Peter visits!

 

 (View from the top!  Lookin' good Rīga!)

It's always great to have visitors to your "home," so you can take some time to see your city from a new perspective, visit those places that on a daily basis you scowl at, saying it's much too touristy...  Two weekends ago my dear friend Peter came up for a visit from Metz for his first time to Rīga!  I was excited to share Latvia with my Pendu-singing buddy from Pitt and I think we succeeded in showing him what Rīga is really all about...

 

(First stop: beer garden, which was open for the first time this season!)

 

 

(Nothing like homemade Latvian-style lasagne to get us ready for a night on the town)

 

(Another surprise guest from the USA!)

(@ALA Folkklubs, group "Kefīrs" and us dancing to Ragana)

 

(Still not sure as to how THIS got here... but USA pride all the way!)

(Taking a walk and getting photo-bombed by a guy in uniform!)

(Beautiful weather for an afternoon walk)

And to top this great weekend off, Peter brought his mandolin with him for us to have many a jam-out session.  As per tradition now, it's obligatory for us to record at least one song... and that we did!  Check out Heart in A Cage (orig. The Strokes via Chris Thile) here: http://soundcloud.com/imantan-gale/heart-in-a-cage

Bar crawl...part one of a thousand.

I've been asked to write a little something about the bars in Riga... Riga nightlife is needless to say always exciting and provides endless entertainment.  By now I have a pretty good handle on where to go when and when to stay away from certain places, which is helpful when tourists and ERASMUS students get in the way.

This time I'll hit Old Town.  The winding streets have hidden hotspots all around, but there are a few good ones that I like in particular:

-Folkklubs ALA (Folkbar ALA).  Owned and operated by an Australian-Latvian, ALA is one of the only "traditional" Latvian bars in town where you can find a wonderful range of events to fix your Latvian itch.  Folk dancing on Wednesday nights becomes so packed with enthusiastic polka-ers that it's at times hard to breathe!  Friday nights showcase the incredible talents of the group Folkvakars (Folknight), who are the top folk-musicians in Latvia today.  They sing and play wonderfully upbeat and powerful traditional tunes that anyone- Latvian or not- can enjoy.  Another unique face to Ala is the menu- all beers are local Latvian brews- each one more delicious than the next.  I suggest the Brengulu or Valmiermuizas.  The food menu is equally rich in local delights with creative and delicious pallets designed by the owner himself taking a modern perspective on traditional Latvian dishes.  If you order the "grauzdini" (rye bread garlic toasts) be prepared to stink of garlic for the rest of the night!  Prices are reasonable and the staff is welcoming, great lunch specials!
Specialty of the house: Lemberga shots (which look like the Latvian flag!)

(Anneli and I outside of ALA, Fall 2011)

 (The bar at ALA)

(Friends dancing at ALA)

 (There's that Lembergs shot!  Little Latvian flags!)

(Oh yeah, did I mention I also sing here?)

-One of my personal favorite places to go is Ezitis Migla (Hedgehog in Fog).  Hidden away from the usual hubbub of Old Town, Ezitis is more of a local gem.  Prices are student friendly and drink menus offer more mixed drinks than beer.  If you go with a crowd, I definitely suggest chipping in for a "bole," pitcher to bucket sized mixed drinks of your choosing that pay off economically.  Surprisingly, the bar does also have a menu of snacks and proper meals, the fajitas are especially tasty (but be prepared that they are more Latvian than Mexican...).  A mishmash of decor lends to create a grungy, yet homier atmosphere.

(Kaira and I outside of Ezītis Miglā, Fall 2011)

(So excited for our pitcher of yummy juice!)

-Bubamara calls itself a "world music bar," which it succeeds at fulfilling quite well, hosting regular concerts of local and visiting bands alike.  The word "bubamara" itself means ladybug, which is the bar's logo.  Hidden from the main streets in Old Town, Bubamara hosts more of an alternative crowd, however, changing depending on the style of music playing on a particular night.  The drink menu is acceptable, at times offering the very rich "Medalus" (honey beer), which is definitely worth a try.  Brenguļu beer is also a popular drink choice for this bar.  Unfortunately, the lay-out of the bar could be improved and seating is at times limited, especially for more popular concerts.

