When you say you are going to Europe most people think of Paris, London, Amsterdam, etc. If you specify the "center of Europe" you might get a look of bewilderment considering we tend to divide everything up by east/west, south/north. So where is the geographic center you ask? Lithuania! 

Lithuania has been part of the former Soviet Union, before that part of the Pale of Settlement for the Russian Empire, a territory in the Polish commonwealth, and since 1990 an independent nation once again. All of the history aside, it is considered to be geographically dead center in Europe. So why have you never known anyone that's been there??? Granted it doesn't have the grandeur or famous landmarks many a traveler find themselves chasing with endless selfie sticks and bucket lists, but what it does have is history. 

A few years ago I started researching my family roots, and because of the advancement in DNA I started finding more cousins than I could fit on a tree. I knew I was of Russian Jewish descent, but what I didn't realize is that we were Litvaks. A Litvak is a Jewish Lithuanian. So on a whim we headed off to find out more. 

Vilnius is the capital and landing spot. It is a quaint medieval town with more churches than people, but maybe I exaggerate. Each one is unique and beautiful and worth a look inside as well as from the university belfry. We had the opportunity to take a private tour of the Jewish quarter with Raya Shapiro, who is a professional guide and part of the remaining Jewish Lithuanian community. If you get the chance I highly recommend reaching out to her via the link because she is incredibly  knowledgeable and well worth the cost to get a detailed look at the history of the area. 

Word of advice - get out of the city! Renting a car is inexpensive and driving is simple by European standards. I admit that I had a lot of fun driving there, but then I love driving in general. I digress. Head for the smaller towns like Anykščiai, Plunge, and Trakai. The later has a beautiful castle with a moat you can cruise around in from the comfort of a pedal boat either before or after exploring the inside.  Each town has its own charm, but do not forget to take note of the Holocaust memorial sites outside of almost every town. That is the dark side of the country's history. Prior to WWII the country's population was approximately 45% Jewish. After the war only about 2000 souls remained to bear witness to the horrors of mass executions in the country's forests. One of the more moving sites was the Ponary (Paneriai) Forest outside of Vilnius, where some 70,000 Jews were murdered between 1941 and 1944 from the Jewish ghetto. It is sobering, painful, and a stark reminder of man's inhumanity to man. Although I did not lose any immediate relatives to the Nazis, I did lose extended family, and I honored them with a silent prayer and the speaking of their names at each site. The truth is I could write days and days of blogs reporting my experiences with this side of the trip, but it will take a very long time to come to grips with the experience.

Before you leave take the long journey to see the Hill of Crosses, listed as one of the creepiest places on earth, but a sight to behold with hundreds of thousands of crosses placed on the hillside since about 1831. If you are not interested in the religious aspect, or amused by the macabre, then you may not want to waste your time, but I give it a 9.5 out of 10 for "creepy factor" alone. Especially if the weather is a bit stormy as it was on the day we went. 

Last but not least...eat the food! If you are Jewish you may recognize a great deal of the food from your childhood because Lithuanian dishes are highly influenced by the robust Jewish community that thrived there for centuries prior to WWII. Even if you are not Jewish, however, you will love the familiar tastes of salmon, potato pancakes, and so much more. Between the food and visiting the towns of my ancestors I can honestly say I'll be back!

