Summer 2013 East Coast Trip

Hello again! It has been quite a while since our last post, but given our recent trip to unknown territory, we thought we would  share our experience with you all. So, our vacation couldn’t have worked out better. I had been wanting to explore the Northeast and then all of a sudden I got an email about a nurse practitioner conference in Cape Cod. I immediately knew it was meant to be, and then on top of that Jordan had been previously invited to speak at the BALSSI (Baltic Studies Summer Institute) language program in Pittsburgh. It was fate! I booked the conference and Jordan accepted the invitation to be a guest lecturer, and so began the endless planning that I do. 🙂 We drove from Knoxville to Pittsburgh, PA, then to Ithaca, NY, then Cape Cod, MA, Providence, RI, Bordentown, NJ, and Alexandria, VA, before finally heading back to TN. We hope you enjoy the pictures…

First of all, this is the scenic view we enjoyed while eating our picnic lunch. We stopped in Virgina on our way to Pittsburgh. This area was called Benge’s Gap. JORDAN: Hey, everybody, Brittney instructed me to chime in here and there. So here I’ll offer a travel tip: If you ever get a chance to tour the Appalachia region, I highly recommend Highway 23 from Kingsport, TN up through Virginia. That highway has some of the best vistas east of the Rockies, at least from what I’ve seen (including the one below).

Below is the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. It is a 42-story Gothic style cathedral that was built between 1926- 1934.  It is the 2nd tallest educational building in the world! Jordan was so fortunate to be invited to speak at BALSSI this year and this was the building where he gave his lecture on Latvian 4-H during the Ulmanis regime.

This is looking down onto the commons room inside of the Cathedral of Learning. The ceilings in this room are 52 feet tall. It was so beautiful inside. How lucky the students are who get to study in this magnificent building every day. JORDAN: Indeed! Why can’t every humanities department be housed in a magnificent building like this?

Below is a picture of one of the nationality rooms in the Cathedral of Learning. Each room is designed to celebrate a different culture that had an influence on Pittsburgh’s growth. There are 29 nationality rooms and the rooms are actually used for lectures. This happens to be the Austrian room. It reminded us of the Rundale palace in Latvia.  Can you imagine sitting in a classroom that looks like this?! JORDAN: Another thing that is cool about these rooms is that much (or perhaps all, I’m not sure) of the money to furnish them was donated by the local ethnic communities. What’s more, it also gives you a sense of how wealthy the city was during its steel-producing heydays.

After we left Pittsburgh, we made our way up to Ithaca, NY. This is the bed and breakfast that I found for us to stay at. It is on a farm about 5 miles from Ithaca. It was so peaceful and quaint.

We went to Cayuga Lake in Ithaca to watch the sunset. Ithaca sits on the southern end of the 40-mile-long lake. It is the longest of the Finger Lakes.

We also drove along the western side of the lake and visited some of the wineries. The area was quite scenic but, unfortunately, we were not too impressed with the wines. Here is a view, as the picture suggests, from one of the vineyards.

We left Ithaca and headed for Cape Cod. This is a picture of a typical farm in the countryside of Upstate New York.

This is a view of the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge. JORDAN: So what you see above the water, way up in the air, is the railroad track itself. It is on a vertical lift, which is lowered when a train needs to cross. Pretty amazing!

This is Old Silver Beach in Falmouth, MA. We took these pictures from the deck of the resort where we were staying for my nurse practitioner conference. It was a pretty rough conference when at every break I could just walk outside and see this view. 🙂

This is down in Woods Hole, one of our favorite spots. It had a more Bohemian, laid-back feel. This picture was taken from the restaurant we were eating at, Quicks Hole (see below for pics of our meal there)…

A view of the restaurant.

One of the best things about traveling is enjoying the local food. This was my first lobster roll experience. I thought I loved crab cakes, but now I’m obsessed with lobster rolls. They are oh so good! Jordan opted for the lobster taco, which was so fresh and tasty. I never liked lobster because of the texture, but I realized I had just never had fresh lobster. 🙂

Sitting at Quick’s Hole, we realized that the parking lot wasn’t covered with white rock or crushed concrete but with broken seashells… Then we started paying attention elsewhere, and it seems that this is pretty common everywhere in the region.

Below are some pictures of the harbor in Woods Hole, MA. These two appeared to be on their way back home from a grocery run.

