Just to let you all know; there are a few scammers with fake “Freddie Dobbs Telegram” accounts pretending to be me. I don’t use Telegram, so please do just ignore these. If in doubt you can contact me through my website (freddiedobbs.com) or Instagram (@dob.bs) to double check🙂 Thanks all, have a great weekend!
Thank you Freddie - reminds me of my wife's family homes in Hungary in the villages and towns. Very similar with root vegetable cellars with pickling jar shelving. They also had 2 kitchens, one for daily use (the back kitchen) and the other was a 'show kitchen' for when they entertained friends. Their houses were also self built and had similar room shapes along with the same doors and door frames. Real time capsules and once gone, they don't come back.
Hi Freddie. I have realized that the reason I enjoy your channel so much more than most motovlogs is because we actually see your face (and occasionally Monika), and we can see you are a real person, with personality and life experiences beyond just riding a bike. Nearly all other motovloggers just put the camera on their helmet so all we ever see is the road in front of the bike, while the vlogger just talks and talks (usually rambles and rambles). So boring. So keep up the good work, Freddie and Monika!
Interesting insight into 'old' houses in Lithuania. Must be a blast from the past for Monika. Certainly was for me remembering my grandfather and grandmother's house probably built at the end of the 19th century. All the old sheds with tools, greenhouse and garden and the stairs up to the bedrooms at the top of which was a scary old statue which I used to hurry past in case of (something). I had my first cycle crash on the terrace outside. Fortunately no permanent injuries! Probably stood in good stead for motorcycle ownership when I was 16 on.
That was a bench grinder in the tool shed..brick foundations will last almost forever...was well built..love exploring old buildings...electrical box in the garage area..lol..older farm houses had big rooms because usually..as in what seems the case for Monika..multiple generations of family lived in them..its great seeing where Monika is from...rarely do we get to see life in the countries that used to be under Russian control...excellent video!!
The thing I find most remarkable is that there are absolutely no signs of vandalism, breakage, theft or graffiti in this house that has stood vacant for 3 years. Not even the out buildings. I think it speaks volumes about the quality of the neighbors and how the community respects each others personal property to the point where everyone knows a house is empty and the owner deceased but still will not enter uninvited. This is a big departure from rural USA where every empty house I've ever seen had smashed windows, vandalised interiors and graffiti on the walls, as well as copious signs of alcohol and drug use by large groups of intruders. This video tells me there are practically no roving bands of bored and disenfranchised youths in this town roaming the neighborhood looking for an empty house to do drugs, drink alcohol and work out their frustrations through destructive violence and vandalism. Either that or like here in South Korea, all the young people have moved to the big city to pursue their dreams of becoming the next big K-Pop star!
Truly interesting, it's amazing to compare and looking for common aspects that I've seen in my well traveled life. The glassware caught my eye as 50s era. Thank you and so cool to renovate original homes.
A fantastic look around a 'foreign' built house in a little known country (to us!). We have such little knowledge about homes in Lithuania nor indeed about its history. Your last video showed the palpable love that Monika has for her land of birth and this one shows the love you have for it too. It is incredible to see the Russian influence especially with the present conflict in Ukraine. I was filming for a week in Kiev over a year ago (March 2021). I was blown away by every aspect of the trip. I was playing the grandfather in a Samsung advert (see on youtube: Museum of Laptops). The professionalism of the Ukrainian film crew was first class. The prices were crazy low! I don't smoke but a packet of cigarettes that cost £12 here was 45 pence there! I know as I had to bring 200 back for my ex wife! Being an ex catholic Ii was lovely to go around sensational churches and the equally fascinating areas of the city especially on their ancient trams. An eleven hour train journey to Odessa was £9! Contrast that with our prices. I often thought they'd made a mistake with meal prices but no - it was that cheap! I don't know if it is the same in Lithiuania? I remarked to a waitress "wow, your prices are incredibly inexpensive". "Not for us", she said. Sutably chastised I didn't make the same mistake again. People were remarkably friendly and being an ex communist country the public transport system was amazing. It cost 20 pence for a single journey on bus, train or subway regardless of distance whether ten minutes or two hours! I wanted to return with my kids to show them how great a place it was then Putin invaded. I pray one day to return. I now want to go to Lithuaina thanks to your videos. It looks to have a similar vide. Rather than being a superficial 'travelogue' your videos truly get under the skin of the places you show us. You obviously are both kind, caring people and that is reflected in the quality and impact of your footage. It is no accident people enjoy them so much!
well, prices in Lithuania are similar to those in Germany : )) definitely more expensive than Poland. A lot of Lithuanians go shopping/travellingto Poland, because IT is cheaper.
