We rolled into town trying to loosen our load, leaving smiles and hearts intact. Riga, Latvia was the ultimate destination of our trip but what’s sponge cake without strawberries and whipped cream? So far we had a lot of the sweetness you crave but now we were about to experience the substance that builds a lifetime of friendships.
Departing our bus after a sleepy 4 hour trip we found ourselves in the middle of Riga during rush hour. A bustling lively city that initially looked like the dreary cold war city that my friend Aaron had described for so many years, “Watch your back dude” “Don’t talk to strangers dude, they could be the Russian Mob” “Have you ever seen a man beat down right in front of you and you just have to cross the street and keep looking forward” Needless to say I was on guard for running into the worst but fortunately I was pleasantly surprised and relieved about the city.
We made our way to a sushi bar and ordered food & drink while we waited for our friends to arrive from the wedding rehearsal. See, the reason for the trip was to see my close college friend Aaron marry his longtime girlfriend Sabine. I’ve known Aaron for about 14 years. He was the first friend I had at Mizzou and despite him moving to two cities and half way around the world we still remain good friends. He’s someone I look up to and I appreciate his advice – even his bad advice – because I know he means well. After a few more hours recapping stories about festivals, flights and acquaintances we headed off to our lodging for the night. The wedding was 3 days away and most of Aaron’s family flew over as well as a host of friends. I will say he and Sabine have a way of connecting with people.
Latvia sits on the Baltic Sea. I was told the best time to visit Riga was in the summer because the weather is beautiful and you can make a 20 min trek to the beach. Now I’m not much of a beach comber and I think my people got enough sun somewhere along the way, so I don’t have to tan, but I do enjoy hanging out and putting my toes in the water. And who can pass up wading in a new body of water? Chris and I headed up to Jurmala (pronounced Your-meh-lah) for our day at the beach. Our first stop was a hookah bar where we sipped drinks and smoked Double Apple tobacco as our Ukrainian server showed us his scars due to too much arm wrestling. Raise your hand if you knew arm wrestling was one of the top sports in the Ukraine… Liar! Put your hand down. No one knows that outside of the Ukraine.
We headed down the beach and posted up at a picnic table watching families play in the sand and people (in those euro bathing suits) play volleyball while old ships sailed in the distance. Finally we decided to cool off in what looked to be perfectly normal sea water. When the guy a little ways away looked at me while I slowly inched my way into the water up to my waist shouted, “Icebergs!” while pointing off into the distance, I knew this would be a onetime event that day. After we made it to shore and talked in French with a Parisienne-Russian about the concentration of oil rich Russians on the beach, we had drinks at the Havana Club bar where Chris gave our server the option of choosing her tip based on the different currency laid out on the bar; which seems simple enough, only if you know the going exchange rates for 8 different currencies.
The next day we spent exploring Riga. The city has so much to offer in terms of churches, historical buildings and history. One such place that reflects on the country’s history is the Occupation Museum. The exhibits tell the story of pre and post war era of occupied Latvia. It depicts the occupation by the Russians and the subsequent invasion by the Germans. With great detail the stories were told of the hope native Latvians had for the Germans. Hoping they were coming to be their liberator from Russian rule. They soon realized they were trading one occupier for another. The life size model of the shanty living quarters brought to life the horrific mental & physical living conditions many Latvian were forced to live in for being accused dissenters of German rule.
Many Latvians fled to other parts of the world during the war. After the war and during the Russian occupation many were sent to live in camps in Siberia and other parts of Russia. Imagine holding on to your identity on the inside and in your home while every other part of your life was changed to reflect the ideals of your oppressor. For a people to not be able to celebrate their heritage and be forced to adopt a 2 different languages and cultures for over 50 years is unimaginable to me.
As I was walking through the exhibits I began to realize and appreciate how blessed I am to live in a time and a place where I have the freedom to do anything I can dream. Later, as we walked through the city I had a new respect for the people and the struggle they went through to obtain their liberation.
Part two will be coming shortly..
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Ciao Ciao,
Andre
