A Trip to the Lithuanian Summertime

Despite having been to Lithuania a number of times, all of my visits have been in the winter.  My first rip in 2010 was one of the coldest Januarys on record.  I've been there for Christmas and Easter as well, but never in May, when flowers are blooming and time can be well-spent outside.

I was so happy to see my cousins again!  They welcomed Jeff into their country (and home) the same way they welcomed me and that was amazing to experience. 

We spent some time enjoying a beer out on a patio.  After that, my cousins went home and Jeff and I spent a tiny bit of time walking around Vilnius.  I took him down the street to see Ostra Brama.  Inside the gate, which spans one of the entrances to Vilnius's old town, is a beautiful icon of Mary, which has often been the site of miracles.  This is evidenced by the many beautiful rosaries and other items left in the room in thanksgiving to the favor granted. Historically, these types of gates were filled with religious artifacts to help guard the city from attacks and bless travelers through the walls.

After visiting the icon of Mary, we went next door for Mass (which was actually said in Polish).  It's

(surprisingly) the first Polish Mass I attended since I moved back from Gdansk.  Shout out to GoogleFi for working everywhere. Mass in other countries is way better when you can easily pull up the USCCB's readings to follow along a little bit.

After Mass we went out to eat for some traditional Lithuanian food.  We ate at Aline Leiciai, which I would highly recommend.  While there, we learned that Lithuanian mead is delicious. Even better though, I tried some black currant wine. At Easter in 2010 I helped my cousin Rita make cepelinai so that was one of the main dishes for our meal (meat and potatoes...what could be better?).

On Sunday, we spent the whole day out in the countryside visiting family.  We started at Micheslavas's farm and then went to Renatas and Rita's parents estate.  The day was filled with food, family, and lots of fun.  After lunch, Armandas started playing music and soon the accordion, drums, and piano were rocking and Jeff even danced a little bit!


Visiting the Lithuanian countryside makes it apparent how beautiful this country is.  I highly recommend getting away from the city when you travel and seeing some natural beauty!

After dinner, my cousin Edvinas and his girlfriend took us back to Vilnius.  On our way back, we stopped at a small park and got to watch the sunset!