Sveiki (hello),
Welcome to my blog.
I’d like to start with a brief (most likely long) introduction of who I am, how I came to find myself in this beautiful country, and the reasons I’ve been inspired to write about my footsteps through Lithuania – its beauty, customs, traditions, and people.
This is the beginning of that story.
Who I Am (and Where I Come From)
Firstly, my name is Sean. I’m from the UK – more specifically, Yorkshire.
Geographically, for anyone who is interested, Yorkshire is in the northern part of England. It is the largest county in England and is split into four sections: North, South, West, and East (known as the East Riding of Yorkshire, a name that holds on to its original identity, established in 1086 by the Vikings, deriving from the Old Norse þriðjungr, meaning “a third”).
Our county dates back to the kingdom of Jorvik, Deira. Like Lithuanian counties, we have our own emblem – the White Rose of Yorkshire. It famously represented the Yorkist faction against the House of Lancaster (red rose) during the 15th century Wars of the Roses.
To this day, the rivalry exists – albeit more friendly – a little like BC RYTAS and Žalgiris Kaunas.
Most importantly, Yorkshire encompasses the Yorkshire Dales -2179 km² of unspoiled natural beauty: rolling hills, lakes, rivers, and sites of special scientific interest. It’s the most protected area of any English national park.
It’s a special place.
And it has, in my opinion, the friendliest, most down-to-earth people in the UK. Go visit – you will not be disappointed.
How Lithuania Entered My Life
My journey to Lithuania started in February 2022, when I met the most important person in my life – my now wife, Inga.
A Dzūkija woman. A perfect match: country guy meets forest woman.
She is also the reason I am now writing this blog—slightly against my better judgement.
First Impressions (Through a Fever Dream)
I first came to Lithuania (Vilnius) in December 2024 to meet Inga’s family and celebrate the festive period.
Unfortunately, I caught the flu on the plane journey – and it wasn’t a small one. It lasted three months. So my first experience of Lithuania was, for the most part, from a bed.
Not ideal.
But in the brief windows where I wasn’t completely wiped out, I experienced something that stayed with me.
Travelling through the endless pines from Vilnius to Varėna (where Inga is from), through Matuizos and Merkine, and back again – I remember staring out of the car window, trying to take it all in.
It’s difficult to explain the effect it had on me.
Maybe I was delirious 😂- but it felt grounding. Calm. Soul-soothing.
Like I had found something I hadn’t realised I’d been looking for.
I’ll come back to that feeling again – because it only got stronger.
A Place That Feels Like Home
Yorkshire will always be special to me.
But England has never really felt like home. Not truly. Ever since I could form a cognitive thought, I’ve always felt like I didn’t quite belong – and I’ve spent a lot of time wandering because of that.
Lithuania felt different almost immediately.
There are many reasons for that – more than I can fit into one post – but I’ll explore them properly as this blog goes on.
Decisions Made Quickly (and Without Much Overthinking)
After that first trip, we returned to the UK – and things moved fast.
I had proposed to Inga the year before. While I was still recovering from illness, she said we are getting married soon – so I better get healthy quickly.
Fair enough.
I asked her if she wanted to go back home to live. After 14 years in the UK, her answer was immediate: yes.
We were both living and working in London at the time – and exhausted by it. The concrete, the noise, the pollution, the sheer volume of people.
There were deeper reasons too – but those comparisons between the UK and Lithuania will come in later posts.
The Leap
We set a date: 1st July 2025.
No real plan. Just a shared idea of the kind of life we didn’t want – and a growing vision of the one we did.
We got married on 1st April 2025, bought three plane tickets (we travelled with our cat Kudy), sorted all the documents, wrapped up our lives in a matter of months, said our goodbyes – and got on the plane.
We arrived in Vilnius late afternoon.
Fresh. Slightly overwhelmed. But ready.
Settling In (and Slowing Down)
We settled in Vilnius while I applied for a residence permit. It took three months and, to my surprise, went very smoothly – the migration department were incredibly helpful.
During that time, we started exploring.
Kernavė festival. Klaipėda Sea Festival – which had personal meaning for me, having previously lived on a boat on the River Thames while running a boat business.
And then there was Varėna.
The forests. The stillness.
And my new obsession: mushroom hunting.
Hours and hours of it. With Kudy the cat wandering along with us like it was completely normal.
The Varėna Mushroom Festival was the highlight of those first months – and definitely deserves its own post later.
Nine Months In — So Why a Blog?
Fast forward to now – 1st of April. Nine months in.
And I’ve decided to write this.
Why?
Because Inga said something that stuck with me.
She told me it was nice to see Lithuania through my eyes – my reactions, my curiosity, my appreciation. That it made her feel like she was rediscovering her own country.
And that maybe others would find that perspective interesting too.
I wasn’t convinced.
I’m not a writer. And maybe no one is that interested.
But she said – just try.
So here I am.
An Unexpected Way In
One thing that has shaped my experience here more than I expected – I meet hundreds of Lithuanians every week.
While we’re building our longer-term plans, I started driving a Bolt car.
Not exactly the dream job. Driving, even less so.
My background is in window and door installation – and for the last six years, houseboat building.
But Bolt has given me something I didn’t expect: conversations.
Real ones.
And almost every time, the same question:
“Why are you here?”
It’s a fair question.
And my answer hasn’t changed.
First – the reason I came.
And then – because Lithuania is beautiful. And discovering it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
What This Blog Will Be
This blog is where I’ll try to make sense of all of that.
My observations. The small details. The differences. The things that stand out.
The forests of Dzūkija. The seasons. The people I meet. The conversations in the car. The quiet moments that echo into the night.
I’ll try to stay respectful to your customs and way of life – while being honest about what I see and feel.
And hopefully, along the way, start a few conversations of our own.
If you ever find yourself in a cab in Vilnius, talking to an English guy –
…it might be me.
Thank you for taking the time to read this (long) first post.
More to come.
Iki