VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

90 sPort & leisure
Active leisure
Force One Tel. (+370) 5 233 98 07, info@forceone.lt,
www.forceone.lt. Extreme, outdoorsy and team-building
type activities. Mostly caters to corporate clients.
Labas Nuotykių Parkas (Labas Adventure Park) Lizdeikos,
tel. (+370) 602 323 66, www.labasnuotykiuparkas.lt.
Not far from the city centre on the eastern shore of the
Neris river, Labas Nuotykių Parkas offers over 1.5km of tracks
up in the trees aimed at everyone from children to beginners to
professional Tarzans. Each track comes with zip-lines for aerial
flights, plus there’s a 16m swing for the completely insane and
an aerial runway across the river. The place is hidden from the
road and there are no signposts at all. A map on their website
partially solves the mystery. QOpen 10:00 - 20:00.
Bowling & Billiards
Boulingo Klubas G-3, J. Jasinskio 16, tel. (+370) 5 249
66 00, www.boulingoklubas.lt. Complete with Lithuanian
dishes and beer, the six lanes squeezed next to each other
allow for much drunken bowling. QOpen 11:00 - 22:00, Wed,
Thu 11:00 - 23:00, Fri 11:00 - 24:00, Sat 12:00 - 24:00, Sun
12:00 - 21:00. PAW
Cosmic Bowling G-4, Vytenio 6/23, tel. (+370) 5 233
99 09, www.bowling.lt. Wonky lanes and pins on strings.
Better lanes and equipment upstairs, where prices are also
higher. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 02:00. PW
Free Ball H-2, Konstitucijos 16 (VCUP), tel. (+370) 656
205 80. A pleasant enough space featuring a bar and several
pool tables in excellent condition. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00, Fri,
Sat 10:00 - 02:00, Sun 10:00 - 22:00. PA
Fitness & Gyms
Forum Sports Club G-2, Konstitucijos 26, tel. (+370)
5 210 31 49, www.forumfitness.lt. Gym, aerobics, 25m
pool, saunas, modern equipment and the option of a personal
trainer to shout at you while you use it. Q Open 06:30 - 22:00,
Sat, Sun 09:00 - 21:00 (Aug). Open 06:30 - 22:30, Sat, Sun
08:00 - 22:00 (from September). AFDC
Impuls Plus I-1, Kareivių 14, tel. (+370) 615 400
72, www.impuls.lt. Strength and cardiovascular workout
gear, aerobics, sauna, spa, pool and waterslide. Also at L.
Asanavičiūtės 15, Savanorių 28, Fabijoniškių 97a. QOpen
06:30 - 21:30, Sat, Sun 09:30 - 21:00. Open 06:30 - 21:30,
Sat, Sun 09:00 - 19:00 (June - August). ADC
On wheels
Fun2Go Plytinės 27, tel. (+370) 699 567 04, www.
kartodromas.lt. This go-cart track offers speed, mayhem,
danger, so it’s just like the rest of Lithuania’s road network,
but with smaller cars and more fun. QOpen 13:00 - 21:00,
Sat, Sun 11:00 - 21:00.
Racquet sports
Teniso Pasaulis E-1, Ąžuolyno 7, tel. (+370) 5 246 08
36, www.sebarena.lt. 30 - 95Lt/hour depending on when
you want to play. A
Saunas
The Narutis Hotel - Preferred Boutique C-3, Pilies
24, tel. (+370) 5 212 28 94, fax (+370) 5 262 28 82,
info@narutis.com, www.narutis.com. There’s a sauna,
steam room and a modest pool with spa bath. And a nice
little fountain. A hidden treat on the main tourist promenade
of Old Town. JA
Sky stuff
Oreivystės Centras (Ballooning Centre) G-3, Upės
5, tel. (+370) 652 005 10, www.ballooning.lt. Hot-air
balloons and other off-the-ground antics.
Social sports
Hash House Harriers Tel. (+370) 685 212 43,
www.vilniushhh.blogspot.com. Run or walk around for
a bit, then drink and chat. The Vilnius chapter of this world
phenomenon meet once a month. See their blog for more
information.
Table tennis
Sostinės Stalo Teniso Sporto Klubas J-3, Olandų
6/1, tel. (+370) 654 020 59, www.vilniaus-stalo-tenisas.lt.
A large, modern table tennis club complete with lots
of tables, good shower facilities and the option of coaching
or just playing for pleasure. Find it above the Maxima supermarket
on the left going up the hill. QOpen 17:00 - 20:00,
Sat 09:30 - 13:00. Closed Sun.
Water sports
Diugonis (Scuba-diving) J. Matulaičio 7-38, tel.
(+370) 5 240 70 15, www.scubadiving.lt. A PADI
dive centre, with English-speaking staff, who can arrange
dives in the lakes around Trakai. Scuba gear available
for hire. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00, Sat 11:00 - 15:00.
Closed Sun. A
Lietuvos Vaikų ir Jaunimo Centras G-2, Konstitucijos
25, tel. (+370) 5 273 33 33, www.lvjc.lt. The pool is only
25m long but it’s clean as a whistle and, despite being in a
children’s and youth centre, it’s not just for kiddies.
Vichy Aqua Park H-1, Ozo 14c, tel. 118, www.
vandensparkas.lt. A big explosion of aquatic fun with a
pleasantly up-lifting Polynesian theme throughout. There
are dizzying water slides, a pretend beach with real waves,
oodles of pools of various types (one with a bar) and all
sorts of saunas and spa baths. Out in the northern suburbs,
the taxi fare’s still worth it, or take bus N°53 if you’re feeling
cheap. QOpen 12:00 - 22:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 22:00.
TAEKDC
Chess
The general consensus among historians is that chess
(šachmatai) arrived in Lithuania in the 17th century,
brought here by the ruling classes from Western Europe.
Others claim its history goes back a good deal further.
What is undeniable however is the fact that the first ever
documented game played in the country took place in
1887, the year the first chess club was founded in Lithuania.
The first international tournament took place in
Vilnius in 1912, attracting many skilful exponents from
abroad, including the great Polish master Akiba Rubinstein
(1882-1961), who won and took the title back to
his native homeland. Lithuania’s most notable exponent
was a man by the name of Vladas Mikėnas (1910-1992),
famous for beating the world champion at the time in an
albeit informal game way back in 1937. Chess remains a
favourite sport (call it a game in front of a serious player
at your own peril) among the Lithuanians, and as well as
one or two specialist clubs in Vilnius, it’s possible to find
the game being played every evening in a few bars.
Vilnius In Your Pocket vilnius.inyourpocket.com