose of holidays. I am aware that some people claim that drinking and partying is their way of relaxing while on holiday and for them I would rather recommend some noisy beach resort like Palanga. Or indeed the airport hotel. Drinking can be done anywhere, and the Lithuanian beverages being of the potency they are, you are not likely to remember much anyway.

 

If this is your idea of a good day at the beach, you are better off in Palanga

Those looking to relax in calm and beautiful surrounding should head to the Curonian spit. This near 100 km long strip of sand is shared by Lithuania and Russia, after originally being a part of East Prussia. The area changed hands after WWII, when what remained of the original German population was forcefully expelled. Many of the old German building did however survive, and this helps the villages on the spit to maintain their image as traditional fishing villages.





Juodkrante beach on the Curonian spit

The people who populate the area today are consequently not indigenous to the place. They are mostly Lithuanians or Russians whose families were resettled there after the war, or who have moved there since. They do on the other hand make an effort to keep the old traditions alive, and you can see examples of this in every village on the spit. One of the more tasty examples is the traditionally smoked eel, which is on sale in at least the two bigger villages. It might seem indecently overpriced, but keep in mind that eel is already something of an endangered species and consequently hard to come by.  




Smoked eel from the Curonian lagoon

The Lithuanian half of The Curonian spit has in all four main villages: Nida, Juodkrante, Preila and Pervalka. Since they all were originally German, they also have German names, respectively Nidden, Schwarzort, Preil and Perwelk. They are all worth a visit, and one of the best ways of doing just that is by bicycle. If you have luxurious amounts of time on your hands, I would recommend spending at least one day in each village. That would give you a rather short stretch to travel each day, and leave you with plenty of time to spend on the beach.

 

Traditional houses in Nida

The Curonian spit is generally great for bicycling, with its long stretches of bicycle roads and complete lack of steep hills. Bicycling on the main road is also possible, but not recommended because speeds outside the villages can be rather high and the roads are generally quite narrow. Bicycles are available for rent in most of the villages, and it is possible to rent the bike in one village and leave it in another.

 

The beach promenade in Juodkrante

The Curonian spit is even a good place to go in winter, if all you are looking for is tranquillity and beautiful surroundings. The Baltic Sea looks good in winter, and the spit provides you with 50 kilometres of undisturbed beach to stroll on while you watch the waves in winter. The place is largely deserted during the off-season, but since tourism is the main industry in this place it is no problem finding a place to stay.

The "Hill of witches" sculpture park in winter

Featured in the Baltic Times

I guess today is something of a milestone – I have detected the first case of unauthorized use of my published material! And the perpetrator is none other than the independent monthly newspaper Baltic Times:




The object of affection - an old Picture taken from the roof of the Akropolis shopping mall in Kaunas 

 

 

 http://www.baltictimes.com/goods_prices_fall__but_service_prices_rise_in_lithuania/

 

I first published the picture in that article in this old post:

 

 http://destinationlithuania.blogspot.no/2014/12/top-5-shopping-malls-in-kaunas.html

 

In this day and age, with the Internet flooded with pictures, I should perhaps feel honoured that anyone even bothers to steal my pictures. But the Baltic Times should at least get their facts straight – the picture shows Akropolis in Kaunas, not in Vilnius.

 

Fast food in Lithuania

Well, fast food is not really all that popular in Lithuania yet. I guess that is why lithuanians still are the skinniest people in Europe, although that is likely to change in the years to come. Thanks in part, I am sure, to the two competing fast food chains offering real western food in Lithuania: The well-known McDonald’s and the somewhat less known Hesburger.




 The iconic Big Mac - a symbol of successful life?

McDonalds, as we know are pretty much similar all over the world, and probably for good reason. Repetativeness and familiar surroundings represent a feeling of security, and that is just the thing that many western travelers need when visiting dangerous Lithuania.



McDonalds in Kaunas

But the tourists are not alone at McDonalds. For some reason, a growing number of lithuanians also do seem to love this place. Those with money, that is. Even though there is better food available in ordinary restaurants, and certainly more affordable fast food to be found, they still flock to McDonalds. The only imaginable reason I can think of is that it has something to do with the brand itself and the fact that it is american. Parallels can be drawn to the fact that many lithuanians also buy poor quality western booze, despite there being top quality Lithuanian vodka on sale for half the price. It`s probably some kind of image thing.



Hesburger in Kaunas

 

However, if you are not insecure with regards to your image, you should head on over to Hesburger. For example to the Hesburger place on Laisves avenue, where you will get a demonstration of fast food efficiency that will overshadow most things you have seen at McDonalds. The sturdy lady at the counter (provided she`s still there of course) will show how a serious woman raised under soviet rule can serve you a burger with military precision. Sadly, she does not speak English, and has no patience for your puny attempts to order in lithuanian, but all you have to do is approach the counter and shout: “ENGLISH MENUE!", point quickly at the burger you want – and you will have it in your hand before your blood pressure reaches normal again. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer this over long lines and fake smiles.




Two cheese burger meals for under 4 Euros at Hesburger

As for lithuanians being the skinniest people in Europe - just give it some time. It seems to me that children in Lithuania become chubbier every year, so I guess western fast food will fatten even this country in the end. But it might be worth remembering that back when lithuanians were the skinniest people in Europe, everyone was still stuffing themselves with meat, potaotes and deep fried čeburėkai. Has anyone guessed the secret ingredient of the fast food industry yet?

For more Pictures of fast food in Lithuania: http://lithuaniainpictures.blogspot.no/2015/07/fast-food-in-lithuania.html