VILNIUS — Miss Universe is taking on Mrs. Universe, not for who’s more beautiful but over a trademark issue. Miss Universe, which is owned by American real estate mogul Donald Trump and NBC Universal, contend that Lithuania’s Mrs. Universe is infringing on their copyright and is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages. “We have filed [...]

It’s another inconspicuous August weekend in the Baltic states — the last one of summer, in fact. But while September looks action-packed, August is going out with more of a whimper than a bang. The biggest names on are the loop-happy Australian street performer Dub FX, Brit folkie Sol Invictus and indie rock sensation Alina [...]

SIGULDA, Latvia — There’s something mystical about the Gauja National Park. Between the thick pine forests, the sandstone cliffs, the castles and the occasional fog, it has an atmosphere all it’s own and is widely considered the best place for natural beauty in Latvia. It’s been called “Livonia’s Switzerland.” That’s a bit misleading as those [...]

KURESSAARE, Estonia — What does Estonia have that Latvia and Lithuania don’t? Well, that’s actually a long list, but for this post we’ll only focus on one — islands. Specifically Hiiumaa and Saaremmaa. Largely unscathed by communist-era and even post-independence development, Estonia’s two largest islands are like an open air museum of life in Estonia [...]

Used to be in the Baltics about the only Western musical acts they could get over were total has-beens from the 1970s and 80s. Well, after going all out last weekend with a ton of top-notch musical options, this weekend is much more low-key with the biggest name being ancient Scottish hard rockers Nazareth. Their [...]

VILNIUS — While most Lithuanians spend half of their summer swimming in one of the country’s 6,000 lakes, until now none had gone underwater with a camera in hand. That’s perhaps understandable, as underwater photography involves very expensive equipment. But now, for the first time a public gallery displaying underwater photos of the country’s biggest [...]

TALLINN — Whether it’s e-government, e-voting or e-prescriptions from doctors, Estonia seems it can’t get digital enough. Now, the country is planning it’s first e-song festival, so to speak, uniting its traditional song festivals with its digital craze for the first time in history. The digital song festival will take place in August 20, when [...]

After largely taking last weekend off entertainment-wise, the Baltic states are offering a fully-stocked line-up of events the upcoming week. For big Western acts, Riga sees the return of living legend DJ Tiesto while death-metal rockers Cannibal Corpse thrash their way through all three countries. Lithuania is holding the largest country music festival in the [...]

TALLINN — What’s the best beach in Estonia? Well, depends what you’re looking for of course, be it quiet, women in bikinis, boulders or simple sunshine. Instead of trying to persuade you which one is best, we thought we would show you the beaches instead and let you decide. Here’s the “The Best Beach in [...]

UTENA COUNTY, Lithuania — The soul of the Baltic states resides in a village, and summer is the best time to uncover it. Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians were primarily a rural people for centuries, their largest cities inhabited by other ethnic groups. The lyrics of their folk songs are often about forests, mushroom hunting and [...]