daughter of latvia

Stockholm: The Second Child

Susan and I have been in Stockholm more than a day now and we're using the analogy that after Riga, Stockholm is kind of like the "second child." You take fewer pictures; you're more relaxed, but also more tired; and there's just less ooohing and ahhing and cooing.

That said, Stockholm is a beautiful child city, and we spent most of yesterday exploring her by water. First we got tickets for the "hop on/hop off" boat that is kind of like the water taxi in Victoria, BC, only bigger. We took that around the inner ring that includes Gamla stan (Old Town), the Royal Palace, and Djurgarden. Then we also took a tour of the inner archipelago, and it was so much like being out in the Canadian Gulf (or US San Juan) Islands, it was amazing.

We also went through Gamla stan and walked around the main city, and our own Sodermalm neighborhood a bit. So by water and foot we explored and soaked it all in.

Stockholm is also much noisier, and, true to what we'd heard, much more expensive... even Riga seems cheap now by comparison. Our hotel rooms cost about the same per night in each city, but whereas we had a huge, nicely appointed room and private bath in Riga, here we have a very small room, lumpy bed, no AC (and noisy street below), and must share the bath (toilet and shower) with the other guests on our floor. Our hotel is charming, built in 1647 (its name is "Anno 1647") and has a great location, so don't get me wrong, it's not a bad place. It's just not much like the Monika in Riga. And we have a "budget" room so it's not like the photos on the hotel web site.

And I am still recovering from the price of our dinner last night. We had a salad, a shared dish of "halloumi" (grilled Greek cheese) and ribs, plus one mixed drink and one hard pear cider... and the tab was about $100 US. And this was not gourmet cuisine.

I am taking part or all of this day to relax and organize photos and maybe spend some time in art galleries we heard are good, and which were closed yesterday. Susan is off looking at old ships in the maritime museum. Tonight we are having Swedish meatballs for dinner--the only "smorgasbord" in town was booked!

12 Plosta iela

There is so much rattling around in my brain about yesterdays' trip to the western part of Latvia (Kurzeme) but the main purpose of the trip was to see the town my mother lived in until she fled Latvia during WWII.

Armed with copies of old papers I found when she died, including translations of her birth certificate and confirmation certificate, Susan and I headed into Ventspils after visiting Kuldiga. Ventspils was nothing like the rest of Latvia we'd seen, and although I knew it had been greatly changed during the Soviet times, I was a bit unprepared for how different it was than Riga, or the other smaller cities we'd been to. Cranes, derricks, ships, warehouses, ships all along the riverfront, very industrial.

We had opted for the Latvian GPS unit for our rental car and so we input the closest thing we could find to my mother's home address. Her papers all said "12 Plostu iela" and the unit did not find it; however it did return a "12 Plosta iela" so we headed there. On the left we found more industrial buildings and machines along the river. Across the street on the right hand side, a most beautiful but neglected Russian Orthodox church, with vacant lots on both sides. The church is a at 16 Plosta iela. If this was my mother's street, her home would have been to the left on one of the vacant lots.

Next we walked to the Latvian Evangelical Church mentioned in her confirmation documents. The church still stands, and in fact Friday evening church services were just starting as we arrived. It has been well preserved, painted a lovely yellow and was stunning to our eyes against the clear blue sky.

The church's threshold was worn with the hundreds of years that people have crossed it. While the church was not as ornate as the Catholic ones to which we've been here, it has a beautiful dome reaching to the sky, topped by a cross.

It's difficult for me to express what it was like to see the church that my mother had attended in her youth and young adulthood. Even more difficult to think that I may have seen the place of her home on Plosta iela. I spent a bit of time trying to imagine all the derricks and steel buildings gone, and what the street might have looked like in the 20s and 30s. I stared a long time at the church threshold, imagining her coming through the door.

Although some of the streets between 12 Plosta iela and the church (at 6 Tirgus iela) have been closed off, it's possible to walk toward the water from the church and see where the connection between the buildings on Plosta may have been in decades past. It's a bit harder to edit out the ugliness of the industrial structures that exist there today.

If--as is likely--my mother's address was either wrong in the documents, or changed during the last 60-70 years, then I saw where she lived. It's near the river, and next to the huge Orthodox church. I imagine it in her time, thinking of nearby river and how lovely it might have been then. A few streets away were piles of timber, and in her day, those were likely there, as her father worked in the timber industry, she told me once.

I have many gaps in my knowledge of my mother. She never talked much of her life before the war or even in the Displaced Persons camps, prior to coming to the US. But going to Ventspils and exploring what I could of the town, and seeing the church where she was confirmed, has filled a long time yearning to know more than I did. I don't really have any "answers" but I do believe I understand more now.

It was a very special day.

The empty lot at 12 Plosta iela, in Ventspils.

