Hello everyone – I am glad you’re stopping by our blog (again). The time in the Baltics is coming to an end after Latvia and Estonia, but there is one stop left: Lithuania. I’m visiting the cities of Vilnius and Kaunas with the show truck, where various events, delicious food and the first big crisis are waiting for me. What that means in particular? I’ll tell you in this post!

Lithuania: green, tasty, and full of life!

Vilniuis, Lithuania’s capital, is really something to be seen. Two things caught my eye right away. First, it is full of life: People meet at every corner to spend time together – whether for a meal, an after-work drink, or sports. Secondly, it is remarkably clean, even though I observe this throughout the Baltic States and not just here.

A highlight is definitely the 142-meter high Gediminas Tower (Pilies kalnas), which is considered the landmark of the city. I was on top of course! The view is really beautiful, and you can see green as far as the eye can see. Nature occupies a large part of the country here as well – very idyllic! And it’s no different in the city of Kaunas. In general, the cities are very similar: big, beautiful, and incredibly green.

The amazing view on top of the Gediminas tower – the landmark of Vilnius. Photo: Ronny Nittmann.

My highlight in Kaunas, however, is Liberty Boulevard (Laisves aleja). A seemingly endless street with numerous stores, cafes, and everything – definitely worth a visit! You can take the opportunity – like me – to try the famous potato dumplings “Cepelinai”. You can see what they look like in our fun facts about Lithuania – I “unfortunately” devoured them before I could take a picture for you. I can also recommend the soup “Saltibarsciai”, which is only available in the warmer half of the year and is served cold. My conclusion about Lithuanian cuisine: tastes like grandma’s!

Exciting events: Lithuania in the fast lane

As part of the #ContiEuropeanRoadshow, a total of three events are taking place in Lithuania, which differ in many ways. In Vilnius, I am with the show truck at the “Truck of the Year”. There is also an event with the press in the hotel where I am staying. Although the name doesn’t do justice to this huge resort, which is located about 20 kilometers outside the city. In fact, the resort has a lot to offer: Golf and tennis facilities, two lakes, a wellness area and, to my personal delight, a smashing fitness area. But the event in Kaunas can even top that, as it takes place at a racetrack. Why is that so cool? Because I get to get behind the wheel myself and drive a little race – so, I get the chance to experience Continental’s sports tires in action.

The racetrack where I got to switch from truck driver to racer. Photo: Ronny Nittmann.

Full of adventure: with combined forces you can move mountains

Shortly before leaving Lithuania, the first real problem of the roadshow awaits me: the regeneration system on the diesel particulate filter of our tractor is defective. This is actually repairable and usually not a problem. But the supply bottlenecks also affect us: the required spare part is not available anywhere in Europe at the moment! Can we now continue our journey to Poland at all? The team makes it possible: Continental here on site, my fleet manager in Germany and the CEO of Volvo spared no effort and actually managed to have the spare part flown in from Belgium within a day. Now, that’s what I call teamwork!

I can’t think of a better way to remember Lithuania. The bar for Poland is high …

Soon more from Poland. Until then – see you on the road,
your Ronny

Have you already been on the road in Lithuania with your truck and tried “Cepelinai”? Feel free to tell us all about it in the comments.