Monday, June 30, 2008

Neringa - On the Baltic Sea

Hello From the Curonian Spit! Kissed by the Baltic Sea from the west and hugged by the Curonian Lagoon on the east, this UNESCO World Heritage listed nugget is home for freshwater and saltwater fish, shore and forest birds, pine forests, swamps, sand dunes,wild pigs, deer and tasty wild strawberries. 2/3 of this Spit belongs to Lithuania and the remainder belongs to Russia. This popular resort has an abundance of cultural and recreational activities, including the consumption of fresh, smoked fish.








My companion Jurgita, Director of The Environmental Information Center.












Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Jonines celebration (beginning of summer) - Lithuania

Hello from Lithuania!
Experience a taste of centuries old tradition of celebrating Jonines, the coming of summer! Enjoy the attached nano-videos to listen to ancient songs which accompany this celebration.














Friday, June 6, 2008

Traditional Food at the "VIP" restaurant

Garden courtyard at the VIP












Oleg is passionate about locally grown organic foods, preserving traditional Ukrainian foods, and improving the soils at his 10 hectare farm. Dinning at his restaurant on the Ukrainian-Polish border is a culinary delight. Roxy, our translator, and I were overwhelmed by the traditional food and historical ambiance and Oleg's over the top hospitality.

Borsh soup, cabbage salad, Ukrainian dumplings stuffed with pork and topped with bacon and sour cream. Our beverage, 'tea on the plant' is made from dried fruits and honey.











Pork Shashleek




Local honey pancakes stuffed with cherries and cheese coated in white sugar



Wine from the Crimea
Home made Vodka bread is baked in fire oven