In Lithuania prices are pretty high! We have there much Ukrainian people who fled the war, they get support from our gvn, every single day we talk about situation in Ukraine, we are in a big danger too!
@@palmyrarameikiene827 Yes, this war is obscene. All war is obscene. The fragility of the World has been graphically illustrated by this invasion. Hopefully there will be a resolution soon. How stupid we are to endanger Humankind's whole existance by the proliferation of agression and hatred. Peace and Love.
Nice one Freddie, we have explored many old houses in lovely Abruzzo and it is fascinating to see how people lived and the comfort we take for-granted.
A very cool look at a very, very interesting house (let's say home), in a fascinating country. I just love the reality and usefulness of the land and space. And we're talking about a few years ago. Thanks Monika and your family for letting us see your history. Good luck with the renovations!! You're a good boy Freddie!!
Another quality video, I am always taken back by how much you love... well everything 😁. Your passion for all things interesting is infectious. I don't know where you get the energy from, I get tired just watching you 🤣.
Imagine how Monika feels- constantly exhausted😆 She usually has to cut about 20% of my filming out because some of the things I say are so ridiculous that it’s borderline embarrassing.
Cool vid - is a lovely old place. I especially liked the fruit and vege growing areas and large bike storage areas 😉. Go out riding in the morning and work in the garden in the evening
Pretty substantial area there Freddie imagine the room you would have for bikes and workshop it would be great. What is the property market like in Lithuania ? , all the old asbestos I guess would be expensive to get shifted but that's really the worst thing I would think. Don't know if anything could be done about the cellar flooding , but these days I would think it would be possible .I bet Monica is just loving being back home for a while .😊👍
The Vilnius property market is strong and property prices are very high (relatively speaking)- €250k+ for a nice 2bed apartment. But get out if the city and you can pick a house with land up for €15-20k+! Exactly my thoughts re the out buildings and a potential motorbike selection!😃
@@FreddieDobbs Hi just checked online don't know areas there but some fantastic places for very reasonable prices all seem to a good chunk of space around them impressive 👌
This particular azbestos roofing issint that dangerous it is solid and doesnt deteriorate much over the years, these are probably the original ones. They are good for ~50 years, after that they become brittle and weak and only then the problem occurs - azbestos dust. However, the real problem with azbestos were not these roofings, but the azbestos used in cement and inside decorative materials. Those were mostly used in industrial buildings, schools or hospitals etc. Currently a lot of houses are being renovated using government/EU funds that pay half the cost or so if you changing old azbestos roofs. People using those a funds a lot and a lot of houses being renovated.
@@crumblymal8479 Yes the prices look very reasonable outside of the cities. The problem is transportation and lack of work closer to those homes thats why they are cheap. If you get closer to the cities in the range of ~20-30km the prices go up to ~100k in some cases even for older houses. However if you have a work that doesnt need you to stay in a specific place - if you can work from home, the property like this is very appealing. Although building a new house with modern materials will be more beneficial since energy prices are rising. Heating this one with electricity or gas the way it is now is going to be pretty expensive.
What a fantastic journey through time in Lithuania. Similar to my visit of Kazakhstan. Back in a time when life was great but tough. I’d say like Kazakhstan, when in Soviet rule, the land, the homes & streets where absolutely kept in pristine conditions. Then it all turned to overgrown yards, derelict homes & playgrounds & streets in the villages. Great insight!
Really interesting video for both myself but especially my wife, the reason being that her stepdad came from Vilnius, he came over during or after wartime like many did at the time. He went back in or around the 80’s and found relatives which he kept in touch with until he passed away in 2006.
Freddie I am an expat Brit and live in Czech Republic. a little village and when I see this video it looks just like where I live. I think its pretty much the same all over Eastern Europe the old USSR, self reliant and living partially off what you grow so out houses to store and work.
There I go again, clicking the like button before I see the video. It's an auto reflex mechanism caused by anticipation of the fun I'm gonna have watching Freddie's stuff.
The "second kitchen" in that house was larger than the ground floor of my old house in Pontyclun, the renovated room was probably bigger, in square footage, than the whole house! It was a little end of link, single bedroom rabbit hutch.. It had a mahoosive Oak in the bottom garden though :)
Solid wood doors are nothing spectacular actually. It was popular to use pine for doors, because it was the low/medium price option back then, but they warp and are generally not too impressive in terms of sound insulation. They are actually still just as cheap these days, but almost no one goes for them. The better option are painted wooden doors made out of particle board (because of dimensional stability and the fact that they are layered, better sound insulation) or you move up straight to oak doors. Of course many people cheap out completely and buy laminated doors, which I agree do look and feel cheap.
