20 years

My 1st visit to Lithuania was in 1993.

Tomorrow, Lithuania takes on the EU Presidency. Joining the EU was a big thing, but the Presidency is another milestone.

Hard to imagine when I think back...

In 1993 the country was in the middle of an energy crisis. All its electricity came from a Chernobyl style reactor at Ignalina. The newly independent state couldn't afford to pay Russia for the fuel rods it needed.

Public buildings were only heated to a few degrees above freezing. The conference I was speaking at was in a Ministry of Justice building. We were so happy at the end of the day to get out and jump in our host's Lada. It had a heater...

This will be a reflective week.

I went for a walk after brunch - ended up in Kinghorn (just over 9km away). My reward was an ice cream.