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NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow with the NATO Permanent Representative for Slovenia, Jelko Kacin and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Linas Linkevicius
Vilnius
Bizarre, beautiful and bewitching, Lithuania's capital seduces visitors with its astonishing Old Town charm. Its chocolate-box baroque skyline littered with the spires of Orthodox and Catholic churches are intoxicating, decadent and fragile - so much so that Unesco has declared this, Europe's largest baroque old town, a World Heritage site. But there's more to this devilishly attractive capital than meets the eye. There is an underlying oddness that creates its soul.
Where else could there be the world's only statue of psychedelic musician and composer Frank Zappa? Or a self-proclaimed, unofficial, independent republic inhabited by artists and dreaming bohemians? Where else is there the spirit of freedom and resistance that existed during Soviet occupation? There are reminders of loss and pain everywhere, from the horror of the KGB's torture cells to the ghetto in the centre of all this beauty where the Jewish community lived before their mass wartime slaughter.
Strange bars glow inside dark courtyards and medieval archways frame the life of the narrow, cobbled streets through which change has swept with panache. Using foreign cash and local vision, this stylish little city has big plans. But new business and infrastructure - even a skyscraper skyline - won't disguise the curious charm of eccentric, soulful Vilnius.
Lithuanian-led Ghor Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT-14) soldiers patrol the air in the Ghor province of Sar Jangal Lalva district center. Patrolling was conducted by Soldiers from PRT-14
The Patrol was to assess the security situation and a number of PRT projects in this area, along with meeting local representatives and residents of the district to discuss issues of concern.
Photos by - Chief. Lieut. Tom Pakalniskis (PRT-14)
Lenkijos Gatve (Polish Street). This is how many streets looked in Vilnius, Lithuania -- formerly Wilno, Poland -- in the winter of 1995-96. It was said to be the coldest winter in 100 years. It was just five years after independence from the Soviet Union. Two decades later, much of the beautiful Old City in Vilnius has been repaired and restored.
Vilnius
Bizarre, beautiful and bewitching, Lithuania's capital seduces visitors with its astonishing Old Town charm. Its chocolate-box baroque skyline littered with the spires of Orthodox and Catholic churches are intoxicating, decadent and fragile - so much so that Unesco has declared this, Europe's largest baroque old town, a World Heritage site. But there's more to this devilishly attractive capital than meets the eye. There is an underlying oddness that creates its soul.
Where else could there be the world's only statue of psychedelic musician and composer Frank Zappa? Or a self-proclaimed, unofficial, independent republic inhabited by artists and dreaming bohemians? Where else is there the spirit of freedom and resistance that existed during Soviet occupation? There are reminders of loss and pain everywhere, from the horror of the KGB's torture cells to the ghetto in the centre of all this beauty where the Jewish community lived before their mass wartime slaughter.
Strange bars glow inside dark courtyards and medieval archways frame the life of the narrow, cobbled streets through which change has swept with panache. Using foreign cash and local vision, this stylish little city has big plans. But new business and infrastructure - even a skyscraper skyline - won't disguise the curious charm of eccentric, soulful Vilnius.
November/December, 2014.
— Martin Thibault.
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▶ "It is a great privilege to present the readers of Lithuanian Heritage with an extract of a travelogue written by Martin Thibault, a beer connoisseur and author from Quebec, Canada, who traveled to Vilnius [capital city of Lithuania], and then throughout the Lithuanian countryside. [...] For this issue, we have translated the first part of this essay, which deals with the taverns of Vilnius, where craft-brewed beer from the backcountry is available."
▶ The complete essay (in French) can be read at Thibault's website: Les Coureurs Des Boires.
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▶ The cover photo is of Šnekutis, a renowned beer pub n Vilnius, Lithuania:
"Undoubtedly, one of the most memorable beer bars we have visited anywhere on the planet. Without exaggeration. The building itself seems to have been built from remains found in the forest, giving it the appearance of a remote cabin that might serve as a location for a low-budget horror film,. This Šnekutis (there are two in Vilnius) offers a selection of craft-brewed country ales unmatched anywhere in Lithuania."
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▶ Image uploaded by Yours For Good Fermentables.com.
— Follow on Twitter @Cizauskas.
— Follow on Facebook.
▶ Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.
