Latvia.. a beginning
The trip started in Latvia...Looking back I knew next to nothing about Latvia and it wasn't on my list of places I thought much about visiting. But it was the perfect place to start the trip. Its a place between worlds. Its civilized and western but hugely influenced by being part of the Soviet Union. It was an easy place to travel and a wonderful place to begin the adventure.
I arrived around 1 p.m. after three plane rides and no real significant amount of sleep. In the airport in Frankfurt I got lost trying to find my gate. I went through three different security checks and then rode on a tiny, noisy airplane for the last leg. I recognized a few Russians on the plane, one wearing a suit and reflective sunglasses. I couldn't place where most of the other passengers were from. I felt out of place and very far from home.
The hotel was nice and the city of Riga has a certain charm to it. Its a busy city but not too big. The first afternoon I was jet lagged but wandered the streets by the hotel. I found a lot of casinos and clothing stores. Most people in Riga were very well dressed, and the women were very beautiful. But like many cities everyone was in a hurry to get somewhere.
I met the rest of the tour that night. I made some friends that would last the whole tour and beyond. :) It was a good group, I think about thirty of us started there. After dinner we went to a hotel that had a bar with good views of the city. I remember lots of laughter that night. It was a feeling that I was sitting at the top of the world. The city was gorgeous and the everyday stress of work was literally thousands of miles away. I met Dempsey that night, a funny Australian that I'd hang out with a lot. Also beautiful Roxanna who was classy and eloquent. And our tour guide Matt who was knowledgeable and a real pro but you could also tell he knew how to get crazy.
The next morning we toured the city. We had a walking tour through the old town. Riga has several old churches and a nice Old Town center. Lots of cobblestones and personality. :)
During the day we had free time and I went with a group to the Occupation Museum. Latvia was in a bad place during World War II. It was stuck between Germany and the Soviet Union and was occupied by both. During the periods of German and Soviet occupation Latvia lost 550,000 people, or a third of its population.
For dinner I convinced a few others to come out with me to a place called The Steiku Haoss. It was western themed steak house, complete with country music. The food was amazing and it was a wonderful time.
We had another day in Riga and I went to a mall with some others on the tour. Went to the top of church and took beautiful panoramic shots of the city. It was wicked cold on the top and the elevator took forever to come back up. :)
I should also mention my roommate at this stage was John from New Zealand. We got along alright but he snored pretty bad. But he also stayed out late drinking most nights so I was able to sleep before him and sleep through it. I made fun of his accent a little, at first I could only catch the cursing and the fuck this or fuck that's that accented everything. lol.
The next day we left for Russia, and the trip would get interesting. :)
