|
|
For the Lithuanian relatives, I must explain. Although you know her as Regina, we call her Valentina because that's the name Mama & Tete knew. And it keeps us from confusing her with Ipolitas's daughter Regina.
Another chilly, through almost empty streets, to the Old Town and back. I've added jeans, a turtleneck, and gloves. Breakfast is fried eggs, with a solid yolk and bits of bacon sort of mixed in, with cole slaw. And, of course, my bread dish.
 |
Elyte and Vytas arrive and we walk just down our block to Saint Michael the Archangel church. The czar had it built in 1895 for his Russian Orthodox soldiers. It is now a Roman Catholic church, today (!) celebrating the 105th anniversary of its consecration. The Orthodox- design building has a modern Catholic interior. The wide center aisle holds a standing group of camouflage-clad soldiers, a priest in a confessional does a brisk business, and people fill the pews, the aisles, and all the nooks and crannies. In our cranny, I find I can follow the folk mass quite well, by the phrasings of the prayers and what I can see of the celebrant. Because we did not "step into that small confessional", we do not receive communion - which seems to be the norm. |
Back at the room, I ditch my hat and change my skirt for slacks. When the driver arrives (a young engineer making extra money on the weekend), we drive to the Zalgirio stadionas for a "animal exhibition". But the crowds - of people and pets - is enormous. It would take us all morning just to get in the gate! We drive back to Ramybes park (near our hotel) but find the Museum of Exiles and Political Prisoners is closed on Sunday. However, we are seeing back streets and older, beautiful, residential neighborhoods.
Then, parallel to Laisves al., then up a side street to park and visit the Zoological Museum, which I have been running and walking past every day, without realizing it. The large stone turtle outside should have clued me. It's floor floors of an incredible collection of moths, butterflies, beetles, shells, birds,... Boy, I'd love to take my Head Start class here! I get to see examples of the storks that are the Lithuanian national bird - and that are responsible for the huge (currently empty) nests we see on tall poles. We even ran out of time before we got to the mammals! |
 |
 |
So we headed off for our "lunch date" with Valentina and her family. Valentina (Gusleiene) Tamuleniene is the daughter of Mama's sister Juze Sipaciciene. It's Valentina's youngest sister Juze Pozemeckiene who visited Mom & Dad and came with them to Charlotte NC in the mid 1980s. On the way, at the southeast corner of the New Town, across the street from the Nemunas, we stop to see St. Kryziaus church, where Elyte and Vytas were married. |
We continued on, across a sort of peninsular where the Nemunas makes a huge s-curve, on our way east. This is another residential district with shops and factories along the main road. It's the neighborhood where Vytas grew up. And it's dominated by a long stretch of Soviet military barrack. So out of place in an otherwise pleasant area. We cross the river in the middle of the s-curve and are on the matching peninsular, with the huge Panemunes park. I feel as though we have left the city and are in a small town in the country. On a quiet side street, parallel to the main (but not busy) road, we find Egle kavine, our destination.
 Arvidas, Ruta, Arturas, Rasa, Mom, & Valentina. |
What a pleasant kavine! Valentina's daughter Ruta and Ruta's husband Arvidas Zvirblis own it; he also sells restaurant equipment. And makes some killer breads - coarsely grinding grains and all. We have a large table in the picture window, looking out at trees and all. The Zvirblai teen-agers, Andrius and Justina, are pleasant but in and out - just like U.S. teens. But more polite. |
We feast on grilled chicken fillet, rice with dill (Now I know it's the dill that reminds me of Mama's table.), sweet & sour peppers, a vinegary salad, a peach. I love Lithuanian meals; the meats are light and tasty, and there is such a variety of vegetables with each. What's all this "press" about heavy greasy food? Were those folks in Poland or what? I drink a large Utenos Baltijos tamsus. I taste a Vilkas (Wolf) and red wine, which are very good, but I stick with my dark beer. Mom finishes the Vilkas; she likes the lighter alus.
Because they are the ones who speak English, I chat with Vytas and Arvidas, who is a basketball fan and even knows of the ACC. We discuss basketball (I'm for Lithuania, not the U.S. in the Olympics, which surprises them.), beer, bread, politics. Once again, everyone wants to see all my pictures. I could get spoiled! Everyone is amazed at Mom's unaccented and perfect Lithuanian. So am I; she speaks English with a New England accent, so I expected her Lithuanian to be tinged with New England.
| Valentina is a real heroine. She has a special passport and official pass identifying her as a partisan: a fighter against the Soviets. Her mother and sister Liuda were also active against the Soviets: carrying information for the Forest Brethren and such. Which is why she is also Regina - partisans used aliases so their families would not be arrested. However, hers was. We finally understand the story Juze told when she visited. "When the authorities came to arrest the family and send them to Siberia, Valentina ran away and hid. So she did not go to Siberia." What she did was to go underground for years, not climb a tree for the afternoon. Another example of how you can translate the words but not get the meaning! |  Valentina & Mom, with what's left of our desserts - and drinks. |
So our family really was "dangerous" and, in Soviet eyes, "deserved" to be exiled. Mama was always an activist: it is she who still sends me to the polls every election day - even for a primary run-off. She also stressed that women should take part more extensively and enthusiastically in politics. Guess I know what she'd have been up to had she stayed in Lithuania. It is how her father raised them. He helped preserve Lithuanian language and literature under Russian czars and German rulers. And his grandchildren and great grandchildren (and their spouses, such as Vytas) carried on the tradition. Elyte and Vytas participated in Hands Across the Baltics - standing holding hands in a line up along the center of the main route (and lots of side ones, there were so many participants) through Lithuania to Latvia and Estonia - while cars and trucks continued driving! (Vytas points out that he and Elyte were on one of the side routes. As if that were less heroic?) And they, and other relatives, stood guard at the public buildings and communications facilities in Kaunas and Vilnius before and during Bloody Sunday (January 13, 1991), when Russian tanks moved against unarmed Lithuanian civilians - and lost. If only I could speak Lithuanian. I would love to learn and write each person's story, so my family could know what they should live up to.
We spend a wonderful afternoon with Valentina and her family. Mom gets to learn even more about her relatives. Valentina is also working on a genealogy. She will join Vytas in providing me with all the names and dates and relationships that I'm missing. In fact, Vytas has already gotten quite a bit. Eventually, I will get it into a clickable web version. See, I can't go back to work; I have too much work to do.
Later, I again leave Mom to rest at Monela and go walking on Laisves. I have to bring Chuck here. We would have a ball in the evenings, joining the other couples strolling along, stopping for a drink or a pastry, enjoying the soft and chilly evening. A group of teens dance, cheek to cheek, on the sidewalk outside a barus (bar). Beautiful.
We have a late snack of bread and plums and apples - and a bottle of Ragucio Birzieciu that Vytas brought. Wow! The best beer ever - maybe even equal to my Timothy Taylor's Ramtam (and that's saying a lot). Olympic coverage here is much better than at home. I haven't seen an "up close and personal" bit yet. Just film of the events and the medal ceremonies. Even when non-Lithuanians win. What a change.
Back to the Lithuania Journal Page
Back to Nancy's Home Page
Back to the Ciaffone Family Home Page