back to seemyroots My trip to Lithuania

I was asked to go to Lithuania as part of a federal exchange program put in place to provide support to various countries. This particular project was in place to support Lithuania in developing its economy to the point where it could make a legitimate bid to joint the European Economic Union (which it did in 2004). The country was once under Soviet control. This was my first trip to any place outside of North America. The project we were asked to participate in was based on information technology. We were invited to take part in the project after a group of Lithuania officials had toured the provincial government. They felt that they might be able to benefit by using a more open approach to information distribution based on an Internet model. This was the first time that the project, usually based on economics, would venture towards information technology. The project lasted a month.

The Flight:
I took off for Lithuania in the month of January 1999. This was my first long-haul flight so I really did not know what to expect. When we took off from Halifax we were told that we would have to drop off a passenger in Newfoundland. This was no big deal since we were going that way anyhow. After we landed in St. John's and took off again the pilot came over the speaker to let us know that the "passenger", a technician, was able to fix the plane in flight. This was not overly useful information since we were never told that a problem existed or the nature of the problem (dumb-ass pilot).

( FYI - For Your Information ) Throughout the text below there will be a number of labels such as "Pictures of the ...". You can click on these labels, which will then display the first of a series of pictures. Once you go to a picture page you will see "Previous ____ Back to Main ____ Next" at the top of each picture. By clicking one of these you will be able to move through the pictures.

The next part of the flight took me to Heathrow airport in England. I was told that things in this airport were a little expensive. I am not sure that I agree. Would you say that $30 is a bit much to pay for coffee, ham and eggs. Once we were out of there we boarded a prop-plane. This was a bit of a step down from the Air Canada jet. However, the crew was very friendly. When we landed in Vilnius it was nighttime. The only thing that really stood out was the six-foot blonde security officer. I was really hoping that I would do something to make her want to question me more. Outside of the airport it was just as cold as it had been at home (very similar climates).

The Place:
All that I can say of this country is that the people and the place were very beautiful. It was a far cry from the image that a lot of people from home had in their minds of the place. I would go back in a heartbeat. This country was different from North America in a few areas. One area that was a little different dealt with manners. Where a lot of people in North America have forgotten such things after women's liberation, chivalry is alive and well here. Women hold an equal (if not higher) place in society but at the same time you are expected to hold open the door (I needed to be reminded a few times). Of course these things you do at home but if you forget it is no big deal. Besides that the women dressed to the nines. I don't think that I have ever seen women take such care of themselves besides perhaps Quebec (which was not even close).

We were placed in an office building that had equal if not better technology than that at home. Of course they were buying the latest computers. We still were trying to get our moneys worth out of the ones we had purchased two or more years ago. Usually, in meetings, you did not speak until the top dog finished speaking (only ask questions after that point). You could tell that in a communist society that you were not allowed to freely express yourself. This was of course changing but I think that it would take a generation or two.

The place was very safe. The main areas had police or some type of army reserve on most corners. They were pretty easy going and left North American drunks alone to find their way back to their hotel (thank God).

The Accommodations:
The hotel was great. It was done over with a number of modern touches but still managed to keep an old world feel. Since that time they have built a large additional that has given the building a very modern casino look (too bad). In the basement there was small dining/kitchen area that had a semi-circle brick ceiling. The waitress was very nice and very friendly. I had the chance to dance with her one night in a local bar. I would have to say that she had enough energy for about ten people. Things were set out in a buffet style and you could order from a menu. The cost was to be included in the cost of the room. But I don't think that the people upstairs told the staff this since they continueously asked us for our room number for billing.
Pictures of City Park Hotel

The City of Vilnius
It was the middle of winter but it was not hard to tell that Vilnius is a very beautiful city. The city was very safe and it was no problem to walk around the city. A large river that ran down the middle separated the city. Of course many of the older cities in Europe have large rivers since this was the main method of transportation and trade at a time before trains, planes and automobiles.
Pictures of the City

In January 1991, the Soviet Army seized the Lithuanian Television, radio and other vital state institutions, which at that time were subordinate only to the laws of Lithuania. Unarmed, peaceful people offered resistance against the army, and 14 people perished in the effort. A referendum was held on the 9th of February, following the tragic January events, in which an absolute majority of the population of Lithuania came out for the restoration of an independent state.

On the 11th of February, Iceland's Althing recognized Lithuania's independence de jure. After the unsuccessful August putsch in Moscow, Russia recognized the independence de jure of Lithuania on 6th September. Many other states followed suit immediately afterwards.

On the 17th of September 1991, Lithuania became a full member of the United Nations.

On the 31st of August 1992, the last Russian soldier left the territory of Lithuania

While I was in Vilnius I had the opportunity to visit the radio/television transmission tower. The tower was designed by the same person that designed the CN Tower in Toronto. The tower in Vilnius was like a miniature CN Tower. At the base of the tower there was a small photo museum that showed the pictures of the Russian tank and those that died during this peaceful demonstration. It is not every day that I see bodies under a tank tread and I am standing at the same site. It was not a pretty sight but this is the type of thing that a country under communism has to endure from time to time. These were unarmed people demonstrating for freedom. Pictures from around the TV tower

The city was in the mist of rebuilding a number of its buildings in the downtown core. They were keeping a lot of the building faces and erecting newer structures behind the old brick. They were trying to keep the same look of a city with centuries of history. For the most part they were doing a great job at this. However, you could see a lot of North American influence such as the oversized American cigarette ads. I was told that at one time it was fashionable to be more American like in dress and culture after communism. However, the people were beginning to move back to a more European culture.