Here is a picture of the cars waiting to get loaded on the ferry to go to Martha’s Vineyard. Maybe next visit we will take a trip over to the island.

           JORDAN: This was kind of cool. In Woods Hole there were a number of ocean research centers. The big ship here is one of the research vessels used for deep sea missions. It’s hard to get a sense here of how big the ship is, but let’s just say that it dwarfed the nearby building.

Check out the houseboats/floating houses in the background!

On the last day in Cape Cod, we went to the less touristy area near Woods Hole. The beach there reminded us of Latvian beaches because it was smaller and more natural (save for a few insanely nice homes).

The area also had one of the nicest lighthouses. JORDAN: Kimberly, I hope you are still following our blog, because I took this picture while thinking of you.

Of course, no trip is complete without finding a good bakery. This was on main street in Falmouth and they had really good almond croissants and chocolate croissants. 🙂 JORDAN: This bakery was awesome! A number of the guys working there were actually from France, and their baked goods were so good that they renewed my desire to master croissants. And on the front, I can report that my first batch of croissants last weekend were pretty good, but I still have some tweaking to do.

We enjoy visiting college towns, so after we left the Cape, we stayed in Providence, RI, where Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design are located. This was in front of the famous front gate to Brown University. We were told by a campus security guard (with whom Jordan chatted for a while) that the gate is only open on graduation day, and only the graduates are allowed to walk through (everyone else has to use the smaller side gate to the left).

We were walking around the campus area in Providence and stumbled upon this beautiful building. Jordan was being his curious self and walked up the steps to get a better look. We were then invited in by the local artist who is using the first floor as his studio. We had a nice chat with him and a local art professor, and at the end of our chat he graciously gave us one of his drawings of this street in Providence. Who says Northeasterners are rude?! We would just like to debunk this myth now, because everyone we encountered in the Northeast was outgoingly friendly.

If possible, we prefer to stay in B & Bs when traveling. This is the amazing staircase in the Christopher Dodge House in Providence, RI. I highly recommend this place. It had a great location, friendly staff, a deliciously filling breakfast (we were served Finnish pancakes with lots of other goodies), and it was in a beautiful, very historic building.

From Providence we headed south, but decided at the last minute to spend a few hours in Newport, RI, thanks in part to the urging of the kind artist mentioned above. Newport was a wonderful experience and a perfect way to end our time near the ocean. So, this view is of the bridge that takes you to Newport, RI. We tried to capture the effect that we saw, which looked like the bridge was taking you up to Heaven. 🙂

Newport was founded in 1639. This is a typical colonial style building near the “downtown” district of Newport.

We took a walk on the famous Cliff Walk located on the eastern shore of Newport. This is one of the mansions that is on the trail. JORDAN: Newport has some crazy, crazy mansions. I guess during the first two decades of the twentieth century Newport became THE summertime playground for the ueber-rich. For example, two of the Rockefellers had “summer homes” in Newport. The biggest Rockefeller mansion there, The Breakers, were it to be built today, would cost some $350 million — and for a “summer house” where they only stayed eight weeks a year!

These pictures below are views of the ocean from the Cliff Walk. JORDAN: It’s hard to know which way to look while on the Cliff Walk. On the one side are these unbelievable mansions, but on the other side are these breathtaking vistas of the Atlantic.

Here is the Newport Shipyard. It was neat walking around and seeing them actually making ships. It was also quite interesting to see some of the yachts and sailboats that people own. These buildings were located in the  middle of the shipyard, and the awning on the end was Belle’s Café, where we had fresh seafood for lunch.

We had to try the littlenecks, which are small clams. They taste amazing!!

This was the view from our café table.

Here is my fresh salmon over greens. It was unbelievably good. It is not fair that the whole world can’t experience fresh seafood. It is hard to beat.

Jordan had to try the lobster rolls at Belle’s. They were quite tasty. JORDAN: And I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the potato salad was finished in a Southern German style with cream and vinegar. Tasty!

So, I had to find a good stopping point between Rhode Island and Pennsylvania and we didn’t want to deal with traffic in a big city, so I found a little town called Bordentown, NJ, which is about 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. Bordentown is an old historic town that sits on the Delaware River. We got into New Jersey late Thursday evening, so we spent Friday morning walking around Brodentown and we stumbled upon this Episcopal Church that was built in the 1840s. It was beautiful inside and had an old cemetery behind it (see picture below)…

JORDAN: To further Brittney’s point about Northeasterns being quite friendly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the very nice guy who was there cleaning the church. He waved us in, stopped what he was doing, and despite that fact that he was, in his words, sweating boats (it was really hot and humid that morning), he took us for a personal tour of the entire church. What a nice guy!

