Riga (Latvia)
23 September - 27 September 2015
The 11th of August 2010, that's the day that I walked into Shot Cafe in Riga. For any of you that want to find out about the place itself, well just take a look here; Shot Cafe.
I didn't know that on that day my life was going to take a sizeable turn for the good, the great, the awesome. Returning to Riga, 5 years later, was not something that I ever would have anticipated. Sure, from my earlier visit I remember Riga has having a beautiful old town and at the time of the year that I arrived on that occasion, the height of Summer, it was buzzing with an energy that is common for northern cities at that time of year. Still, and without disparaging Riga in anyway, it probably would not have been a city that I would have returned to immediately. It's no Paris or New York....and yet here I was, in the apartment of a girl I'd met once 5 years ago, that I'd had a first date with in Paris 1 year ago and then traveled around South America for 3 months only a few months prior. I was sitting in a very typical suburb, in an apartment on the other side of the world, in a city that I had no ties to other than this person. There was something I liked about that.
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
This trip to Riga was not just to 'hang out' with Inga and see the sites. After travelling around with Inga for three months her parents wanted to see who and what this odd being from the southern side of the world was. I'm sure they had their own questions, 'How will this guy relate to who we are', 'Does he even eat piragi?', 'Does he think we're Russians?', 'Do you have a pet kangaroo?' and 'Are you actually serious about our daughter...seriously...are you?' - for those that don't care reading further the answers to those questions are 'Surprisingly well', 'Yes, I do now!', 'No, I don't', 'I wish I did', and 'Yes, very much so, yes'.
On my first full day in Riga we actually did a bike ride out of the city to a resort town on the Gulf of Riga named Jurmala. It's a town located 25 kms west of Riga, with a population of around 55,000, which makes it the fifth largest town in Latvia. For those that don't know, the population of Latvia isn't that big, and of a population that isn't very big 50% live in the capital Riga. So if you're sitting at a bar in Latvia talking to someone and know that you're not from Riga, well then the person you're talking to is.
Riga - Latvia
See the sort of haircut that Serbian butcher gave me!!!
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
The ride out the Jurmala was fantastic. The countryside was green, the freshness and the smell from the trees was powerful. Extremely European and very different to Australia, hell, different to Serbia too. The pine forests that surrounded the town itself were so fragrant with their perfume that it was kind of intoxicating for this unsuspecting traveller. Indeed, during the time that Latvia was part of the Soviet Union the city was known was being a holiday resort type of place, extremely popular amongst high ranking Communist party members. Indeed it appeared to me that Russian was perhaps the more spoken language in this town and I can only put that down to an historical echo.
Later that evening we rode back into Riga completing a 50km round trip ride for the day and made a stop at Shot Cafe...and now, he we were...5 yrs later, a time in some ways far removed from that day in August 2010 but in other ways very similar. A bar that I really never in my life expected to return to and could not have imagined a reason as to why I would, and yet, there I was. That's the lesson that life has taught me, again, and again, and again and AGAIN. There is no certainty in this world, not enough in my reckoning to ever have the confidence in saying that an event can NEVER HAPPEN. Perhaps your expectation or your desire for something may not eventuate in the time or even the manner that you anticipate, but, there are ways and odd constructions in life that somehow place events in your life that you could not have imagined happening. That's the beauty of life and that's why saying 'never' actually doesn't represent the final word on anything.
The first of the 'big days' for me was my third in Riga, not just for the canal and river cruise that Inga and I did in the city and on the Daugava, or for the walk through the old town but tonight was to be my introduction to Inga's family. On this evening I was going to meet Inga's mother (Zaiga) and her brother (Davis) - not that I was showing the nerves but had you have run a hand down my back you would have thought that I'd recently gone been for a swim. I was questioning how I was going to communicate, how would they manage to understand my humour, whether dinner would just sound like a whole load of chirping crickets...too many questions, too many options for doubt.
