The tour itself was fabulous, both my sister and I came away with a far greater appreciation of our Lithuanian heritage something we are now both very proud of, especially as we come from the most intelligent of all the Lithuanian tribes!! But seriously the trip was so interesting we saw so much and got a great appreciation of both city and rural life. Vilnius is beautiful with its ancient architecture so wonderfully restored, it is a very dignified and elegant European city you have much to be proud of. Your countryside should be the envy of the rest of Europe it is real Red Riding Hood country complete with Wolves! Beautiful forests and many inland lakes, it was marvelous being driven through the countryside to see how it changes from one side of the country to the other. The lunch we had in the forest village was very special. It is an experience that will stay with us for ever, and I am glad we managed to entertain our Mother and Tautvydas so much with our poor effort at the ethnic dancing!! In fact all the lunches we had in all the restaurants were lovely, the lunch at Trakai was very special overlooking the lake and castle plus we got the opportunity to try some Lithuanian dishes I know my sister really enjoyed her smoked pigs trotters, but not so much the smoked pigs ears! And we thank you very much for choosing a Lithuanian restaurant on our last night of the tour which specialized in authentic dishes from my mother’s regional area, it was very thoughtful and really epitomizes the great care your company takes of its guests whilst in your country.

Our guides Virginia and Lilia (forgive me if I have misspellt any names) were wonderful we cannot praise them highly enough they were both so knowledgeable on all subjects from architecture and cultural history to where the best supermarket was! Lithuania has had to endure some very hard times and it would seem that right from the beginning of time others wanted to posses it, and it says much about the tenacity and determination of the in the character of Lithuanian people that no invaders have permanently possessed your land, you have always managed to grab it back, and now god willing it is yours forever more with no further occupations. Both Virginia and Lilia were wonderful in personalizing the tour and nothing was ever too much trouble. Especially when we reached Kleipeda (Mums home town) which she had not visited for over 60 years, Lilia was wonderful in digging out old postcards and maps for Mum to show what had happened to the town after the WW 2 bombing and to help her pinpoint where some of her old haunts used to be. We found her school (still a school today) and the street where she used to live as a child and the spot where she used to ice skate with her father, it was very special… for all of us. So a huge thank you once more to both Virginia and Lilia, both very lovely people who made out trip all the more special.

Lastly but by no means least we would like to especially mention out driver for the 9 days Tautvydas, he was a marvel. Not only was the car extremely comfortable but his driving made us feel very safe we knew instinctively we were in good hands, especially important as you don’t have to wear seatbelts over there!! He was very patient and a true gentleman he had much to put up with as he had four bantering woman in the car for long periods of time!! I think he struck up a special relationship with our Mother who sat in the front seat for all of the 9 days and he would often keep her company when she felt she could not join us for a walk somewhere, my sister and I would often return to find them both giggling over something they had found amusing. He also ensured he drove as close as possible to venues to save Mum walking too much, again that attention to detail and the personal touch means so much and makes such a difference to peoples experience and impressions. He also had a great sense of humour (very dry); he was fantastic and made our experience all the more special just by being there.
We saw and experienced so much we could write forever about how great it all was, it was filled with both happy and poignant moments as befits your country’s history, I am proud to call myself half Lithuanian and will definitely return not only because I have an emotional attachment to the country but simply because it is beautiful and I will want to return and share its beauty with others.

Thank you all at “Visit Lithuania”, each and every one of you has helped make a positive lasting impression; we shall always fondly remember our time with you …

Kind Regards
Emily McGrath 
Also on behalf of Monica Piery and Christel Frith

PS My sister wanted me to mention that on our last day we had some Litas which we were not able to exchange back in the UK, she thought it would have been nice to be able to put them in a donation box to go toward a Vilnius restoration fund or something of that nature, maybe there could be such boxes in the hotel lobby so departing tourists can donate their small change, every little helps and it is better than the money doing nothing, just a thought…..

Emily McGrath
Compliance Officer
Audit & Compliance
Victoria Teachers Credit Union