Wow - I love Lithuania! Been keeping busy with performances and meetings; I'll write more details soon. In the meantime, a few of the basics from Vilnius:
HOTEL: The famous Neringa of Vilnius. Very comfortable, delicious breakfast buffet, lunches, and dinners
WEATHER: Chilly but sunny.
STREET VIEW: Piles of packed snow/ice darkened with gravel, sand, and soot on the sides of sidewalks, also packed a few inches thick on some smaller streets. Men hack away at it on warmer days, breaking it it up into blocks and carting it away. The snow doesn't really melt - it can last through April or longer. Cobblestone streets throughout the old town of Vilnius. Lots of walkers (but hardly crowded). Traffic is rather light for a city of this size. Feels very safe. Clean streets (I often see people sweeping them with brooms made of bunched Willow branches)
ARCHITECTURE/CITY LAYOUT: beautiful traditional European city, reminiscent of cities I have visited in Poland, Italy, Germany, France, and Austria. Lots of space for parks - must be stunning in Spring/Summer!
PRACTICING: a LOT.
FOOD and DRINK: Delicious! Great cakes/pastries. Potato cake (entree) is amazing (never had anything like it in any other country), as are potato pancakes, blini, and dumplings. Loving the fresh mushrooms, cheeses, breads. Local beer gets 2 thumbs up, too!
ATMOSPHERE & HOSPITALITY: Amazing. Very creative, intelligent, energetic people.
LANGUAGES: Unfortunately I'm very dependent on English here. Most people speak excellent English, as well as Russian and another language or two. My parents' languages are coming in good use. Lithuanian is very different from Polish and German (my two foreign languages) and I've been slow to pick up phrases.
Good morning: Labas rytas (Lah-bahs reeh-tahs)
Good evening: Labas vykaras (Lah-bahs vick-ah-rahs)
Thank you: Aciu (ah-CHIU)
Very nice weather: Nuostabus Oras (Nosta-boose awe-rus)
