Life in a Small Lithuanian City as a Foreigner 

Well shes from New York, i dont think our winter will be that drastically different :D

The ice crystalline trees and streets are a sight to see. When the snow falls slowly and reflects street lights. It can be amazing if you have warm clothes.

Winter with no snow and 4°

Winter in lithuania is shit in2023

Totally agree with Austėja. Although, not all Lithuanians are the same, it really depends on situation and on person. As for the beauty of other towns, you should definitely check Anykščiai and Druskininkai also. Those are very impressive, green and relaxing places to visit as well.

@@frozenberry123 I totally agree with both of you. I don t think Lithuanians are that friendly either....yes as Austeja commented - that is true...modest and sometimes polite - but not always , not all of you....not like Canadians- they are friendly and polite people....

@@keepcreationprocess yes, but alot of Western politeness is fake. I live in UK and I know people will smile in your face and slag you off behind your back. With Lithuanians is going to be in your face and if they don't know you, they will be reserved, but if they like you, it's from the heart.

Would like to move to Lithuania

Totally right , I hope she doesn’t meet them when they are drunk 😅

you need visit again,and see,how all changed..

The country has changed drastically. Lithuania in 90s and Lithuania now are two completely different worlds. Please do visit again!

Just in the capital changes were like a double edged sword. We got modern skyscrapers, but also lost a lot of nature in the city, trees, green spaces as density just keeps increasing (in soviet times nobody cared about profits from this). Due to new constructions we are also loosing a lot of smaller historical buildings, especially wooden heritage is being lost quickly.

@@vaida.san94 Not is all ways. I miss some authentic historical charm of Vilnius old town. Nowadays some of it has been lost, while in many other cases all nice courtyards have become locked without public access.

ahh that makes sense, I didn't realize. Thanks for letting me know!

Thank you so much!

❤ good post

Hi Marius, I am currently applying for a Lithuanian citizenship by descent. Hoping to be able to visit soon.

Thanks so much, Marius! I'm glad you are enjoying the videos and I appreciate the tips on other places to visit around the country. There are so many places, my list just keeps getting longer! haha

@@laura-bronner As you are near, you should definitely visit "Šavašos pažintinis takas". Great place to feel the greenery of forests and creeks. If you'll ever need any help, tips or just to meet, you can write me ;)

Exactly, it also has lots of restaurants.

aaaand they have a pretty great variety of SPAs in Anykščiai :)

Will it be too cold in winter for someone from coutry which never has temperature as low as 10°C?

@@edsong7824 You would need decent winter clothing. With that winters are really not that cold.

@@edsong7824 well last winter I think there were few weeks with like -15 if I'm not wrong, maybe more

@@paulioska7194 a bit more 😊 last winter we had cold as low as minus 20-26 for quite a while (mostly it doesnt last longer than 2-3 weeks) but thats when the lakes freeze properly and you can go walk on if there is snow its heaven

I don't think I'll get up there before the cool weather arrives unfortunately. Without a car it's been difficult to get around, but we don't want to get a car (don't even think we can?) until our residency permits come through. Still a few more weeks to wait unfortunately.

@@laura-bronner It's super easy to get there via train from Vilnius! It will take around 6 hours, but I think you won't regret it, especially Klaipeda - Nida, as soon Nida will start closing down due to the end of the tourist season (which is a good thing as most of the tourists there are Lithuanians and the place is more lively). In all honesty, if you were looking for a city with a sense of town but an international community as well, then Klaipėda is the best spot as there are some awesome people from the US & Canada and all over the world living there. Not to mention the sea, beautiful park and overall amount of green spaces you have a few minutes away from the city center. It's the best city for nature lovers in Lithuania.

Thank you, I'm loving it :)

Thank you! I will check out that restaurant!

You’re always welcome here! Lithuania is an incredibly safe and peaceful place. And the capital is super cozy and lovely. You’d enjoy for sure☺️

Thank you so much, glad I could give you a taste of home!