Thankfully the dinner went well. Actually, I think it was very good. We all managed to converse, chat and manage any barriers in language in good humour. I'm sure at the time they were weighing me up too thinking 'what the hell is this foreigner wanting to achieve here'...and I can understand that. Coming from the other side of the world what else could you expect? Here's a person that is different to most things that you can directly relate to. His way of life, his geographical location, his friends and family, they're all different - how do you deal with that in a manner you can easily accept? .....well, they did. To their credit they made things then, and every day since then, more than comfortable for me. I've never ever felt like an outsider and I can only commend them for how kind they've been.
The following day was was a little bit like the day prior. Inga and I spent much of the day on the river, kayaking the city canal and some of the islands on the Daugava. Later that evening was drinks with Inga's father. Another assessment task to be passed but perhaps a little easier in that I'd had dinner with her family the prior night, and also, from the perspective from her father, that he himself is not a native Latvian. So perhaps his understanding of me was a little different as he could relate to his own situation.
In total I spent five days in Riga and they were all fantastic. When I reflect on how I actually arrived in Riga the first time, the trail of discussions, the random decision making, both the small and large decisions, they all pointed to being at a location on a date and time that was necessary. Perhaps another trail and a different turn would have taken me elsewhere with a completely different plan, but now, here I am, and this path is now mine. Would I change anything that would not have taken me from where I was, to this very time in Riga, to the point in time from where I'm writing this blog? HELL NO, of course not!!!!! So thank you Riga, you will forever have a place in my heart and you'll forever be part of our lives.
Later that evening we rode back into Riga completing a 50km round trip ride for the day and made a stop at Shot Cafe...and now, he we were...5 yrs later, a time in some ways far removed from that day in August 2010 but in other ways very similar. A bar that I really never in my life expected to return to and could not have imagined a reason as to why I would, and yet, there I was. That's the lesson that life has taught me, again, and again, and again and AGAIN. There is no certainty in this world, not enough in my reckoning to ever have the confidence in saying that an event can NEVER HAPPEN. Perhaps your expectation or your desire for something may not eventuate in the time or even the manner that you anticipate, but, there are ways and odd constructions in life that somehow place events in your life that you could not have imagined happening. That's the beauty of life and that's why saying 'never' actually doesn't represent the final word on anything.
On the Daugava - Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
The first of the 'big days' for me was my third in Riga, not just for the canal and river cruise that Inga and I did in the city and on the Daugava, or for the walk through the old town but tonight was to be my introduction to Inga's family. On this evening I was going to meet Inga's mother (Zaiga) and her brother (Davis) - not that I was showing the nerves but had you have run a hand down my back you would have thought that I'd recently gone been for a swim. I was questioning how I was going to communicate, how would they manage to understand my humour, whether dinner would just sound like a whole load of chirping crickets...too many questions, too many options for doubt.
Thankfully the dinner went well. Actually, I think it was very good. We all managed to converse, chat and manage any barriers in language in good humour. I'm sure at the time they were weighing me up too thinking 'what the hell is this foreigner wanting to achieve here'...and I can understand that. Coming from the other side of the world what else could you expect? Here's a person that is different to most things that you can directly relate to. His way of life, his geographical location, his friends and family, they're all different - how do you deal with that in a manner you can easily accept? .....well, they did. To their credit they made things then, and every day since then, more than comfortable for me. I've never ever felt like an outsider and I can only commend them for how kind they've been.
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
The following day was was a little bit like the day prior. Inga and I spent much of the day on the river, kayaking the city canal and some of the islands on the Daugava. Later that evening was drinks with Inga's father. Another assessment task to be passed but perhaps a little easier in that I'd had dinner with her family the prior night, and also, from the perspective from her father, that he himself is not a native Latvian. So perhaps his understanding of me was a little different as he could relate to his own situation.
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
Riga - Latvia
In total I spent five days in Riga and they were all fantastic. When I reflect on how I actually arrived in Riga the first time, the trail of discussions, the random decision making, both the small and large decisions, they all pointed to being at a location on a date and time that was necessary. Perhaps another trail and a different turn would have taken me elsewhere with a completely different plan, but now, here I am, and this path is now mine. Would I change anything that would not have taken me from where I was, to this very time in Riga, to the point in time from where I'm writing this blog? HELL NO, of course not!!!!! So thank you Riga, you will forever have a place in my heart and you'll forever be part of our lives.
