A man and his bees
A NEW FRIEND
One of the most difficult, yet beautiful experiences of my life was my stay for 2 months in beautiful Lithuania.
There I met some extraordinary people and one of them is undoubtedly Giedrius*.
KARTENA HILLFORT STOP, ON THE WAY TO LITHUANIAN BEES
Giedrius is a multi-talented, special man, with tons of interests. Of all of them, I think his love for his bees stands out.
On a beautiful morning, of an endless May day (the sun didn't set until after 22:00, only to rise again around 05:00), Giedrius, myself and another colleague set out for Giedrius' beehives. We made a stop at Kartena hillfort, a beautiful spot, with distinct paths and some curious wooden structures. A small hill with unobstructed views all around.
A little note here: Lithuania really is the land of storks! No wonder it was declared Lithuania's national bird in 1973.
“Kaip senieji giedojo, taip jaunieji dainuoja”
UKRAINE FLAG, NATURE AND A HOME FOR BEES
Shortly afterwards, Giedrius explained the brotherly friendship they have with the Ukrainians, and the reason why the Ukrainian flag has these colours. We could see it in front of our eyes: deep blue skies and vast, golden fields (usually wheat).
I should note that the sky in Lithuania has a blue colour that is somewhat similar to the Greek Aegean blue, but somewhat less saturated.
At some point we reached the place where his favorite bees live. We stayed there for hours and Giedrius explained so many things that I was mesmerized.
The first, of course, was that bees only sting when they sense that you are afraid or uncomfortable. Well, they stung me within first…18 seconds. Needless to say, Giedrius was bare-handed the entire time.
The other colleague is himself an experienced amateur beekeeper in Greece, so he helped Giedrius quite a bit, while I was the annoying one who kept taking pictures, disturbing them.
THE RED HUT
One of the side effects of our wonderful trip was that nearby, I discovered an amazing red hut. These days, any self-respecting travel photographer absolutely must have a photo of a red hut to be considered successful.
Lucky me.
Nature was gorgeous (as it always is everywhere) and I really enjoyed it!
A GIFT FROM AFAR
Good Giedrius was incredibly kind, long afterwards, to send me a whole box of several jars, each with a different honey. His bees, together with the beautiful Lithuanian nature, created unique flavours, very different from what we are used to in Greece. The -almost white!- honey with a strong lavender taste was the most special. It goes without saying that we duly honored all of them in our home.
Me, struggling with the protective suit over my head, away from the bees…
…and Giedrius hiding the entrance of the hive with his naked hands, so I could take the photo below.
I have to end this post without failing to say that Giedrius is an awesome Lithuanian, our acquaintance is a beautiful memory and I look forward to meet him again.
*The wonderful name Giedrius has roots in Lithuanian and means Clean, Serene.
A very fitting name for my friend and the first thing that connects him to the beautiful, serene nature of his country.
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