We couldn’t even read some the the headstones because they were so old. I think the oldest ones we could read were from the 1770s.

  Our last night we spent in Alexandria, VA, which sits on the Western bank of the Potomac River and just south of Washington, D.C. It was settled in 1695! (JORDAN: But let’s not forget that by that time Riga had already been around for nearly 500 years!) We visited Old Town Alexandria and fell in love with the quaint feel of the city and the beautiful and historic homes. For instance, here is the somewhat recently rebuilt home that George Washington had built in the late 1760s.

JORDAN: I want to buy the blue house! Seriously, I’d like to live in a place like that.

We found Le Refuge, a quaint little French restaurant right off of the main street in Old Alexandria. It was very eclectic and cozy inside and the food was outstanding. Definitely makes our top 5 list of best restaurants we’ve ever been to here in the States.

Below is a picture of Jordan’s duck with raspberry glaze, scalloped potatoes, and whipped carrots.

 Below is a picture of my soft shell crab with almonds and a lemon-garlic sauce. The soft shell crab is lightly fried, and you actually eat the shell. I’m not a fried food kind of person, but I’ll make an exception for crab. 🙂 The picture definitely doesn’t do my meal any justice.

For dessert we had the pear tart paired with vanilla-infused homemade whipped cream and chocolate sauce that was quite tasty too.

Finally, after our meal we took a stroll along the Potomac. Here is the view we had. We had an amazing time visiting the Northeast and highly recommend exploring the area! Until next time…

14/07/2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Recent adventures

Hello everyone. Since it has been so long since I’ve posted anything, I thought I would share some pictures of your recent adventures in our kitchen, around Knoxville, and from our big road trip with Valters and Anda. So, here you go (and remember, you can enlarge the photos by simply clicking on them):

This is my wonton soup with homemade dumplings, carrots, mushrooms, and some mini bok choy from our garden. Brittney and I sort of have a tradition of eating soup on Sundays, so I’ve really expanded my soup recipes to accommodate this habit. As of late Brittney’s favorite has been a cream of cauliflower with roasted red peppers and corn, while I have enjoyed the cream of mushroom and a delicious carrot ginger soup.

Here are some Tennessee spring wildflowers. We picked them while on a walk one day, despite some curious glances from passersby. I guess locals must not go around cutting flowers from road ditches.

This is my German-style farmer’s bread. My recipe is still a work in progress, but it’s getting closer to the real thing. The flavor is very close, but the texture and color is still off. It should be chewier and much darker. I think I need to turn down the heat and prolong the baking time to allow for more of the so-called Maillard reaction which is so key for the development of the flavor and color of rye breads.

Local Tennessee blackberries! Just look at the size of those — some of them were bigger than my thumb. I’ve never had better blackberries than those from here in East Tennessee.

This is an Italian almond cookie called Ricciarelli. They are made from almond paste and toasted and ground almonds. I made these for a parfait of homemade lemon pudding and local blackberries and, wow, was that a great dessert. Too bad I forgot to take a picture. And by the way, these cookies are extremely tasty!

Here I’m in the process of making homemade pasta. Wow, our kitchen looks really dirty in this picture! Sorry.

The final product that day: a homemade spinach and cheese cannelloni topped with my homemade San Marzano tomato sauce.

I don’t make this deli-style rye bread quite as often as the farmer’s bread, but this bread is extremely good toasted, especially when you put a little bit of pure, spun honey on it. A local shop here sells a rape flower spun honey from Germany (yes, in Europe they always specify on the label what the bees were feasting on) that is crazy good. When Gram and Pop were here last spring he loved that honey, so I need to remember to bring him a jar the next time we come home.

Here is an image from the farmer’s market in downtown Knoxville. In this photo you are seeing the food trucks and carts that are becoming very popular. In particular, the one on the right, the Cruze dairy truck, is always swamped with hungry patrons. Since we moved here in 2008, it is impressive how much Knoxville has changed. I think that Asheville, NC has been a great influence, and it’s good to see Knoxville embrace a model that works.

