NOTE: I encourage you to click on the links I provide so you can see pictures of Lithuania, and learn interesting facts about the country.

It is now day twelve of my visit to a now-free Lithuania. Yesterday, we visited Palanga, the country's best seaside resort. We then visited Klaipeda, the bustling Baltic port and third largest city in Lithuania.

The last time I was in Palanga was 1986. At that time it was very quiet and rather dull, except for the beaches. I was there "illegally," as foreign visitors were required by the communists to stay always in the capital city of Vilnius. But my cousins and I always broke the rules. We actaully made quite a game of avoiding the Russian occupiers and their Lithuanian collaborators--and almost got into big trouble a couple of times (but that's another story).

I barely recognized Palanga yesterday. Hundreds of vacationing Lithuanians and foreign tourists were walking the pedestrian mall, perusing the many crafts and souvenirs being offered by street vendors, and eating fine cuisine at the many restaurants and cafes. Many entrepeneurs have rehabilitated older buildings and started businesses. For example, an old Jewish friend of ours has opened a restaurant/cafe/hotel called Vila Ramybe on Palanga's main street. (I mention she is Jewish because I have often heard many ugly things said about Lithuanians and their supposed "anti-Semitism." As an American-Jewish-Lithuanian, I have always been treated with great respect in the Baltic nations, and briefly note here the Holocaust museum in Vilnius and the Vilnius Yiddish Institute, the "first Yiddish center of higher learning to be established in post-Holocaust Eastern Europe." Note: My next blog will be devoted to discussing the Lithuanians who collaborated with the Nazi's and those who collaborated with the Russians.)

As with many Lithuanians, our Jewish friend's property had been "communized" back in 1944. After liberation from Russian/communist occupation in 1991, our friend had to file a claim for her family property with the new Lithuanian government so that she could regain ownership (i.e., re-privatization). You should see what she's done with the Vila Ramybe. The place is beautiful. The food and coffee are great. And you wouldn't believe the woodwork in the hotel rooms (woodwork is a great tradition here). Next time you're in Palanga, stay at Ramybe and support my friend.

After spending half the day in Palanga, we made our way to Lithuania's big port of Klaipeda--which does not freeze in winter, and is the only port in the region that doesn't. Because of its year-round availability, various powers (Russians, Germans, French) have fought for control of the port. Lithuania finally has sovereignty over Klaipeda, and this has helped the country's economy, with shipping, wood products, textiles, and fertilizer being the city's biggest products. We spent most of our time in Klaipeda touring the city's old historical section.

We sat down at a cafe in one of Klaipeda's many historic trade-oriented buildings, nestled next to a canal coming in off the cold Baltic sea. God, the coffee was good there. As we babbled on in a mix of English and Lithuanian, people at two nearby tables noticed us. One table was Lithuanian. The other was Russian.

We had a great time comparing notes about life in Lithuania and the U.S. We learned from our Lithuanian and Russian compatriots that Klaipeda's economy is booming and that the city may soon surpass Kaunas in becoming the country's second largest city. We also learned that Klaipeda's population is 1/3 ethnic Russians. Lithuanian-Russian relations have become relatively stable, especially when compared to Latvian- and Estonian-Russian relations (the two newly-independent Baltic nations north of Lithuania).

During occupation of the three Baltic countries, the Soviet "leadership" attempted to "Russify" Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia by sponsoring and encouraging Russians to pour into these little Soviet "republics." Estonia ended up with a 42% Russian population while Latvia ended with a 30% Russian population. Lithuania fared a little better. As a result, the Baltic countries have had to deal with many citizenship, and some border, issues dealing with imported Russian populations. For example, in Estonia's first elections, the new indigenous government required Russians living on its territory to pass an Estonian language test as a prerequisite to voting. This angered many Russians, as being the conquerers, they never bothered to learn Estonian.

While travelling in the three Baltic countries under Soviet occupation, I remember all public signs being in Russian as well as the the indigenous languages. I always thought it was strangely aristocratic of the great egalitarian Russian communists to impose their language on all countries that they "liberated" (conquered). I also remember that all children in the Soviet Union were forced to learn the Russian language.

Thank goodness those days are over. The new Russia has toned down its aggressive saber-rattling towards the three Baltic countries since all three have joined NATO and the EU. Don't get me wrong. I'm also happy that Russia is free from communism, and getting over a bad case of imperialism. My, my; how times have changed.

Previous Live from Lithuania article.