Entering Latvia 2 August 2017 We took a taxi, then a bus, then a plane, then a taxi, and finally Ansis picked me up in the center of Riga at a lovely Hindu restaurant called the Bhajan Cafe. It was an exhausting day, but other than missing our first bus to the airport, rather uneventful. The …
Final Day in Milan July 31, 2017 The last full day in Milan was casual, so this will be a casual and short post to get us to the transition, and maybe get caught up in real time! Rita did some shopping while I stayed home and luxuriously basked in the glow of Netflix for …
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! July 30, 2017 After a nice easy day mostly spent at “home,” we decided that Sunday would be our tourist day. Rita had her designs on the Pinocoteca di Brera with some of the biggest names in the history of art on display. Milan is built around the Duomo in the center …
First Days in Milan: Friday and Saturday, July 28-29 Some people were surprised when I told them that I was in Italy instead of Latvia. One of the things I love to do is to do what I can to make time spent as meaningful as possible. I likely would have left America in June …
Alpine Drive: July 28th As many of my friends know, I have a bit of a notorious reputation as a driver. I was an avid risk taker back in my younger days, and I tend to enjoy a spirited adventurous driving style now and then. This trip to Italy was my chance to experience European …
The Good and the Bad (Italian Style) As any experienced traveler will confirm, you never know what the unexpected will bring, so it is better to always be flexible and to be unconcerned if the world does not unfold as planned. The sun will rise and the sun will set, and everything else is up …
I feel so loved right now. That’s a nice way to start a conversation, isn’t it? Feeling loved, lucky, at one with the omnipresent universe that surrounds me. Despite any setbacks, I have to say I had an incredible week or so of goodbyes that I could not imagine having been any better. I say …
Today, the fine people at the Latvian American Shipping Line will be coming to my house to take away the crate of possessions that I have deemed important enough to take on my excursion to Latvia. The packing process has been going on in my mind for months now. What to take, what to leave, …
Here I am at Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe, waiting for food for forty minutes now. Am I complaining, yeah, I guess so. The waiter just brought over my check, and I haven’t seen a whiff of my food yet. That’s a first for me. I was a bit shocked and said, “But I haven’t gotten my …
After teaching my 4th and final lesson for the first week of my two week CELTA training, I was happy to meet up with my old NeWP friend Cathie for a local’s tour of the town and some really good barbecue. We decided to go to Pappy’s Place, which is a tiny little bistro attached …