The Lithuanian Rural Tourism Association together with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania organized the event “Open days in the village” for the eighth time this year. The purpose of the event is to popularize the services provided in the village, the products grown and produced.
Owners, artisans and communities of homesteads, farms, cultural house visitor centers invite both large and small city residents to spend 3 days in the village and enjoy the entertainment and activities offered by the village, purchase products grown and produced by them or simply learn about the possibilities for vacationing in the village.
A group of journalists from various national publications went on a one-day trip to Lithuania on May 2. This time, the organizers chose a route through Trakai, Varėna and Merkinė farmsteads.
First, we visited Dargužiai, which is not far from the capital. Once upon a time, the inhabitants kept various animals and were famous for their cheeses. Now there are only a few animals left, but the locals are focused and resourceful. Dargužiai is a one-street village with a strong community. The community gathers around the Dargužiai Crafts Center, which is located in the former school. By the way, the school was built with the money of local residents. When the school ceased to exist, a craft center was located here. It has various clubs and education. When we visited it, the paintings of Jonas Daniliauskas, who lives in this village, were exhibited. We visited the cooking class, where they were already baking yeast buns with cheese filling in the electric oven. Dargužiškii also has a rustic oven, where bread and potatoes are baked on a cabbage leaf. Sigita Švedė spoke about pottery classes, about the exhibition of ancient objects and showed the rooms that are still waiting for reconstruction.
The next place to visit gave a lot of adrenaline. The auto moto center in the village of Ponykščiai is hosted by Vidmantas and Rasa Perminai. This is their hobby, which started with Vytautas’ love for big cars. Now the man has a track where powerful cars run. Speed lovers test their strength here, bachelor parties take place. Parents are happy to organize birthday parties for children. While her husband takes care of the cars, Rasa runs the bistro bar. Snacks and drinks are available here. It was nice to hear that dad’s love for buggies and sports cars was taken over by the couple’s children. Both son Lukas and daughter Aistė compete in sports competitions and promote this extreme sport. For lovers of speed and thrills, this is an ideal place to have a good time. The host also drove the journalists around the swampy area in a monster car – the impressions are memorable.
Read about other places of stay in the next “Reflections” article.
“Reflections” info.
Photo by V. Šimkūnienė.
Tags: Holiday countryside homestead owners offer vacationers
