Amber gathering

Lithuanians and amber – an inseparable duo. More than that, it was thanks to amber that we first mounted the stage of world history. Two millennia ago, Tacitus wrote about the curious Aesti, who trawled the Baltic Sea for amber and sold it to neighbouring tribes. Much has changed since then, but our love for seeking out “Lithuanian gold” remained. Not that it’s clear why, exactly. Certainly not for the purposes of building robust trade relations… It must be because the emotion that comes flooding in when, pacing along the shore early in the morning, you suddenly come across a yellowish bit of amber is so extraordinary and unmistakable that you want to experience it, again and again. The best time to go on a hunt for amber is midsummer, during Klaipėda’s famous Sea Festival. Even if you fail to get lucky in your own search, you can always buy a piece of the “catch” at a nearby craftsman’s stall.