Today I went to Trekkai castle. It is very mid-evil here! Castles look like ones I built years and years ago with legos. Really cute area, not super exciting but I had my own personal tour guide which was really nice until they told me at the end of the trip that it was gonna cost 150 lt (instead of 100 which I was told I would pay) because I was the only one on the tour! In the beginning (after I got on the bus) they said it might be a little more because I was solo, but didn’t say how much more! So, unfortunately for them, I didn’t give an extra tip at the end. Too bad because the girl was very nice, and she was young too. It was interesting to hear her talk about the Soviet ways and how people just aren’t use to being independent. Stuck in their old ways; she even said that even she was in some ways.
When I got back from the tour, I spent the rest of my time walking around the Old Town and taking pictures. Overall, it was a very relaxing, wonderful day enjoying the city. This is why I survey!
I went to a couple great restaurants while I was here. One of them was La Provence. It is a French restaurant. There were all sorts of business people there while I was eating, so I tried to play mysterious and tried to pretend I was super-important amongst all the businessmen speaking English. But, I probably didn’t do very well.
On the last night, I had finished my survey and sat down to have a beer. I STUDIED the restaurant guide like only I can and decided that even though a little pricey, I really wanted to try a particular restaurant which was highly recommended. While sitting and having a beer (pre-restaurant departure), I met a couple of Finnish guys who were there on a bachelor party (one out of the two of them were getting married very soon!) Actually, the one getting married was a bit creepy, while the other one was really cool. The one about to get married mentioned to me that he was in an “open” relationship – (he clearly had other intentions for me), and this sketched me out a little bit. But, I mention that I was just about to leave to go for dinner (and was having good conversation with them at the time), so they asked if they would be able to join me, and I obliged. (What else do you say to that question anyways?) We arrive at the restaurant and immediately I feel like I don’t belong. I am in better shape (dress-wise) than the other two guys, but even still – they may have had one-too-many beers to be acceptable for this place. Either way, we sit down and prepare to eat some GREAT food. I get a 4 course meal and it is just amazing. My first course is smoked salmon which is cooking until the second I take the cover off, and dessert was a little strawberry compote that comes with a tube of sugar-frosting that looks like toothpaste that you can squeeze out yourself and regulate how much you put on. It really was just incredible, one of the most unique meals I have ever had. The reviews about it said “it was not just a meal, but an experience”. Boy do I agree! The guys were also very happy that I took them there, if they hadn’t met me they wouldn’t have gone there, they said. One of the guys said it was probably one of the best meals he had ever had.
That night, I got home late and a bit drunk and had an early flight so I decided not to sleep. This made me exhausted – while packing up I actually sat down for a second and passed out for 2 hours on my computer. I woke up just in time for my taxi call and got the taxi to the airport. I had trouble with the flight, though. I had bought this other sketchy little kid’s backpack for a REASON and that didn’t matter, apparently, to fly from Lithuania to Slovakia. Man, I really HATE European airline regulations on weight. I was over by, once again, 10 kilos and was going to have to pay a really hefty fine. Instead, I kinda stood there to see if there was anything the attendant could do, and she kindly cut it in half for me. Geez, can’t she understand that a girl traveling for 6 weeks around the world has a very difficult time toting around only 20 kilos?
I landed to Bratislava and promptly went to bed (this was early; like 10 am early!)
Friday, August 7, 2009
Spark plugs... um, for a car?
This morning, I got up and went for a run. Woohoo!! There is a very lovely HUGE park located directly next to the hotel and I spent an hour or so a few times during my stay here getting lost in the mazes of the forests and off-beaten paths. I never was a runner (and I can’t say that I ran the whole time)… but I did start to understand the pleasure of running – it does make you feel liberated. While running, it crossed my mind that 3 weeks ago I was doing this along the Mediterranean shore of Israel, and now I am in the forests of Lithuania. How cool is that??? Life can be good, in this job, sometimes :)
Today a cab stopped for me and I didn’t even have my hand raised. Amazing. Eventually, I found one that I ended up using a lot. Really nice guy and reliable too, but unfortunately does not speak much English which doesn’t help. Also, he frequently did the Lithuanian “talk to my friend on the cell phone who speaks english” bit so that he could understand me better. I had used the regular hotel taxi a couple times (there is only one guy who works directly for the hotel) but I didn’t really like him too much. He was not personable, got lost once, dropped me off at the wrong place another time, and didn’t leave once (from the parking lot) because he was talking on the phone. Grr… frustrating.