 

(Grupa Marta at Bubamara Fall 2011)

(Cool lighting decor at Bubamara)

-Krogs Aptieka (Pharmacy Bar) has recently begun a strong campaign for musical events, the most intriguing being the "Esi vafelē svētdienā," which encourages shaking that hangover from the previous night by spending more time at the bar eating waffles and listening to music.  The bar, owned by an American-Latvian, is the sister bar to Pharmacy Bar in Washington D.C., and hosts a wide variety of clientele, including many local expats, which proves its welcoming atmosphere.  The pills in the table decor and pill bottles all around remind of the particular theme.  Cocktail prices are exceptional, but it isn't bad to pop in for a cup of tea either!

(American, Canadian, Australian Latvians... along with some "locals")

Of course, there are many, MANY more bars that deserve a shout out.  And Old Town is only the beginning when it comes to nightlife, but this is a start... more to come soon!  Maybe I'll take my friend Peter on a bar crawl when he comes to visit in a few weeks! 

Easter! Spring! Oh my!

 (Apaļš kā pūpols!)

It's been a while since I last updated... the semester is well under way, classes are thankfully much more interesting this time around.  I'm also proud to announce that I will be participating in exchange next fall to Turku University in Turku, Finland!  Yes, I will be venturing even further north (am I crazy?!).  I don't know anything yet of the details, etc, but am very excited for the opportunity to see yet another corner of our world (and to blog to you about it).

Otherwise, the days are finally getting longer, the air is warmer that it even smells like spring!  In honor of Spring Equinox, which is today, I took a quick trip to the Open Air Museum to celebrate Easter.  I colored my egg with onion peels and rice, it turned out quite cool looking!  Folk groups were singing, kids were running around in the mud, there was ceramic breaking for good luck, egg rolling races, and most importantly swinging on a beautiful swing set to make sure you don't sleep away the summer and that the mosquitoes don't chomp away at you!  It was the perfect way to mark the passing of time, spring is here, I've been in Latvia for 6 and a half months now, a moment of reflection for everything that has happened so far and all of the wonderful things that are yet to come.

(Egg preparing station)

(Egg boiling station)

(All boiled and cooling before opening it up!)

(Et, voila! A beautiful Easter egg!)

(Easter egg rolling races!)

Upcoming referendum

Next week Latvians will be taking to the voting booths to share their voice on the language question in Latvia.  The referendum is to decide whether or not Russian should receive second language status in Latvia.  For many reasons this is an intensely sensitive issue for Latvians and for Russians living within the borders of this country.  However, I'm not going to hide the fact that I believe Latvian should be the only official language of this country.

There have been many campaigns set forth to make people aware of the issues involved and warn of the potential outcomes.  Here's a video I found today, which brings pop culture together with these issues. (It's in Latvian)

Here's another campaign Celies un Ej! (Get up and go!), which has the backing of many important people in society to encourage the general voting public to express their vote!

Tallinn Backpackers!

(Tallinn Backpackers- great hostel!)

January has really been dragging on...  (and now it's finally February!) As much as I've enjoyed relaxing and not doing anything, I'm ready to get back to work on school things and regain a normal schedule!  To fill the time I decided to take a quick trip to Tallinn to visit the brothers and sisters of the North.  I had not been to Tallinn before and in my guilt to take advantage of my geographical closeness I bit the bullet, packed my backpack and took the bus to the city!  Such a quick and easy trip- four hours on the bus, pretty much the same kind of drive from PA to the Catskills.  Why hadn't I done this sooner?!

(Square in Old Town, Tallinn)

(View of Old Town and the harbor in the distance)

I arrived in Tallinn with the goal to put my camera to good use because I had been falling behind in my photography hobby.  I stayed in a great hostel in Old Town.  Tallinn Backpackers was the top rated hostel on hostelworld.com.  Staying in a hostel was not new to me, I had done it before with friends while traveling to Barcelona, Amsterdam, Brussels, etc.  But somehow this time I felt more confident about the situation and took to the atmosphere with more ease than before.  It also helped that this hostel was full of entertaining and ready-to-party employees, mostly Australian, who really opened everybody up to a fun time.  Not only did the hostel have its own cheap happy hour, but the guys introduced us to some great bars to continue the evening festivities.  So that's what I did in Tallinn, walked around the city taking in the beautiful architecture, freezing because it is finally cold in Europe and relaxing in my last weeks of study-freedom!