@Freddie Dobbs Lovely house with great potential Freddie. Love the basement. A great size garden as well as all the outhouses. Hope all goes well with the renovations.
Thanks for this upload, Freddie. It was fascinating to see how they lived in Lithuania back in the day. I met an uncle's family over in England and they were from Latvia; so I guess they lived in a similar way. It's a shame we no longer have contact as we met tin 1992 for the last time, when he died.
hello good afternoon Freddie my wife is Moldavia and that is what happens in these countries I renovated my wife's house and her son lives there and it is great 👌👍 and I go every year for a month and you will have a different place for vacations 😸 regards
The walls are so thick becouse we have quite cold winters, temperatures can drop easily below - 25.. Houses in the country side all of them had no central heating of any kind at that time... Every room had its own fire place or one fire place was connected to few rooms.. Good luck discovering Lithuanian.. By the way did you missed biker fest this weekend?
I really appreciate how lucky we are nowadays despite what is going on not too far away from us in Ukraine. But that house and land shows how independent you xan be, and how dependent we have become. We've definitely lost something in the West that is still present in East. The ability to adapt and manage yourself without having to call someone else. Very interesting. Happy travels 👍
Sorry to burst your bubble but commie blocks exist in the cities + all the new construction, so no, it's not "still present" in Lithuania either, we get all of our food from Lidl these days.
What I find very interesting is that most of the men in the village seem to be able to do almost anything (plumbing, car mechanics, electrical work etc). This is certainly also true for Monika’s dad. Thanks so much!🙂
I'm lucky to have a true 3 bed end of terrace with a little land which is so much more than your average northern 2 up 2 down with a yard but still feel like Englanders live like rabbits in hutches compared to others. UK so over populated towns now are more akin to Favela's 🤣🤣
Its was very interesting to me that Lithuania pre dates Russia. It was Lithuania when some of the current Russia was known as Muscovy. Well at least according to a couple historians.😁
Apple sauce, dried apples, frozen apples for future pies and crisps, and pressed into apple juice or cider. Its time to get to work this fall Freddy 😅.
Hi ,what a great video of life as it was under Russia control . BIG ENOUGH PLOTS ,to be able to live of your land and feed your selves . All that land if been in the UK would have new houses dotted in between as people sold it off , may be to pay their mortgages off . Oh for a plot like that and man caves inside and out and an old tin of Quality Street. No wonder Monika is so grounded and grew up in an area where every one , had to do their bit , hence your flat pack furniture instruction , build it Freddie , it is a way of life in eastern Europe . Stunning area to live in as the plot sizes in the UK , IF YOU HAVE A SINGLE garage size plot , we will build a tower block . Thanks for your video and regards to all taking part in the renovations .😅🙂🙃😉😓🤠😎and relax it,s finished . Been there done that with a tin of Quality Street , when they had E numbers in and always full of beans at 22-30 pm , on my way home to sleep .🥱
Yeah, massive urbanization is happening at the moment around the bigger cities in vicinity of ~20-40km, just like you pointed out - major blocks with little land plots and a lot of smaller houses. It doesnt look appealing in one bit for me, but people seem to be buying them like crazy, everyone are running out of cities, since the infrastructe is also from the soviet times, cant keep up with the basic needs anymore - lack of parking lots, majority of the houses are old and the apartments doesnt look appealing for the prices people ask... Public transportation cant keep up with basic needs of working class anymore, so you need to own a car if you want to reach your work even if you live in a city. And those new blocks with a lot of small houses.. For me they look almost like cemetery, rather than the flourishing housing area. These old land plots are 2-3x bigger than the new ones and the overal look of the village look so much better with these bigger plots. So much more personal space available, thats what the owning house should be in the first place.
@ALL@SEA RPW delighted you enjoyed it! It’s a big enough plot to cover all bases (chickens, cows, pigs, veg and fruits)🙂👌🏻 Quality Streets- it’s been a while for me, but I remember when this was the standard treat when I was younger!🙂
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37 year old is young for a property. I bought mine back in '85 and it was already 57 years old so now nearly 100 years old. That's a huge property and back here in the UK developers would be looking at putting a small estate on that land. They need to embrace that space because it won't be long before capitalist greed cash in on it as many European countries now full to the brim and properties like this will soon be targeted. Enjoyed the vlog Fred 👍
Really glad you enjoyed it! Old houses as we know them in the UK (100 years+) really almost don’t exist in Lithuania. I think it’s because they’re all traditionally built from wood so don’t last as long. Completely agree re space- it’ll be interesting to see if things change in Lithuania and smaller plots become the norm
And it was so that Monika broke with family tradition and went to the uk and found herself a posh chap who has never done a hard days graft in his life !
