Lithuania

Firstly, we have heard this afternoon about the events in London and we are lucky that we are not there yet. We will be arriving next Thursday and we hope that the city and its people are OK.

Regarding Lithuania, our latest port of call, we have noted a number of very interesting things:

1. While Lithuanian women are visually outstanding, they seem to have an attraction to older, fatter men. Perhaps these men assist in the financing of their outfits, hair and nails as it would seem unlikely that they would wish to hang with these blokes otherwise. Take Anna as an example. She looks similar many of the girls walking around the streets of Vilnius, yet despite the fact she is 20, she is seeking a man aged 30 to 55 to marry.

2. We did not take a city tour in Vilnius as we could not find any tours for an appropriate price. We did however learn about the Pretty Guides. The Pretty Guides are "ready to help you to discover the beauties of our small beautiful country". We learned that the Pretty Guides are university students who charge around A$65 per hour to escort tourists around Vilnius pointing out interesting sites. They will also suggest cafes, theatres and nightlife provided their drinks are purchased for them. One could even take your (in their words) "Immaculate escort" to a business lunch if you'd like. But wait the Western man sees an advertisement for a "pretty girl" and an "escort" and he must think that some extra services or sights will also be provided as part of the expensive tour? Surely you could not pay A$200 for a 3 hour tour and not experience all that Lithuania and her women have to offer? Well the website clearly states "Our guides don’t provide sexual services; they do not enter the customers’ hotel rooms or apartments. No service is provided to intoxicated clients." Oh OK, they really are just Pretty Guides.

Having picked up a lot of brochures on this tour, the Pretty Guides brochure (as passed to me by Cathy with a look of bemusement) is the best example of the local Lithuanian society.

I shall leave the Pretty Guides with a quote from Laura " I really adore Vilnius and am eager to share this feeling with somebody who has not yet discovered its beauty. If you want to fall in love, I can help you :)..." Thanks Laura.

We'd recommend Vilnius as a pleasant stop on the Eastern European journey.

Must go check out Latvia