One of the highlights of our tour was our guide, Loreta. She was personable, knowledgeable, articulate, and always professional – the best tour guide I have ever had. She learned our interests and provided experiences she knew we would enjoy. It is because of the events she put in motion that we have been able to make contact with our family in Lithuania after we returned to the US. Loreta took us to our grandfather's home village and arranged for us to speak with two local residents. (She also took us to their church and arranged with the priest for us to go inside.)  My sister left her contact information with these two ladies. Although they did not know about our family, after we left they “spread the word” through the local community and found our grandfather's relatives still living in the village, who contacted my sister through one of their family members currently living in New York. We met with him and were able to find out through him how our family fared in the difficult years during and after World War II. It was a dream come true. We grew up with our Lithuanian grandparents in New Jersey and to be able to walk on the same roads they walked and see the landscape they saw, and then to speak with one of our cousins from Lithuania, was a very moving experience

We plan to visit Lithuania again, probably in 2010 (we can't wait!) and meet our family members still living there. We will bring along at least two of our cousins from New Jersey and definitely will make our travel arrangements through „Visit Lithuania“.

Lithuania is a fascinating country with a rich heritage. It is the kind of “undiscovered” gem that seasoned travelers are always looking for, a place that hasn't been spoiled by commercialization and hordes of tourists. Thank you for sharing your wonderful country with us.

With kindest regards,

Susan Provenzano