 (Old Town at night)

I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to put into words the differences between Tallinn and Riga.  Seemingly similar, but somehow so different. A certain air of maturity among the inhabitants, in the city.  Obvious differences include language and the use of the Euro, but some things were completely the same- like going to Rimi for groceries.  Old Town was noticeably quieter, as my friend Julija pointed out, it's not as handy for the everyday person living in Tallinn compared to Rīga, which has a mall, supermarket, etc.  But I thoroughly enjoyed the hills and the views overlooking Tallinn from the top of Old Town were beautiful (even if I was freezing while taking them in!).  Noticeably more colorful in its architecture, Tallinn's Old Town does pride itself on its preservation of its medieval past.

(Entrance into Old Town... and getting attacked by pigeons)

Unfortunately, this was short a joy trip to get my grips on the city.  Next time I head up will be to do more official sight-seeing, going to museums and definitely checking out the stadium, which hosts the Estonian song festivals.  But that's okay! You've always got to leave a reason to come back!

(Retrofuturism... maybe the best way to describe Tallinn)

The Doors of Tallinn:

 

Pīrāg' Crawl

Ko mēs bērni ēdīsim,

Ziemassvētku vakarā:

Pīrāgam, nabagam,

Abi gali apdeguši!

Tā ir viena no lielākām debatēm starp latviešiem: šo lietu mēs nosveram tik nopietni un ar augstu vērtību, ka to nekad nevar uzdot. Tas ir pīrāgs. Un, ja prasa, kam ir visgaršīgākie pīrāgi, taču atbilde bieži vien mēdz būt: „Manas vecmāmiņas pīrāgi ir visgaršīgākie!“ Laimīgs ir tas, kam ir vecmāmiņa, kas cep pīrāgus! Bet kā garšo tie pīrāgi, ko cep latvijas beķeri? Dzīvojot Rīgā jau vairākus mēnešus esmu atjēgusies cik pieejami ir pīrāgi. Tie nav vairs specialitāte, ko vecmāmiņa uzcep īpašiem svētkiem, tā ir uzkoda; kautkas, ko paķert līdzi. Katrā veikaliņā, pat lielākos pārtikas veikalos, vienmēr var svaigus pīrādziņus nopirkt. Tā nolēmu, ka vajadzētu atrast visgaršīgākos pīrāgus
Vecrīgā- salīdzinot garšu, gaļas pildījumu, mīklu, un cenu.

Šī gada ziema Latvijā ir bijusi īpaši silta un bez sniega. Visi vietējie mani jau biedēja par Latvijas bargām ziemām, bet kautkā līdz šim tas nav gadījies. Tomēr janvāra aukstās, tumšās dienās vajag taču turēties silti un kā labāk to izdarīt kā ar pīrāgiem vēderā! Vienā slapjā svētdienas pēcpusdienā es uzņēmos šo uzdevumu… kur mēs atradīsim garšīgākos pīrāgus? Sāku no viena Vecrīgas gala un gāju cauri, piestājos katrā beķerejā, konditorijā, kuru sastapu un uzprasīju divus pīrādziņus, līdzi. „Līdzi“ ir latviski izteiciens „to go,“ lai pārdevējs sapako jeb ietin ēdienu vai dzērienu, lai to varētu ņemt sev līdzi.  Laikam jau prasiet, ko es atradu? Pīrāgi ir daudz un dažādi, ar citiem pildījumiem, un ik pa reizei varbūt ne tik tradicionālos izskatos. Dažās vietās pīrāgus cepa kā kruasānus („croissants“), un varēja pildījumu redzēt ārpusē. Vai tas taču ir pīrāgs? Nu, garša jau bija tāda pati- pat, ja dažos gadījumos ķimenes („caraway seeds“) bija ieceptas mīklā. Latvijā vārds „pīrāgs“ arī nozīmē kautko līdzīgu mūsu Amērikas „pie.“ Tātad, ja McDonaldā uzprasa to, ko mēs saprotam kā „apple pie,“ tas latviski būtu „ābolu pīrāgs.“ Latviešiem pašiem pīrāgu nozīme ir atšķirīga!


