Baltic Visitor

It isn’t exactly a comprehensive survey, but I enjoyed About.com’s Latvian Culture 101 in Photos when I stumbled across it today. There are only seven images, but it provides a nice cross-section – I found the paragraph on writing sins down on rocks particularly interesting. The photos are well-chosen too.
Actually, as I was writing this [...]

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Regular visitors to this site may have noticed that I recently added an Amazon widget in the sidebar on the right hand side of the page, allowing visitors to buy copies of some of the best Baltic guidebooks. I thought that it might be a good idea to give a run-down of the main options [...]

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The first thing that most people mention about the climate of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is that the winters are really quite cold. This is undeniably true, although it never gets anywhere near as chilly as much of neighbouring Russia. The temperature in many parts of the region rarely gets above freezing between December and [...]

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Visitors in Lithuania on September 1st may notice something slightly odd. For one day only, to mark the first day of the new school year, alcohol sales will be completely banned. This covers not only bars and restaurants, but hotel minibars and even ships flying Lithuanian flags.
Predictably, the move has upset restaurateurs and the Baltic [...]

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Anybody who was interested in the Extreme Crafts events which recently took place in Vilnius might want to read a post on Lithuanian knitting on the Sheep To Shawl blog. It includes material from an exhibition at England’s Woolfest, as well as information on yarn shops and knitted products in Vilnius. The blog’s author Donna [...]

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[ 5 July, 2007 to 8 July, 2007. ] Today sees the start of the biggest event in the Lithuanian cultural calendar – so big, in fact, that it only happens once every four years. The Lithuanian Song and Dance Celebration brings together thousands of performers, and has been officially recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of [...]

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The top spot in Lithuania for a spa break, Druskininkai – set among pine trees at a bend in the Nemunas River – has been a popular resort since the 19th century. During the Soviet period huge sanatoriums for medical treatment and recuperation were built alongside the more attractive early 20th century villas, but since [...]

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[ 27 July, 2007 to 28 July, 2007. ] Although prog rock is not really my thing, I came across details of this Lithuanian festival today and thought it might be of interest. It’s run by enthusiasts, which I reckon ought to be encouraged. The line-up includes:

Arena (UK)
John Young (UK)
Alex Carpani Band (IT)
a THUOC (UK-PL)
Mind Key (IT)
Kostarev Group (RU)
Underground Fly (PL)
Holy Lamb (LV)
The Skys [...]

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[ 23 June, 2007 to 24 June, 2007. ] The biggest festival in the Baltic calendar, midsummer is celebrated with a night of partying on 23rd June. It is a true pagan throwback, with the sun symbolically defeating the darkness, although it also has a more practical side as it marks the start of the summer harvest.

Midsummer goes by a different name in each [...]

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Predictably enough, EU Business reports that officials in Vilnius have banned the gay pride march planned for this Friday:
“The decision by the city authorities shows how much still needs to be done to change behaviour and attitudes towards discriminated groups and to promote awareness of diversity,” the statement by the European Commission said.
This also [...]

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