Lithuania

Travelling in Lithuania

By Andrea MacDonald, Posted Nov 19, 2008

All the good things in life aren't in Lithuania, apparently.

Anything to declare? Yeah, don’t go to Lithuania!

The cold, dark bus hurtled through the Lithuanian countryside. I was heading to Kaunas and not looking forward to my impending homelessness when I arrived at midnight.

I’d arrived in the city of Siauliai earlier that evening, hoping to stay for the night. After searching in vain for a hotel or anything else that was open, I was forced to get back on the bus without dinner or a drink.

I regretted ever leaving lovely Estonia to come to this country full of boring landscapes, unpronounceable words, cold weather, dull old towns, mediocre food, no hot men, and people who would rather scowl than speak English.

A little harsh, perhaps, but I was frustrated.

Short of closing doors right in my face – which one employee at an amber shop actually did – I had been made to feel more unwelcome in Lithuania than anywhere I’ve been.

If reports by Invest in Lithuania are true, and 90% of the country’s 3.4 million people speak a second language, 100% of them apparently weren’t in the mood to attempt English during the week I was there. Everyone I spoke to, from bus drivers to hostel owners, policemen to waitresses, even the people at Tourist Info, either could not, or simply would not, try to be nice or help me. The mere sound of English seemed to infuriate them.

Now, if a Lithuanian came to Canada and expected me to speak their language, I wouldn’t be able to help at all, so I don’t expect people in other countries to speak my language either. But there is a certain level of courtesy that can be expected, and two instances, in the middle of the general unpleasantness, brushing me aside and ignoring me, particularly infuriated me:

1. A hostel owner in Vilnius pleaded ignorance when a group of us complained about the drunken local man passed out in our room, an empty bottle of vodka dangling from his hand and the smell enough to intoxicate us all while we slept. It was an ironic turn of events, seeing as the first thing I noticed in the creepy hostel was the sign stating that no drunkenness would be tolerated. Local drunkenness, I guess, was acceptable.

2. A waitress in Klaipeda looked the other way when a homeless man began to shout at me and other patrons, leaving us to fend for ourselves while he frothed anti-Americanism at the mouth. It was the first time I’ve actually been afraid I might be attacked by a madman while the rest of the town stands around and watches.

An English woman I met in Vilnius said she’d encountered the same rudeness, but she was a little more understanding than I.

“Lithuania has had mass emigration over the past few years,” she said. “Something like 10% of their population has moved away. Maybe all of the people who care to speak English have gone West.”

Before getting there, I’d have been prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. In fact, I’d been more than prepared to love it.

I had been staring at my European map one day, feeling uninspired because I’d been to most countries already, when I spotted the Baltics and felt excited. I barely knew a thing about the area. I loved the originality of it.

Lithuania does, after all, have a few things going for it. It’s an EU country and a NATO member. It was the first ex-Soviet country to declare independence in 1990, and it currently has low unemployment and one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe. It has 100 kilometres of coastline, rivers, forests, and the highest quality of life in the Baltics.

But no matter how many positive attributes a country has, it’s the people who make the biggest impression. And frankly, Lithuanians dropped the ball.

Three thousand hours into the cold bus ride, I was pissed off at my guidebook for pulling a fast one on me, suggesting that Lithuania was one of the must-see gems in Europe. Moreover, I was pissed off at myself for trying something new when I could have been in Croatia, or London; anywhere but here, barrelling through the Lithuanian night with only bad memories and my originality to keep me warm.

Although it makes sense to see as many places as possible when you’re young, to figure out what you like. Lithuania was my last straw. It was time to either switch continents, or stop my European tourism promiscuity and settle on a favourite.

‘I won’t make this mistake again’, I vowed, still 100 kilometres from Kaunas. ‘That is, if I ever get the chance to do anything other than sit on this bus.’

Afterward:

When I arrived in Kaunas, I immediately liked it. My guidebook didn’t have good things to say about it, but I was determined to make friends with the city.

I loved the surreally beautiful church on the horizon of the long pedestrian street, the cute shops and restaurants, and the quietness of the Sunday afternoon that I spent kicking autumn leaves around the cobblestones.

I finally felt at peace with Lithuania. Maybe I’d been too hard on it? I was ready to forgive and forget.

