Lithuanian Fulbright Scholar Discovers San Diego--from Mindaugas Briedis

Our today's dispatch is from Professor Mindaugas Briedis from Mykolas Romeris University who is currently finishing his Fulbright Visiting Scholar stay at National University in San Diego, California. 

My Fulbright stay in San Diego lasted for four months and it is hard to grasp the entirety of experience that I’ve got. Perhaps the easier way to tell about it is to divide my story according to Fulbright goals.

The basic goal of the Fulbright was twofold: to get academic experience while being a cultural ambassador for my country. It is amazing how those two modes of stay worked perfectly in my case. As I lived in the very heart of San Diego (downtown), every day after my work I was able to enjoy countless outdoor activities – sports, beaches, hikes, etc. Evenings were dedicated to movies, books, glimpses of the night life of San Diego and, of course, reflection.

At National University I met many friendly colleagues who helped me during my first steps in online education. Surprisingly, I was able not only to watch others working, ask questions and get information, but actually to design an online class and teach it under the great supervision of prof. Paul Majkut. It is true that I have got compliment letters from all (!) of my students. This was certainly a great encouragement for my ambition to learn how to teach online.

Although the first month of my stay was pretty tough (perhaps because of all the paperwork that needed taking care of--banking, lease, social security number, etc.), later I got into a rhythm and found time for my next academic goal – research. National university provided me with all resources needed, thus I could work on my research on online education in humanities. I will present the results of the research at a conference in March and eventually publish the presentation in English.

These were my formal academic goals, but I also want to tell you how much I loved being amongst the people of San Diego in many creative ways. As I am an avid guitarist, I looked to continue playing in California, and we formed a temporary band with other professors at National and played three gigs at a retirement home, Christmas carol at the university and at the gathering of San Diego musicians. Great pleasure! Another great event was organized by San Diego Fulbright panel – we had a nice dinner, music and warm talking in one of the +Balboa Park venues

During all those events I was able to share my experiences with many great friends (students, professor as well as city folks) who also gave me a lot of excellent advice. Thanks to them. I visited most interesting areas and museums in San Diego and travelled California (six national parks – from the desert sands to mountain ice!) for a week. I lived downtown, so always felt the pulse of the city, but also found my solitary refuge with great books and movies as well. I can confidently say I am happy and looking forward to the future – I have determined to tie my life with Fulbright opportunities.

Chilly Klaipeda

            Back home in Fredericksburg, where I’m from, Virginia Beach is about a four-hour drive. Because of this, my family does not exactly make a habit of going to the beach. However, after spending nearly a month in gray, urban Vilnius, I found myself longing for a change of scenery. I had heard about the beautiful, unspoiled natural beaches of Lithuania’s coast, so one cold day at the end of October I made the four-and-a-half hour bus trip west to Klaipeda with Matt, my fellow intern.

           Besides holding the status of Lithuania’s most important port city, Klaipeda also enjoys the distinction of being one of Lithuania’s top summertime resort destinations. Since Matt and I visited at the end of October, though, we saw the town in its off-season—with sunshine having made itself scarce and the streets empty of tourists. We ate a quick lunch in town and made a beeline for the ferry that would take us to the long shores of the Curonian spit.

            The Curonian spit is a long, narrow strip of sandy beach that hugs part of the coastlines of both Lithuania and Russia (Kaliningrad). It is sprinkled with several small towns and scenic beaches. The ferry ride from Klaipeda takes barely ten minutes; however, since Matt and I had recently disembarked from quite a long bus ride, this place felt like it was at the end of the world. We had no time to visit any of the towns along the spit, but we did take a path through the forests to the beach, where we saw the Baltic Sea.

Touching the waters of the Baltic Sea--and it was cold!

            It was cold, and rainy, so we didn’t stick around too long after seeing the beach. Despite the cold weather and the emptiness of the town, I was glad to have the opportunity to see another part of the country. This would definitely be a great place to visit in the summer! 

