Lithuanians traveling to Central Europe after quarantine are open: we’d be stupid if we didn’t feel anxious

It is true that it is worth taking a look at the regulations in force in the countries you visit when traveling in Europe by any means of transport, and they are constantly changing. Before embarking on a two-week trip, Raminta and her husband regularly reviewed the information on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Delphi Recalls that, as the European Union rushes to open its internal borders, the answers to tourists’ questions can also be found on the official website of the Community; reopen.europa.eu.

In mid-June, as soon as the walls opened, Raminta and her husband planned to spend two weeks on vacation traveling around Europe. According to the interlocutor, it was a completely spontaneous idea: after learning that Poland is opening its borders, Vilnius residents decided to check if they could reach Croatia by car crossing the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia.

“A lot of people asked if we weren’t afraid to travel, so I’ll answer right away that we’d be stupid if we didn’t feel anxious.” It is true that before the trip, of course, we noticed the number of new cases of coronavirus in Croatia. Statistics assured that the probability of becoming infected with the virus there was the same as if you were on vacation in Palanga: the number of new cases in the country, which is higher than ours, was very similar. At least that was the situation in June. ” Delphi Raminta said.

The Lithuanians entered Poland without any problem. As they crossed the checkpoint, no one stopped the machine, so they did not measure the temperature and did not hear where it was going. Although the couple was in transit through Poland and went almost nowhere, no major restrictions were noted.

“When we stopped for dinner in Opole, Poland, we did not see any residents with a mask, whether young or old, it seemed that the virus did not exist here.” Even at the hotel where we had booked our accommodation, the receptionist greeted us without a mask. I have to say that these were the first days that the Polish border was opened, so we were able to enjoy both the lower traffic and the fact that we avoided bigger traffic jams when we traveled. ”

Upon entering the Czech Republic and stopping at a gas station, the couple saw the first people wearing masks. Only customers with masks were admitted to the service station, just like in Austria.

Up to the Slovenian border with Croatia, Lithuanians crossed all borders without queues, without being stopped by border guards, and for the first time the documents were verified only upon entering Croatia.

“The official asked where exactly we were going and if we had booked the first night in this country.” After providing the simplest confirmation of accommodation on one of the online portals, we were admitted into the country. The officer wrote down the address of the accommodation, requested at least one of the passengers’ mobile phone numbers, to which we received a message, the number of which should be contacted if you experience symptoms of the virus. It all took 5 minutes. “

In mid-June, as soon as the country’s borders were opened, there were almost no tourists in Croatia. The Croats themselves were mostly on vacation.

“Cafes in Croatian cities are empty, there is only one other person in them. At the stalls near the cafes, 20-30% were announced. Discounts for food and beverages, but even that did not attract many customers , and we only saw another table occupied in the cafes. There were also cafes that did not open and do not open after the pandemic, and it is not known if they will open this year at all, “shared the woman.

Lithuanians on vacation in Croatia were happy that the choice of accommodation in the resorts was saturated. Due to low occupancy, using a variety of online hotel booking platforms, the couple booked the same night in the evening, around 6 p.m., and soon enjoyed the rooms or apartments. According to travelers, prices ranged from 35 to 60 euros per night for two, and they managed to get a three-star hotel with a rooftop pool for just 53 euros.

“It was probably not even worth talking about the place on the beach, because it was the case that we could count people on the beach with two fingers.” We met more people only in the tourist town of Baška. “

The Lithuanians in the house made a longer stop in Prague. He spent two days there. According to Raminta, the situation in Prague is slightly different from that in Croatia. “The city is big, it is still in quarantine, masks are needed inside, the girl we had booked the night told us about. There is also a disinfectant liquid in each cafe, and people were invited to disinfect their hands upon entering “

In total, the couple drove 5.3 thousand. km. and the post-quarantine trip through Europe surprised in a good way.

“We avoided the bottlenecks, the bigger bottlenecks, the busier meetings, we saved money for lunch or dinner, we had the opportunity to book accommodation at the last minute and choose from the most attractive options for us,” the Vilnius resident was happy with the successful journey.