And then, at 6pm when I returned to the hotel to collect my backpack before hurrying to the airport – after making clear to the owner that morning that I was leaving it behind his desk – I found the place locked and dark. I banged on the window and nearly smashed it, I phoned, I yelled, I rang the doorbell. No answer.

When I went to the police station to file a report they stared blankly at me, not able to offer a single consolatory word of English, not even a “sorry, you’re screwed”.

Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I should have learned Lithuanian before I went to the country so I could communicate with the locals. Maybe I’d unwittingly arrived during Act-Like-An-Asshole week. Whatever the reason, after all of the great travels I’ve had in other parts of the continent and the great people that I’ve met, I can’t personally recommend Lithuania to anyone.

Unless they want to go to Kaunas and pick up my backpack.

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RECENT COMMENTS

Nov 21, 11:53 AM vi said:

Yep! this is what we were waiting for… Especially to read Lithuania’s positive aspects :)
Great one, really.
Nov 22, 06:09 PM Austin said:

Man, that sounded painful. I wonder if Lithuania is any better when it’s warm? It sounded like you were there in the colder months.
Nov 22, 09:12 PM Jack from eyeflare travel tips said:

Ouch, that sounds like an absolutely horrible trip. I consider myself warned, there are other places where I can get upset and feel it’s my own fault!
Nov 25, 08:15 PM bea said:

Have you had “your days” during the trip? :-D
Nov 25, 08:45 PM been there said:

been there-seen it.

not that bad!

people – ok, i gues. they spoke english. old folks- nah, but the youth – the do.

food – well, McDonalds is McDonalds :)

the stay – not the quality i expected. one really had to pay the money for a good bead&breakfast.

stuff to see – it depends, naturally. but for me – it was worth it.
Nov 25, 08:54 PM Algirdas said:

Bad country for tourist, yah…We support one english nobles person opinion“bussines from tourism is prostitution”…thats it.
Nov 25, 09:29 PM Kestas said:

Hi, Andrea, I am a lithuanian man. Well, you had a really sad story there. Hope you are better now :) There are several reasons for your bad trip:
1) You have chocen a bad city. You had to go to Vilnius rather than to Kaunas. Vilnius is a capital and much much better than Kaunas :) Conserning quality of life, travelling services and people.
2) Better don’t go to Lithuania at winter time. It’s a worst time to visit it. Come at summer time when the sun is shining as well ass people ;) You see, here in Lithuania seasons have a big influence on people’s emotional state.
So, if you decided to give a second chance to Lithuania here is a help for you:
1. Vilnius European Capital of Culture 2009 (shrot presentation http://www.culturelive09.lt/lt/vaizdai/ivaizdinis/?from=0&s=)
2. Places to visit besides Vilnius – but remember just in summer :) Here you go:

1) Trakai (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE0ubve8nxY&feature=related)

2) Grutas park (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik1v5lOAW_g&feature=related)

3) Kursiu Nerija

Here you find more places to visit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biYUI4D9Gag)

Enough for a start ;)
Nov 26, 01:10 AM crap said:

idiotas ir afrikoj idiotas. spekit ar sugebetu sita stora butybe issiversti pirma sakini be zodyno jei noretu…
Nov 26, 01:57 AM Mantas Rukuiza said:

You we’re just playing little spoiled princess game there, didn’t you, Andrea? :)
Nov 26, 11:29 AM arturas said:

brangi zurnaliste, tu buvai Lietuvoje tik viena diena ir drysti sali vadinti neidomia, nuobodzia ir panasiai. pasiziurek i savo mylima Kanada. Kiek teko girdeti, tai pas jus zmones ne ka mielesni ir su uzsienio kalbomis irgi ne kas. tai kad kalbate prancuzu ir anglu kalbomis nereiskia, kad esate komunikabilus.
Translate this!!
Nov 26, 02:36 PM sdfg said:

Nu ir durna boba :D
Nov 26, 02:44 PM Kyrkylas&Kudzbylius said:

f*ck you referee
Nov 26, 03:33 PM ajo said:

Hehe, go to a random small town and expect people to speak English? Interesting.

