That summer in Lithuania is right up there as my favorite family adventure.  It was a mixture of amazing history, nature, relaxation, bucolic settings, great food and booze, forest foraging, friendly people,... it goes on.

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We started in the north and based ourselves at Roskala Winery.  From here we ventured on short day trips including stumbling upon a medieval celebration, and a train ride to Lake Rubikiai. After 5 days, we drove onto the surprising beautiful Vilnius (captial).  It's an oft forgotten European city, but we found it enchanting and really appealing.  There's a lovely old town with thriving coffee shops and restaurants.  We did a city walking tour that covers the history and the active art district. At the end of the day you can climb the nearby hill and Gediminas Castle Tower for spectacular vistas across the entire city.  Just out of Vilnuis, the Trakai Island Castle was cool, as was the Soviet Statues Park.

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The next 5 days were 'perfect happiness'.  We rented a traditional country cabin (Lina Černiauskienė Homestead) in the very rural village of Margionys in the Dzūkijos National Park (about 2 hours south of Vilnius).  Running through the property was a small creek with crystal clear water.  The kids would spend hours tracking their boats (apples) downstream through the twists and turns.  Traversing the brook was a rustic bench, which after a days walking and exploring, Robyn and I would gratefully perch upon and crack open some bubbly.  In the surrounding forest, we spent joyful hours collecting mushrooms, wild strawberries, and blueberries. Told you - it was 'perfect happiness'.

 

Our last few days in Lituania were spent in the central East on the Neman River.  In one unfortunate incident (don't listen to Robyn when she says "it'll be fine") we drove too far and were pull over by some stern, gun-wielding Soviet Army Guards because we in the restricted area of Kaliningrad!