Lithuania's Honorary Consuls: Ingrida Bublys, Ohio

Another installment in our new series profiling Lithuania's Honorary Consuls in the United States. Thanks to Aiste Zalepuga who conducted the interviews with each Consul and collected additional materials. 

Ingrida Bublys is the owner of IB International, a trade consulting company. She serves on various business and organizational boards, in addition to being active in the local Lithuanian community. With a partner, she heads the Lithuanian Trade Office in Chicago, the official branch of Enterprise Lithuania.

As Honorary Consul, Ingrida Bublys is responsible for promoting Lithuanian culture in the Midwest states, principally Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. "Ohio has a very large presence of Lithuanians," she told us. In fact, the northeastern section of the state alone boasts more than 17,000 Lithuanian-Americans. "Indiana and Kentucky have smaller, but still active communities. They are all special because they strive to continue making people aware of Lithuania."

In Ohio, Lithuanian cultural organizations are plentiful. Our Lady of Perpetual Hope Catholic Church, for instance, provides a number of opportunities for those who wish to establish or maintain ties with Lithuania. It offers Saturday school, where children can learn the Lithuanian language, history and culture, thus preserving their heritage. It also provides cultural celebrations, like folk dancing and scouting, throughout the week. Lithuanian Scouting is especially prevalent in the city of Cleveland, the second largest city in Ohio and the 45th largest in the United States. It is further home to the Lithuanian Cultural Garden, a memorial site depicting Lithuanian history and the country's struggle for a national identity.

A Fulbrighter Learns Lithuania--and Its Very Old, Very Hard Language

Today's blog post is by another guest writer -- Christine Beresniova, Fulbright Grantee to Lithuania in 2011-2012. 

I have a very special relationship with Lithuania because I am married to a Lithuanian. So when I was awarded a Fulbright grant in 2011 to spend 9 months doing dissertation research there, many people thought that I would have an easy time of things. People assumed that because I could already limp along in the language, and I knew what I was getting into when someone uttered the words "Lithuanian winter” that I was merely going on some kind of extended vacation.

This was hardly true. My husband was not going with me nor was I going to be spending 9 months lazing about on my mother-in-law's sofa. Instead, I was going to have to carve out my own research path and make my own way in a world that neither knew me nor was invested in my success. Yes, I could look forward to a lovely Sunday dinner of buttery cauliflower, lumpy potato dumplings (cepelinai), and freshly made poppyseed cake every week, but my in-laws could not help me build trust with people, nor could they make the subject I was studying less controversial in Lithuania's political landscape. Doing anthropologic fieldwork on how post-Soviet teachers are trained to teach the Holocaust after 60 years of Soviet-occupied silence on the matter was going to be a journey I had to undertake almost entirely on my own.

A Fulbrighter's Love Affair with Old-Town Vilnius

Another installment today from Dr. Petrie, Associate Professor and English Department Chair at Colorado Christian University, who was a Fulbright grantee to Lithuania in 2006.

Vilnius has long been a cosmopolitan city with many cultures and ethnicities, and the Old-Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since I was teaching at the University there, it made sense for us to live in the center of Old-Town Vilnius, but our location offered much more than convenience.  The energetic mish-mash of cultures, shops, entertainment, and dining experiences there was unique and unforgettable.  With every day that passed, our street, Totoriu Gatve, named in reference to the fact that it was, long ago, the Tatar quarter of the city (just as Vokieciu Gatve means “German Street” for the same reason) fascinated me more and more. Across the street from our flat was an antique shop, run by an antique lady who lived in the flat above it and featured lace curtains in all her windows, each of a different pattern. 