Here is a picture of the milk maids that run the truck and milk bar (yes, a milk bar! It’s like being back in Latvia.). In my opinion, this has been one of the coolest recent developments in Knoxville, that one can now get tasty milk and ice cream from a local dairy whose owners are embracing the recent explosion of foodie culture in America. I need to remember to take a picture of their peanut butter ice cream the next time they are selling it. It is our favorite.

Here we have a spring pasta dish with carrots and broccoli from our garden, topped with a sundried tomato and garlic oil and some pecorino romano cheese. I paired it with a honey-balsamic vinegar glazed chicken breast.

I’m quite proud of this dish. It is Flammkuchen, which is extremely popular in Southwestern Germany and Southeastern France. It is like pizza, but the crust is completely different than a “regular” pizza crust. We topped this one with roasted salmon, roasted red peppers, artichokes, and herb-flavored, German-style quark cheese, which I learned how to make since I’ve never seen it in a store. As it turned out, it’s really not hard to make cheese at home, so I’ve been making Latvian and German-style fresh cheeses over the last few months. And the leftover whey has also come in handy when I feel like a smoothie.

This is one of Brittney’s favorite meals. It’s a New York strip served over wilted spinach and topped with gorgonzola cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and roasted red peppers. On the side — some “Moroccan syle” whipped potatoes. This was something I came up with one day. It’s a 60/40 mixture of sweet potatoes and regular red potatoes which I whip and then season with a bouquet of common North African spices like paprika, cinnamon, cumin, etc.

I just made this dish the other day. It’s a roasted chicken topped with a chanterelle mushroom sauce, which is perhaps the most loved sauce in Latvia. And the cool thing about this dish was that we got the mushrooms at the farmer’s market from a retired teacher who now spends his days picking mushrooms in the forests around East Tennessee.  I paired the chicken with some local green beans, which I tossed in a German-style stone ground mustard-Sherry vinegar sauce (I think this is hands down the best way to eat green beans), in addition to some local cabbage, which I braised in a mixture of chicken stock, white balsamic vinegar, and caraway seeds. Yum! Brittney especially loves the braised cabbage. So, now to some pictures from our trip.We stopped for a picture somewhere in the middle of the Sandhills north and west of North Platte. Honestly, I had forgotten how amazing and beautiful the Sandhills are. I’m so happy that ostensibly the XL pipeline won’t be going through there. From what I’ve read about the tar sand oil and what happens when there is a spill, Nebraskans did a noble thing by fighting against it. If you want to learn more about this new type of oil, read this great piece: http://www.npr.org/2012/08/16/158025375/when-this-oil-spills-its-a-whole-new-monster?sc=tw

A nice picture of Brittney standing amid the prairie grasses just outside of Chadron.

Here we are on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River valley in Hermann, MO.

As many of you know, I never pass up a chance to visit a cathedral. Here, then, is the St. Paul Cathedral in St. Paul, MN.

When we stopped to visit our friends in St. Louis, we ventured over to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. This place was really unique, as I had never been inside of a Neo-Byzantine style church. The mosaics were breathtaking.

This place was also really cool. It is the City Museum of St. Louis. They took an abandoned industrial building and turned it into this crazy, jungle gym-like place. For instance, they converted the circular towers on the right into these gigantic slides.

Finally, here is a photo of my favorite spot on the trip. We were driving on some random gravel road in the Badlands when we discovered this awe-inspiring view.

21/08/2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Our last days in Riga, and first days in Knoxville…

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well! Sorry, it has taken us so long to post. We have been just a little bit busy though 🙂 Well, just four weeks ago we were flying into Omaha. It feels like our time in Riga was all a dream (and a fantastic one). Our lives have been a blur the past few weeks. It was so good to see family and friends and get to spend a few days with everyone back home! Our moms and sisters traveled with us to Knoxville to help us unpack. On our way to Knoxville we stopped in Missouri to stay with Jordan’s oldest sister and her husband. They are always so hospitable and have such a lovely home 🙂 The next morning we sidetracked to Hermann, MO, one of our favorite places in the U.S. Hermann was founded by German immigrants and sits on a bluff overlooking the Missouri river, so it is really picturesque. The climate and topography make it a great area for vineyards, so Hermann is most famous for its number of wineries and B & B’s. We also think it has one of the best bakeries in the States, so we always stop to get a doughnut or European-style sweetbread. From Hermann, we stopped in Kentucky to stay with some family friends and had a wonderful evening chatting with everyone. The next morning we finished our long trek to Knoxville and started unpacking almost immediately. We had enough help that we were able to get our POD unloaded in just a few hours, so the next day we were able to take everybody up to the Smoky Mountains and enjoy a day of shopping at the outlets 🙂 Time flies when you are having fun (but not while you are driving across the country), and before we knew it, we had been back for a week, our families had departed, and our new lives in the States had to begin. Jordan started his teaching duties at UT right away and was welcomed back with a stack of 80+ midterms to grade. I had a little bit of training at the clinic the first week, but didn’t officially start until the 2nd week. We somehow managed to get completely unpacked and settled within the first week. I think it was because we knew if we didn’t get it done right away, we probably would never find the time.