❤those wooden floors - most Lithuanian’s don’t like it because it reminds them of Russia. Why the herringbone floors were done so much is because long pieces were not available, so they used scraps and fit them that way. In America, that would be considered hand made expensive work.
It’s a very interesting point. This was an unusually large, grand house for the time (I believe). Monika’s grandmother had a very good job as an accountant- this is how I think it was possible🙂
As they say - We pretended to work and they pretended to pay as salary.. :) People used to be given a plot of land and permit to build a house as well as materials for that. Standartised house plans, as you can see another house in another plot looks basically the same as well. Those who worked in the cities were given an apartment to live in as well. Those who lives in the suburb, a land plot that is able to feed 1 family and standard amount of materials for the house to be built. And of course a lot of people used their connections to get what they needed using less "legal ways" so in many cases these houses were compareable to what the richer people in the west could afford back in the day. Soviet era made us rich in real estate. But it lacked everything else. Currently if we compare the real estate objects per capita owned by people, Lithuania is one of the leading countries in EU. So thats probably the best amd only valuable thing the soviet era brough to us. But there is also a drawbacks. These houses are very inefficient and with current energy prices its getting more and more expensive to heat them properly during the winter. Renovation is an option, but its still not the same as building the new one with A++ energy class. So its good to have a house like this, but its not that great either.
The westerners probably think: it's well used space around the house, like for gardening, workshops and animals. I've always thought: it looks ugly, I want no animal spaces or gardening plots; I want to rest and create at home, not to work and stuff it with labor and mundane. I want clean gardens of American houses and cottage style British houses! Oh how different we are all culturally 🤣🤣
Just to let you all know; there are a few scammers with fake “Freddie Dobbs Telegram” accounts pretending to be me. I don’t use Telegram, so please do just ignore these.
If in doubt you can contact me through my website (freddiedobbs.com) or Instagram (@dob.bs) to double check🙂
Thanks all, have a great weekend!
Thank you Freddie - reminds me of my wife's family homes in Hungary in the villages and towns. Very similar with root vegetable cellars with pickling jar shelving. They also had 2 kitchens, one for daily use (the back kitchen) and the other was a 'show kitchen' for when they entertained friends. Their houses were also self built and had similar room shapes along with the same doors and door frames. Real time capsules and once gone, they don't come back.
Lovely house, thank you Monika and Freddie for sharing..
Hi Freddie. I have realized that the reason I enjoy your channel so much more than most motovlogs is because we actually see your face (and occasionally Monika), and we can see you are a real person, with personality and life experiences beyond just riding a bike. Nearly all other motovloggers just put the camera on their helmet so all we ever see is the road in front of the bike, while the vlogger just talks and talks (usually rambles and rambles). So boring. So keep up the good work, Freddie and Monika!
Fascinating video on life in
Lithuania in 80 and 90s
Thanks Freddie
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks Robert🙂
Awesome video and awesome content can’t wait for the next video Thank’s Freddie and Monika
A really great place to grow up as a child i bet, lots of space and freedom 🌲
Seems like the perfect place to raise a family! So cozy
Interesting insight into 'old' houses in Lithuania. Must be a blast from the past for Monika. Certainly was for me remembering my grandfather and grandmother's house probably built at the end of the 19th century. All the old sheds with tools, greenhouse and garden and the stairs up to the bedrooms at the top of which was a scary old statue which I used to hurry past in case of (something). I had my first cycle crash on the terrace outside. Fortunately no permanent injuries! Probably stood in good stead for motorcycle ownership when I was 16 on.
I have a similar memory of staying at my grandparents and having to run up the stairs and past an old family member’s portrait- petrified every time!😆
Monika your family home looks very peaceful....have fun till you are there.
Loved the tour of Monica's grandma's house! Thx for sharing!💓💓💓
多謝！
real traveller to see how real life was and is . love it . thanks
That was a bench grinder in the tool shed..brick foundations will last almost forever...was well built..love exploring old buildings...electrical box in the garage area..lol..older farm houses had big rooms because usually..as in what seems the case for Monika..multiple generations of family lived in them..its great seeing where Monika is from...rarely do we get to see life in the countries that used to be under Russian control...excellent video!!
Check out 'Bald and Bankrupt's' vlogs on TH-cam, very informative on the former Soviet States and entertaining.
Thank you for the insight Kevin, really appreciate it. The house really is built like a fortress. Delighted you found the video interesting!
