In between final exams, Bailey and I traveled to Riga, Latvia, for our last study abroad adventure. Yes, we do actually attend the university here abroad. It is not all fun and games. Last Friday I had a two hour exam for my Global Inequality and Development class, this past Wednesday I turned in a group crisis communications plan for my Sports PR and Marketing class, and this past Friday I had another two hour exam for my Sports Media and Sponsorship class.
Riga was a recommended destination from our advisor here at Coventry University. We were looking for a nice and relaxing time different from the normal study abroad experiences. We had absolutely no expectation! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Latvia. It was incredibly stunning in Old Riga! Also, many of our experiences there were very lucky and unique. This year, Riga has been named the Culture Capital of the world. Therefore, many interesting events have been occurring. This brought a very different aspect to our time in Riga. Furthermore, Latvia's Scandinavian influence, weather, traditional meals, and friendly people reminded me a bit of home in a way. It definetly made me excited to return to Minnesota. Wow was the food and beer incredible!! and inexpensive!!! My favorite Latvian traditional meals were grey peas and bacon (a soup mixture in a bread bowl), boiled potatoes, traditional meat balls, and a personal hot dish that included potatoes, steak, carrots, and more.
Day 1: Touring Old Riga ~ On my flight to Latvia I ended up sitting next to an American FBI agent working at the U.S. Embassy in Latvia. He gave me great advice and key attractions for traveling within Riga. He also informed me of the rising tension between Latvia and Russia. I had no idea that the tensions were traveling beyond the Ukraine situation. By the end of flight he generously gave me his contact information if I would have any questions while traveling or in case of an emergency. He also extended an invitation to my friend and I to meet up with his family at their home near the beach. This offer was extremely nice, but as young women traveling in an unknown country, we didn't exactly want to be a part of the next Taken movie... We never ended up taking him up on his offer, but I wish we would have! Later in the trip we met another american woman whose husband worked at the Embassy as well. She reassured us about his credentials and spoke extremely highly of him and his family. We also learned that his beach home was incredible!! Dang! I guess next time I am in Latvia I'll have to get in touch with him again.
After landing and checking into our hotel, Bailey and I set off to tour Old Riga. Walking through the small cobblestone streets surrounded by colorful architecture, I instantly knew this trip was going to be great! Shortly after beginning our adventure we found a street market. It was amazing how many various markets and street vendors there were! Of course Bailey and I couldn't resist! Handmade silver and amber jewelry, knitted apparel, leather goods, carved wooden goods, and ceramics were popular traditional items being sold. I ended up purchasing a beautiful green amber ring:) We then made our way to St. Peter's Church, Musicians of Bremen Statue, Riga Dome Church, the Doma Laukums, Three Brothers, the Parliament Building, the Castle of Riga, and finally the River Daugava. That evening we returned to our hotel for a nice dinner and early night.
Day 2: Latvian Freedom Day ~ Our first full day in Latvia ended up being the Latvian Freedom Day. There were people everywhere within the city and many had Latvian flags. After a little while of touring the outer rim of Old Riga, we stumbled upon a flower laying ceremony at the Freedom Monument after following the music of a large band. It seems like a very formal event with very high ranked officials and members of society attending. The rest of the public crowded around as well. As the ceremony came to a close, we decided to follow a man that seemed extremely important. After only standing a few feet away to take a picture, I found out he was the Latvian president. How neat!! We then made our way back to St. Peter's Church in Old Riga. We made our way to the panoramic view of the city atop the church's tower. It was incredible!! Yet, extremely cold and windy that high up!! After warming up in the church while listening to a choir recital, we made our way to Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs traditional Latvian pub. It was so old and just the perfect find!! We arrived just in time for Lucky Hour (happy hour). For Freedom Day, we were recommended to attend a concert in Vermanes Garden. So, after dinner we decided to check it out. It was a very strange experience! Half of the songs were in a different language, the atmosphere was very hippy/boho, the singer's hands were painted red, and I heard way too many high pitched screams for me to understand... Very different than anything I had heard or seen before.
Casually stumbled upon a flower laying ceremony for Latvian Freedom Day and the President..
Day 3: The Real Riga Walking Tour and the Riga Zoo ~
The next day we ventured deeper into Maskavas Forstate and Central Riga during a free Real Riga Walking Tour. During this time, we learned a great deal of history about Riga that I knew absolutely nothing about! It was so interesting! Our tour guide also spoke about the similarities between previous years of tension with the Soviet Union and now with Russia. It is amazing how much more you learn about the world by actually visiting areas and learning from the locals! Many of the locals that we spoke to about the issue felt completely safe, but unsure of what was to come. Beyond learning the history and current status of Latvia on this tour, we saw an incredible about of statues. Who knew a city could have a statue everywhere you turn!
The Riga Zoo was our afternoon activity. This zoo is one of the oldest in Europe founded in 1912. While many of the animals that we saw can be found in a zoo in Minnesota due to the similar climate, there were many new species that I had never seen or heard of before. Also, I was amazed by the amount of baby animals I saw. Oh they were so cute!!
Day 4: Majori ~ Jamala, Latvia ~ It was finally beach day!! We found ourselves at the beautiful beach town of Majori as part of the well-known Jamala Beaches along the Baltic Sea. It was the just the perfect relaxing day that we needed! We walked along the white sand beach and managed to find a place out of the wind to relax on our beach towels. Over the hours that we enjoyed the beach i had my fair share of quality people watching, closing my eyes, playing in the sand, and reading an amazing book. Even though it was not exactly bikini or swimming weather, we still were able to soak in some rays. When the wind didn't pick up, it was very warm! Back in town we cuddled up with some blankets outside a coffee shop before our traditional Latvian dinner. Traveling to and from Majori was extremely easy and inexpensive! I would love to come back to this beach town or another beach town along the Baltic sea some day!! Maybe when it's nicer weather though!
Day 5 - 6: Last Day ~
Our final full day in Riga was filled with the remaining attractions. We first found the KGB Building, which was the main location of the violence and genocide against the Latvian nation during the Soviet occupation. This was an extremely eye opening historical layout. The unlawful torture of countless people until 1991 within this building was extremely haunting. Everything that occurred during the Soviet reign of Latvia has striking correlations with what is currently occurring in Ukraine. I have definitely grown a stronger interest in this issue!
After we finished the KGB Building, we made a quick stop at Muffins & More then to the famous Centraltirgus Market. This market is by far the largest market I have ever seen or heard of. There were enormous indoor facilities that were sectioned off for food along with an entire outdoor area sectioned off for fresh produce and random goods. We ventured throughout the market besides the giant fish market building. The smell was repulsing!!!!!
For dinner, we returned to Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs. This was the perfect ending to our trip! There was traditional dancing occurring just a few feet from our table and the atmosphere was fantastic. Also, this was the night that we met a woman and her husband that knew the FBI agent I met on the plane. There were countless pilots that had accompanied her and her husband to dinner as well. We talked with her for a long time and it was so enjoyable! We talked further of the Latvian~Russian tension. She informed us that the United States, as part of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with Latvia, is flying in troops and important figures into Latvia to make our presence and influence known to Russia. I will definitely be following this issue and checking in with my new contacts.
The next day we returned to Coventry to begin studying. Woohoo!!
Great last trip!
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