After driving thousands of kilometers with the old 1989 Audi 100, which got the name “Silkutė” during the trip, the two colleagues were welcomed with bread and salt. Having rested a bit and recorded many adventures that happened there in video diaries on YouTube, the men say they brought back not only fatigue. First of all – sincere, long-lasting memories of meeting M1 listeners living in Norway, strengthened and tested friendship under various conditions, and a mountain of ideas for next year’s expedition.
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“I couldn’t even imagine that our arrival in Norway would be so important to Lithuanians living there. They got so involved… Their most common phrase was: ‘you brightened our everyday life.’ For them, as for us, it was a real event. Whenever there was a problem, it was enough to post a message on M1 social networks and hundreds of messages would come in: ‘how are you?’, ‘how can we help?’. When ours broke down, people offered their cars, accommodation, food, tours. In reality, we could have spent not a cent there, but this is not about money – it’s about humanity. That is exactly what gave this expedition deep meaning,” says A.Eisimantas.
“Several days have passed, but I feel like some part of my body stayed there, in the Norwegian mountains. It was one of the best trips of my life, and at the same time – one of the hardest. Physically, emotionally, psychologically exhausting, but all redeemed by wonderful experiences. I brought back incredibly good impressions and still can’t believe how hospitable the Lithuanians in Norway are and how important it was for them to meet us. Their hospitality is incredible,” shares R.Mikavičius.
Hundreds of thousands of people followed the expedition online and on M1 broadcasts, holding their breath. The initiator of the adventures was usually “Silkutė” – a true road star, whose presence attracted people traveling even hundreds of kilometers. She brought the most attention and acquaintances to the trip participants. Whenever repairs were needed, while sailing on ferries, stopping at hotels or gas stations.
“During the expedition, the process goes nonstop: you have to drive hundreds of kilometers, prepare for the broadcast, host the show, at the same time create content for social networks and still see some of the country. Fatigue becomes irrelevant – when people come specially to meet you from any other point in Norway, you can’t think only about yourself. At first, you might think about ‘cutting corners’, driving faster, not stopping, but then you find the essence and key of the expedition: if you can do something interesting – definitely do it. Who knows, you might pick up a random hitchhiker and a great story will be born. This attitude and team spirit led us forward even in the moments of greatest fatigue,” recalls the travel duo.
Although the route of their male expedition was carefully planned before departure, at the very beginning they had to use up most of their patience reserves. This adventure can be seen in the first part of the M1 Men’s Expedition diary:
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“We realized we were doomed. Saturday night, somewhere in the mountains, we couldn’t drive any further. A Norwegian who stopped to help just shook his head and repeated that calling a tow truck would cost more than our entire trip. Still, we decided to try to drive somehow. Those were probably the worst kilometers of my life,” R.Mikavičius recounted then.
The M1 Men’s Expedition last week held live broadcasts every day from different places in Norway, visiting compatriots registered in the project. During the trip, Arnoldas and Ričardas not only tried their jobs but also tried to persuade people to return to live in Lithuania.
You can watch separate video diaries of all days HERE
“During the trip, our ‘Audi’ naturally got the name ‘Silkutė’. This 1989 car is really special. On the roadside, there may be twenty brand new cars, you pass by and don’t notice them, but ‘Silkutė’ shines from afar. She has her own spirit. And good news – ‘Silkutė’ will have a few more missions this summer, and at the end of it, she will go to one of the listeners! More information and ways to win her will be announced soon,” teases A.Eisimantas.
More than a decade ago, a beautiful tradition of the M1 radio station to especially celebrate National Men’s Day on the last Friday of May gradually turned from such entertainments as swimming with inflatable dolls or football in the mud into travel expeditions. At first, A.Eisimantas and his colleague from the show “This is my radio,” Tomas Jazdauskas, hosted radio shows traveling around the Baltic Sea and trying to survive in wild conditions. In the second year, they connected to live broadcasts in a tiny Italian Fiat car while transporting collected male Lithuanian sins for their redemption to the Vatican. Last year, this project literally took off to a higher level – the hosts flew around Lithuania in a special M1 plane and held broadcasts even while in the air. This, the fourth M1 Men’s Expedition, gathered adventures visiting Lithuanians in Norway. The expedition participants hint that they already have thoughts and ideas for the jubilee, fifth, expedition next year. We just have to wait for May 2027!