I went to a car shop to look for spark plugs. The man that I spoke with couldn’t understand what I was asking for, so he puts me on the phone with a girl who does (which is the same thing that everyone does! I don’t speak English but I’ll call a friend who does). I tell her I am there looking for a spark plug, which I’m pretty sure she probably never learned the translation for spark plug. I repeat the question and she say well, we do sell those but not at that shop; we sell them at another shop that we have – an erotic shop. I am speechless for a second and feeling awkard, and then I say “…. For a car?” and she says no, not for a car. She thinks I am at a car shop surrounded by men looking for a BUTT PLUG!!! Well, I think anyways. I crack up and she does too and I give the phone back to the man. Meanwhile, they figured out what it was I was looking for but the girl told the story to the man and he told the whole rest of the shop in my presence. Still laughing, I quickly said thank you and left the office as soon as I could!
Survey life is SO much better with no permission issues!! I decided to invest some time into traveling to the head office to see if I could get permission. I made it there at the right time and spoke with the marketing director who was super nice and I was able to get permission in about 20 minutes. Amazing! Then, I decided to get right into the survey. I went to the store and NO ONE said a WORD to me. I wanted so badly to throw the permission letter in their faces and say “what about this, b*****s! I tried extra-hard to be noticed and asked to stop but no dice.
But then, later…. I have basically finished the whole grocery-store part of my survey. I am golden. I go back in to get one or two more prices I have missed, and someone actually dares to tell me that I cannot take prices. WHAT??? Oh she did. She messed with me. But I reach in to pull out the letter and, IT’S NOT THERE. I left it in the hotel room this morning! I COMPLETELY blew my chance! I am so disappointed in myself. But worse, I needed to prove to this lady that I actually did have permission. Luckily, I still had the ladies’ card in my pocket and this got me by with no problem.
Here in Lithuania, I don’t stop hearing surprised expressions when I tell people I am from the US. I keep getting “that’s so far away!” from just about everyone. It’s quite amusing, I think.
Today a cab stopped for me and I didn’t even have my hand raised. Amazing. Eventually, I found one that I ended up using a lot. Really nice guy and reliable too, but unfortunately does not speak much English which doesn’t help. Also, he frequently did the Lithuanian “talk to my friend on the cell phone who speaks english” bit so that he could understand me better. I had used the regular hotel taxi a couple times (there is only one guy who works directly for the hotel) but I didn’t really like him too much. He was not personable, got lost once, dropped me off at the wrong place another time, and didn’t leave once (from the parking lot) because he was talking on the phone. Grr… frustrating.
I went to a car shop to look for spark plugs. The man that I spoke with couldn’t understand what I was asking for, so he puts me on the phone with a girl who does (which is the same thing that everyone does! I don’t speak English but I’ll call a friend who does). I tell her I am there looking for a spark plug, which I’m pretty sure she probably never learned the translation for spark plug. I repeat the question and she say well, we do sell those but not at that shop; we sell them at another shop that we have – an erotic shop. I am speechless for a second and feeling awkard, and then I say “…. For a car?” and she says no, not for a car. She thinks I am at a car shop surrounded by men looking for a BUTT PLUG!!! Well, I think anyways. I crack up and she does too and I give the phone back to the man. Meanwhile, they figured out what it was I was looking for but the girl told the story to the man and he told the whole rest of the shop in my presence. Still laughing, I quickly said thank you and left the office as soon as I could!
Survey life is SO much better with no permission issues!! I decided to invest some time into traveling to the head office to see if I could get permission. I made it there at the right time and spoke with the marketing director who was super nice and I was able to get permission in about 20 minutes. Amazing! Then, I decided to get right into the survey. I went to the store and NO ONE said a WORD to me. I wanted so badly to throw the permission letter in their faces and say “what about this, b*****s! I tried extra-hard to be noticed and asked to stop but no dice.
But then, later…. I have basically finished the whole grocery-store part of my survey. I am golden. I go back in to get one or two more prices I have missed, and someone actually dares to tell me that I cannot take prices. WHAT??? Oh she did. She messed with me. But I reach in to pull out the letter and, IT’S NOT THERE. I left it in the hotel room this morning! I COMPLETELY blew my chance! I am so disappointed in myself. But worse, I needed to prove to this lady that I actually did have permission. Luckily, I still had the ladies’ card in my pocket and this got me by with no problem.
Here in Lithuania, I don’t stop hearing surprised expressions when I tell people I am from the US. I keep getting “that’s so far away!” from just about everyone. It’s quite amusing, I think.