So, here we are, back in Knoxville, as if our lives had never really changed. I guess that’s what we get for moving around so much — even a transcontinental move doesn’t seem like a big deal. It doesn’t take us any time at all to adjust anymore. We are still quite lonesome for and nostalgic about Latvia, but we are trying to find similar things here to help us adjust. I try to come home every evening and go for a walk, and Jordan has even gone with me quite a bit too 🙂 (he usually doesn’t have the time). Walking up the hills is definitely quite different than walking the city streets of Riga, though! Probably the biggest adjustment has been the change in grocery shopping. We were quite disgusted, to say the least, with the difference in the quality of produce (things were a lot fresher, cheaper, and of higher quality in Riga). I’ve had to cut back on my daily red bell pepper consumption (I paid less than 3o cents for a red pepper in Riga, as compared to almost $2 here). We also were overwhelmed with the enormous selection of everything. In Riga, there were just one or two things to choose from and here there are like 10 options of the same, crappy thing! Do we really need that much choice? It just complicates things! I have also been surprised at interactions in public space. I don’t think I have gone out yet without having a stranger start up a conversation with me. I just didn’t have that happen hardly at all in Riga, so I have had to get accustomed to that again. The other major life change has been working 7:30 to 5:30 Monday through Friday. I haven’t worked those kind of hours since summers at the Buckle warehouse over ten years ago!! I know, I sound like such a whiner, but Jordan and I definitely enjoy our flexible lives, so this new schedule has been a really hard adjustment for me. It will get better though! Other than that, I do really like my new job. The people I work with have been so nice and wonderful to me, and it feels good to be taking care of people again! This last week was my first week of seeing patients and it started out pretty rough, but by Friday things were running smoother and I was starting to feel a little more at ease!

Well, we just wanted to share some stories and pictures with you of our last few days in Riga and, now, of our first few weeks in Knoxville. So, the pictures below are just a summary of the harvest celebration in Riga, the weekend before we left, in addition to a few other pics of things we saw daily, but never stopped to take pictures of, and then our hiking trip last weekend in the Smokies. Hope you enjoy!!

30/10/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Living in limbo…

Hey everyone! I know it has been a really long time since I (this is Brittney) have posted anything, so I thought I better do one last post before we leave…I really don’t know where the last nine months have gone, and I definitely can’t believe that we will be back in Nebraska in just one week! I am so excited to see family and friends and I won’t even begin with the list of things I will be happy to have in my life once again:) However, our fast approaching departure has led to a lot of reflection and evoked a variety of conflicting emotions in me. Which is the reason for the title of my post. For the last month, I have felt like my life is in limbo. I can’t be completely excited about returning to the States, because there is so much that I will miss in Latvia. Yet, I can’t fully embrace what time we have left here either, because I know we are leaving and I get really emotional just thinking about it. My heart literally feels like it is being torn in two, because part of me is ready to be back in the U.S., but the other part of me is not ready to leave this life. I’m so grateful for the opportunity that we were given to live in another country and experience a different culture. It has been an amazing journey and my life will forever be changed by the people we have met, stories we have heard, and experiences we’ve shared, which is why I am so sad to leave. We have met some amazing people who have openly welcomed us into their lives, and have largely influenced our overall experience here, and for that, we will never be able to fully express our gratitude. I know that we will be back in Europe again, but people and places change; therefore, this experience can never be replicated. Our lives here have been wonderful! Jordan and I work hard at what we do, so it has been nice to relax and really enjoy life together here. Living here has made us realize pretty quickly what we take for granted in life and the things that really matter to us. There are just so many things that I want to wrap-up and bring back to the U.S. to help you all understand why it is that we love Riga. The everyday experiences such as walking everywhere, choosing which of the dozens of cafés to frequent, strolling in the parks, seeing all of the flowers sold on the street corners, going to the market to get groceries for supper, listening to the locals speak the musical Latvian language, never getting accustomed to seeing Eastern European fashion, eating fresh, local foods, looking up at the indescribable, blue sky, the list is endless…It’s just a different life, and I will miss it dearly. However, that doesn’t even include the gems that are here: the central market, where your senses are overwhelmed and you can literally find and buy anything; the Baltic Sea, which is so calming and refreshing to walk along; Latvians’ deep-seated love of nature and music, which is reflected in so much of their traditions; our favorite café, Rigensis, which has the best honey, carrot, and dark chocolate cakes; the beautiful architecture that you can look at every day and yet always find something new that you didn’t see before; Old Riga, which is so picturesque with its winding, narrow, cobblestone streets, little shops, and beautiful churches. Really, the list is never-ending. It is impossible to sum up our experience, but I hope that our blog has given you a window into our lives and that you all have been able to at least get a sense of what a great place Riga, and Latvia for that matter, is. I am so glad that you all have visited and enjoyed our blog. Until our next big adventure…