Directly next to her lies the Transylvania, a pub which advertises +Guinness GB and seemed to be very popular with motorcyclists and British tourists. My husband still claims that you haven't lived until you've seen a tipsy Brit singing Diana Ross's "Stop in the Name of Love" to a passing Taxi in Lithuania. When the Scots were in town for the Lithuania/Scotland football match, we heard a lot of "Auld Lang Syne" coming from there, and our street was flooded by men in kilts. The pub and the antique shop seemed to exist in a semi-armed detente, in which the proprietor of the shop shook her head and clicked her tongue out the window, and the motorcyclists made their bikes backfire in response.

Reflections of a Fulbright Artist

Today's guest blogger is Patrick Suzeau, associate professor of Dance at the University of Kansas, who spent a semester in Vilnius as a Fulbright scholar in 2007. He was introduced to the Fulbright program by another Fulbright senior scholar, Linda Maxey, who suggested that Patrick and his wife Muriel, also a professor of dance at the University of Kansas, go to Lithuania to offer a different and fresh artistic perspective.

We first came to Vilnius for about three weeks in 2004, around Thanksgiving and we had a superb experience. We enjoyed watching and giving classes at the Lithuanian Academy and the National Ballet School. Muriel taught contemporary dance classes that were very well received; contemporary dance technique was a relatively new arrival to Eastern Europe.  Meanwhile I was asked to teach ballet classes. I thought that it was odd that they would be interested in ballet classes considering that they have a strong tradition in Russian ballet. It became clear to me why when I asked them to execute a certain step, which they did superbly. However, they did it as it is done in Russia.  American ballet has evolved in different directions. That is when I realized why these senior teachers were watching my classes. As a New York City-trained dancer, my background is eclectic, something typical of American artists who have been exposed to diverse techniques and approaches. In addition, as a contemporary choreographer I favor unconventional spatial and rhythmic patterns, something that seemed to have been new and of interest to Lithuanian ballet teachers.

Iki pasimatymo Lietuva!

Sergeant Mario Stoke, Pol/Econ intern Jon Kidd, and myself at the UNESCO Building

It is with great sadness that I must say goodbye to Lithuania. My experience working here at Embassy Vilnius has been absolutely incredible. Especially working in the Public Affairs Section, I had the opportunity to work on important projects and meet some fantastic people. I cannot thank everyone here enough for the incredible guidance and mentorship that they have offered me. The experiences that I have had here will be hard for other posts to live up to. 

Meeting Lithuanians at local gatherings. 

Experiences of a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow

Before I leave to go back to the States, I wanted to share with all the readers the experiences I have had as a Pickering fellow. The end of my time here in Vilnius also takes me from being a Pickering Fellow to a Pickering Alumni, as it is the final requirement of my contract with the foundation. 

To begin with, The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Programs provide funding to participants as they prepare academically and professionally to enter the United States Department of State Foreign Service. Women, members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and students with financial need are encouraged to apply. 

2011 GFAF Esther Joe and FAF Kimberly Everett completed their internships in Kuwait City, Kuwait. They had the opportunity to be site officers for Secretary Kerry's visit and to assist with preparations for the Secretary's high-level meetings at the Bayan Palace and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I started to prepare my application for the Fellowship in September of my senior year in college, and the application was due in February. I worked closely with the writing center, our Director of Scholarships, and the Ambassador in Residence at the University of Central Florida. After writing twenty-seven drafts of my personal statement, I finally turned in the application. I was then selected to continue the process through a writing test in which you are given two hypothetical situations or issues and  you must write about them within a certain amount of time while being supervised via Skype. After I passed this test, I was invited to Washington, D.C. to be interviewed... along with 40 other people... for 20 positions. I practiced with UCF doing mock interviews before flying out to the nation's capital. All the people I met there were incredibly impressive and qualified. I was nervous, but prepared, as I sat in a closed room in front of two professors and an Ambassador, being grilled on what the Pickering Fellowship would mean to me. A month later I was notified that I was selected as a Pickering Fellow!

A Weekend in Klaipėda

Due to the 4th of July holiday; the Embassy was closed last Thursday. The roommates and I decided to take advantage of the long weekend so that we may make a trip to the much-talked-about Klaipėda. Since we arrived, everyone has been telling us to visit this city and we were finally going to do it! We rented a flat on Tiltu Street, the main strip in Old Town. Wednesday evening we packed all our things and got on the bus to Klaipėda! 

