First stop...Vilnius, Lithuania

---

Our first stop on our summer 2015 quest-trek is Vilnius, Lithuania where Ray taught a Strategic Management course at Mykylo Romerio University. This was our first visit to Lithuania, but hopefully not our last. We loved the people we met, places we visited and the teaching opportunity at MRU. In addition to teaching his class, Ray was also invited to present a Plenary Session at the International 5th Practice and Research in Private and Public Sector Conference hosted by the MRU Faculty of Economics and Management. We were graciously entertained during our stay, and loved every minute! A big thanks to the collaborating faculty, staff and students with whom Ray worked who went out of their way to ensure we had a great experience. A special thanks to Egle Malinauskiene, Ilona Bartuseviciene and Dovile Kurtinaityte and their families who arranged tours of the beautiful historic old town castle in Vilnius and surrounding countryside and introduced us to some fantastic restaurants! To date we have had the privilege of visiting 38 countries in the Caribbean and Europe (having taught at Universities or for NGOs in 12 of those countries), and certainly Lithuania ranks among the top in many ways. What a wonderful country and great group of people!

---

Photos

MRU Dept of Management and Economics
Great teaching facilities at MRU

Ray's Strategic Management class at RMU
Engaged students...fun teaching

RMU Conference Plenary Session
5th Annual International Practice and Research in Public Sector conference plenary

RMU conference attendees
Conference attendees represented multiple countries from central, eastern and western Europe. We were the lone US participants...

Dorm housing at MRU
Simple, clean and comfortable housing accommodations at MRU

Old Town center, Vilnius
Old Town has pedways that are great for leisurely walks

Gediminus Castle in Vilnius
Built in 1230; overlooks Vilnius Old Town

Medieval armor at Gediminus Castle
Interesting historical display of medieval armor at Gediminus Castle

Medieval fighting attire
You would have to be strong just to support these mail vests...

Overlooking Vilnius from the Gediminus castle tower
Ilona, Rebecca (our guide) and Ray getting a bearing on the Vilnius surroundings

View from the Gediminus castle tower
Looking down on Vilnius from the tower

St. Anne Church in Vilnius
Gothic masterpiece built in the 1500s

St Anne alter
Main alter of St Anne Church

Delicious meal
Dinner with Dovile, Richard and Vitania at a great restaurant

Comments

[Home and Away]

Welcome to Travelblog!
I'm a TB Moderator who has just accepted you as a Blogger. BTW, my son was interested in going to MRU for his law degree so we visited there in 2013...he just finished law at Bangor University in Wales. Also, I plan to walk the Camino Frances next year, so I will be following you blogs for inspiration and lessons learned.

[Connie]

Starting the Camino in Lithuania...
If you can log the miles between Lithuana & Spain you may well be among the longest Camino treckers on record. Who knew Lithuana is so beautiful? Buen Camino. Press on...