Sex-scandals straight out of a 5* hotel
I got to my nice hotel in Vilnius – Crowne Plaza, 5*. It was a nice hotel, but I would soon find out that it was a bit of a ride into the city, unfortunately. The next day I already had a realtor appointment, and on my way there I had to stop in a rush for a bottle of wine. When I get back in the car, my driver pulls out a bottle of tequila and says in English “company party!” Hahahahahaha this made me crack up. I really DON’T want to know why he had that open bottle of tequila in his taxi car! Lithuanians are such lushes (no offense…. )
Later that day I told the front desk I was hoping to hire someone to make some phone calls for me for cash, and he very willingly obliged. He said that it would be better to do it out of the hotel for all intensive purposes but I needed the internet. So he said OK, and came in on his day off. I walked in the door from the realtor appointment and saw him talking to co-workers. He mouthed to me that he would be right up and I was thinking hmm… I wonder how sketchy that looks!!! I went up and he followed.
Speaking of sketchy, Eastern Europe must be the capital of sex-scandal. From all the porn in the Croatia hotel, to what I experienced in Vilnius, I was surprised.
I was doing work late at night in the café’ area, (which had closed down already for the night), when an older, pompous man checked in and was speaking english. I overheard the front desk tell him where to go for a strip club. About 45 minutes later, he came in with a lady scantily clad and a man, and they all walked over to the corner of the café, past where I was sitting. I couldn’t hear really well. The lady got up and went somewhere and the two men were talking for a while. All I heard was, “I am going to leave you now” and the second man got up and left, I will even suggest he was a pimp, and then shortly after the pompous man left the café. To go tend to the scantily clad girl? That was my thought. Soon after, a group of young men walked in and expressed to the front desk that their night could have been better. “How so?” Asked the front desk, and “how can we make it better?” I was thinking, what, do they promote this stuff or something? A few phone calls were made here and there and I heard “2:00 am”. I waited for it. Sure enough, at 2 am an attractive woman in high heels with a guard not far behind walked in the front door, and appeared to go upstairs. This was a 5* hotel I was in, not some 1 hour motel! I wanted to shake all those men and say, “what would your Mom think of you right now?” What an interesting, sketchy night this turned to be.
Later that day I told the front desk I was hoping to hire someone to make some phone calls for me for cash, and he very willingly obliged. He said that it would be better to do it out of the hotel for all intensive purposes but I needed the internet. So he said OK, and came in on his day off. I walked in the door from the realtor appointment and saw him talking to co-workers. He mouthed to me that he would be right up and I was thinking hmm… I wonder how sketchy that looks!!! I went up and he followed.
Speaking of sketchy, Eastern Europe must be the capital of sex-scandal. From all the porn in the Croatia hotel, to what I experienced in Vilnius, I was surprised.
I was doing work late at night in the café’ area, (which had closed down already for the night), when an older, pompous man checked in and was speaking english. I overheard the front desk tell him where to go for a strip club. About 45 minutes later, he came in with a lady scantily clad and a man, and they all walked over to the corner of the café, past where I was sitting. I couldn’t hear really well. The lady got up and went somewhere and the two men were talking for a while. All I heard was, “I am going to leave you now” and the second man got up and left, I will even suggest he was a pimp, and then shortly after the pompous man left the café. To go tend to the scantily clad girl? That was my thought. Soon after, a group of young men walked in and expressed to the front desk that their night could have been better. “How so?” Asked the front desk, and “how can we make it better?” I was thinking, what, do they promote this stuff or something? A few phone calls were made here and there and I heard “2:00 am”. I waited for it. Sure enough, at 2 am an attractive woman in high heels with a guard not far behind walked in the front door, and appeared to go upstairs. This was a 5* hotel I was in, not some 1 hour motel! I wanted to shake all those men and say, “what would your Mom think of you right now?” What an interesting, sketchy night this turned to be.
Spit (the island, that is)
On the last day, I was determined (and FINALLY had time) to venture out to the island of Spit for the last 4 hours until my bus to Vilnius. I walked down to the dock and bought the very inexpensive ticket for the 10 minute ferry ride to Spit. I walked through the nature (there was hardly anyone on the island!) and out to the Sea Museum where, to my dismay, I found out it was not open! People were going out but not in. I was so mad. All I wanted to do was go to the stinkin Sea Museum. I tried to ask the guard what was happening but he just waved his hand at me and walked away. Ahhhh so frustrating. At least I got a couple good pics of the seals playing in the water. For the rest of my time on the island, I did a lot of walking around. I walked through the woods for about 20 minutes (encountering no one on the way) until I reach the beachside and I was the only one on it for miles. Understandably so, though; it was cold and dreary out today. But still, it was a liberating feeling to be the only person there for miles.