The thing I find most remarkable is that there are absolutely no signs of vandalism, breakage, theft or graffiti in this house that has stood vacant for 3 years. Not even the out buildings.
I think it speaks volumes about the quality of the neighbors and how the community respects each others personal property to the point where everyone knows a house is empty and the owner deceased but still will not enter uninvited.
This is a big departure from rural USA where every empty house I've ever seen had smashed windows, vandalised interiors and graffiti on the walls, as well as copious signs of alcohol and drug use by large groups of intruders.
This video tells me there are practically no roving bands of bored and disenfranchised youths in this town roaming the neighborhood looking for an empty house to do drugs, drink alcohol and work out their frustrations through destructive violence and vandalism.
Either that or like here in South Korea, all the young people have moved to the big city to pursue their dreams of becoming the next big K-Pop star!
Excellent. Really appreciate you guys sharing this.
Be great to see it once it has been completely renovated.
Truly interesting, it's amazing to compare and looking for common aspects that I've seen in my well traveled life. The glassware caught my eye as 50s era. Thank you and so cool to renovate original homes.
Delighted you found it interesting! Time flies when you get started- it’s very fun transforming the rooms and looking back at the before/after pics🙂
Glassware 60-70 the dark cupboard 60. "vintage"
@@ingridasvilainyte8783 14:35 Noticed an elephant of which I have several. Yes seems 60-70 also.
You gave a great tour I found it very interesting
A fantastic look around a 'foreign' built house in a little known country (to us!). We have such little knowledge about homes in Lithuania nor indeed about its history. Your last video showed the palpable love that Monika has for her land of birth and this one shows the love you have for it too. It is incredible to see the Russian influence especially with the present conflict in Ukraine. I was filming for a week in Kiev over a year ago (March 2021). I was blown away by every aspect of the trip. I was playing the grandfather in a Samsung advert (see on youtube: Museum of Laptops). The professionalism of the Ukrainian film crew was first class. The prices were crazy low! I don't smoke but a packet of cigarettes that cost £12 here was 45 pence there! I know as I had to bring 200 back for my ex wife! Being an ex catholic Ii was lovely to go around sensational churches and the equally fascinating areas of the city especially on their ancient trams. An eleven hour train journey to Odessa was £9! Contrast that with our prices. I often thought they'd made a mistake with meal prices but no - it was that cheap! I don't know if it is the same in Lithiuania? I remarked to a waitress "wow, your prices are incredibly inexpensive". "Not for us", she said. Sutably chastised I didn't make the same mistake again. People were remarkably friendly and being an ex communist country the public transport system was amazing. It cost 20 pence for a single journey on bus, train or subway regardless of distance whether ten minutes or two hours! I wanted to return with my kids to show them how great a place it was then Putin invaded. I pray one day to return. I now want to go to Lithuaina thanks to your videos. It looks to have a similar vide. Rather than being a superficial 'travelogue' your videos truly get under the skin of the places you show us. You obviously are both kind, caring people and that is reflected in the quality and impact of your footage. It is no accident people enjoy them so much!
well, prices in Lithuania are similar to those in Germany : )) definitely more expensive than Poland. A lot of Lithuanians go shopping/travellingto Poland, because IT is cheaper.
In Lithuania prices are pretty high! We have there much Ukrainian people who fled the war, they get support from our gvn, every single day we talk about situation in Ukraine, we are in a big danger too!
@@palmyrarameikiene827 Yes, this war is obscene. All war is obscene. The fragility of the World has been graphically illustrated by this invasion. Hopefully there will be a resolution soon. How stupid we are to endanger Humankind's whole existance by the proliferation of agression and hatred. Peace and Love.
Glad you got your priorities right Freddie......your little man corner on the balcony all set for the sundowner!
Just a small area to try and get some peace and quiet😆
Nice one Freddie, we have explored many old houses in lovely Abruzzo and it is fascinating to see how people lived and the comfort we take for-granted.
So many lovely memories for Monika I suppose ☺️
Absolutely!🙂
A very cool look at a very, very interesting house (let's say home), in a fascinating country. I just love the reality and usefulness of the land and space. And we're talking about a few years ago. Thanks Monika and your family for letting us see your history. Good luck with the renovations!! You're a good boy Freddie!!
Interesting insight to houses in Lithuania thank you for sharing
Love this video, dogs, chickens and spider webs…..great house, loads of character.
Nice one Freddie....
A fascinating insight into another time
Big living room made to look smaller by the lowered ceiling. Nice space all round.
Very beautiful and it's like the UK and Ireland many years ago people grew there veg and fruit every one helped one another well done
Thanks for sharing
Really interesting to see how things were. You’re a braver man than me going thru all the spider webs. Gave me goose bumps.
