Festivals and places to relax afterwards in Lithuania

A few notes before we start - one the photo is not at all relevant and two the festival actually takes place in Kernave not Vilnius.. not sure what's gone wrong with dooyoo there but anyway!

Gadi is a festival in Lithuania taking place in the 2nd weekend of May in the old capital Kernave (about 35-40km from Vilnius), the music festival follows a week of events your car in it's an additional 10lt. You could also do what we did and park the car on the outside part of the festival and then go through the hole in the fence that many were using. Lithuania is very relaxed and it's not like you'll be facing any consequences of deportation from the festival!

The bands on the main stage
=====================

I was only there on the Saturday, so can't say much about Friday but the bands were quite well known in Lithuania and the headliners I suppose were old metal band Katedra, who are the Iron Maiden of Lithuania. Generally the bands featured were metal or punk bands and the line-up can be found on the gadi.lt website, all the bands had myspace pages as far as I was aware. One exception to metal or punk was the bizarre Sportas with their weird song Udra, the singer who looked like Spud from Trainspotting wore the weirdest trousers I've ever seen whilst singing in a somewhat effeminate voice about a stoat/weasel (never did know the difference) , enjoyable as a once off, it's when they play it again it starts to get on your nerves! They had a whole host of songs which could win the Eurovision with ease!

On to the better bands like Wozu who despite having an unbelievably dramatical bassist in Martynas Garbacas they churned out some pretty good hard rock / metal whilst wearing quite convincing tribal face paint. Their best hit of the night was probably "Come on".

Next up was Bestija, a band which is hard to define but had tasty guitar riffs, some melodical tunes and the roaring voice of Edith who was an impressive frontwoman, some songs were in Lithuanian and some in English. Purvina was a particularly good song.

I have to say I missed a lot of the other bands due to hanging around drinking by the tents and fires which is also an enjoyable part of the festival. It's definitely worth buying plenty of beer before you go there, I brought about 20 liters of beer and a bottle of brandy with me but still ended up buying from the bar (5lt compared to 3.99lt for a bottle 2.5 times the size) after sharing. You are not allowed to bring glass bottles and although some people got in with them it's probably better to bring the 1.2 or 2 liter plastic bottles of beer from the shop which are cheaper anyway due to the caution on the bottles.

There was also another wooden building where a DJ played electronic tracks to a tightly packed crowd who were either really into the music or just keeping their heads down to avoid blindness from the clouds of weed smoke!

All in all a good festival with friendly and many talented musicians playing around the fireplaces. Wouldn't worry about theft or any problems here, it's Lithuania and everyone knows everyone at these festivals.

The village of Kernave itself is also very nice and worth wandering around with a hangover, I did a review on it quite recently.

I suppose after slagging off Nobo bar in Warsaw, I should do a positive review. I'm not going to though, I'll get another waste of a few beers worth of money out of my system! I've been to Cozy Club/Cafe Bar in Vilnius a few times.

The word Cozy couldn't be far from the description, it's not cosy at all, it's a modern pub with little room for socialising except for with people on your table.

It's another slightly expensive place (beer is cheap but coffees are expensive) for the well to do with good jobs or for the more classy foreigner, the cafe upstairs is a pretty popular place and serves a variety of complicated coffees that come in an enormous glass with ice cream, coffee beans and all manner of decorations. Alcohol wise, they have a good variety of drinks at medium prices (about 1.50) but it's a essentially a lounge bar where friends (mostly girls) find out what they've been upto in a sort of Sex in the City way. They generally play chill out music or jazz, the seats are comfortable.

This part of the pub I can tolerate, it's the club downstairs that plays minimalist techno or electronic music that and has the atmosphere of a graveyard even on a Friday night. There's a large round bar surrounded by seats and an additional chamber which is used as a dancefloor. There is a decent choice of cheap beer but there's really no need to go down there as there is often nothing happening until much later in the night. The decor is ok, a sort of cool (climatic), industrial factory feel to it. Just about anywhere else is likely to be more busier in the evening though.


Address:

Dominikonu 10
01120 Vilnius
Lithuania

Website: www.cozy.lt

Forto Dvaras is a restaurant that is part of the Lithuanian
"Fortas" chain and the one I'm reviewing is located in the center of the city at Pilies g. 16, Vilnius on the main street heading through old town.

I've had occasion to go there a few times, they specialise in local cuisine and I can definitely recommend going there if you are looking to try something traditional.