Dear author, if you want to be in a better mood, go to Hungary. You’ll see that hardly anyone speaks any understandable language, waiters will throw a menu at you, and even such typically international words as “bar”, “university” or “centre” will be unrecognisable.
Nov 26, 04:29 PM i said:

Andrea is russian KGB agent
Nov 26, 07:08 PM why said:

Hi!
I wonder why you chosed so bad period to visit this country.The weather on whole november is fatal for travelling and sight seing.There is nothing to see ,becuase rain with snow and strong wind never stop and ruins every moment. Best season is from june till the end of september (september is some times rainy too) English is spoken but not native language :D
Youth talks ok. Bad weather and current economical prognose affects locals to talk unfriendly :))
summer only summer
Nov 27, 08:25 AM John said:

:) funny personal oppinion :)
Nov 27, 10:37 AM hmmm said:

dear andrea,

why didn’t you read any travel suggestions before going to Lithuania? this way you only showed you were not interested in our country at all. so if you don’t do your “homework” you can not expect nice results. your experience can be the same in any other country if you go to “wrong” places on “wrong” time. so basically, Lithuania has nothing to do with your bad impression about it. that’s only your own fault.

what is more, I guess if you go to some countryside in Canada, french-speaking part, you won’t be able to communicate in English as well. what is more, most likely you would get angry looks for not speaking french. true?
Nov 27, 10:49 AM Reling said:

Oh, it is clear matter: lithuanians simply don’t like nomads.
Nov 27, 02:08 PM Lithuanian said:

Nice country:
www.lithuania.lt

:)
Nov 27, 08:01 PM Nice said:

Really nice. Especially, Vilnius:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRLmqZmxInw
Nov 28, 11:26 AM A man said:

Lithuania is f*cking amazing country. Just need to be at a right time in a right place. I’ll show you what I mean:

1) Eurobasket 2009 is coming:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJlQUOVWw8Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JgzDa5NfVI&feature=related
(WHO SAID LITHUANIAN MEN AREN“T HOT? :D )

2) Be2gether is coming:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7DQOIAyQbo
(STRONGLY RECOMMEND FOR NOMADS)

3) Soviet Gulag Holiday Camp:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrniEDxOKdE

4) Love Party :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hydd5fxQFuI

5) The Landscape of Lithuania:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni0Cmr_rJCE&feature=related

6) World Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival is coming:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1O-07Y4eqo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0HTnfHMy2I&feature=related

7) Lithuanian youth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev3dFZwKoY4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx3StTUiCXk

8) Some famous US Lithuanians:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgfnvMCWc74&feature=related

Good luck in rediscovering Lithuania ;)
Nov 28, 11:53 AM viva said:

I see there is a wild discussion here about Lithuania… wow, what a vocabulary!! Andrea, please dont take it personally, your arguments in the other article are sufficient. Sadly, what is going on here is true. I am Lithuanian, but wont start defending this country. Let me explain one thing: It is the post-Soviet intellect that u encountered here that made u so upset. It is still everywhere in the province, wherever u go. Communism was a sustem that brainwashed the people’s minds for 50 years. They forgot all the values, respect, even their opinion. Its only 18 years that we are independent, so it will take at least 32 more to get rid of the Soviet-thinking style. You may ask what this style means. Its ust what you experienced here and wrote the article…
1. No respect to self and others
2. inferiority complex
3. from point 2 results:
neglecting others
avoiding strangers
feeling stupid if they dont understand u, so they rather not talk
4. soviet opinion: the client is just a piece of shit, the one who can demonstrate the power is the shop assistant, museum worker, ticket seller. They can even scream at you! even now in some places!
Vilnius is different, people here more educated, but the rest of the country…
Tourists say: post-soviet countries are so exotic!! Sadly, they dont understand in which way. Lithuania changed and improved greatly since 1989. If somebody would like to feel how it was before, u can kindly visit the post-soviet countries outside the Baltic States. There are 13 more! U might get perplexed on the first hour. So what?? Thank you Mother Russia for all the exotics!
Nov 28, 02:51 PM to Viva said:

Have you anything to say good about your counntry? :)
Nov 28, 04:34 PM Janne said:

Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too.
Nov 28, 06:06 PM viva to X said:

yes, its very beautiful, especially in summer
www.travel.lt

Andrea MacDonald is a nomad, temporarily living in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada.

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