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PRACTICAL INFO_
Practical info for the participants of ESA '08
Getting to Kaunas (Lithuania)
You will be arriving to the European Summer Academy ’08 in Kaunas either by plane to the Vilnius airport or by bus to the Kaunas bus station. When you will arrive at the Vilnius airport on June 26 (Thursday), there will be the University bus waiting for you at 18:00. Those of you who arrive earlier than 18:00 have two options: either to wait a bit at the airport or to arrange your travel to Kaunas by yourselves. From Vilnius Airport take a taxi (costs approx 25 Lt/7 EUR) to Vilnius bus station and then from there buy yourself a ticket to Kaunas (approx 40 Lt/12 EUR). Buses to Kaunas leave every hour and we recommend buying a ticket for the express-bus which takes you to Kaunas approx in an hour. You will arrive to Kaunas bus station from which it is only 5 min walk to the University Hostel. When taking a taxi, make sure you will ask for a receipt in advance in order we can refund the money you paid for the taxi and the bus ticket (which you will also have to save) later.
Accommodation in Kaunas
All the ESA ’08 participants will be accommodated in the Vytautas Magnus University Hostel (address: Vytauto Prospektas 71). It takes about 5 min by foot to reach the hostel from the Kaunas bus station. For the details check the  ESA_Map.pdf. The accommodation is arranged in either single or double rooms with separate beds. You will be informed about your exact room number and room-mate per e-mail. When arriving at the hostel you will have to introduce yourself to the receptionist who will give you a Rental Agreement to fill-in (you will have to fill in your arrival/departure dates and time, place of permanent residence, Passport or ID Card number) and sign. Then you will get keys from your room you will be staying at all 9 coming days. NOTE: There are some important issues you have to know regarding the accommodation at the hostel. Rooms are adequately furnished with desks, beds, tables and chairs, refrigerators. Beddings, linen and towels will be provided. Each room has a bathroom – a sink, a shower tub and a toilet. Residents are materially liable for damages that they caused to the facilities and the equipment of the dormitory. Students are not allowed to hang posters, to stick pictures or photos on doors and walls, to change door locks. Quiet hours in the hostel extend from 23:00 to 6:00. No smoking in the hostel is allowed except in designated areas. Another very important issue – you will be asked to leave the key from your room at the reception and will be able to pick it up again by showing you ID Card.
Meals
You will have all your breakfasts, lunches and dinners during the ESA ’08 at the “Pizza Jazz” restaurant (address: Laisves Aleja 68) which is only several minutes away from your hostel and the University, where the lectures and practical seminars will take place. There will be separate tables reserved for the Academy participants (check the  Orientation_at_PizzaJazz.pdf). NOTE: There will be meals and soft drinks (water, juice) pre-ordered for you, so if you would prefer to take something extra (coke, bear, extra meal, etc.) you will have to pay for it yourselves. There will be some exceptional cases when you will have your meals else where than at “Pizza Jazz”. On our arrival evening on June 26 (Thursday) at 21:00 there will be a Welcome Reception at the Institute of Political Science and Diplomacy at Vytautas Magnus University (Gedimino St. 44, 2nd Floor) organized. We suggest all of you to meet at the Hostel lobby 10 minutes to 21:00 and your colleagues from Vytautas Magnus University will take you to the dinner place. On June 27 (Friday) we will very early (at 07:30) leave to the countryside village, so you will have breakfast prepared for you at the bus. The same goes for the morning of July 1 (Tuesday) when we will leave for the whole day to Vilnius. On July 3 (Thursday) we will have a farewell dinner at VMU Club Hall (S. Daukanto St. 27). Please check the Programme of ESA ’08 for all the details.
Facilities and technical supply
All the lectures and practical workshops (except on the days at the countryside and in Vilnius), also the accommodation, the welcome reception and the farewell dinner will be organised at the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas (check the ESA_Map.pdf). Practical workshops and lectures will be organised at the Distance Studies Center (K. Donelaicio St. 52, Room 314) which is fully equipped with computers connected to the Internet. As at the ESA ’08 you will all work in pairs, you will have a separate computer for two of you to share. You can also bring your laptops together with you, as we will also arrange a wireless connection to the Wi-Fi areas at the University as well as at the Hostel. Each team of 2 students will also get a pre-paid cell phone card which you will be able to use doing interviews for your reports. NOTE: we also kindly ask you to bring cameras, photo cameras and voice-recorders with you. Only some will be also available at the University but having your own ones will make your journalistic work much easier.
Social programme
We have arranged you a number of different activities during your stay in Kaunas and for the whole Academy. Please, check for more details on Social Events of ESA ’08.
Currency
Lithuanian currency is the Litas (LTL). Coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents and 1, 2, and 5 Litas coins. Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 LTL The official fixed exchange rate of the Litas into the euro: 1 EUR = 3.4528 LTL. The exchange rates in banks will differ from the official rate by no more than 2%. All convertible currency can be exchanged at banks and currency exchange offices. The latter are located at hotels, airports, railway and bus stations, shops. Transactions are usually made in cash. Most hotels, major restaurants, shops and banks accept credit cards including Globus, Eurocard, Master card, Visa, Maestro. American Express is less widely accepted. Traveller’s cheques are not accepted by retailers and can be exchanged at banks only. Some currency exchange offices (Valiutos keitykla) might also exchange traveller’s cheques. Usually banks are open from 8:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday (some of them work even longer). All banks have cash machines (ATMs) where you can with draw money 24 hours a day. You will find ATMs in the city centre and near the biggest supermarkets.
Weather
Average summer temperature: +17°C (maximum +35 °C). It is recommended to have an umbrella with you also in summer. It is kindly recommended to check the weather forecast before you arrive. |
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