- A trip to Lithuania can help you get away from it all.peaceful palanga park, lithuania image by Fadeeva from Fotolia.com
A vacation getaway entails leaving the world behind for a little while and exploring a different environment or a different way of life. These getaways can be over-the-top or just a few steps to the side, as long as they give you a chance to relax. Ideas for vacation getaways include both the destination and the journey. - If you have some time on your hands for your getaway, two weeks in Lithuania might be in order. Lithuania is one of the three Baltic States located in Northern part of Easter Europe. A former satellite nation of the Soviet Union, Lithuania was one of the first countries to declare its independence from the failing Soviet Union. Lithuania can be considered a microcosm from its variety of climates, from the summer town of Klaipeda located on the Baltic Sea to the spa town of Druskininkai located in a 293-hectare forest. Lithuania is known for its natural beauty and its innate friendliness. As of October 2010, the exchange rate is 3 to 1 Lithuanian Litas for American dollars. Inexpensive flights are regularly scheduled out of London, England.
- If you want to go somewhere and not worry about how to get there, Amtrak provides a number of different intercontinental train routes that can be a getaway before your vacation. Routes travel between major cities and have limited stops along the way. Examples of the routes include the Coast Starlight, which is about a 35-hour trip that runs between Los Angeles and Seattle, and the Cardinal/Hoosier State, which runs between New York City and Chicago and is about a 25-hour trip. You can purchase ticket upgrades such as booking a roomette, which is a small sleeping berth. Meals are usually included in the price of the ticket, so that you do not have to worry about anything as you sit back and enjoy the ride.
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amtrak.com - Portland, Oregon, is one of the jewels of the Pacific Northwest. A little big city, Portland has the luxury of being a progressive and forward thinking community surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty due to zoning and urban growth restrictions enacted in the 1970s. Portland is a Mecca for young and old because of its abundance of activities, attractions and events within and around the city. Some of the events include Wordstock, a weekend literary celebration at the beginning of October that features internationally recognized authors like Jonathan Lethem and James Ellroy, and North-by-Northwest, an international music festival that takes place in September.
More constant attractions include the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park, which contains over 500 varieties of roses, and the downtown Saturday market, the largest open-air arts and crafts marketplace in the U.S. Attractions about an hour's driving distance from Portland include the Columbia River Gorge, with miles of nature paths and the second highest waterfall in the nation, and Mount Hood, the highest mountain in Oregon that is snow-capped even in the summer.