July 4th Reception and Celebration!

On the 26th of June, the US Embassy hosted the annual July 4th Reception and Celebration at the Ambassador's home. The preparations for the event took weeks and the team that organized it did an incredible job. It began with the set-up and was followed by the receiving of guests. 

As the guests began to trickle in, they were invited to grab food or a drink before going into the Ambassador's house to be greeted by her. Not only was the Ambassador there to welcome guests, but so too was our Deputy Chief of Mission and our Defense Attaché.

Many important people came through to welcome the Ambassador and her team. As part of my job, I was lucky enough to stand behind the Ambassador to relieve her hands of any gifts that she might receive so that she may continue shaking hands. Being in this position, I was able to see each guest as they came through and give them each a smile.

After the guests were all welcomed, the Ambassador gave a speech to welcome the Lithuanian guests and their family and friends to the reception. We watched at our Marines presented the American colors before listening to the Lithuanian anthem and then the American Star Spangled Banner.

As the party continued, we were able to mingle with guests and I was incredibly grateful to meet former President Adamkus. We talked about his life in America, the Foreign Service career, and some defense topics. It was a great honor for me to meet President Adamkus during this event, who is very nice and open to meeting all Embassy staff and hearing their stories. Not only is he admirable, but he is very friendly as well!

After the party was completed, all Embassy staff pitched in to clean up the Ambassador's home before enjoying burgers and chips for a very...very late lunch. It was great to be able to spend an hour with my coworkers enjoying the warm Lithuanian day and American style burgers. It was a great starter to celebrating the actual 4th of July and the birth of our great country!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Prior to my travels to Lithuania, I did as all travelers do: read books about the country. While perusing the my traveler’s guides, I took note of the events that would happen during my summer here. Joninės seemed like the most fun event that falls on a day that teeters between Paganism and Catholicism. On the one hand, it is also known as John's Day, as in Saint John, and we celebrate all those who are named John on this name day. On the other hand, it is also known as the Midsummer, and a large festival is held at Kernavė, an ancient settlement site, to celebrate the summer solstice. 

  

As one of our roommates is named Jon, we celebrated him throughout the day. All of us soon piled into a car and took off for Kernavė to see the big festival. I expected to see fires and dancing, but perhaps of only a hundred people or so. I was so wrong!

Jousting, Castles, and Still Waters. Only in Trakai!

Over the weekend I went to the Trakai Medieval Festival with my roommates, Kaitlin and Jonathan, and one of our Marines here, Sergeant Mario Stokes. We heard about this festival weeks before and it was something we were looking forward to for a while. We arrived at the bus station and ordered our tickets. Twenty minutes later we were in Trakai. We had to laugh as we paid 1LT to use the bathroom, something we have never seen in America. We stopped to look at a map to find out where to go next, but instead made the right decision to just follow the huge crowds of people walking up one particular street. We were making our way to the castle!

Panevėžys, Cicinskas, and Opening the Pažink Ameriką

On Wednesday, June 12, I travelled with my colleagues to Panevėžys. Our purpose for this trip was to meet with members of the Alumni association as well as to present at the opening of Pažink Ameriką, or Discover America. The terminal is a touch screen computer, pre-loaded with information about U.S. geography, history and culture, designed to appeal to young audiences.  One of the terminals is currently in Panorama shopping center in Vilnius, another one is now in Utena Public Library, and this one was installed in Panevėžys, at the Kniaudišku street branch of the city library.  

Standing in front of the new terminal on the day of our opening.

