Uzupis Republic (Vilnius)

Uzupis is an independent republic within the state of Lithuania. Well thats not quite true - there is a river and some people living on the other side of it who like to do cool stuff that is outside the realm of normal Lithuanian thought. For this reason alone, I take my hat off to the place. Uzupis - Uz meaning behind, Upis, meaning river. Yes, you got it dear reader, it is actually behind the river coming from the city side. Uzupis is close to the old town of Vilnius and has all that cool stuff that the rest of the city wishes it had - talent, creativity, colour, cool pubs, a beautiful stream, farmers markets, concerts, a view over the entire city ...  Read the complete review

People in Britain tend to think of the three ex-Soviet Baltic republics, if they think of them at all, as a uniform group and to assume they're much of a muchness. I have to admit that before I went to the region I rather shared that assumption. Once there, one learns a bit about their individual histories and ethnicities, and observes their differing national characters. The Estonians are polite and efficient, but perhaps somewhat stolid. The Latvians are brisker, sharper and less forthcoming; compared to Tallinn, Riga has an edgy feel. And the Lithuanians? They are sometimes described as the Italians of the region, though I'm not sure that quite does them - ...  Read the complete review