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matcrazy1 Says: Just in case you want to save on petrol/gas... the prices in Poland and Lithuania were the same or almost the same in June 2004. Before Lithuania was less expensive :-(. The first Lithuanian petrol/gas station was located close to the border crossing point Budzisko -...
matcrazy1 Says: Lithuania borders with Poland on Poland's northeast corner. The border is only 91 km (56.5 mi) long. Under Soviet regime (till 1991) there were no border crossing points between Poland and Lithuania. Weren't these countries too rebelous for Soviets to allow people to keep in...
matcrazy1 Says: I noticed numerous bus stops along highway 134 from Kalvarija to Lazdijai. I was really surpriced to see some bus stops put in the middle of nowhere that was among fields with no houses around like this one on my picture. I saw very few buses driving on the road and they...
matcrazy1 Says: When I crossed border from Poland to Lithuania in Budzisko - Kalvarija, I saw this table on my picture, with speed limits for passanger cars given.The speed limit 50 km/h in urban areas is quite new (in 2004). Before it was 60 km/h. The same happened in Poland recently. If...
matcrazy1 Says: There was KANTOR in this container put in the middle of Polish side of Budzisko-Kalvarija border crossing point. KANTOR means exchange office in Poland. Hmm... I was looking for exchange office in brick, larger buildings around but I found only a lot of... old, border...
VALIUTOS KEITYKLA: Currency exchange with paid receives
matcrazy1 Says: "Valiutos keitykla" means currency exchange in Lithuanian or "kantor" in Polish language. Hmm... I found this large house a little bit strange place for currency exchange. At first I thought it was just a house. It belonged to UAB Medicinos bankas (what a name...
matcrazy1 Says: I found quite many beautiful and mysterious old wooden houses which looked like not renovated for years on the way from Kalvarija to Rudamina and Lazdijai. I wasn't supriced that the houses were still inhabited. Well, it was nothing more than a sign of poverty which I could...
matcrazy1 Says: I crossed the Polish-Lithuanian border at Budzisko - Kalvarija on 1 May 2004, that was the first day of both countries in European Union which meant the first day of NO custum checkup at the border. There was still passport checkup and it will remain till both countries sign...
matcrazy1 Says: There were numerous bus stops along highway 134 from Kalvarija to Lazdijai. Some of them where located among empty fields, far away from any houses. What for?There were no shelters for waiting passengers (a bench instead) and no passengers as well. The kerb was Soviet in...
Hard old age or the best simple life ?
matcrazy1 Says: I saw old or very old, alone ladies (widows?) walking slowly with some difficulties around old, neglected, wooden houses in the countryside around Kalvarija. The ladies looked very poor in their old-fashionable clothes by houses not renovated for years. Was it a sign of...
matcrazy1 Says: When I stopped my car to buy Lithuanian currency just after passing through the border crossing point Budzisko - Kalvarija, I saw three young boys (one was a kid) with a bucket of water and cloths in their hands. Wow, they even didn't ask me and started to wash my car....
matcrazy1 Says: When I crossed the border from Poland to Lithuania in Budzisko - Kalvarija, I stopped a few hundreds meters futher on unpaved square (on the right) by these small, wooden cottages on my picture. What was there? They sold insurance for a car (obligatory third-party insurance)...
No parking lots, no tourist facilities
matcrazy1 Says: There were no parking lots along highway 134 from Kalvarija to Lazdijai. But I can't complain. There was no traffic and I could always park a car partly on a shoulder.Generally there were no parking lots, accommodations, restaurants or any other turist facilities along...
matcrazy1 Says: My recommendation is to bring some Euros (in smaller notes, up to 50 ?) whenever you go to Lihuania.Why?Surely you can pay by your credit/debit cards but not at all places (even in the capital Vilnius) and definetely not at off the beaten path destinations I was lucky to...
Helpfulness
Luggage and bags: For walking around Kalvarija, small, city backpack and surely bag for your camera - both water-proof esp. in summer.
Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Comfortable walking shoes preferrably water-resistant: like good trainers or better special walking shoes (one example: Danish Ecco are very comfortable and... expensive but worth the cost).
Sun-glasses esp. in winter and summer and always a rain coat, eventually less comfortable umbrella.
Read info on climate in Lithuania:
Climate of Lithuania
Average temperatures and rainfall in... Kaunas (80 km north of Kalvarija):
WorldClimate Kaunas
Check weather (10-day forecast) for Alytus (64 km east of Kalvarija):
Weather forecast for Alytus
Photo Equipment: Take as many films as you can or as large memory card as you can - Lithuanian coutryside offers a lot for photography lovers :-).
Miscellaneous: The most important: do not forget to take BIG SMILE :-) Enjoy!
Updated Jul 22, 2004
matcrazy1 Says: Field poppies (Papaver rhoeas L.) are quiet common field flowers in the area around Kalvarija. They are used to produce opium - a drug used in medicine to control pain or help people sleep, a narcotic as well. Divine herb of joy, or evil weed of daemons ? Both, I think....
Prejudicies? 7 false and 3 right
matcrazy1 Says: I drove secondary highway No 134 from Kalvarija to Rudamina and Lazdijai through mostly flat or a little bit hilly area covered by green forests and meadows. During this short drive I realized how wrong and unfair (or just not up-to-date) are many opinions on Lithuania -...
matcrazy1 Says: There were very few new houses along my way from Kalvarija to Rudamina and Lazdijai. Instead, there were quite many wooden houses similar to this one on my picture. I found that one so lovely, secret and neglected that I stopped to take a picture. It was still inhabited...
matcrazy1 Says: I saw these huge buildings along the highway 134 from Kalvarija to Lazdijai. The neglected and empty factory (or maybe rather Soviet-style collective farm) didn't work more probably since market economy came back to Lithuania in 1992 or so. They are common part of Lithuanian...
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: Excuse, it's more Lithuanian local custom tip than Kalvarija. I will trnsfer it to my Lithuania page soon.
Valiutos keitykla means currency exchange in Lithuanian language. Isn't it difficult name? By the way Lithuanian language is the oldest of the Indo-European languages and sounded unique to my ears. It was similar neither to Polish nor to Russian. Simply, I coudn't understand a word in Lithuanian.
Well, as you can see on my picture, they added "Valiutos keitykla" in English, Russian and Polish (kantor) language as well.
Updated Jul 11, 2004
My first impressions from Lithuania
I entered mysterious Lithuania for the first time in my life just there (look above), exactly on the day when Lithuania (and 9 other countries including Poland) joined European Union that was on May...
Build your own Kalvarija page
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