Once we got to Panevėžys, we were able to meet with members of our Alumni Association to discuss English teaching methods and camps. We met with several educators ranging from those who teach very young students to those who teach graduate-level classes. We discussed their ideas of helpful methods of teaching English, what they may be lacking, and what students and teachers could benefit from. There was a consensus that both students and teachers alike need a more active surrounding of English speakers, and to be forced to have to use the language. We discussed Fulbright scholars from America and their ability to assist in this, as well as Fulbright opportunities for Lithuanians to travel to the United States. 

Visiting Kėdainiai: Historical Memory and Rolling Hills

On May 29th, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Kėdainiai to accompany my supervisor, PAO Jon Berger, who gave remarks at the Workshop for the Principals of the Schools with Active Tolerance Education Centers. More than 40 principals from across Lithuania, speakers, and experts from museums, universities, and members of the International Commission  attended a seminar called “Historical Memory  as the key to civil society” at the Kedainiai Multicultural center.

Jon's presentation was titled “Holocaust education programs implemented by the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania” and emphasized that the most important thing is to be able to discuss this subject openly and honestly, with everyone, at all ages.  Information on teaching tools, the most successful programs, available resources at the American Center library, and ways of future cooperation were provided for school principals. All participants were excited to hear that the U.S. Embassy will make available 1000 DVDs, one for every school in Lithuania, that contain testimonies from Holocaust survivors, translated into Lithuanian. 

The history of Lithuania is so interesting, and even though some of it is also tragic, there is so much that can be learned from this culture. It is strong, patient, and faithful. At the event, one of the people who run the Tolerance Center was kind enough to show me the small museum they have upstairs to remember those who died during the Holocaust in Kėdainiai. Pictures, clothes, books, memoirs and more revealed the sad events that took place in this city. In the top part of the museum, names of those who were lost are engraved into metal plating that goes around the entire room. This was incredibly interesting to me. In the States we have many Holocaust museums, and many people who fled Europe for saftey came to America, but I have never been to a Holocaust musuem in a location where the events actually took place, and it is a very somber and humbling experience. The Lithuanians have done a great job in commemorating those who were lost, and remembering the events in order to build, grow, and assure that it never happens again.

Homes and synagogues now lost to Kėdainiai

A video showing the tragic events that happened so long ago.

 After the event we had a little extra time to go and see the rest of Kėdainiai. The town is beautiful and is clearly influenced by many different styles of architecture. There is a river, parks, and a small square were we stopped to take photos. Everyone we met while we were there was friendly and ready to talk to us about their town. On the trip back, we drove through Babtai, which is the most beautiful natural scenery I have ever witnessed. There were wide open fields of wildflowers growing, pastures where horses were grazing, miles upon miles of beautiful rolling hills. We only saw houses every few miles, and the feeling that these lands have gone untouched since the beginning of time made me happy that the environment here is so natural. Being from the East coast of America, there is hardly any areas like that left anymore, and usually you need to go out West to see that type of nature.

Kėdainiai Square

The city was wonderful, and it was great to see more of Lithuania outside of Vilnius. I plan to visit many more cities and towns during my time here, as each one is more beautiful than the last, and they all have something different to offer. This experience was one of many, and many to come, that have made me fall in love with this country.

Get Ready For Futbolas!

I will not say that Americans do not like soccer, known here as 'futbolas', but it certainly is not the most popular sport in the US. The great American sport is baseball, as many people know. In the recent past, however, football (American football, that is) has come to take the spotlight in America as the sport that people go absolutely nuts over. During football season, you can't go anywhere without seeing a team's jersey. People paint their faces, their bodies, buy foam fingers...they yell and scream and cheer as if the results of the game will determine the rest of their lives!

So you can imagine my excitement when a few of my Lithuanian friends invited me out to watch the UEFA (The Union of European Football Associations) Champions League Finale, between Bayern Munich and Dortmund. Before the game, we went out to dinner and one of my friends, Karolis, was wearing a T-shirt with his favorite Bayern player on it. As he was explaining to me the importance of this game, he kept pulling his T-shirt up to kiss it over and over. This to me was not strange, it was the same as any other American who is wishing that their team will win the Superbowl. Kissing his T-shirt was just a way of showing how much he wanted Bayern to win.

