barefoot in the swamps of Dzukija, Lithuania

There are so many things out there that never have I ever thought I would do again in my life. One of them, for example, would be a parachute jump. It was an amazing yet scary experience, being kicked out from almost three thousand feet height, but I wouldn’t do it again, since there is too much to be tried as well. The second thing, of course, would be going on a school trip again when it’s been more than three years since my own graduation.

But it happens when you do have relatives (okay, my mum) working in that specific school that you graduated (yes, I’m the luckiest on this planet but this thing never bothered me) who asked me to go on the road trip with my former teachers on a bus full of teenagers to explore our very own region within its breathtaking nature and small towns while taking pictures of everything. Yes, last time I was a photographer of the school’s trip was around seven years ago. And here I am, doing the same thing all over again, but being way more excited than a previous time, ‘cause spending time in the swamps and getting branches into your head by fifteen-year-olds is totally different than the things I'm used to do now.

To begin with, my region is called Dzukija, situated in the south of Lithuania, is full of forests which have infertile lands, what means my ancestors were mushroom and berry pickers back in the day (okay, many people still do the same thing not only as their leisure time, but as subsistence in the abundant period). Villagers still follow the old traditions of honey picking from the trees, not beehives as usual nowadays, what involves a bit of smokes and a rope to climb into that tree. Towns are full of traditional old houses, painted in various colours and ornaments, what gives the authentic feeling. And, of course, the forests and pinewoods are truly Lithuanian beauties. The best thing to do while visiting them in this specific region is to go to walk barefoot in the swamps – you walk in the dry looking moss, but since you step in, your feet are covered in the water! Cool, isn’t it? And pretty cold. Those nature creations are the only things that are untouched by humans and industries, what makes this experience even more unforgettable.

Students had to measure the height and width of trees, pick one touristic attraction of the small town called Merkine (yes, the population there is just over one thousand and the town is full of them, including a tiny Hill of Crosses for dead partizans killed by soviet soldiers and a place where Grand Duke of Lithuania and Polish king Vladislav Vasa died) and describe the scenery, what made be so happy to be graduated from both high school and university. Instead, I had to take pictures of them doing those measurements what actually makes me happy. And thanks a lot to my former gymnasium for this incredible experience!