      This is a never ending question with no singular answer. My two best friends (photographers as well) and I are constantly ribbing each other about our photographic choices. I am Nikon person all the way, and they are both Canon. We have never ending sessions of mocking each other with glorious tales of one brand over another, but in all reality a camera is only as good as the person behind it. You can shoot with all the bells and whistles and not achieve anything just as much as you can shoot with an inexpensive SLR and create art. What I will say though is that having an SLR is the only way to go. Using a telephone or a point and shoot, while great for times when you cannot bring a camera, is just not photography in its truest form.
        I know, I know. Here is where I am going to get people arguing with me about the merits of telephone pictures. I am not saying they do not have their place, but if you want to create something lasting and special a phone is just not going to cut it. Now, what camera should you get? As I noted above, all brands have good cameras at all price ranges so there is no need to get into a tizzy. I also noted that I am a Nikon person, and the reason is because I have done a great deal of my work on Nikon over the last 30 years. My first SLR camera was an Olympus OMG back in 1983 when I was going off to college in London, and it was a gift from my brother. That served me well until I moved back to London in 1992, when I bought my first Nikon. Sometime in the early 2000s I went kicking and screaming into digital, and stayed with the brand I was familiar with. Over the years I have acquired all of the lenses I need, and upgrading cameras is something that you do periodically. So there you have it. I have all of the lenses for Nikon so I stay Nikon. 
        Okay, now you know my rationale, but I do love Nikon cameras. I am sure I would love Canon or Sony or whatever else I chose to use had I started with those. My current model is the latest and greatest D500, and although I have been driving this magnificent beast for exactly a year today, I have not even begun to stretch it to its capabilities. Let me just throw in a pet peeve here so please indulge me.... I hate when companies include video in the camera! There, I said it, and I am not ashamed. I have no intention of using that feature so I really don't want to pay for it. I am a believer that they should be separated out. Videographers tend to not use the still functions, and the higher nd cameras are not something people tend to buy to take on the family vacation........and I am off my soapbox.
          Again, no matter what camera you are using there are two things that are the most important. 1. The person behind the camera and their eye, and 2. lenses. You wouldn't buy a Ferrari and slap on old tires and wheels with hubcaps would you?! So buy good lenses, and they don't have to cost a fortune. Personally I am a huge fan of both the Sigma Art series and the Tamron SP series. I do have beautiful Nikkor lenses as well, but my workhorse lenses are top of the range Sigma and Tamron as well as my one Tokina wide angle lens. More on that in a minute.
​            So, this particular camera is going to set you back about $2000.00 body only, but you can buy less expensive models if you are just a hobbyist. Notice I stated "body only" because that is what I suggest you always buy. Steer clear of the sets directly from the manufacturer as they are most likely including cheap versions of their basic lenses. Again, if you are a hobbyist this might be okay for you, but even if you are serious about your hobby stick with body only and buy your lenses separately. That way you can buy exactly what you want for the money you are willing to spend.
             I have quite a few other "fun lenses" and another Nikkor 80-400 VR, but my main gear is as follows:
                         1. Sigma Art 24-105 (This is my workhorse constant companion)
                         2. Tokina AT-X Pro 11-16 wide angle 
                         3. Tamron SP 150-600 (for safaris and birds)
​                         4. Tamron SP  90mm Macro

              

    The interesting thing about going on a self guided ghost town hunt is that it is more like searching for abandoned history, and Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state. Now some might say it is a product of people leaving the state or moving to urban areas, but there are ghost towns right in the midst of the suburbs! I prefer to think of it as a state that values its place in the history of the United States and the westward expansion.
​      Pioneers made their way to Oregon by covered wagons not long after Lewis & Clark explored the area in 1805, By 1843 the first settlers started arriving via the Oregon Trail, and the rest is history. Well, it is kind of a living history because of the ghosts that remain and the people of Oregon that value the history.
    There are well over 50 towns that are either completely vacant or have very few residents, and even the Internet resources do not cover or know about all of them. I know this because I have stumbled on several that were not on anyone's list. Long forgotten settler towns, stagecoach stops, and even lumber towns abound. I have only ventured to or uncovered about 8 so far so I have only barely scratched the surface, but one of the creepiest I have been to is Cornucopia in Baker County.
       Cornucopia was a mining town that happened to have one of the richest deposits in U.S. history although this town is long forgotten. Many buildings remain, but as I arrived in May, I could only make it as far as the bunkhouse before I was forced to turn around due to snow. Yes...it is that high in elevation! It might not be as scary or creepy with other people around, but I was the only soul for about 10 miles. At one point I had visions of getting stuck up there with no one to find me until my long decayed body was discovered sometime in summer by a wandering local or tourist. Having said that, I was NOT going back without something to show for it so I was able to make it to the bunkhouse (picture on Ghost Town Page under the Places tab) and get a few shots, yet I couldn't help but feel someone was watching me. Now, I have never seen a ghost, and I am not sure I even believe in them, but something gave me the chills and that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. No, it was not the lunch I had stopped for earlier in the day either. Being a dedicated photographer, however, I took a deep breath, got a couple of photographs, and got the heck out!
        Some of the places you will see in the Ghost Town section here are right in the middle of suburban areas. Many of those are now on private property and lovingly kept alive by residents. Places like the Kinton Schoolhouse or the Farmington View Schoolhouse stand smack in the middle of busy suburban areas that were long ago swallowed by nearby towns, yet these little nuggets of history still remain to remind us of those that came before us.