A Different Kind of Fishing...

On one of my latest adventures here in Lithuania I tried something I have definitely never done before, or actually seen anywhere other than on television: ice fishing! It was a fun and fascinating experience to say the least.

Fishing is one of my favorite things to do at home. My family lives near a big lake that is split between the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. This lake is typically busy with fishermen and different fishing tournaments because it is full of big, hungry catfish. The main difference between this lake and the lake I fished on here in Lithuania is the water temperature; our lake in the Carolinas never gets below 10 degrees (or 50 degrees Fahrenheit as we would say). If there was any ice on the water we would all panic! We can fish from a boat or from the shore year-round. When I first arrived in Lithuania this January and saw the big frozen sheets of ice floating down the Neris River and the frozen Galvė Lake in Trakai, I saw no hope in continuing fishing while here. But this changed when I was passing a lake one day and saw people sitting on the ice in different places. Curious as to what they were doing I asked someone I was with, who informed me that they were ice fishing. Since then, I’ve been searching for someone who ice fishes who would be willing to take me along. I was able to find two gentlemen who frequent a small lake outside of Vilnius and were willing to take me and show me the ropes. 

Ice fishing is different than what I am used to, so I had a bit to learn when we got started. To ice fish, you have to drill a hole in the ice where you can put your fishing line and eventually where you can pull your big catch out of the water. To drill this hole, there is a special tool called an auger that turns in circles like a big screw to create a hole. Some augers come with motors, but the auger we used had to be worked by hand. When we created our hole for fishing, we used a ruler to measure how thick the ice was. It was very thick where we were fishing, a total of 38 centimeters (more than a foot)! 
After we each drilled our hole in the ice to fish through, we had to bait our hooks. For my hook, I used a few live mealworms. We hoped that since they were alive, they would grab attention and bring the fish out the depths. The poles we used were small; I’m not very tall so I’m used to my fishing pole being much taller than I am, but these were as small as my forearm. The day that we went fishing the temperature was well below zero and the wind was blowing very hard. It got so bad at times that if we got up from our chairs, they would blow over. Additionally, the holes that we were fishing in would freeze back over in minutes, so we had to use a tool to skim the new layers of ice off the top every few minutes. We sat outside in the cold and wind waiting for a bite on our hooks, but we were ultimately unsuccessful.

Overall, I do not really mind that we did not catch any fish! To have had the opportunity to try an activity that is actually completely impossible to do where I come from was a satisfying experience all on its own. I’m hoping to go ice fishing again before the ice gets too thin… I’m feeling good about our chances of catching a big fish!

English Song Contest in Tytuvėnai

On Friday, March 22, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in one of the Embassy’s outreach programs, where six representatives from the US Embassy went to the annual English Song Contest in Tytuvėnai. This song contest brings together schools from across the Kelmė region under the overall theme, “Music Unites Us”. Students prepared songs to perform in English for a panel of judges, which this year included the three interns from the US Embassy, myself, Meredith, and Michael, as well as two music teachers from the region.

Students performed songs that they picked to be considered “Future Hits” – it was open to interpretation as to how they would each pick their song. Songs varied and included such hits as “We are the World” by Michael Jackson, “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, and “Raise your Glass” by Pink. It was a diverse range of music, and that made it all the more fun and interesting to watch. The contest was divided into two age groups; grades 5-8 performed first, and those from 9-12 performed in the second half. The acts from both groups were so much more than I could have ever expected -the students were very talented singers and dancers, and the productions included choreographed dances and musical instruments and even costumes. It was obvious that they put a lot of time and effort into preparing, and it really made it feel like I was at a concert! At the end of the contest there was an awards ceremony, where the top three performances from each of the two age groups were recognized. Truly, every participant did an excellent job. We took a long time to come to a decision on who would be in the top three, as everyone really deserved to win considering their hard work and talent.

