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So You re Planning The Mother Of All Stag Weekends
our Wedding is meant to be people, there's a whole map out
the greatest day of your there filled with quirky, exotic
life but who says that your and down right crazy locations
stag weekend can't be the that are just champing at the bit
greatest weekend of your life? to show you a good time. So let's
Read on for some excellent stag start with the new kids on the
weekend ideas in Eastern Europe. Eastern Bloc; Riga, Vilnius,
Tallinn and Moscow. Think of them
Do Not Proceed Until You Have Met as best friends you're yet to
the New Kids on the Bloc: meet. Lovers you're yet to kiss,
you get the drift. So here are
When it comes to the perfect stag some handy hints, interesting
weekend, Prague is having its facts, useless trivia and some
moment in the sun. For the better slap-your-granny-you-can't-be-ser
part of ten years the Czech ious exchange rates on places
capital has been the ‘it girl' that you might want to consider
of the former Eastern bloc. And upon organizing the mother of all
just like ‘it girls' from Essex stag weekends. Gentlemen, get
to Primrose Hill, Prague is being your phrase books ready.
done like a dinner. Those who
aren't already going there are VILNIUS
thinking of going there and
everybody else already went in S veiki atvyke Lietuvos! Welcome
the 80s before, like, it became to Lithuania! It's the largest
so popular. Now there's nothing and most southerly of the three
wrong with abandoning Bournemouth Baltic republics also home to an
and Skegness in favour of a bit annual cucumber festival, pea
of Iron curtain history and beer and the world's finest (and
culture, in fact it's where the only) Soviet-era theme park. Here
smart money is. But listen up in Lithuania a beer bicycle is
not just a fantasy but a Boring travel guides won't tell
legitimate form of transport and you is that Vilnius is home to
stewed beaver a perfectly some of the best legal fun a man
reasonable alternative to toad in could ever want. And the best
the hole. They ditched communism part is the hordes are yet to
to score independence in 1991 and climb on the bandwagon so there's
are now eating lunch in the EU plenty of Lithuanian goodwill
with the cool kids. They walloped still in the barrel to go round.
the 2001 Eurovision song contest This is a good thing to keep in
with a princely 13th place and, mind when planning the mother of
as Paul McCartney would say, all stag weekends. Now
things just keep getting better technically your wedding is
all the time. The small and supposed to be the best day of
quirky republic of Lithuania, your life, but that doesn't mean
perched on the Baltic Sea and that your stag weekend can't be
sandwiched between Poland, the best weekend of your life.
Belarus and Latvia, is simply one So, for the greatest weekend of
of the hottest travel your life Lithuanian style here's
destinations of the moment and what you need to know:
making a stag weekend of Vilnius
has never been so easy. So polish It's the Geographical Centre of
your Kankles, get in, get down Europe (Yes! Really!)
and get ready to party Vilnius
Style. Where it's always 1991. Thanks to the nice people of the
European Union extending their
Why in the name of sweet Monica warm Belgian welcome to
Lewinsky* should I go to Vilnius Lithuania, it is now officially
for My Stag Weekend? part of Europe. And not content
to simply be a part of the
What all those earnest Professor action, it also home to the
European Geographical centre. I Roe Deer and washed it Down with
know. It's rather like paying Acorn Coffee!
twenty Euro for a chunk of cement
said to have been part of the If you've ever wanted to savour
Berlin wall, little more than a the culinary delights of beaver,
tawdry marketing tool and barely cow's tongue or smoked hog's ear-
worth the photo opportunity. But. and who hasn't? - the east is
Still. You're drawn to the idea. where to feast. They've got a
Like one may be drawn to standing specialty beer divined from both
with your left arm in the malt and peas and a cup of coffee
Northern Hemisphere and the beer is traditionally made from ground
clenching right arm in the South, acorns. There's a lot to love
or going to Korea to moonwalk about traditional Lithuanian fare
across the border of communism and not least because it has
and capitalism. Or going to York. ‘hangover cure' written all
Period. In any case Lithuania has over it. Imagine waking up after
the honour of housing the centre a serious night on the tiles, so
of Europe. And like all fledgling hungry you're willing to gnaw
capitalists worth their coca cola your big toe off, your stomach
they have embraced the fact by has that old time vat of acid
building a commemorative park - feeling and you're dreaming of a
the ‘Europos Parkas' - just in greasy fry-up. This is where
case one mistook the precise yet Cepelinai steps up to the plate.