25/09/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Last warm days…

Hi, everyone. Here are some photos from the last few weeks. First, here is a picture from the rooftop cafe that we went to two Sundays ago. I think that day will probably prove to have been our last warm day, as autumn seems to have arrived here in Latvia. The days are getting much shorter, there is suddenly a chill in the air, and the leaves are already turning. Anyway, that Sunday was very lovely, I guess around 73 or so, and we very much enjoyed just sitting there and admiring the eclectic rooftops and spires of Riga.

In the middle of reading old Latvian newspapers last week, I looked out the window of the national library and noticed how stunning the contrast was between the dark buildings and the vivid, pre-dusk sky. I’m really going to miss this view. And also the sound of the church bells on Thursdays at 18:45.

A picture from underneath a large oak (I think) as we strolled through the park next to Old Riga.

Recently Latvia held its first ever international beer festival. Here is a caldron of delicious food that I had trouble walking past. It smelled better than you can ever imagine.

A late-summer panorama of the Right Bank…Please note that you can click on the photo to enlarge it.

A few of my favorite buildings just around the corner from the library. I wish I could fully explain how much the architecture here influences the “feel” of the city, but really it’s only something that can be understood from first-hand experience.

This is one of the more impressive buildings in that neighborhood. It serves as the Slovakian embassy.

Here is a close-up of the facade just above the main entrance. Simply amazing.

I just realized the other day that I had not posted any photos from inside of St. Peter’s cathedral. So, here you go.

And another of the vaulted ceiling. As someone who has been around the bricklayer’s craft, I would like to know how those brick arches are constructed.

A few weeks ago I went with my friend Valters to the very famous Brothers’ Cemetery. Next to it are a number of other cemeteries, including, among others, a Muslim cemetery,  a Jewish one, and one for notable Latvians. Here is the grave of and monument for Janis Rainis, Latvia’s most famous writer.

And here is one for an artist/actor. I can’t remember the significance of the name.

This grave was interesting to observe because it helps one understand that language and ethnic identity are an issue of contention even after death. What we see here is the grave of a Lativan. The first and bigger stone is, as you can see, in Russian. But years later the family of the deceased decided to add another stone in Latvian. It would be interesting to learn more about the stories behind these stones and how the family wrestled with questions of identity.

Here is the main boulevard leading to the Brothers’ Cemetery.

Just before you descend down into the cemetery, you encounter the eternal flame.

As you can see, the cemetery is protected by stone walls on each side.

The cemetery honors those who died during the First World War and the ensuing Freedom War. Each small stone marks a grave. At the back of the cemetery is a statue of Mother Latvia.

And on the stone is the name and rank of the deceased.

Mother Latvia and the sandstone eternal flame.

The traditional Latvian warrior kneeling out of sadness and respect for those who were lost.

To me, this is the most moving monument. It is for Zigfrids Meierovics, the first foreign minister in Latvian history. In particular, I like the inscription, which reads “To Zigfrids Meierovics from the Latvian people.”