The restaurant is a rustic restaurant with wooden interior, waiteresses in traditional costumes, old Lithuanian music playing and a selection of local delicacies ranging from the slightly bizarre beer snacks like pig snout or pig ears to the every day beer snack like fried bread, there is also a large range of potato dishes, cepeliniai (which I have reviewed), chicken, fish, beef, pork dishes as well as salads, soups, desserts and certain regional dishes from Samogitia, Upper Lithuania, Suvalkija, Dzukija and the coast.

The prices are very reasonable and the meals are cooked to perfection (unless there is a better way to cook pig ears that I'm not aware of).

The choice of beer and Lithuanian spirits is also spot on and this restaurant provides you with a good welcome to the country at a very affordable price bang in the center of Lithuania. It is quite popular but it's pretty capacious and I can't see there not being room for you!

Knowing the restaurant reasonably well and being even more familiar with the cuisine, having lived there, I would personally recommend (assuming that there are 2 of you for some reason):

SVYTURIO EKSTRA 0,5l for 5,9lt (enjoy this tasty beer, nobody goes to Lithuania to drink wine)

with it order

THE SNACK PLATE WITH BEER (2 pers.)
16,9lt
Smoked pig ears, chicken wings, fried bread, fried chicken bits, fried bacon, cheese, horseradish sauce, garlic

You'll be surprised at just how tasty it is and you can let the squeamish one gauge on the chicken wings and fried bread or nibble the cheese like a mouse.

ZEPPELINS
TRADITIONAL 11,9lt
With meat, crackling-and-sour cream dressing

or

OLD CODGERs POTATO PIE 10,9lt
With crackling dressing, sour cream or traditional crackling-and-sour cream dressing

and

COOKED AND BAKED BUCKWHEAT WITH MUSHROOM DRESSING 8,7lt
Dainava is a land of forests. You must try the "invention" of dzukelis - native resident of the woodland

A tasty and lighter weight meal, so that you can share the two meals and still not explode!

There'll be no room for desert though unless you really are a monster!

What I recommend is a nice glass of VILNIAUS STARKA (43˚) 4,9lt to help the digestion, for double fun, one of you could get ZALIOS DEVYNERIOS (35˚) 4,9lt and you can then taste to very traditional drinks!!

If you really don't like the idea of the beer snacks then perhaps have a soup instead, you can't go wrong with the CHICKEN VELOUTE SERVED IN A BREAD LOAF 7,9lt

4lt = 1 pound.

As they say in Lithuania Skanus! (Bon Apetite)

Radio Luxembourg is the latest newcomer to my worldwide bar/club/restaurant reviews. Radio Luxembourg is an alternative club in Warsaw where you can see any number of live bands (reggae, rockabilly, psychobilly punk, ska, blues, death metal, viking metal etc) for usually no more than 5zl (1.20), a few times a month African nights or Indian nights are also organised where you can taste their styles of music and also food.

In the same courtyard are also Dobra Karma (a roots reggae/ska/balkan beats club), an African pub and a little greek restaurant, which gives it a nice feeling.

Beer is 6zl (1.45), other drinks are cheap too and the place stays open depending on how many people are there and what night it is but it should until around 5am. Although the area that it is in (Wola) is famed for being a bit chavvish, there's always a great crowd in this club and as long as you don't have to wait too long at the bus stop, you probably won't come in to contact with any!

The pub itself is a large room split into 3 parts, the first being the stage and the dance floor, then behind it tables and chairs facing the stage well spread out so you can walk between and finally at at the back a place where people go if they need to talk during a concert, just a standing area with table football.


Getting there:

It's not bang in the centre and therefore not really visited by foreigners but it's worth the effort to go there. If you are on your own, you'll undoubtedly make some friends.

Take bus 190 from Metro Ratusz or 171 from Plac Bankowy for about 12 minutes to the stop called PKP Kolo , you'll see the petrol station as you get out and some pubs/lights on the opposite side of the road, wait for the red man to go green, cross the road and it's the club on the right, facing the road. The address is Gorczewska 67.

Filaretai Hostel is located to the east of the centre of Vilnius, just after Uzopis and off in to a colourful courtyard. I spent a couple of weeks in the hostel about 4 years ago and it has continually upgraded itself since then. It's a short walk from the central area where as the other hostels tend to be in the thick of things but this actually has some benefits, firstly you get exercise to-ing and thro-ing and secondly it feels like a relaxing haven as the area that it is in, is unbelievably quiet and peaceful.

