“Oh, boy!” – busy times in Vilnius

Time passes like nothing here in Vilnius. Every day we have appointments, may it be for dental adjustments, Katja’s health issues, or Yoga classes. Not to forget about meeting with family, other socializing events, or the participation in cultural events. Since Lithuania is celebrating it’s 1000 birthday and is European Capital of Culture 2009 you might get a clue about the richness of events smiling at us everyday in Vilnius. Today we even went to the flea market in order to give away things we do not need anymore.

at the flea market in Vilnius old town

This time we are staying with Edita and her family. Augustas met her 12 years ago through Vilnius Hitchhiking Club (VHHC). Although “those days were the best times of [her] life”, Edita’s existence isn’t less joyous today. Writing is her passion, and so she published already two books for middle and older adolescents called “Įsimylėjėlių stovykla” (Camp of lovers) in 2008 and “Sūrūs įspūdžiai” (Salty experience) this year. Her first book even won the “Book of the Year”-title in the teenager category. Let’s hope these books will be available in other languages in the future!

For a couple of months Edita is involved in the democratical movement JDJ – Jungtinį demokratinį judėjimą (UMD – United Movement of Democracy) which tries to motivate Lithuanian citizens to fight for their rights. After re-gaining indepence in 1990 the laid-back attitude of many country-men turned during the last 19 years into a messed up, corrupted state ruled by the rich and influential. It is said that Lithuanians find themselves supressed from the inside of their state, and JDJ – with Kęstutis Čilinskas as founder and chairman – hopes to turn the situation upside down. We cross our fingers for a better future of Lithuania.

To our surprise we found out that Edita is a licenced tour guide, too. She loves the idea of showing people her city and surroundings, especially since she enjoys travelling and discovering new places herself. Edita even set up a website for her guiding tours which helps anyone interested to get a general idea about Lithuania, Vilnius, and other cities and places all around this beautiful country.

Life with her and the family is pretty nice. We even have got our own room because Edita’s daughter was so kind to give up hers. We really cherish having our own corner, a rare occassion with our lifestyle. Due to being so centrally situated we can walk nearly everywhere we need – a way of moving we truly enjoy!