 NovaVita Program
Day One - Thursday We will meet you at the airport in Vilnius and take you a short distance to a beautiful country lodge. Here you can rest in comfort and enjoy dinner before an informational meeting with your health team and tour guide. You can also relax in a Russian steam sauna to recover after your travel.
Day Two – Friday After a refreshing breakfast we will return to Vilnius for a tour of Lithuania‘s capital. We will see Gediminas Castle, Vilnius Cathedral and The Old Town. You will have a chance to explore the narrow, winding streets with their many quaint shops selling traditional souvenirs, antiques and handmade goods. After seeing Vilnius we will travel by van 30 km to Trakai Castle for a tour of this ancient fortress of the early Lithuanian Dukes. We will return to the country lodge for lunch and to collect our possessions, then continue on the 4 hour drive to NovaVita. Along the way you will get a good taste of what the Lithuanian countryside is like. We will see areas of flat farmland (often with horse-drawn plows and wagons on one farm and modern tractors and combines on the next), rolling hills, winding rivers and small villages. You will also notice the big Russian style „flats“ in the larger towns. Lithuania is a country of change and contrasts. We will arrive at NovaVita in the evening where you will be welcomed with dinner and a comfortable, clean room with a private bath.
Day Three – Saturday
At NovaVita our day always begins at 7am with a 20 minute stretching /exercise session. A wonderful way to loosen up your muscles, improve flexibility and start your day with increased vigor. At 7:45 we invite you to join us in the fireside room for a short inspirational thought before breakfast. After breakfast you can relax or explore your surroundings. NovaVita is in a beautiful location with many nature trails leading to Plateliai Lake. We also offer transportation for anyone who would like to join our team members for the Seventh-day Adventist worship service that is held in a private log home. Here you will have the chance to experience the hospitality of a Lithuanian family. After lunch at NovaVita we will go on a walking tour of the village of Plateliai. In the evening a local musician and his family have prepared a special musical program for you to enjoy.
Day Four – Sunday After the 7 am stretching session and a hearty breakfast we invite you to join us in the dining room at 9 am for a vegetarian cuisine cooking demonstration. Our cooks will teach you many ways to prepare healthful and delicious recipes that will make your family happy to change their eating habits. After the cooking class each guest will have an opportunity to meet with one of our team members to have a simple health/physical check as well as to let us know what therapies you would prefer and what concerns or requests you may have. At noon we will have an informative, interesting and practical health lecture. We hope that by the time you leave you have the information to support the healthy lifestyle you have choosen. Lunch is served at 1 pm. In the afternoon you can expect a relaxing massage, an invigorating contrast shower, a refreshing clay plaster or another therapy that will improve your health and make you feel renewed. Please see our list of therapies to know what you may expect. At 5:30 pm there is another health lecture that we encouage you to listen to. You will find these lectures essential in making wise health decisions. A light dinner of fresh fruit, homemade pastries, bread with various spreads and tea will be served at 6:30 every evening. After dinner you are welcome to join us for an entertaining and educational video.
Day Five – Monday The morning schedule will be similar to Sunday with more individualized therapies between the culinary cooking demonstration and the noon lecture. We will also have small exercise groups to match your fitness level for muscle building and endurace training. In the afternoon we invite you to try a traditional Russian sauna. Men and women will have a separate session schedule with our experienced sauna therapists. You will leave with shiny, smooth skin, an invigorated immune system and relaxed muscles.
Day Six – Tuesday Again there will be the morning stretches, an inspirational thought before breakfast, culinary demonstration, individualized therapies, exercise sessions and health lectures before lunch. After lunch we will travel by car along a scenic route through small villages to Plokštinės Missile Silo. An English speaking guide will give a tour of this once highly secret Russian military base. We will come back to NovaVita in time for supper.
Day Seven – Wednesday This day will again be spent at NovaVita with the standard schedule. By this time you will begin to feel the results of the healthful food, hydrotherapy, massage treatments and exercises. Your body will be more cleansed and toned. You will notice you have more energy.
Day Eight – Thursday After an early breakfast we will travel by van to the town of Kaunas. Here you will get the chance to see the old Kaunas Castle ruins, visit magnificent church cathedrals, wander the streets of the old town district, purchase Lithuanian souvenirs and experience life in this busy city. We will take sack lunches, but if you wish you are also welcome to purchase some traditional Lithuainian foods from the many old town restaurants. After lunch we will go on a tour of Ninth Fort. This former concentration camp/prison was the site were approximately 50,000 people were murdered and untold numbers were tortured by both Russian and Nazi invaders. It is a sobering look at Lithuania‘s history and helps us to understand what heartache and pain many individuals have lived through. We will arrive back at NovaVita in time for supper.
Day Nine – Friday Another day at NovaVita. In addition to the customary program, therapies and lecture we will try to organize an afternoon cross country ski trip. The rolling hills make the country very pleasant for skiing. If there is no snow we may take a bike tour.
Day Ten – Saturday Again the morning schedule will be the same, but after breakfast you will have free time to relax, watch a video, take a walk to the lake or come to the Seventh-day Adventist worship services. After lunch we will be taking a sleigh or wagon ride through some beautiful areas of the scenic Lithuanian National Park. In the evening we will start a bonfire and sing familiar songs together with guitar accompaniment. If you enjoy singing we invite you to join us, if not you will enjoy listening to both English and Lithuanian melodies.
Day Eleven – Sunday After breakfast we will go by van to the seaside resort city of Palanga and to the nearby amber museum housed in the magnificient palace estates of the Tiškevičius Family. We will provide a sack lunch or you can purchase your meal at a local restaurant. After lunch we will travel on to the port city of Klaipėda for a tour of this impressive city with it‘s German heritage. We will return to NovaVita for supper.
Day Twelve – Monday Today each guest will have another physical and exercise test to measure the objective improvements in his/her health. In the afternoon you will have another opportunity to visit the Russian sauna for a last treatment before your departure. In the evening we have a special candle-light banquet supper and farewell program. We are confident that the health you have gained, the friends you have made, the sights you have seen and the knowledge you have learned will make a lasting impact physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Day Thirteen – Tuesday Your schedule may vary depending on the time of your departure arrangements. We will travel by car to Vilnius, but depending on your departure time there is also the option of taking a Lithuanian train to Vilnius. This unique opportunity would give you a different view of the countryside and a taste of the way many Lithuanians travel. We would then meet you at the train station in Vilnius and go by car to the airport. We will work together with you in these arrangements to make your departure day as pleasant and comfortable as possible.
What to bring with you: Current Passport Any medications you may need Personal hygiene items Slippers Comfortable sport shoes Winter boots (according to season) Winter clothing (according to season) Sweater or pullover Swimming suit Camera
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