The staff were a bit old school Lithuanian - that's to say they don't go out of their way when it comes to customer care but on the other hand they are not fake and normally get the job done all the same. The kitchen was really the main socialising point of the hostel although there was a table in reception. This hostel had a somewhat quieter feel to it than the more centrally located ones, particularly in the winter when it's almost dead and only usually has one or two older guests staying there and a steady flow of Italian males who have usually selected it for it's quiet location in the hope of luring some local totty back! I can't remember much in the way of a free breakfast, I think it was limited to toast. The selection of pans in the kitchen wasn't much to be desired. It was undoubtedly one of the cheapest places to stay in the city, with rooms starting at 30 litas (about 7 pounds), the rooms were metaculously cleaned and always spotless.

Here is the full price list:

MAY 1st - SEPTEMBER 30 th


Single room 70 Lt - 20,27 Euro
Twin room 50 Lt - 14,48 Euro
3 bed room 40 Lt - 11,58 Euro
5+ bed room 34 Lt - 9,85 Euro

OCTOBER 1 st - APRIL 30 th

Single room 70 Lt - 20,27 Euro
Twin room 45 Lt - 13,03 Euro
3 bed room 35 Lt - 10,14 Euro
5+ bed room 31 Lt - 8,98 Euro

Towel - 1 Lt
Washing machine - 15 Lt
Lockers - 5 Lt

Credit cards are accepted, they also now have a common room which wasn't around before!

The hostels website has a map of the location and also the following directions:

From main bus/railway station - take bus No 34 (it stops opposite the train station, next to McDonalds) and get off on 8th stop ("Filaretiai stop "). Cross the main street and walk down Filaretiai street approx. 150 meters. We are on the left!

From the airport - bus No. 1 to the bus/railway station or a taxi directly to the hostel.

I've just returned from Kernave this weekend, 35km through the wooden house dotted countryside from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, lies the former capital and one of the first settlements in Lithuania - Kernave. Pretty small for a former capital, just a few houses, one shop, one cafe, a population of around 300 and a rather standout church! If there is proof that size doesn't matter this is it! A small walk to the back of the church will lead you to a sensational breathtaking view over the piliakalnis (fortified hill mounds) to the enormous bend in the River Neris and to the valley below.

Traditionally the locals lived by the river but after being attacked in 1390 by the Teutonic Knights (regular enemies for hundreds of years) who burnt down all the houses and the castle, they moved to the top of the hill and many left. A superb place for archeologists due to the amount of historical treasure that has been found completely intact, there are often digs here. The mounds themselves are incredibly impressive and the surrounding nature (which is part of a national park) is very untouched and intriguing for the visitor. You won't find many foreigners here but it is a regular picnic haunt of locals in the summer.

During our stay there was a music festival (organised for geologist students) a few kilometres away in the woods, the quality of music was quite good even though the bands were just starting out and despite about 1000 people being there, police and security presence was non-existant and despite their being some rather drunk Lithuanians, everyone behaved responsibly. All in all a good night in a superb location, until it started to belt it down with rain!

This is not the only festival held there, they also have lots of folk festivals, medieval crafts festivals and perhaps the most famous is on the 6th July (Coronation Day of King Mindaugas) aswell archeological expeditions. This in no way litters the surroundings though which remain in an unbelievably peaceful way.

It would be tricky to get there without a car, there are a couple of buses during the day but no other form of transport.

Druskininkai is a seasonal town or even village by a small lake, a spa resort in the South Western corner of Lithuania in an area neighbouring Poland and Belarus. In season, it's a trendy place for holidaying Russians and richer Lithuanian and has always had a long history of attracting the middle classes from Vilnius, Warsaw and Moscow ever since a train line ran close by from Warsaw to Saint Petersburg at the turn of the last century. If you are into the saunas and massages on offer then the prices may appeal but beyond the world of relaxation and frolicking in the nearby water park, there is very little to do here. The mud is supposed to have curing benefits.

The countryside in the area is not as lush as in the north of the country and mostly farmland, the town pretty much transforms in May, from a winter ghost town with the locals huddled around a fire indoors and the few visible people being stumbling drunks to a bustling holiday location for a mixture of people from pensioners to baldy blokes with barbie dolls in expensive brands of car with smoke black windows.