In spite of their deep Catholicism, Lithuanians were the last nation in Europe to convert to Christianity.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow and the Minister of Defence of Lithuania, Juozas Olekas
Vilnius
Bizarre, beautiful and bewitching, Lithuania's capital seduces visitors with its astonishing Old Town charm. Its chocolate-box baroque skyline littered with the spires of Orthodox and Catholic churches are intoxicating, decadent and fragile - so much so that Unesco has declared this, Europe's largest baroque old town, a World Heritage site. But there's more to this devilishly attractive capital than meets the eye. There is an underlying oddness that creates its soul.
Where else could there be the world's only statue of psychedelic musician and composer Frank Zappa? Or a self-proclaimed, unofficial, independent republic inhabited by artists and dreaming bohemians? Where else is there the spirit of freedom and resistance that existed during Soviet occupation? There are reminders of loss and pain everywhere, from the horror of the KGB's torture cells to the ghetto in the centre of all this beauty where the Jewish community lived before their mass wartime slaughter.
Strange bars glow inside dark courtyards and medieval archways frame the life of the narrow, cobbled streets through which change has swept with panache. Using foreign cash and local vision, this stylish little city has big plans. But new business and infrastructure - even a skyscraper skyline - won't disguise the curious charm of eccentric, soulful Vilnius.
Vilnius
Bizarre, beautiful and bewitching, Lithuania's capital seduces visitors with its astonishing Old Town charm. Its chocolate-box baroque skyline littered with the spires of Orthodox and Catholic churches are intoxicating, decadent and fragile - so much so that Unesco has declared this, Europe's largest baroque old town, a World Heritage site. But there's more to this devilishly attractive capital than meets the eye. There is an underlying oddness that creates its soul.
Where else could there be the world's only statue of psychedelic musician and composer Frank Zappa? Or a self-proclaimed, unofficial, independent republic inhabited by artists and dreaming bohemians? Where else is there the spirit of freedom and resistance that existed during Soviet occupation? There are reminders of loss and pain everywhere, from the horror of the KGB's torture cells to the ghetto in the centre of all this beauty where the Jewish community lived before their mass wartime slaughter.
Strange bars glow inside dark courtyards and medieval archways frame the life of the narrow, cobbled streets through which change has swept with panache. Using foreign cash and local vision, this stylish little city has big plans. But new business and infrastructure - even a skyscraper skyline - won't disguise the curious charm of eccentric, soulful Vilnius.
Lithuania August 2001
I don't know the exact place any more.
Olympus 35RS Iflord Pan F, Epson Perfection 3200
Lithuanian Soldiers during a field training exercise in preparation for deploying to Afghanistan in May as part of the Lithuanian led Ghor Ghor Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT-15) and Lithuania led Police Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (POMSG-4) – The exercise involved more then 300 Soldiers including U.S and Ukrainian Troops – 2nd to 6th April 2012
Vilnius
Bizarre, beautiful and bewitching, Lithuania's capital seduces visitors with its astonishing Old Town charm. Its chocolate-box baroque skyline littered with the spires of Orthodox and Catholic churches are intoxicating, decadent and fragile - so much so that Unesco has declared this, Europe's largest baroque old town, a World Heritage site. But there's more to this devilishly attractive capital than meets the eye. There is an underlying oddness that creates its soul.
Where else could there be the world's only statue of psychedelic musician and composer Frank Zappa? Or a self-proclaimed, unofficial, independent republic inhabited by artists and dreaming bohemians? Where else is there the spirit of freedom and resistance that existed during Soviet occupation? There are reminders of loss and pain everywhere, from the horror of the KGB's torture cells to the ghetto in the centre of all this beauty where the Jewish community lived before their mass wartime slaughter.
Strange bars glow inside dark courtyards and medieval archways frame the life of the narrow, cobbled streets through which change has swept with panache. Using foreign cash and local vision, this stylish little city has big plans. But new business and infrastructure - even a skyscraper skyline - won't disguise the curious charm of eccentric, soulful Vilnius.
A metal plaque near the National Library of Lithuania in Vilnius showing how vast the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was from 1392-1430 when it stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and covered some 930 thousand square kilometeres - the size of modern Egypt and easily larger than any country in modern Europe - with a population of almost two and a half million.
This should be compared to present-day Lithuania which has a size of only 65 thousand square kilometers, less than 1/14-th the size of the Grand Duchy, and a population of almost 3 million.
Lithuanian Soldiers during a field training exercise in preparation for deploying to Afghanistan in May as part of the Lithuanian led Ghor Ghor Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT-15) and Lithuania led Police Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (POMSG-4) – The exercise involved more then 300 Soldiers including U.S and Ukrainian Troops – 2nd to 6th April 2012