31/365: That 'home' feeling

I'm not a spiritual person but every time I visit Lithuania I get the sense my beloved Senelė is looking down on me from wherever she's watching. I come to her flat here in Baisogala, Lithuania, to in a sense be closer to her. Not a lot has changed in here in the past few decades and that's the way I like it.

The smell as I walk through the door, the faded wallpaper, and the painted windows on the doors to each room all bring with them a certain nostalgia which cannot be recreated with any sort of re-modelling that will eventually take place here. As the space here will change slowly as the years come and go (the bathroom has already been completely re-tiled and installed with a modern shower), so will the essence of the flat slowly change. To visit here now, as it is, is the closest it will ever be to how I remember. 

It's why, the last few times I've been here either with Layla or my friend Fred, to come back and visit more often. Once a year simply is not enough for me. When I am here my mind feels clear. Maybe it's the fresh air or the feeling of being far away from the 24/7 global news cycle or work, I don't know but what I do know is I feel better for being here. That's why in 2026 I will be here at least three times - this visit, in June/July for Layla's birthday, and again in September for when I partake in the Vilnius Half Marathon again. 

When Layla finishes her job as well, it maybe even easier to squeeze in a couple of 2/3 day getaways during my rest days too. Flights to and from Kaunas to London are cheap, the accommodation is free, and the hire car company I use is reliable and well-priced. It is now easier to get here than ever before. If I hadn't have stopped on the way from the airport to Baisogala, I would have been here in approximately 11 hours (from my flat in Sittingbourne to the flat in Baisogala including drive to airport, security, flight, everything). That's pretty damn good. 

The end of January is but a few hours away and in a few weeks no doubt the blanket of snow that covers Lithuania will be gone, or atleast it will begin melting into the black horrible slush that inevitably comes with spring. This sort of weather takes place less and less frequently here due to the joys of global warming and who knows when I will see it again like this. Here's to hoping that February ends just as well as January has.