From Soviet to Today

I remember hearing the stories in my youth. My father came to Latvia in the 70s to visit family and at that time, all visitors had to lodge at the old Soviet built hotel, which was apparently bugged and all conversations recorded. It was very difficult to get out on one's own to see family and visits to their homes were not allowed. All mail and phone conversations to and from the U.S were also monitored.

The effect of 50 years of Soviet domination on Latvia are still present today. Riga itself is a mix of the most beautiful old architecture I've ever seen in one city, with many buildings showing the years of decay and neglect along with their beauty. Some of the mid-century structures boast the modern, sparse Soviet "design sense." And much of it is dusted with graffiti, some is being rebuilt, and women still sweep the streets in front of their shops at night.

Riga's airport is amazingly beautiful. Very modern, with lots of wood (even wood floors!) and glass. Yet, an American we ran into said that just about 7 years ago, when he first flew into the airport, the old Soviet MIG fighter planes were still sitting out in the trees surrounding the airport. And now, on the way from the airport to the City, there's a huge mall across from a stand of birch trees. The new sits with the old, and there's enough of that old that I recognize it, like a familiar friend, from the stories and discussions and picture books of my childhood.

This city is so amazingly beautiful... she shines through the Soviet years. They have left their mark but something much more enduring and persistent has been there much longer, and that's where Riga's beauty lies. The parks, the Freedom Monument, the streets lined with Art Nouveau buildings, the enduring beauty of a city that has seen 800 years of life... I am so happy I made the plans to come here, and see it all for myself.

Takin' It Easy

We're taking it easy today. We just had lunch and it's 3 pm. And that was after a morning of just sitting around in the room figuring out logistics for tomorrow--we're traveling to Saldus and Ventspils, all in one day, and needed to know if we could accomplish that by bus/train or not. Turns out not, so we're renting a car. That took a long time to figure out!

Yesterday, we really hoofed it. We walked to the Freedom Monument, all over the far end of Old Town, and went to the top of St. Peters (see photo). We also found the best jewelry so far, many great Latvian designs in silver and gold. I got two rings and a traditional Latvian "brooch" or pin that holds cloth together to make a cloak, or wrap.

Then we walked to the Central Market, then the bus station (for info), then the train station, where we got on board (after some rudeness from the surly blonde ticket agent) and went to Majori, one of the small towns that comprises Jurmala.

This was our first foray out of town. Seeing the smaller towns gives one a different picture than in Riga. Many of the towns seem to have mostly old, run down housing; one, Zolitude, had a huge complex of Soviet-era high rise housing that most reminded me of housing projects I have seen in cities like Chicago.

I shot some video from the train, as we headed into Boldure. Boldure is where I may have some cousins; however, I could not get their addresses before I left, and do not know how to contact them.

In Majori we had lunch at the first place we found, as we were starving from all the walking we'd done earlier. We had spare ribs and "fries with pickled vegetables." The pickled vegetables turned out to be carrots, red cabbage and beets, and were quite yummy. We also got "regular" size drinks of water, not the little mini bottles one usually gets and pays too much for here. {I have been wondering how the Europeans stay hydrated!)

After that we wound our way to the beach, which is sometimes described as the "Riviera of the Baltics." The Latts, having just emerged from a Baltic winter, were in swimsuits and acting as if it were 80 degrees outside. Swimming in the sea and playing volleyball, and just getting their feet into the soft sand.

I have often wondered if one reason that so many Latvians settled in the Great Lakes region was because they felt more at home there... I believe that more so now, having smelled the air, felt the sand and water, and seen the flora and fauna in the neighborhoods by the beach. Our cottage "up north" in Michigan could very well have been in Jurmala. Even details like the slope of the land toward the beach is much more like the Great Lakes than it is like the areas of the Pacific near where I have lived in Oregon and California.

Photo: My friend Susan wading the Baltic Sea

 

We're going to leave the room soon to go explore more architecture. That means I will have many photos to share; I'll  post yesterday's photos as well as some from today, a bit later... now, it's time for a walk and exploration!

Latvia, at Last!

After a great Lufthansa flight from Portland to Frankfurt in Business Class, we arrived to learn that Lufthansa's entire computer system was down. The staff were doing what they could to process people manually (and luggage too!) so it was a bit chaotic. Still, we knew we there in time for our flight to Riga and just needed to be patient (it's wonderful to travel with friends who have the same temperament about these things!).

Finally, we take off for Riga! We both napped on the plane but I had been up close to 42 hours at this point--and on the road traveling from home for about 24 hours--so when we arrived in Riga I was feeling not much at all, just wickedly tired.

Everything at the airport in Riga was very efficient and Lufthansa had managed to get our bags on the right plane even with their system troubles so we were very grateful. Our little red cab whisked us to Riga. On the way, turning onto the main road into Riga, I saw a large stand of birch trees on my left. I thought of my mother, who loved the birch trees of her homeland. Across, to my right, is a mall, with signs for many recognizable brands--the signs of globalization are everywhere in Latvia.