 

Es laikam nepadomāju par laiku, kad būtu labāk iet pīrāgu garšošanā, jo visi pīrāgi, kurus sastapu bija auksti! Silti iesaku iet dienas sākumā, jeb kautkad pie pusdienām, lai nogaršotu pavisam svaigus pīrāgus. (Turpretīm, bija jauki, ka pie V.Ķuzes konditorijas piedāvāja uzsildīt pīrādziņu, diemžēl tas nebija īpaši garšīgs!)

Katrā gadījumā biju pati pārstiegta, ka manas garšas kārpiņām visvairāk iepatikās Rimi pārtikas veikala pīrāgi! Varbūt tie nebija ar visvairāk mīlestību izcepti, bet gardi gan.

Pīrāgi ar „vislabāko skatu“ noteikti bija Līvu laukuma „Konditoreja,“ jo skatoties ārā no mazās būdiņas bija neticams skats uz Pētera baznīcas torni un citiem Vecrīgas brīnumiem.

Katram būs savs mīļākais pīrāgs… es pati vēl turpinu meklēt to pīrāgu, kas ir garšīgāks par manas vecmāmiņas pīrāgiem. Esmu laimīga, ka Vecrīga ir tik bagāta ar visādiem pīrādziņiem, kurus varu atrast katrā kārošanas brīdī.  Aicinu visus ciemos uz Latviju, lai arī Jūs varētu novērtēt tos garšīgākos!

(Šis raksts arī būs redzams šī mēneša ALJA Ziņās! www.alja.org)

Winter travels

Ah, as much as I love life in Riga, it takes a trip away to refresh one's soul and to appreciate life outside of Riga.  I decided to celebrate Christmas with my good friend Dāvid who is currently living in Brussels.  Brussels is one of my favorite cities I've traveled to in the past year and I was so excited to return to the land of waffles, fries, chocolate and beer!  It's a city to indulge in holiday cheer for sure.

A quick and easy RyanAir flight from Riga and I had arrived!  Christmas Eve Day we spent cooking and baking- Davids and I were in charge of pīrāgi, rosols and piparkūkas (dough brought specially from Latvia- yes, we cheated and didn't make our own dough, but the rolling was all our work!)  Dāvids roommate, Lāsma was the head of the kitchen, cooking up a delicious and lush Latvian meal of kotletes, karbonāde, pupiņas, zirnīši and a bacon cream sauce to top it all.  We spent the evening eating, enjoying each others company!  Santa even paid us a visit... hehe... we topped the night off by watching Home Alone- one of the best holiday movies out there!

(The spread of delicious-ness!)

(Lāsma and I at the dinner table- incidentally we share the exact same birthday!)

(Christmas at the Palace!)

(Hey, Santa! Thanks for stopping by!)

While in Belgium, Davids and I had decided to take a few day trips.  First trip was to Luxembourg.  I had visited the peaceful and whimsical city while living in France and this time it was just as enchanting.  Although the city was quite deserted, we filled it with joy and, by a stroke of luck, Peter and his mom were free to meet us as well!  It was great to catch up, even for the short amount of time, with old friends.

(Peter and I overlooking "lower" Luxembourg)

The next day my goal was to take to the stores for some much needed shopping.  Needed not so much, but I had been craving my favorite H&M and was happily surprised to see that Belgium also has Forever21!  So I took to the hustle and bustle of post-Christmas shopping madness and came out with some great deals.  Success.

After a day of intense shopping, David and I headed to Bruges.  So quaint!  Architecture that I hadn't seen before, heavily influenced by brick buildings.  The canals were very nice and I could not believe the amount of horse carriages riding around town! Although very cold and windy that day, we braved the weather and took a general walking tour of the city, ate some fries and tried not to get too annoyed with the huge amounts of people trying to do the same...

(At the train station in Brugge!)

(Always have to stop for some hot wine!)

(Wall of beer!?! YES, PLEASE!)

The end of the trip had arrived and our last night in Brussels before heading back to Riga was spent at Celtica.  This bar was suggested to me last year by my friend Christine, who had spent a semester abroad living in Brussels.  Happy hour is from 1pm-midnight... and most delicious Belgian beers are at very reasonable prices!  Even better that our friend Patricia had arrived from Portugal and was also on her way back to Riga.  Cheers!

(Patricia and I outside of Celtica)