I hope that people who have read my blog before start off with the question, “Part 3 or 4? Where is part 1?” and they start going through old posts to see if they have missed something. That would be cool! But you haven’t missed anything. I just felt inspired to write on this day, …
Vasaras Svētki This weekend was Vasaras Svētki, or so I am told. I believe the holiday coincides with Pentecost, or, as my calendar told me, Whitsunday. In Riga, this means that Saturday night is Baznīcu Nakts (Church Night) when many churches open their doors in the evening to visitors holding celebrations with music and other …
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 …
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 …