🙉🙈🙈 oh dear.

i'd love to see it

I have to agree! I live not too far from Marijampolė and visit this town every week. I like that everything is so close in the center and you can find everything you need. And really it's one of the most renovated towns in Lithuania. Also very clean and close to Poland and Kaunas. Really worth a visit ☺️

Thanks so much, Gerald. I'm really glad you are enjoying the recent videos! I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment :)

Thank you! We have been really enjoying the different trails that we've found so far! I would love to do some of the 100km loop trail around Vilnius while the weather is still nice :)

Thanks, I'm feeling happy and healthy :)

@@laura-bronner Welcome to Lithuania :D And yes, we lithuanians love our fresh produce, and we cock at home very often :) we also do visit shops for those "vegies" almost every second or third day :D That's why there aren't really any restaurants in smaller city. It simply will not have enough customers. Best of luck and dress up. It will get rainy and cold soon ;)

Would be lovely to have a drink when you come back to Lithuania!

I come from the same place as Sigita, the surrounding areas around Palanga are just amazing!

Me too, it has been so lovely.

I've never been to Norway, but I imagine it's much cheaper to live in Utena haha, especially if you are still able to earn what you are earning in Norway.

We are waiting for our residency permits to come through before considering getting a car, but I think long term we will probably get a car. I have heard so many lovely things about the coast, I can't wait to get up there!

oposite it is better visit sea in late autum. you can get hot vine and go see huge waves. in summer it is boring

Would be lovely to meet when you're back! I'm glad you are enjoying the videos and they can bring you a little bit of Lithuania while you're away.

I would really love to go to Anykščiai, it looks so nice, but I don't have a car, so getting there by bus is very difficult at the moment. I would love to visit Ukmergė, maybe see you there!

@@laura-bronner yes, public transport is very uncomfortable in Lithuania. Check carpool groups like " Vilnius- Utena, Utena - Vilnius", also "Utena - Kaunas - Utena". Its kind of sharing a seat in a car for few €. I tried several times and such system works :) especially when students going to study or going back to visit parents...

Thanks so much, that's really helpful!

I'm excited to see some of the live music and the other events that are happening here this weekend :)

100 km for concerts isn't a big deal 😎🔥

@@aurimaslabanauskas with our public transport system it's a big deal. unless you have a place where to sleep there or have a car, otherwise last bus from Vilnius to Utena 18.50

Oh yeah, encephalitis vaccine is strongly recommended here. 2 ticks got me in July...

Indeed, I've been getting at least 2 of those little shits every summer lately. Last one from sitting on grass that wasn't even a centimetre tall. They're truly everywhere. At the very least educate yourself about tick diseases and go to a doctor right away if you spot the signs.

I understand the draw now :) I used to swear that I was a city girl, but I am really enjoying the serenity and kindness that just doesn't exist in a city.

I'm in Las Cruces. Its growing on me.

Headed there in a few days!

Thank you so much! It was certainly some strange weather! I'm looking forward to the autumn :)

I guess it’s a cultural thing. People in South Europe tend to spend more time outdoors and to meet in restaurants, cafes more than Eastern Europeans. Here it’s way more common to cook at home or to invite guests to come over. Of course in the capital is different.

Thanks so much for sharing the video :)

Thank you so much!

Thanks so much! I will check out the square and the bakery. What is the name of the bakery?

You're welcome :D, and it's called 'Aikštės Kepyklėlė' Edit: More things to see if you're interested: There's a museum of the Utena area (Utenos kraštotyros muziejus) really close to the bakery Another bakery is even closer to 'Senukai' called '101 Kepyklėlė' and it is also really good and opened up pretty recently The Utena culture centre (Utenos kultūros centras) which you should really go to this week because the annual city fair is happening right now, where a market opens up and they sell esentially everything you can think of, it should be a great way for you guys to meet some locals and have a great time (it's located on the other side of the road from the church you showed in the video, the one next to the store called 'Maxima', in winter time they also put up a christmas tree and decorate it there too, that's something that is done in almost every single Lithuanian city as a form of friendly competition Speaking of churches, there is another one just down the road from Utenis square called 'Utenos kristaus žengimo į dangų bažnyčia (which roughly translates to 'The church of the christ's ascending to heaven of Utena) Another museum is on the road to Vilnius, it's called 'Utenos laisvės kovų muziejus' (Museum of the fight for freedom of Utena) and it has a lot of historic things related to the Soviet occupation of Lithuania and the exile of Lithuanians to siberia, pretty cool And also, when you can, definantly see some of the villages not far from Utena (like Užpaliai and Svėdasai) as they have interesting historic locations that give insight into old Lithuanian history and tales, see some of the mounds in the countryside, which are old hills that often had a castle or fort on them, the one in Narkūnai, a village really close to Utena was actually the place where the history of the city began Really sorry if i ended up typing too much i'm just really excited to help as we don't usually get a lot of foreigners in our country, and especially in small provincial places like Utena, hope both of you guys have a great stay here! :D

Thank you so much for all of the tips! I've added them all to the map on my phone so I can check them out. The Museum for Freedom of Utena sounds especially interesting!