I crawled out from the woods and took the ferry back in order to catch my boat. I had found a new taxi driver the day before who was awesome, and he spoke English very well and helped me out wherever he could. We said our goodbyes and he helped me get settled on my little bus to Vilnius. As I started to get comfortable, I snuggled into nap mode and was very happy I decided not to rent a car to take to Vilnius.
I crawled out from the woods and took the ferry back in order to catch my boat. I had found a new taxi driver the day before who was awesome, and he spoke English very well and helped me out wherever he could. We said our goodbyes and he helped me get settled on my little bus to Vilnius. As I started to get comfortable, I snuggled into nap mode and was very happy I decided not to rent a car to take to Vilnius.
Thank God for translators
The next day I went for a run. Beth had quickly inspired me through runs on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. I had no idea where I was going but I started from my hotel in Old Town, I ran to the other end (which took about 5 minutes) and then somehow found a reservoir. I ran around the reservoir about 4 times and watched the fishermen, listened to the croaks of the frogs and the sounds of nature, and observed a couple stumbling drunks before heading home to shower. It was a beautiful place to go for a nice quiet run with my ipod blaring.
Today my translator was coming. Then arrived a short, bald man probably in his late 30’s who had no idea what to expect. From the hotel, he understood that he was going to be accompanying me on a medical journey to visit doctors or something of that sort. Boy was he far from reality. He came up to my room and I explained to him that I wanted him to make phone calls and get prices for certain things. He was surprised, but agreed with no problems to go along with it; I WAS paying over $100/hr! He did a good job so I told him about my permission problems in the grocery store and I asked if he would like to help me out. He agreed. I went to the grocery store that night, called him, and we did the survey over the phone which took a good 3.5 hours but we DID it! When we met the next day to exchange information and additional money, he told me a little about the Soviet Union and how when his Mom was little, she and her family were deported to Serbia. Everything has changed significantly in the last 10 years or so, he said. It use to be that when US people came into Soviet territory (when Stalin was in charge) they were watched like hawks. He had some clients who had come here and he dared to take a trip with them they were prohibited to take because they wanted to visit ancestors. Another girl told me a story of how under the old government, people were always told what to do. Now, they say do it yourself. As much as I love democracy, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be a nobody who does things methodically because you have to, and then have to switch to suddenly, you’re on your own; go find out what you’re good at and good luck. If you don’t have the independence from the start, I’m sure it is very tough to gain it.
Today my translator was coming. Then arrived a short, bald man probably in his late 30’s who had no idea what to expect. From the hotel, he understood that he was going to be accompanying me on a medical journey to visit doctors or something of that sort. Boy was he far from reality. He came up to my room and I explained to him that I wanted him to make phone calls and get prices for certain things. He was surprised, but agreed with no problems to go along with it; I WAS paying over $100/hr! He did a good job so I told him about my permission problems in the grocery store and I asked if he would like to help me out. He agreed. I went to the grocery store that night, called him, and we did the survey over the phone which took a good 3.5 hours but we DID it! When we met the next day to exchange information and additional money, he told me a little about the Soviet Union and how when his Mom was little, she and her family were deported to Serbia. Everything has changed significantly in the last 10 years or so, he said. It use to be that when US people came into Soviet territory (when Stalin was in charge) they were watched like hawks. He had some clients who had come here and he dared to take a trip with them they were prohibited to take because they wanted to visit ancestors. Another girl told me a story of how under the old government, people were always told what to do. Now, they say do it yourself. As much as I love democracy, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be a nobody who does things methodically because you have to, and then have to switch to suddenly, you’re on your own; go find out what you’re good at and good luck. If you don’t have the independence from the start, I’m sure it is very tough to gain it.
You speaka da english?
While eating a yummy dinner (salad with quail eggs and anchovies in it), I met a younger Lithuania who had studied at the American University here in Klaipeda. I didn’t even know there was one! He told me I should go, they would love me there haha. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to. He also told me he had worked in Boston for a moving company two summers in a row. I didn’t believe him (especially because him and his friends were drunk and blowing horns all over town), but then when he started talking about the roads and towns in Boston, I was surprised. Him and his horn-blowing friends left (man I could hear this even in my hotel room into the wee hours, it was so annoying!) and as an after-dinner drink, I ordered a B-52. Little did I know that a B-52 was a shot that came flaming. I promptly, and a little embarrassed, blew it out and sipped on it. So lame.
