Diary
Thursday July 19th
Took it easy. Rem came and got me and I took bus back. Didn’t know where I lived, and had to ask a lady. Sorry, it is my first day in Lithuania and I don’t know where I live. Haha.
Friday July 18th
Slept all day and waited for my suitcase.
Saturday July 19th
Vytas came and picked me up around 10am to take me to old town to get a bus route map. I also went to a bookstore and bought an English-Lithua
Sunday July 20th
I went to church this morning. Very interesting, everyone knew their prayers. Then Dalia took me to Trakai Castle. Very fun, and had a lot of history in it. A lot of people were there. The lake was very pretty and on the way there, there is a white church that looks very cool. Dalia said that I speak with a very good accent.
Monday July 21st
Went with Dalia to old town. Saw where she used to live. Construction worker. Went into some shops and looked around for some amber jewelry. Walked along Vilnaus g.
Tuesday July 22nd
Went *by myself* to old town and went into some bookstores. Found a lot of cool books- some English language ones. Lots of kids books for sale in different school subjects. Bought a very cool picture dictionary! Went to War museum. Walked along Laisves aleja. Went to internet café and emailed everyone. Sent some pictures.
Wednesday July 23rd
Went to Vilnius all by myself. Saw the Gate of Dawn, the Gediminas Tower. “Laba Diena” Tomas took me to a horse farm in Kaunas. Jonas came.
Thursday July 24th
Went again into old town to go to the internet café. Bought a soda. Went to the Cirlionis Art Museum. Had the groups of paintings for the astrological signs.
Friday July 25th
Wedding. Old houses. Danced. Tomas wouldn’t shake hands in the doorway.
Saturday July 26th
Went with them to Dalia’s country house. Picked vegetables. Went in the morning to the devil museum.
Sunday July 27th
Went with them to the dinner party for Anna. Listened to them talk for hours in Lithuanian and then ate way too much.
Monday July 28th
Went into old town again. Took some pics of old town and walked around Laisves aleja and Vilniaus gatve. Went into bookstores and bought Po Truputi and Practical Lithuanian Grammar. Also bought a soda and some ice cream. Yeah! Sat in internet café for two hours and wrote a lot of emails and surfed the web.
Tuesday July 29th
Checked my email in the morning, exchanged some money. Bought soda and Raffaelos. Then went with Zita and her son and daughter to Birstonas and Druskininkai. Very beautiful castle hill where the Nemunas bends. Great pictures. Went to Druskininkai and saw the beautiful church and Druskonis Lake. Had wonderful dinner and great company!
Wednesday July 30th
Went to the internet café and slept in a little. Came back and slept for a little bit. Then went to Marijampole to see Dalia’s dying friend. Came back, went to sleep.
Thursday July 31st
Left early in the morning to see the Hill of Crosses and Siauliai. Took taksi to HC and spent half an hour there. Asked two very nice German tourists to take my pic. Then came back to Siauliai and took some pics of the church and the sundial. Walked around Vilniaus g. Bought some icecream and bought a book- English/Lithua
Friday August 1st
Went in the morning to the internet café and mailed a million photos. Came back and made some cepeliniai with Dalia. Took a very long time. Ate a lot and then took a nap.
Saturday August 2nd
Went in the morning to old town. Got off on a new stop and then walked to Pegasus Bookstore. Bought Agne a card for her birthday, the first Harry Potter book, and a small geography/atla
Sunday August 3rd
Went to the summer house for Agne’s Bday. Went on a forest walk through Lithuania’s jungle. Got really nice pictures. Came back and had cake, went home.
Monday August 4th
Had a regular day in Kaunas, stopped at the internet café. Walked along Laisves Aleja and bought Ne Dienos…. Stopped in park and read it and ate icecream. Came back and Tomas took me around Kaunas. Went to Dalia’s soda, Tomas’s work, his friend’s house that had pigs and he showed me an old restaurant. Also stopped at a church in the middle of nowhere. First went to hardware store in Kaunas and the cheapest microwave was 250 litai! The most expensive was almost 900 litai.
Tuesday August 5th
Went on another day trip to Vilnius. Saw even more churches and did a lot of walking. Saw Vilnius University, many other churches I missed the first time. Had lunch at McDonalds, walked forever, and saw St.Peter and St. Paul’s church. Very interesting Baroque interior. Went into two Russian Orthodox churches. Also went into the Musuem of Lithuanian Genocide Victims- very interesting. KGB prison at the bottom. Great and sad exhibit.
Wednesday August 6th
Slept in a little later and then went to the internet café. Came home and Tomas came to pick me up. Took for to the IX Fort in Kaunas and then around Kaunas- on the hill looking down onto oldtown and by the sixth fort. Also went to Pazaislis again and took some pictures.
Thursday August 7th
Went with Dalia to Rumsiskes. Bored. Read some Lithuanian books, slept, played computer games.