What a lovely house. Quite big and well appointed. I guess Grandma was reasonably well off in comparison to others of that time?
Completely agree- I think she must’ve been the exception (she was also a single mum, so even more impressive)
Another quality video, I am always taken back by how much you love... well everything 😁. Your passion for all things interesting is infectious. I don't know where you get the energy from, I get tired just watching you 🤣.
Imagine how Monika feels- constantly exhausted😆 She usually has to cut about 20% of my filming out because some of the things I say are so ridiculous that it’s borderline embarrassing.
@@FreddieDobbs Haha I can imagine, you should do an outtakes video some time. I bet that would be funny as hell! 😂
Cool vid - is a lovely old place. I especially liked the fruit and vege growing areas and large bike storage areas 😉. Go out riding in the morning and work in the garden in the evening
This sounds perfect!😃🏍🥦
Pretty substantial area there Freddie imagine the room you would have for bikes and workshop it would be great. What is the property market like in Lithuania ? , all the old asbestos I guess would be expensive to get shifted but that's really the worst thing I would think. Don't know if anything could be done about the cellar flooding , but these days I would think it would be possible .I bet Monica is just loving being back home for a while .😊👍
The Vilnius property market is strong and property prices are very high (relatively speaking)- €250k+ for a nice 2bed apartment.
But get out if the city and you can pick a house with land up for €15-20k+!
Exactly my thoughts re the out buildings and a potential motorbike selection!😃
@@FreddieDobbs Hi just checked online don't know areas there but some fantastic places for very reasonable prices all seem to a good chunk of space around them impressive 👌
This particular azbestos roofing issint that dangerous it is solid and doesnt deteriorate much over the years, these are probably the original ones. They are good for ~50 years, after that they become brittle and weak and only then the problem occurs - azbestos dust.
However, the real problem with azbestos were not these roofings, but the azbestos used in cement and inside decorative materials. Those were mostly used in industrial buildings, schools or hospitals etc.
Currently a lot of houses are being renovated using government/EU funds that pay half the cost or so if you changing old azbestos roofs. People using those a funds a lot and a lot of houses being renovated.
@@crumblymal8479 Yes the prices look very reasonable outside of the cities. The problem is transportation and lack of work closer to those homes thats why they are cheap. If you get closer to the cities in the range of ~20-30km the prices go up to ~100k in some cases even for older houses.
However if you have a work that doesnt need you to stay in a specific place - if you can work from home, the property like this is very appealing. Although building a new house with modern materials will be more beneficial since energy prices are rising. Heating this one with electricity or gas the way it is now is going to be pretty expensive.
I can see the second channel, "Frogs, Hogs and Dobbs Garage" with Monika as executive producer already.
What a fantastic journey through time in Lithuania. Similar to my visit of Kazakhstan. Back in a time when life was great but tough. I’d say like Kazakhstan, when in Soviet rule, the land, the homes & streets where absolutely kept in pristine conditions. Then it all turned to overgrown yards, derelict homes & playgrounds & streets in the villages. Great insight!
Really interesting video for both myself but especially my wife, the reason being that her stepdad came from Vilnius, he came over during or after wartime like many did at the time. He went back in or around the 80’s and found relatives which he kept in touch with until he passed away in 2006.
Really glad you found it interesting, and very interesting that he left the UK and headed back to Lithuania in the 80s after so long in the UK
They have an American-style amount of space and land, compared to the shoe-boxes we are used to living in in the UK!
Isn’t it- every room is a genuinely good size👌🏻
Radical Cartoons: You should try a spell living in Japan, if you want to really know what living in a shoebox us like.
@@FreddieDobbs yes 🙂
@@1990-t1j 🤣 yes right, but british people are not gratituding 🤣
There are also plenty of shoe boxes in Lithuania and everywhere else. It all depends on land mass v population v employment at the time
Freddie I am an expat Brit and live in Czech Republic. a little village and when I see this video it looks just like where I live. I think its pretty much the same all over Eastern Europe the old USSR, self reliant and living partially off what you grow so out houses to store and work.
There I go again, clicking the like button before I see the video. It's an auto reflex mechanism caused by anticipation of the fun I'm gonna have watching Freddie's stuff.
The "second kitchen" in that house was larger than the ground floor of my old house in Pontyclun, the renovated room was probably bigger, in square footage, than the whole house! It was a little end of link, single bedroom rabbit hutch..
It had a mahoosive Oak in the bottom garden though :)
The interior doors are lovely. Do not see solid wood of such high quality used any more in the US.