My driver today was pretty awesome. He didn’t speak a word of English (what’s new) but he repeatedly called his poor friend who spoke English pretty well to be the go-between for the two of us. He really was trying his best to look out for me, and between the three of us, I even got a bus ticket for the right day and time to Vilnius for really cheap ($20, 3 hour drive – sounds like the Bolt Bus to NYC back home!) I hope his poor friend (over the phone) was already sitting there completely bored because we took up a good 2 hours of his time.
My driver today was pretty awesome. He didn’t speak a word of English (what’s new) but he repeatedly called his poor friend who spoke English pretty well to be the go-between for the two of us. He really was trying his best to look out for me, and between the three of us, I even got a bus ticket for the right day and time to Vilnius for really cheap ($20, 3 hour drive – sounds like the Bolt Bus to NYC back home!) I hope his poor friend (over the phone) was already sitting there completely bored because we took up a good 2 hours of his time.
Achoo very much
It was cold here, felt like Boston maybe a month ago (April). On my way home from the grocery store, the cabby ripped me off a bit. I was feeling a little discouraged here, even lonely, especially since finding someone who spoke English was very rare. But, as usual, time was, and would, go by very quickly with all the work there was left to be done. I hired a translator for Monday morning through the hotel, but man this was an expensive translator! It was about $100/hour.
I had bad dreams all last night and this morning, I woke up trying to yell “Dad!” Maybe I was missing the ‘rents.
The next day I ventured to the mall and I was very pleasantly surprised. The mall was very well developed, it even had an ice rink in the middle surrounded by restaurants so while you eat your unhealthy meal you can watch people fall on ice all over the place. But, I found that I had some major permission issues here. I started surveying with my book open in one of the grocery stores and was caught immediately and told to stop. The manager was suppose to meet me but did not, and when I went to look for her she was already gone. I couldn’t get permission until Monday and this was cutting it too close. I was going to have to stealth, which makes me so stressed out. I also, surprisingly, got kicked out immediately in a pharmacy (twice), trying to get prices for vitamin C. So frustrating! After leaving the mall the first day, I realized that I had a price tag stuck to my shoe when I took it off. Figures! Like I don’t see enough of them.
On the way out of the mall, I noticed the hype for the first time. While everyone was closing down and locking up, all the TV’s in the mall turned on and started blaring music. It was the Eurovision contest, which I had never heard of! Eurovision is the American Idol of the European countries; they all represent their countries and sing their hearts out for the crown. Once I left the mall, I found one of the recommended restaurants and watched while I ate my dinner. It was very entertaining and I gained a fondness for a couple of the songs, especially the one that won “I’m in Love with a Fairytale.”
My friend Emily (over facebook) left me a message that said “achoo” meant thank you in Lithuanian. That was going to be easy to remember!
I had bad dreams all last night and this morning, I woke up trying to yell “Dad!” Maybe I was missing the ‘rents.
The next day I ventured to the mall and I was very pleasantly surprised. The mall was very well developed, it even had an ice rink in the middle surrounded by restaurants so while you eat your unhealthy meal you can watch people fall on ice all over the place. But, I found that I had some major permission issues here. I started surveying with my book open in one of the grocery stores and was caught immediately and told to stop. The manager was suppose to meet me but did not, and when I went to look for her she was already gone. I couldn’t get permission until Monday and this was cutting it too close. I was going to have to stealth, which makes me so stressed out. I also, surprisingly, got kicked out immediately in a pharmacy (twice), trying to get prices for vitamin C. So frustrating! After leaving the mall the first day, I realized that I had a price tag stuck to my shoe when I took it off. Figures! Like I don’t see enough of them.
On the way out of the mall, I noticed the hype for the first time. While everyone was closing down and locking up, all the TV’s in the mall turned on and started blaring music. It was the Eurovision contest, which I had never heard of! Eurovision is the American Idol of the European countries; they all represent their countries and sing their hearts out for the crown. Once I left the mall, I found one of the recommended restaurants and watched while I ate my dinner. It was very entertaining and I gained a fondness for a couple of the songs, especially the one that won “I’m in Love with a Fairytale.”
My friend Emily (over facebook) left me a message that said “achoo” meant thank you in Lithuanian. That was going to be easy to remember!
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