indistinguishable point for an Described by a respected food
alien crop circle or Stalin's writer as "a Zeppelin-shaped
summer mud bath cabana. So parcel of potato dough" filled
they've got the centre and with meat, covered in a sauce of
nowhere else does. onions, cream, butter and bacon
bits, (and bacon bits, magic
This is Where I Ate a Thigh of words in anyone's language)
Cepelinai hits the spot to reline just as easily stick to the vast
the stomach and imbue the array of boutique beers from the
consumer with a warm inner glow surrounding breweries, the best
of nothing short but pure of which are the pale bronze
satisfaction. Almost spiritual. lagers made from both malt and
So rich, so creamy, so oniony, so peas, a fine drop by the name of
meaty, so bacony and so simple in ‘Sirvenos' is a good place to
its delight that it makes you start. You'll also find many rich
want to take the Tesco ‘Five a reddish brown lagers with hints
day' and moon the daylights out of whiskey and sherry undertones.
of Gordon Ramsay and that bloody
Gillian
you-are-what-you-eat-woman. Taste Vilnius is Baltic So Will I
it. Love it. Become a new man. Freeze My B@$$s Off?
And This is Where I Drank this Maybe. But not necessarily. Just
Random Honey Stuff like the UK January is the most
freezing month with lows hitting
So what are you waiting for? Get a chillin' -9C. The record low
involved. Knowing that you've got for Vilnius is -30C but that was
a sure fire hangover cure gives so long ago that no one really
you no legitimate excuse for remembers and the record high is
turning down the God bestowed a toasty 35C. But generally from
nectar that is Lithuania's April to October Vilnius is cool
Special Honey Mead Balsam. without being cold and warm
Amateurs need not apply. There without being sweltering.
are two main types; Suktinis at
50% proof and Zalgaris which is a Average January Temperature: -2 C
scorcher at a staggering 75%.
Seventy-five. You could, however Average July Temerature: 19C
the greatest weight lifted by a
Weird But Cool Lithuanian Facts: human beard. On the 11 September
2004, Kontrimas lifted a 136
In a move that can only be pound woman with only his
described as unconventional, the whiskers. On previous occasions
Lituanian Basketball team, which Kontrimas carried a sack of
rocketed to fame in the early 90s grain, a TV host and an entire
after scooping the bronze medal keg of homemade beer. Ladies, get
at the Barcelona Olympics, is in line.
supported by none other than the
American Pyschedelic rock band So How Do I Organise All the
‘The Grateful Dead'. Official Travelly Details Without Screwing
team photos show the athletes Up?
sporting highly fetching tie died
shorts in a varying assortments Easy. There's a London-based
of lime, magenta and acid pink. company by the name of
Dude. Chillisauce who employ people who
really enjoy tailoring packages
Lithuania is the proud home of stag groups to Vilnius, and a
the world's largest TV sculpture. whole bunch of other cities. They
Artist Gintaras Karosas created do all the phoning, reserving and
the work entitled "LNK Infotree" then come up with ideas just for
using just under three thousand you and your friends. All you
individual television sets. actually have to do is turn up to
Lithuanian man/beast Antanas have the most kicking ass time.
Kontrimas, who reportedly hadn't
shaved in a quarter of a century, *A fine specimen of
set the Guinness World record for Lithuanian-descended womanhood
About the Author:
Amalia Illgner is a copywriter for http://chillisauce.co.uk; a fully bonded tour operator specialising in memorable stag nights. Like the sound of that? Well there's a whole map of possibilities for a great stag weekend, for some excellent adventure filled ideas check out chillisauce where they will tailor a Stag Weekend in Vilnius just for you.
Source: www.isnare.com
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