The main tree-ladened pedestrian boulevard is a nice place for a stroll but if you visit out of season, their tends to be a bit of building going on to make sure it is pristine by the time the summer comes around. It's cheap to stay in Druskininkai with rooms from about 25litas (4.3 litas to the pound). In my eyes Druskininkai is a bit over-rated but there is some very nice salty fizzy water bottled in the town only rivalled by that of the water from fellow spa town Birstonas.

The iconic blue orthodox church which really stands out as you enter the town is without doubt the building to see. If you decide to visit, it's worth visiting the Grutas park (A collection of towering soviet monuments that were torn down at the end of communism and brought to the park)

The town is not as easily reachable as it once was but there are plenty of buses from Vilnius and Kaunas.

Paluse is a village in the Eastern part of Lithuania, a tiny place on a lake with the countries oldest surviving wooden church which has been made completely without nails. Rarely visited by foreigners but regularly by people from Vilnius, it lies at the heart of the Aukstaitija National Park and ironically rather close to the Nuclear Power Plant at Ignalina.

The area is beautiful, a very leafy area with clear lakes and pure nature, lots of birdlife and a perfect place to relax. It is possible to rent chalets from 14lt - 40lt (5 litas = 1 pound), these are often filled up with teenage school kids who come for the weekend from Vilnius and grill sausage on an open fire, drink beer etc with their teachers on camps.

Getting there is rather easy, personally I hitchhiked there along the road to Utena and then changed road at Moleitai, as in most of the country, people are extremely willing to stop. There may be bus services but the most common way of getting there is by train, a service to Ignalina which costs 13 litas and takes about 2 hours from Vilnius. (Trains leave at 05.15, 08.00, 12.00, 14.00, 14.49, 16.47, 18.40 and 20.37), from the station, take a left and follow the road. It is a short walk to Paluse.

As far as I can remember, there was just the one shop - a fairly popular place to stock up on basic food and drink. Don't expect anything too flashy from it, you are best bringing food from Vilnius. You need special permission to fish as it is in a Nature Reserve.

This area is beautiful and very clean, with 126 different lakes connected with little rivers, there is plenty to admire. A great location for walking or swimming. Highly recommended.

Of all the music festivals that I've been to, I've always enjoyed the Lithuanian ones more than any other due to the superb atmosphere created by what I consider to be the most open, friendly and fun-loving people in Europe. The lack of stupid rules and security also make it like one big house party!

Roko Naktys is a rock festival which takes place once a year and has taken place in the middle of nowhere in Northern Lithuania for the last 5 years. I visited in 2005 and it was in Plateilai, a tiny place within a Nature reserve, the festival was held right by the lakeside and it was warm enough (particularly if you were drunk enough) to swim in.

The ticket to the festival for the whole duration including car, camping place and entry was 20LT (then 4 pounds, now 5 pounds), though many people just wandered in past security (consisting of 2 people) and others bought wrist bands from the supermarket having been told what colour they were by people already at festival. This is regular practice in Lithuania! A lot of people also go to the location a day or two early, mostly an excuse to just spend a few days by the lake getting drunk but also a cunning ploy to avoid the entrance fee!

There was a shop in the village but they soon ran out of supplies and closed up, this meant you had to drive to Plunge to buy alcohol and food (60km away), there's very little in the way of public transport and most people either drive or hitchhike there.

There was a first aid tent and a restaurant serving cheap Lithuanian meals, beer and vodka but most people just stocked up on lots of mammoth 1,2l or 2l bottles of beer, the top is opened and the bottle is passed around until empty. The bottle shouldn't really be re-sealed again. Homemade or simply just decanted vodka and starka (brandy) is pretty tasty and most people normally have a bottle or two.

We went up as 5 people in a car and one of the girl's demanded we take some bottles of crappy pop along with us which turned out to be really popular in the morning with hungover neighbours!

I'd say that the crowd wasn't particularly big, perhaps 1000-2000 people, I can't say I bothered counting them! The bands that year included Finnish glam/punk band Gang Bang Café, Poland's alternative rock band El Vehiculo, Sweden's alternative band Nervous Nellie, Latvia's Opus Pro & Aisha (who as I recall were considered a bit of a joke - they were Latvia's 2nd choice Eurovsion Song Contestants this year!) and a list of Lithuanian bands that included the metal legends that are Katedra and other well known bands like Bix, Thundertale and a group of musicians who have a project each year (that particular year was Kiss Projektas, the singer dressed up in make-up, tights etc, somehow released some live bats from his cape)

A lot of car's signalization systems were messed up by the loud music, the car we had (a crappy Ford Focus) also had this problem, initially the alarm just went off numerous times but one time we switched it off and the car failed to start. This was perhaps the highlight of the festival, as we had about 30 people convinced they knew what was wrong and working on the car whilst drinking beer. Nothing quite got it working, even a neighbouring metalhead trying to jumpstart the car with leads, eventually we were towed by a vintage fire engine to a local mechanic who was also blind drunk (it was a Sunday to be fair), eventually his son found the code on the internet to restart the system and all was well. We were only charged about 5 pounds for what took about 2 hours.