The same thing that brought me to Mexico, my boyfriend took a job here :)

It's somewhere I'd really like to visit! I heard you have the best beer there :)

@@laura-bronner The best 🍺

Thanks!

haha yes it's already perhaps the coldest August I've experienced since living in New Zealand where August is winter 😂

''winter is coming''-kevin samuels

How cool! I do miss some dried chilies to cook with! haha Would be lovely to meet up while you're back :)

Kupiškis you mean?

@@kipras4699 yup 😅 didn't realize there's a mistake

@@gabrielesimonyte9617 Nieko tokio

Thanks so much for your message! I would love to meet up next time I am near Kaunas - and especially to speak Spanish again :)

@@laura-bronner any time!!

I’m actually looking forward to the coziness of winter. I haven’t had one in five years. Warm pubs and cafes, museums to explore, wind that reminds you your alive. That feeling of coming back in after being outside and shedding all of the layers, having that first warm drink. I grew to hate the overly hot weather in my time in Mexico. Over 30 degrees C is much the same as weather that’s “too cold.” You can’t be outside because the sun is too strong, there’s not much to do and most people are at home in front of their air conditioners, especially in Mexico where most cafes and restaurants are mostly outside.

@@laura-bronnerEach one to his own. I do agree that the hot weather in Mexico can get you down after a while. Here we have a moderately cold winter and a hot summer. Temperatures have been in the mid thirties every day in August. Mornings are nice though. I am from Marin County in the SF Bay Area so I have never really lived in a seriously cold place. The best climate for us was in Brasilia where almost every day saw highs of 27º and nights of 15º. We never had heating or AC. But, as you might know, Brasil is a very violent country with a lot of political instability too. Portugal, in comparison, is extremely safe. One of my granddaughters is going to be in Tallin, in Estonia, next year, doing Erasmus, so we will get more information about that part of Europe.

I'll answer this in the Q&A video I'm filming - will be up Wednesday :)

Why everyone should move to big cities? Smaller regions already lack people and you suggest even stronger centralization. Also it seems she searched for relaxing, quiet, green environment with a lot of space and nature. Kaunas and especially Vilnius have just too much action, movement so many changes, green spaces are disappearing in front of our eyes just for the sake of skyscrapers, shops and restaurants. I wouldn't be surprised if Vilnius becomes similar dense concrete jungle to other European large cities due to new constructions. At least it used to be unique with its spaces, nature, old town and historical architecture. Don't get me wrong, some love that, but not everyone.

Well I live in Vilnius and quite passionate about its history so I think I am a bit familiar with changes that are happening there. Here you go, you agree that Vilnius is unique compared to other larger European cities. But that is what I am talking about, those differentiating values are slowly disappearing and it becomes similarly globalised and homogeneous. Of course I am not comparing it to pure concrete jungles like Paris or Barcelona. But Vilnius was uniquely green and didn't have "big city" feeling compared to even Riga.

When I'm not working, I catch the bus to Vilnius or go for a walk around Utena. Vilnius is the closest big city, so it's easy to head there for the day and get my city fix. But I work Monday to Friday from home and tend to travel elsewhere on the weekends :)

It's so hard to make a comparison because I was such a different person when I was in New Zealand, I had seen so little of the world and had nothing to compare it to (it was over 10 years ago now since I lived there), but I think the biggest thing about Lithuania is that it's so flat, so you get up above the tree line and you can see green for miles and miles. New Zealand is rockier, more mountainous, more rugged, so the greenery doesn't smack you in the face quite as much (at least that's how I remember it).

@@laura-bronner good point......I just discovered your vids recently....really enjoyed the Baja ones so far ...keep on doing what you do..

Nah! Lived in Kaunas for 16 years. Lived in NZ for 63. Green is green, unless you have survived Canterbury after a normal summer, with Norwesters. Cheers from The Kaunas Kiwi...

Thank you so much :)

I would love to move here but don't know how to go about it I love the country