Geez, first time back home in about 3.5 years and somewhere around 7 years since I've spent a proper summer here in Lithuania. A bit crazy to think that I've been away from something so familiar for such a long time. It's quite interesting to compare things now. I really thought that over these years a lot of things would have changed. I guess some did, some didn't. Let me explain.
Vibe.
I have to say, I do dig the vibe here in Lithuania, at least in Vilnius, my hometown. Depends on where you go, of course, but I spend most of my time around the city centre and god damn it, I do like it.
I missed that hustle & bustle and the fact that there could be something really cool going on just around the corner. Stuff like concerts, art exhibitions, all sorts of performances and things are happening on daily basis. You never really know what you're going to get. Not all of it is going to be good too, but it's still an experience.
Certain areas in Vilnius are really dope, as they have their own character, some of it is old and rustic, some is modern and really bizarre, but in a good way. Lots of public places, parks, little gardens that are very cute. It's not your ordinary big city concrete jungle vibe.
People.
I love that there's a lot of people who are not afraid to be different. It wasn't like this some years ago. People having their own identity and really owning it. F**k yeah. Why the hell not?!
I remember walking down the street and seeing mostly black/grey tops & black/grey bottoms. No colours, not much character/identity, no 'umpf'. There were some odd people that had their style, but not many.
Now, you walk around and you see people rocking some funky-funky-fresh goodness out there. Owning it. That's a cool thing to witness. Good on you people!
On top of that, there's a lot more people from abroad. It used to be mostly tourists, maybe a few internationals here and there, but now, you see people from all around the world. Different races, nationalities that definitely adds flavour to the city. At times you might even think you're somewhere in Berlin or Paris, especially if you're in Old Town. Diversity is a great thing!
Bars/Hospitality.
Also, I think that the bar/coffeeshop culture has really developed over the years. So many places (especially in summertime) have their own cute, little, cozy spaces, like, all sorts of terraces, gardens, rooftops n stuff and that really adds to the whole vibe of the city. If you're lucky, you might even get to catch a nice sunset somewhere cute. Ah, so romantic.
Although, music in a lot of places is a bit shitty. Lots of mainstream type of stuff, which can really kill the vibe. Food might be great, staff could be cool, but if the ambiance (music in particular) is garbage, then it ruins it for me.
I wish some owners would put a bit more thought into what type of music would fit their venue.
I don't know, but for me that's kind of a big deal. I remember working in a bar in Sydney, and our owners were these two really cool dudes who really cared for their business (obviously). One of them, would regularly update their Spotify playlists, they had songs for different times of day, different moods and stuff. It was really cool, when it would get busy, the tunes would be a bit more up beat too, so you get into a bit of a groove. Really cool & good for both the staff and customers.
Great music can turn the whole night around for some people and get them groovin' until 8am in no time. Some places don't play any music at all, which is even more ridiculous. All you hear is other people chatting and eating, which is okay, but not fun. I'd say that's something to think about.
Wrap up.
I could really go on and on, but I might save it for some other time. So far, I've spent a good month and a half here and there's definitely been more positives than negatives. I honestly thought that it's going to be worse (Mr. Positive over here).
Although, it's fair to say, that if I was to spend time in Lithuania, I could only do it during the summer season, which is like 2.5-3 months a year. This is the time of year when people seem nicer, friendlier and overall happier. Christmas might be cool, but it's only like 2 days, so definitely not enough. Summer time all the time!
As for the rest of my holidays, the plan is simple. Try and make the most of my holidays here, spend time with my family and friends, do something cool and enjoy the unemployment, cause god knows when's the next time I'll have a chance to spend a full proper summer here in Lithuania.
I'll keep you posted.
- Vinny The Guy