I really enjoyed that particular year and am considering going this year, I checked the website out and was surprised to find that they're moving location this year to the self-proclaimed cultural capital of Lithuania - Zarasai, this is somewhat of a surprise as it's the opposite end of the country from the previous festival. Zarasai is by the Latvian border and just a few kilometers from the predominantly Russian (people and language) city of Daugavpils in Latvia. The town is by a lake and the festival takes place on an island which looks quite intriguing, it's a place I've never been to so I may go along.Ticket prices have also more than doubled though to 50lt (22 pounds), because Zarasai is on the main road between Vilnius and Utena and Daugavpils which in turn is also used to go up to Russia, there is a lot more transport on this road, both public and private which will make it easier to get a bus, train or hitchhike.

This year's line-up is:

Paradise Lost (UK)
Volbeat (Denmark)
Bloodpit (Finland)
Division of Laura Lee (Sweden)
Hybrid Children (Finland)
Violent Divine (Sweden)
G-Point (Latvia)
Rojaus Tuzai (Lithuania)
Katedra (Lithuania)
SBS (Lithuania)
Zalvarinis (Lithuania)
AC/DC project

Website: www.rocknights.lt (English and Lithuanian)

As I've mentioned in the reviews for Gadi Festival and Roktys Naktys, there's very little better than a music festival in Lithuania. Whilst both of those are more geared to the hard rock or metal fan. ZooFest is a bigger mixture of music but predominantly Punk, Ska, Psychobilly, Hardcore, Alternative with some metal bands usually attending.

The festival takes place in the small town of Alytus in the southern corner of Lithuania by Belarus and Poland, the town itself has quite an alternative scene and Zoo Club which organises the festival is a regular gig for bands touring in the region.

The club and organisers of the festival are also particularly active in contacting and being active with young Lithuanian bands that have just started out. The crowd is drunk and friendly and alerts you to the fact that there are a lot more punk and hardcore fans than it may appear on first sight in the country!

This year's festival will take place over the 25,26,27 July and sees the following bands headline it:

Friday 25th:

Brosided [Hardcore from Lithuania],

Faust Again[metal from Poland],

My Machete rock/garage from Sweden]

Nine Eleven [harcore/metal from France],

Offbeat Heroes [ska-punk-reggae from UK],

Officer Down [hardcore from UK]

Versus You (indie from Luxembourg]

Saturday 26th:

365 Dni [hardcore/punk from Poland],

Avarinis Iejimas [punk from Lithuania],

Brigadniy Podriad [folk rock from Russia]

Funny Rot [punk/alternative from Lithuania],

Lack [indie/alternative from Denmark],

My Ocean [harcore/emo from Belarus]

Naktine Pufaika jam band [jam band from Lithuania]

P.O. Box [ska/rock from France]

The Lucky Gang [pop-punk from Lithuania]

Sunday 27th -

Bu-By [Alternative from Lithuania],

Critical Hit [Hardcore from Lithuania],

Groove Solid [rock/groove from Lithuania]

Lenino Pr. [punk from Lithania],

Mister X [streetcore from Belarus],

Moj Rakety [alternative/indie from Russia],

Netvarkoi! [streetcore from Lithuania],

The Blank Heads [punk from UK]

The festival is Open-Air and tickets for the whole thing cost a mere 30LT (8 pounds), there are all-night after parties held in the Zoo Club as well as other events like eco-sculpture workshops and an organised sub-culture football competition will take place.

There is camping available by the Nemunas River where the festival will take place, within close distance to the center of the town but still in a natural location. You will find it by either the signposting or the amount of people heading in that direction!

This is a good chance to watch some great underground bands with a nice crowd whilst drinking cheap beer in a wonderful location. A downside is I've left it a bit late to inform anyone about it, so make sure you book a flight which co-incides with next year's festival!

More info can be found at www.myspace.com/zoounderground