 

After the contest was over, we were fortunate enough to see a little bit of Tytuvėnai. Some of the students gave us a tour of the monastery in the city. The monastery was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It dated back to the 1630s – way before the United States even gained independence! The building had an unbelievable courtyard outside and striking artwork and architectural details inside. Not only was I impressed by the place itself, but also by the passion displayed by the students for the culture and the history of their city. There wasn’t a question we asked that they couldn't answer, or a fact that they didn’t present with genuine excitement. It was fun to learn from them about their region and the beautiful monastery that they were so proud to show off.

Overall, the trip to Tytuvėnai was a fun and informative experience. We learned about the region and the monastery through the student tour, and music truly did unite us at the English Song Contest. Everyone sang and danced and clapped along to the music, allowing us to have fun and laugh together, transcending cultural boundaries and language barriers.

Trakai

For our first full weekend in Lithuania, J.T., Domenico, and I (aka the new American interns) went to Trakai with some of the diplomats from the Embassy.  Trakai is a city steeped in medieval history and dotted with lakes—and since it’s only about a half-hour car ride from Vilnius, it’s a popular lake resort too.  There’s evidence to suggest that Trakai has been settled since the first millennium AD, and during the reign of Vytautas the Great Trakai was the center of activity in the Lithuanian empire.  Once Vilnius began to grow, Trakai slowly lost its significance and was destroyed by the Cossacks during the 1655 invasion.  Still, even the ruins of Trakai served as a symbol of the national revival of the nineteenth century, and the city was never forgotten.  Ironically enough, it was under Soviet rule in the 1950’s when it was announced that the city would be rebuilt and restored—and it is because of these improvements that Trakai is the cultural attraction we see today.

Our first stop in Trakai was the Trakai Island Castle, built during the rule of Vytautas the Great (known as a national hero) and restored in 1987.  A long wooden footbridge connects the island on which the castle rests to the shore, and boats of all kinds are available to rent for use on Lake Galvė in between.  There’s a path that covers the circumference of the island, and a path to take into the castle—complete with a moat and bridge.  The castle is huge and houses a history museum that displays everything from clothes to medieval armor, most of which is older than America! (No big deal, right?)   You can climb all the way up to the Ducal Palace’s keep, which is 100 feet high and gives a great view of the rest of the castle as well as the lake surrounding it.  In one section of the castle there was even a contemporary art exhibit, an example that I think symbolizes Lithuania perfectly: the place boasts modern ingenuity even within its famed rustic historical exterior.

Next, we returned to the shore and walked along the main streets of the city.  Here, the multicultural nature of the town is seen in the types of restaurants we saw—with foods inspired by communities of Lithuanians, Polish, Russians, Tartars, and Karaims.  All of it looked good, and we were all hungry!  Cultural influences can be seen by looking at the construction of things as well; for example, in many areas that were settled by Karaim, the buildings have three windows that face the street, a popular tradition for the community.

Our last stop was the Medieval Festival held at the old Trakai Peninsula Castle right nearby.  We had to rush to the fair after eating because the guys wanted to catch the last of the battle reenactments.  It’s funny to think about though, because here these duels are like our Civil War reenactments at home—they’re not scripted to look like something out of a movie, but instead are actually a part of the history and culture of the country.  At this fair, the “soldiers” were actually beating each other with axes and shields (something JT and Domenico found really amusing) which made it more like a history lesson and less like Disneyland.  In the meantime, we also got to look at all of the traditional handcrafted goods for sale and more, you guessed it, food.  In the center of the fair we found a couple guys pushing an archaic-looking wooden horse in a circle for kids to ride—but Domenico and JT wanted to ride too.  The guys working the ride laughed when JT and Domenico paid, and I can’t say what was more amusing: watching them ride a horse made for kids under the age of ten or watching everyone else at the fair’s reaction.

All in all, it was a really nice visit, and I think that the pictures alone would make the trip worthwhile!