Friday August 8th
Even more bored. Went for walk in the morning, then came back. Played games on the computer, helped peel potatoes for cepeliniai. Tomas came and I watched a little bit of the Olympic games. Went with Tomas to old church in a neighboring town. Car broke down near the electric plant, but okay, since I had the internet. Went home to Kaunas, and talked to the guy in the towtruck about Lithuania. Saw some old Soviet trucks in Lithuanian firestation. Had a wonderful night all by myself alone, making a mess. Thunderstorm at night.
Saturday August 9th
Woke up by myself and went to exchange more money. Bought some food. Then went to old town and spent some time on the internet. Then Tomas came and took me back to Rumsiskes. Ate yummy cepeliniai. Copied some Dr. Phil files.
Sunday August 10th
Stayed at home. Watched the basketball game. Saw Lithuania win narrowly in the first game.
Monday August 11th
Left for Klaipeda. Met Egle and walked around Old Town.
Tuesday August 12th
Went with Egle to library. Walked to Mazioji Lietuvos Istorijos Muziejus. Went to Author reading. Ate at Chinese restaurant.
Wednesday August 13th
Went to library. Took bus home. Went and had brunch with Romas and Giedre. Came home and went with mamyte to castle museum. Watched Olympics, gymnastic.
Thursday August 14th
Went to library. Went to Akropolis, bought Lithuanian Grammar, by Vytautas Ambrazas. Went to restaurant. Walked to Clock Museum. Saw Sculpture Park.
Friday August 15th
Went to Smiltyne by ferry with Egle. Went to beach, saw old fisherman’s village. Also went into ship and looked at contraband things.
Saturday August 16th
Went to Papile with Raminta. Saw both gravesites. Came home watched Olympics again. Went to club in Palanga, much fun. Vytas thought I was Lithuanian.
Sunday August 17th
Slept in after getting home at 4am. Watched TV.
Monday August 18th
Went to library. Bought Po Truputi, main book. Walked around Old Town.
Tuesday August 19th
Went to Palanga. Saw Birutes Kalnas, the chapel on top of the hill, and the Botanical Park. Walked to Amber Museum, which is housed in an old Prussian palace. Very cool gardens and statues. Talked to a lady in Spanish, and then in English. Very funny.
Wednesday August 20th
Went to Nida. Went wrong way and walked to beach. Oops. Turned around and walked to lighthouse. Then went the right way and walked along nature paths to top of dune. Very cool views. Tired, went home. Rainy.
Thursday August 21st
Took ferry across to Smiltynė. Went to the sea museum. Came home, watched Olympics.
Friday August 22nd
Took ferry and bus to Juodkrantė. Walked up Witches Hill, very cool. Talked to old guy at rooster’s sign. Young boy with deep voice. Strange panting German guy in reeds.
Saturday August 23rd
Rained all day. Went again to Akropolis. Bought Verb book. Went to pub where we ate some ‘hot chocolate’. Romas came, Eglė and I drank vodka. Interesting.
Sunday August 24th
Took bus home to Kaunas. Cleaned out what I didn’t want anymore and gave them to Agne.
Monday August 25th
Went to Old Town. Bought Dave his picture dictionary and bought a historical atlas and then also bought Po Truputi teacher’s book. Went to Iki and bought some cheese, then came home. Also bought a poster of Lithuania. Went out at night with Tomas to see the Raudonis Pilis and a church near Kaunas. Stopped and saw Kaunas Vet School and a horse statue.
Tuesday August 26th
Regular day. Went to internet café, booked hotel for Riga. Came home, played computer games. Did laundry.
Wednesday August 27th
Went to Riga early in the morning. Walked around Old Town. Went to History Museum, Museum of Occupation, all the museums. Walked around and looked at all the monuments and park. Ate McDonalds. Martha died.
Thursday August 28th
Woke up after bad night of sleep and went to park and ate a sandwich. Walked around old town and saw more of old town. Went to War Museum and ate again at McDonalds. Went to bus stop and talked to girl I saw on bus out there and who I also saw again in Riga. Drunk guys on city bus in Kaunas, couldn’t decide if I was Russian or German since I wouldn’t answer their obnoxious asses in Lithuanian.
Friday August 29th
Went to Martha’s funeral. Nice, white flowers and lined up for the funeral procession. Went to cemetery. Watched her be buried. Went to restaurant and ate with everyone. Then came home, ran to old town. Found about my ticket. Nice. Came home, ate and drank more at Dalia and Ange’s.
Saturday August 30th
Slept well, woke up, ate breakfast at Dalia’s. Went to old town. Went to computer lab and then went to shop where I bought earrings, sorrowful man, and little Russian doll. Also got two postcards. Came back, and packed. Had a little party, and everyone ate cake and drank a little bit. Threw away most of my things, some clothes, and gave some things to Dalia/Agnes.