More Pictures of the City
Even More Pictures of the City
(it was a month)

The Night Life
One of the benefits that we had with being on a project is that everyone wanted to take you out and paint the town. So I had the opportunity to go to a number of bars, drink and dance a lot. Most of the bars that had any atmosphere were in the basement of a number of older buildings. The problem with this is that there were very few exits to the street besides the entrance. This always bothered me because of the thoughts of fire. Besides that the stairs never seemed to have a similar rise, which made it hard to navigate.

One of the first nights out we had to visit a number of restaurants and bars. I mean that we were not really given a choice. This is what we were told was to happen by the manager and that it would be rude to decline. I had no big problem with the idea. Our first stop was a restaurant that served traditional Lithuanian food. The only thing that I can say is that these people did things with potatoes that the French and the Irish would never imagine. It was all good or at least it all stayed down.

Once we were finished there we were taken to a local bowling alley. Which was full. However, the people in charge of our outing instructed the owner he was to remove the people from the first alley. This he did and we were told that we would now bowl. I did not do too badly considering this was ten pin with the bigger balls that had holes. I was always use to bowling candle pin style with the smaller balls. Besides the bowling I was starting to feel the beer and since it had been years since I had been out I was not use to pacing myself. I still came in second and almost won.

Finally, we were off to a dance bar. By this time I was feeling no pain and could hardly see straight. We settled in well and I started to dance. Now dancing was not a problem since most of the local guys did not dance and most of the local women loved to dance. Now I decided to have some fun and did some dances from the 50s, mixed with an 70s and 80s style, topped off with a bit of 90s. Everything was going well (as far as I can remember). So there I was dipping, twirling and shaking when the unthinkable happened (but of course totally expected). I fell forward towards the young lady that I was dancing with. Being drunk it was hard to recover my balance so I braced myself against her body. Unfortunately I used my two hands and her A cups. The entire bar went silent and the guys watching this dancing fool all gasped. Of course I did not let this stop me. I thanked her for the feel and continued dancing with her. I had no problem getting more women to dance after that.

It was a long walk back to the hotel. The walk was filled with a number of loud, badly slurred songss, several long looks from city security and a number of pleads for silence from my co-worker. The only thing longer than the walk was me trying to get off my back long enough to unlock my hotel room door (I would estimate 15 to 20 mins). My co-worker bothered me with this for the next week but was later silenced when I returned the favour of making sure he got back okay.
I have no picture but lots of warm memories

Churches
The city had some very nice churches. Some of the churches were still mothballed from the period of communist rule when they were no longer welcomed to practice their faith. In some cases it was told to me that the Soviets would remove icons of faith in the churches and replace them with icons related to devil worship.
Pictures Churches

Trakai This place was a about a 30 minute drive out of town. It was a small town which had rows of very similar houses. They were very colourful and I had to ask why. I was told that one day the government entered the town gave them paint for their houses. They did not have a choice of colour. I think it works. Leading from the town are bridges that take you to a small island. On the island is a castle that has seen it fair share of history and battles. There is a tower, which was used as the last point of refuge. The defenders were to burn the steps as they climbed higher in the tower. This was an extremely beautiful and peaceful place in the winter. It would be easy to think how beautiful it must be in late spring.
Pictures of the Castle in Trakai

The KGB Museum / Museum of Genocide
While I was in Vilnius I had the opportunity to visit an once active KGB detention center. The now museum had all the needed features such as torture chambers and incredibly small cells that they pack three times the people that the cells were designed to hold. I had never been in a place like this before and I did not know what to expect. At first I thought it was just a joke. What did I know about the KGB? Besides what I had seen in movies. The upper level contained pictures, uniforms, medals and stories of heroes and heroines that fought, resisted and in many cases died trying to free their country from such oppression. This display was fairly mild and resembled the type of display you would see in a war museum at home.

The lower level was a little different in the fact that it contained the actual holding cells, stories and pictures of torture. Before I even knew what the basement contained the air changed and took on a much different personality that I have ever felt. When a person walks around everyday the air is just there, something you breath. In this place the air gets very heavy, without knowing why your breathing becomes a little more laboured until you get to the point where the only thought on your mind is escape. It is the personality of death, suffering, torture and unbelievable cruelty. I have been told by people that have visited death camps in Poland that they felt the same thing. It is a feeling that you never forget and don't want to remember.

As you entered the basement there was the expected guards desk. Further down the hall were a number of cells containing pictures of people that were taken into custody and never seen from again. A number of these people were priests. After the country received their freedom the centre was surveyed. There were more than 706 bodies found buried in a mass grave associated with the site. They were able to identify about 43. The other bodies were sealed in the last cell found in the basement. They hope to finish their work at some point.

Currently, 19 cells are open to the public, including a three-square-meter isolation cell and three other punishment cells. One of these, the 'soft cell', was padded not only to muffle the screams and the sound of beatings, but also to drive the prisoner - fastened in a straight-jacket - to disorientation and claustrophobia as he sat in absolute darkness and silence. Evidence of two others, 'wet cells', was found hidden under the false floor of the prison library, following the directions of former inmates. The sunken floors of these cells were flooded with water - or ice in the winter - and prisoners stood or huddled on 30-cm metal disks, unable to sleep for days.

There were a number of pictures on the walls of people that fought for freedom at some point in the countries history. The picture I remember most was of a women, perhaps in here mid to late twenties. She had been shot several times and it looked like her eyes were removed. I did not like this place but I have to say that it opened my mind to a lot.
KGB Detention Centre Pictures

Other trips - 2001 Italy \ 2004 Prague, The Czech Republic
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