Solid wood doors are nothing spectacular actually. It was popular to use pine for doors, because it was the low/medium price option back then, but they warp and are generally not too impressive in terms of sound insulation. They are actually still just as cheap these days, but almost no one goes for them. The better option are painted wooden doors made out of particle board (because of dimensional stability and the fact that they are layered, better sound insulation) or you move up straight to oak doors. Of course many people cheap out completely and buy laminated doors, which I agree do look and feel cheap.
@Freddie Dobbs
Lovely house with great potential Freddie. Love the basement. A great size garden as well as all the outhouses. Hope all goes well with the renovations.
Loved it! It would be nice to think some of those apples would be used to make cider.
Thanks for this upload, Freddie. It was fascinating to see how they lived in Lithuania back in the day. I met an uncle's family over in England and they were from Latvia; so I guess they lived in a similar way. It's a shame we no longer have contact as we met tin 1992 for the last time, when he died.
That old barn was spooky 👻
You really have to go to Mingė, just to get a picture of you standing next to the sign 😁😂
People were more resilient back in the day, more self reliant.
Probably a good idea to get back to that way of life as much as is possible.
3:58 Wow, you can unlock the doors like in video games. What's your Picklock skill?
🤣 I was thinking the same thing 🤣
🤣
An interesting look around. Was hoping you would come across an old JawaCz or a Dnepr sidecar outfit. Shame 👍
hello good afternoon Freddie my wife is Moldavia and that is what happens in these countries I renovated my wife's house and her son lives there and it is great 👌👍 and I go every year for a month and you will have a different place for vacations 😸 regards
I love the idea of this- it’s a great way to have a home from home and change of scenery🙂👌🏻
Ok 👍
The walls are so thick becouse we have quite cold winters, temperatures can drop easily below - 25.. Houses in the country side all of them had no central heating of any kind at that time... Every room had its own fire place or one fire place was connected to few rooms.. Good luck discovering Lithuanian.. By the way did you missed biker fest this weekend?
I really appreciate how lucky we are nowadays despite what is going on not too far away from us in Ukraine.
But that house and land shows how independent you xan be, and how dependent we have become.
We've definitely lost something in the West that is still present in East. The ability to adapt and manage yourself without having to call someone else.
Very interesting.
Happy travels 👍
Sorry to burst your bubble but commie blocks exist in the cities + all the new construction, so no, it's not "still present" in Lithuania either, we get all of our food from Lidl these days.
What I find very interesting is that most of the men in the village seem to be able to do almost anything (plumbing, car mechanics, electrical work etc). This is certainly also true for Monika’s dad.
Thanks so much!🙂
Will you be staying in Lithuania and commencing with the house restoration. Miss the bike chat in this one.
I love Freddie but it would have been nice to have Monika give a tour of her house. She would have given some more insights and stories.
Good Evening Freddie, hope you are well?
Very well thanks Julian, I hope all’s good with you!🙂
We Lithuanian's really like big spaces 😀
These houses are fabulously large compared to the typical tiny hovels most people have to tolerate here in the UK.
I'm lucky to have a true 3 bed end of terrace with a little land which is so much more than your average northern 2 up 2 down with a yard but still feel like Englanders live like rabbits in hutches compared to others. UK so over populated towns now are more akin to Favela's 🤣🤣
Isn’t it!
@@FreddieDobbs Large enough to live a proper full life with a family.
Its was very interesting to me that Lithuania pre dates Russia. It was Lithuania when some of the current Russia was known as Muscovy. Well at least according to a couple historians.😁
It’s got a fascinating history- I’ve been reading up on this too🙂 During the 14th century, Lithuania was the largest country in Europe😳
Apple sauce, dried apples, frozen apples for future pies and crisps, and pressed into apple juice or cider. Its time to get to work this fall Freddy 😅.
I’m saving this list and getting to work!😆🍎🍏
Still better built than most Western houses =)
Hi ,what a great video of life as it was under Russia control . BIG ENOUGH PLOTS ,to be able to live of your land and feed your selves . All that land if been in the UK would have new houses dotted in between as people sold it off , may be to pay their mortgages off . Oh for a plot like that and man caves inside and out and an old tin of Quality Street. No wonder Monika is so grounded and grew up in an area where every one , had to do their bit , hence your flat pack furniture instruction , build it Freddie , it is a way of life in eastern Europe . Stunning area to live in as the plot sizes in the UK , IF YOU HAVE A SINGLE garage size plot , we will build a tower block . Thanks for your video and regards to all taking part in the renovations .😅🙂🙃😉😓🤠😎and relax it,s finished . Been there done that with a tin of Quality Street , when they had E numbers in and always full of beans at 22-30 pm , on my way home to sleep .🥱
Yeah, massive urbanization is happening at the moment around the bigger cities in vicinity of ~20-40km, just like you pointed out - major blocks with little land plots and a lot of smaller houses. It doesnt look appealing in one bit for me, but people seem to be buying them like crazy, everyone are running out of cities, since the infrastructe is also from the soviet times, cant keep up with the basic needs anymore - lack of parking lots, majority of the houses are old and the apartments doesnt look appealing for the prices people ask... Public transportation cant keep up with basic needs of working class anymore, so you need to own a car if you want to reach your work even if you live in a city.