Finally, the hotel. We are thrilled with the Hotel Monika. We're right across the street from the northern entrance to Kronvalds Park, which takes us to Old Town and through the site of many museums, nearby embassies, etc.

The photo shows the view from our balcony. We walked some last night, in an attempt to stay up to a normal Latvian bedtime and get acclimated to the new time zone. In our walk, we found the neighborhood full of beautiful architecture, interesting cafes, and a lot else we plan to return and photograph. (At this point, I felt like the walking dead--I was depleted.)

Our last stop was a neighborhood grocery store, filled with many common things and so many things that seem more Latvian... several kinds of herring, including creamed, smoked, in beets, in tomato, etc; latvian rye breads; the little cow candies of my childhood; etc.

Today, we're off to see more of Riga. This time, we'll have slept and I will feel more like absorbing it all.

A few more photos (15) are online here.

Home, Then Gone

It's late and I am not getting to bed tonight. Even so, I have packing and such because tomorrow I leave for my first trip to LATVIA! I am very excited and very much looking forward to it. Even so, I haven't really recovered from Kauai yet, nor gotten all the photos up.

Meanwhile, here's a selection of Kauai photos... some from air, some from the sea, others just from "home" at Wahi Mana, or driving the red-tinged roads of Kauai. Just click on Daniel's feet and say three times "Take me to Kauai, Take me to Kauai, Take me..." and you'll be there!

Best of Kauai

Leaving Kauai

It's not quite 8 am in Kauai as I write this. I'll soon be packing to leave this little spot of paradise. I hear D shaking out his clothes as he has already started packing. (I am a much better procrastinator than he is.)

It's difficult to relate the feelings and experience of being here. (I know, I have to post those photos... there are just so many. Maybe I'll have time on the plane.) But aside from the visuals, just a few moments ago I was sitting on the lanai just listening to the bird calls, back and forth, for what seemed like the better part of an hour. The birds are very active here in the AM with their noise, but it's the most beautiful bird noise I have ever heard. Even the cat just sits and listens.

We got up a bit after 6 to watch our final sun rise of this trip. (Being up for sunrise was pretty much a daily thing, at least for D... I slept in some mornings). Yesterday we were down on the beach at 5:30 am and watched almost from first light, to sunshine. The sand crabs also kept us amused with their digging of holes and frantic watchfulness.

We have a few hours before we leave for the airport. That gives us enough time to still hang out on the beach and wiggle toes in the water. For this I am very grateful.

For anyone following the saga of Daniel and his eye, he saw the opthamologist on Tuesday, and got new drops. They have worked very well and his comfort has increased and the swelling has reduced. For the first time, he says it's feeling better! So it appears we are past that bump in our otherwise idyllic island experience.

Rough Start

I had planned to begin my sabbatical with an overnight trip to Harbin Hot Springs tonight. I was going with the lovely BR and had planned a Watsu while at Harbin, so I could really have some wonderful deep relaxation and healing.

Then life got in the way. We had FETCH deadline on Sunday, then moved it to Tuesday because of a dog event in Walnut Creek all day Sunday. Then I realized that my work was not going as quickly or well as needed to make deadline. So I had to make the frustrating and disappointing decision to forgo my time at Harbin.

So BR had my Watsu and she'll be spending the night in the Domes at Harbin. I am hoping to still visit Harbin at the OTHER end of my sabbatical.

Sabbatical Eve

This is my last day at work... the final hours before I step off into 7 weeks of much anticipated time off. That's the good news.

The other news? Our helicopter trip must be rescheduled. We'd planned it for the 23rd, and the helicopter will be in for maintenance check that day. ARRRGH.

Now, back to work, getting my "out of office" and planning emails out to the right folks, gathering my belongings, heading home. TGIF!

Ready for Takeoff

Today I begin my blog... at the beginning it will be about my sabbatical adventures, but later it may morph into something else.
I decided to begin it today because it's Mother's Day and so much about why I am taking the trip to Latvia is about my roots, my own origins. My mother died in 1982 and I've now lived more of my life without her than with her. She died too young (59) so I think I tend to have my own fatalistic perspective on life at least in part because of that.
My sabbatical will be 6+ weeks, from May 19th through July 6. During that time I will be traveling about 3 weeks, first Kauai, then Latvia, Stockholm, and Amsterdam.
I will also spend some of my time off taking classes, doing art, and just thinking.
I welcome you to this place, where I will share the happenings, thoughts, and realities of my life during this time.
Finally, today I made one of the last remaining arrangements for the trip. I reserved our helicopter on Kauai.
We were given a choice of copters--the luxury, air conditioned ones with more people, or the doors-off, wind blown version, much smaller. Guess which one I chose?

If you are looking for a little more excitement during your helicopter tour, you may want to consider a doors-off tour in our Hughes 500. Imagine yourself zooming along with the wind in your hair as you descend through jungle valleys and smoothly pass through rugged canyons.

I decided if it's a little scary, so what. And if I die? This is the way to do it.