Uz Latgali!

It is amazing how quickly the spring months fly by and the calendar starts filling up with so many things to do that it's hard to sit down for a second to write a blog about it!  That being said, this will be again more of a photo-diary of some of the brighter moments of the past few weeks to catch you (and myself) up to speed! 

One of my classes took a trip to Latgale, the eastern most region in Latvia.  We really lucked out with fantastic weather, sunny and warm.  I hadn't been to Latgale in a few years and was really looking forward to seeing something new and visiting this beautiful place.  And that we did!  Leaving early Saturday morning, we drove the three and something hours to Daugavpils, the second largest city in Latvia after Riga.  It is also the most Russian-populated city in Latvia.  We were all happily surprised that the city was not some country bumpkin town, with horse-drawn carriages, but a buzzing cosmopolitan center that embraces its multi-cultural atmosphere.

 (The girls at Daugavpils University)

 (Mark Rotko was born in Daugavpils and an exhibition was open in his honor)

The first day continued with a stop at Aglonas Bazilica, Velnezers near by (as Latgale is the region of lakes in Latvia)...

 (Aglonas Bazilica)

 

(The group by Velnezers)

 The next day we spent wandering around Rēzekne, followed by a visit to Sarkaņi church, a quick demonstration/shopping pit stop at a local Latgalian potter (because Latgale is also the land of Latvian pottery), and ending with an exploration of an old manor estate while getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.

 

(Rēzekne river rock stars, Imanta and Laura)

(Climbing old castle ruins and a church in the background in Rēzekne, Imanta and Madara)

 

(The view greeting us at Sarkaņi... everything in bloom!)

 (Jump jump in Varklāņi)

**Pictures courtesy of Madara Matveja, Madara Šulce and Renāte Bula

Latvian Christening

This weekend my friends Egija and Ingus Krūmiņi celebrated the christening of their daughter, Paulīne Ōra Krūmiņa.  The sun was shining and the weather was absolutely perfect for us to take a quick trip out to the Open Air Museum to celebrate this joyous occasion.  This was the moment that little Paulīne Ōra officially became a part of the community, her circle of support, her friends and family that will be with her throughout her life joining together to welcome her among us.  The godparents helped to choose little Paulīnes middle name: Ōra, which is Liiv for "rarity" or "something rare."

Standing in a tight circle, the guests were asked to send good vibes so that Paulīnes teeth would be straight, as Mother and Godmother treated us with milk and cheese.  

Following the quick snack, we waited while the area was cleansed with fire.  

After the godparents were officially welcomed to their role and some songs were sung, little Paulīne took center stage as she was bounced around from guest to guest, who wished her a wonderful life and shared kind words for her journey to come.

Of course, we couldn't leave without a long photo-shoot, which was tiring for all, especially some of the youngsters.  But the afternoon went as smoothly as it could have and the day was full of positive spirits!  Congrats to the Krūmiņu family!

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: