For Sale

Jonas and Inija  told me that housing depression has hit Lithuania. The drunken Russian who sold me his place in 2004 moved into his father's house right next to theirs (Mine is the 3rd one on the road in our village.) He died over a year ago and they were asking 60,000 litas (about $25K). Place has no plumbing, and probably needs rewiring from Russian electric to Euro style (will cost less than $1000). Also, we don't think he cleaned or did any thing to the place since he moved in. Does have a big barn. Needs an outhouse (he used to use ours!). Average worker in LT  makes $500/month so you can hire plenty of Heathen help! Inija's brother, Valdas, is an excellent handyman. He made all the improvements to their house.

House on left, you're looking at barn.

Back of barn and house

View of Trinkunas house with new verandah from front door of one for sale.

another view of house for sale

another view of house for sale

another view of house for sale

The good news is the price has been lowered to about $11K! Contact Inija if interested at inija@romuva.lt.

You could live in a Heathen village with the Krivis of Romuva as your neighbor.

Summerisle has moved to Lithuania

After all that fun in Kaunas, I decided to visit somewhere new -Birstonas (also known as Summerisle from The Wicker Man - they were eerily similar).

Birstonas is a health spa like the old days more of a sanitorium than what you imagine.

A lot of people are here to convalesce, but I signed up for the weekend package. Sadly, the ONLY person there who spoke English was the Psychologist. She was very nice and helpful, but always busy with group therapy and patients. At the time I was suffering from trigger finger - a terrible inslult to my pacifistic nature. For less than $50/day I had 4 different therapeutic treatments (an EKG costs $4), private room

with balcony over the river,

board (I had to specifically ask for the Lithuanian menu - they tried to give me Euro menu),

Ravens attacking church

and ample time to search the bucolic grounds and streets. All my treatments were over by 2 pm, so I took up afternooon walks before dinner.

My first discovery was the libarary with FREE internet if you signed up for a card and paid $2. The card is a lovely green, and the O in Birstonas is a Full Moon!

Walking along the river, there is another sanitorium, and they were having a concert that night - I went after dinner. I think he's the Lithuania version of Tony Bennett, and he did a fair cover of "Those Were the Days, My Friend."

Another day, I took the FREE ferry across the river and wandered the woods over there.

I was staying at the Tulpe (tulip)Spa, and must have had too much fresh air, because I decided to start painting "two lips" while waiting for the ferry to return.

From that side I could see a huge statue which I sought out on my return. At the bottom of the hill, I discovered a maze.

The building across from the park had the name and stylized figure of the Water Goddess.

Many are there to drink the sulphur water (which didn't smell as badly as the "pluto" water in French Lick, Indiana). There is a charming little orange octagonal building with a faucet and drinking fountain.

The bus station looks brand new for 1895.

The streets are empty,

Stagliskes

but there is a flower stall next door, so I buy Inija some purple flowers I've never seen (she had no idea what they were either, and she's really good with flower identification).

Inija Trinkunas with Flowers

The bus back to Vilnius stops at Trakai,

so I have a pre-view of the castle where Inija will be taking me to buy amber. On the way we went through Stagliskes where the trees had a bad time.

2010 Catchup - no mayo!

When I last left you with tantalizing morsels from Lithuania,

I was on my way to Kaunas! Once again I'm in my favorite big city.

The art deco buildings are fabulous, and when interspersed with 500 year old cobblestone streets in Old Town, the effect is both enchanting and almost overwhelming.
When I was here last Sept. I visited the MK Ciurlionis museum with my 'ciurlionis,' and much to my disappointment, it was not, in the curators' professional opinions, an original sketctch by him, but it was a very fine copy by whomever did it, especially considering the painting hasn't been on display for at least 50 years. I was however, delighted to be allowed to see the original which is kept in a temp-controlled room full of his work that's not on display.

The hardest part of the trip was finding a place to stay.

Men in kilts playing football and drinking lined the streets and screamed from bars on my stroll along Freedom Lane. There was not a hotel room to be had at any of my favorite haunts. Finally, Daiva at Lintenterp, whom I highly recommend, found me a room at the Kaunas Catholic Guesthouse across from city hall in the exact center of Old Town for only 50 lt/night ($20!). It was one of two converted monk's cells with a shared bath, and view of the gardens behind the Kaunas castle on the Neris river. I hung a postcard of Birute (guardian of Jurate, the amber godess's, shrine) over the cross and was very content in my austere but comfortable surroundings.

The only catch was one wasn't allowed to have alcohol nor opposite-sex guests in the room (which was the only reason it was available with the footbal shenangians in town). It was nice to be at the other end of town during that madness. Nothing but toursts and pilgrims on my end
Other fun in Kaunas last year included stopping by to see Elvira, the curator of the Devil Museum,

attending a flea market next to the church on Sunday,

visitng kauno pilis (the old castle in my backyard),

a chocolate restaraunt in town square where every item on the menu came with chocolate in some form including chocolate steak sauce, and not buying a painting of the baba yaga house. (Baba Yaga is a "russian" fairy-tale witch who lives in a house on top of a big chicken foot, so she can move whenever she wants to do so. I guess she doesn't like Russia anymore since I visited her house years ago in the Merkine district in southern LT.

I also revisted the ancient  instrument museum;

and its ancient toilet,

and went to the apothecary museum in a 15th century guild hall.

I gave them the $2 bill for their old NCR drawer!