We have about two weeks at the end of May to explore Lithuania and do genealogical research in Kaunas. My mother-in-law emigrated to US from Balbierskis near Kaunas; my father-in-law's parents were probably from near Kaunas. We are not sure. The family is Catholic but I plan to check the JGS as recommended in a previous post.

Would a translator be a good idea? How would one go about that?

Are there any special locations--villages, cities, parks, coastal areas--you love and think we should see?

An advice on restaurants and/or shopping?

Thanks so much. Ellen

Ellen, here's a link that may help for genealogy:
http://www.balzekasmuseum.org/Pages/genealogy.html
Are you planning to just stay in Kaunas or are you going to travel around the country? You might find some of this useful:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-and-rome.cfm
Enjoy Lithuania!

Another link for genealogy that's free. You can ask questions with as much information as you have and get responses from people living in the area. http://genforum.genealogy.com/lithuania Her is information on Kaunas www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/kaunas and Vilinus www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/vilnius and Lithunia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/lithuania

Hi Ellen, I have lots of thoughts about what to see in Lithuania and where to stay. Here is my list of "must sees".

1. Hill of the Crosses (Siauliai)

2. KGB museum (Vilnius)

3. Paneriai site (near Vilnius)

4. TV tower (Vilnius, important for its role in Independence)

4. Grutas Park, near Druskininkai

5. Gates of Dawn (Vilnius)

6. The Church of the Holy Spirit (Russian Orthodox) (Vilnius)

7. The Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (Vilnius)

8. Pilies street on a busy day (Vilnius)

9. Two nights in Old Town, Vilnius

There are some promising possibilities for the genealogical part of your trip. I would not recommend trying too much on your own. The Lithuania language and the presence of lots of people with the same last name, and the lack of local records in most places, make a self-search very, very difficult. You may meet some people with the name you are looking but it is often difficult to tell whether they are related to you.

As I posted in another entry, I received great service from a small firm in Vilnius that handles genealogical searches and provides family history tours. It is operated by Vilius Vaseikis. I used them for a multi-generation records search and then visits to our family village, cemetery, and environs. I highly recommend the firm. Vilius is very knowledgeable, honest and hard-working. He is well-educated and quite knowledgeable about Lithuanian history.

Here are a few links. The first website has a good deal of helpful information.

Vilius' website: http://www.lithuaniavisits.com/tours.php

Comments on Vilius' services: http://www.scribd.com/doc/5392305/Fa...Recommendation

Article, The 8 Steps to Finding Your Relatives in Lithuania: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6133389/Th...s-in-Lithuania

I wish you the best!

no matter how you slice it, or pretty it up..it's still Vilna and Kovno...

Is not!

...how do you spell "Ponary"...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaunas Bernard. I think you need to consider when the OP is talking about. In the 19th century these two cities had much larger Jewish and Polish populations than Lithuanian. Vilnius was 45 % Jewish and Kaunas was about 35% Jewish , both with large Polish populations and minor Lithuanian populations. In todays worlds it is different, as close to 200,000 Vilnius Jews were murdered by the Nazi's in WW2.

I understand that very well. We are talking about today though, aren't we?

You could consider what I said. [in todays world it is different] Actually Vilnius is a bit over 50% Lithuanian and 20 % Polish. Ellen; If you place a question on the web site I gave you on your other thread you may br successfull. I received over 50 potential living decendants using that site.

Ebcutler, I would love to be going back to Lithuania. In case you haven't seen it, here's my trip report; it's a few years old now, but there aren't enormous numbers of Lithuania reports here!
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-july-2006.cfm

The genealogy research isn't too easy for me; I'm still trying to find my Lithuanian-origin-possibly-Russian great-grandfather in the US! (Evidently he didn't settle on any one name for too long...)

You are all awesome, and I rather enjoyed that little exchange. I need to sit down and methodically go through all those sites--which I will very soon. I cannot thank you enough.

Marija, we are sorting out the best plan, but it looks like a week in Vilnius, maybe four days in Kaunas, and a few days in the north or on the coast. We will want to have some time with the cousins in Balbierskis. What we DON'T want to do is get so ambitious that we get overwhelmed.

Ellen