And those new blocks with a lot of small houses.. For me they look almost like cemetery, rather than the flourishing housing area. These old land plots are 2-3x bigger than the new ones and the overal look of the village look so much better with these bigger plots. So much more personal space available, thats what the owning house should be in the first place.
@ALL@SEA RPW delighted you enjoyed it! It’s a big enough plot to cover all bases (chickens, cows, pigs, veg and fruits)🙂👌🏻
Quality Streets- it’s been a while for me, but I remember when this was the standard treat when I was younger!🙂
@Linas fascinating insight, thank you very much for sharing this🙌🏻
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37 year old is young for a property. I bought mine back in '85 and it was already 57 years old so now nearly 100 years old.
That's a huge property and back here in the UK developers would be looking at putting a small estate on that land.
They need to embrace that space because it won't be long before capitalist greed cash in on it as many European countries now full to the brim and properties like this will soon be targeted.
Enjoyed the vlog Fred 👍
Really glad you enjoyed it! Old houses as we know them in the UK (100 years+) really almost don’t exist in Lithuania. I think it’s because they’re all traditionally built from wood so don’t last as long.
Completely agree re space- it’ll be interesting to see if things change in Lithuania and smaller plots become the norm
And it was so that Monika broke with family tradition and went to the uk and found herself a posh chap who has never done a hard days graft in his life !
Too big for 1 family to heat in winters.
But a nice big property, they were pretty wealthy back in the days
❤those wooden floors - most Lithuanian’s don’t like it because it reminds them of Russia. Why the herringbone floors were done so much is because long pieces were not available, so they used scraps and fit them that way. In America, that would be considered hand made expensive work.
Can't believe a grown man doesn't know what a bench grinder is.
Me too, plus he uses “things like that” for other stuff he doesn’t know about…..Which is quite a lot!
As a fellow Lithuanian I can confirm that communist times been as bad as communist times under Mrs Thatcher
🏡💞
Why any cat or dog Freddie did not meet? It is strange...😅
becomming the next "bald and bankrupt" !
How to build such a house during the communist times ? I mean the salaries were meager.
It’s a very interesting point. This was an unusually large, grand house for the time (I believe). Monika’s grandmother had a very good job as an accountant- this is how I think it was possible🙂
As they say - We pretended to work and they pretended to pay as salary.. :)
People used to be given a plot of land and permit to build a house as well as materials for that. Standartised house plans, as you can see another house in another plot looks basically the same as well.
Those who worked in the cities were given an apartment to live in as well. Those who lives in the suburb, a land plot that is able to feed 1 family and standard amount of materials for the house to be built.
And of course a lot of people used their connections to get what they needed using less "legal ways" so in many cases these houses were compareable to what the richer people in the west could afford back in the day.
Soviet era made us rich in real estate. But it lacked everything else. Currently if we compare the real estate objects per capita owned by people, Lithuania is one of the leading countries in EU. So thats probably the best amd only valuable thing the soviet era brough to us. But there is also a drawbacks. These houses are very inefficient and with current energy prices its getting more and more expensive to heat them properly during the winter. Renovation is an option, but its still not the same as building the new one with A++ energy class. So its good to have a house like this, but its not that great either.
People had money, but the problem was you could not buy anything worth with it as it was not present in Soviet market.
Feudal for sure, but the " glorious " EU gave them plastic wheelie bins, and EURO 5 emissions paranoia
That house is the price of a London garage.
@@Tomasz.P___b Ive done a property search near Vilnius and prices are crazy cheap.
Crazy hey! I think an old house with land in Lithuania can start from €15k.
Welcome to Russian interior design
The westerners probably think: it's well used space around the house, like for gardening, workshops and animals.
I've always thought: it looks ugly, I want no animal spaces or gardening plots; I want to rest and create at home, not to work and stuff it with labor and mundane. I want clean gardens of American houses and cottage style British houses!
Oh how different we are all culturally 🤣🤣
It's like being in the USSR :) You need to sell this house to refugees from Ukraine, maybe people will make repairs and live there?