And Janis Cakste, Latvia’s first president…It was really fascinating to talk to Valters and  others about how these monuments became sites of nationalist mourning and social tension during the Soviet years.

One of our favorites — carrot cake from Rigensis.

Really, just look at this photo from Livu square. The quaint buildings, the sky, surely you must understand from a picture like this why Brittney and I love Riga so much.

18/09/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

recent travels…

Hello, everyone. Today I thought I would share with you some photos from our recent trip through parts of Kurzeme, the westernmost province in Latvia. My friend Valters was kind enough to serve as our chauffeur and tour guide, and thanks to him we had a very pleasant trip. Here, then, are the photographic highlights of our journey. Above is a photo of the pasture ground along a rural road. Thanks to this luscious, green grass and the unique Latvian blue cows (click here for a photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zila_govs.jpg), Latvia has, in my opinion, perhaps the best dairy products in the world, or at least anywhere I’ve been anyway. Abe and Kaleb: you guys need to get some blue cows!

I asked Valters to pull over the car so that I could walk out into the rye field. I so badly wish that someone in the U.S. would grow some European ryes so that we can improve our bread selection back home.

Here we are at the sacred hill on the edge of Kandava, a small town with incredibly old buildings that somehow survived the tumult of the twentieth century. In Latvia these “mountains” have always been important meeting places, as, for example, on the night of Jani (summer solstice) tradition dictates that bonfires be placed on top of the highest hill in the region.

A typical view of the quaint streets in Kandava.

An example of a countryside backyard. Lots of flowers, lots of plants, lots of fruit trees, and also usually a big vegetable garden.

In Kandava we also ventured to the local museum, where they had a section devoted to Soviet times. On the left is a standard Soviet-era military uniform. Next is a bust of Joseph Stalin. Then some Soviet-era flags. And finally, a bust of Lenin, the key leader during the revolutions which led to the foundation of the Soviet Union.

This photo is incredibly sad. I’m not sure if you can see it very well, but each column is comprised of small strips of paper, upon which is written the name of each person that was deported to Siberia. And what is most shocking is that at that time only about 1,800 people lived in Kandava, so as you can imagine, absolutely everyone had a loved one who was rounded up and sent to camps.

On our way from Kandava to Kuldiga we stopped in Sabile to see the famous Sabile vine hill, home to what is claimed to be the northernmost vineyard in Europe.

In the distance is a very old and traditional Kurzeme farmstead.

Kuldiga is a city of waterfalls. Here is one next to what I presume was an old mill (the building seems abandoned now).

Kuldiga is also famous for one of the longest brick bridges in Europe. The centuries-old bridge just got a facelift and looks as good as new.

And here is Kuldiga’s most prized treasure, the widest waterfall in all of Europe (though as you can see it’s certainly not the highest). I guess in centuries past this was also a great fishing spot, as fishermen would somehow affix baskets to the rocks and catch salmon as they went to and from their spawning grounds. Now, sadly, there are not very many wild salmon left, due to over-fishing and poor Soviet-era environmental policies.

Valters and I were pretending to be the old dukes of Kurzeme.

One of the picturesque streams that wind through Kuldiga.

One of the oldest buildings in Kuldiga. If my memory serves me correctly, I think the sign stated that it was from the 14th century.

Main street in Kuldiga.

My giant meal at the local restaurant. This is a typical Latvian plate: breaded and fried pork, boiled and fried potatoes, Latvian sauerkraut, and tomatoes and cucumbers.

A stork hanging out by the river. I kept trying to take a picture of their enormous nests, but I could never get my camera out fast enough. So instead I am including below a photo which Jill took of a stork’s nest atop the famous Rundale palace. How would you like to have a nest that size above your dormer window?

After checking out Kuldiga, we met up with Valters’s cousin, who invited us to spend the night at his place. I didn’t take many photos, because it feels awkward to photograph someone’s house, but Brittney did take a photo of the sauna that he built when he turned an old blacksmith shop into their (he has a wife and son) new home. He was such a nice guy and gracious host that he fired up the sauna for us. And the European way of doing it is to hit each other with the bundled birch twigs that you can see in the bucket. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what it is supposed to do for your body, but it does feel good…For me, our stay with them was the best part of the trip, because they had never met any Americans and were very interested in hearing about our lives (though it was sometimes probably not the best conversation since they didn’t speak English and my Latvian is still a work in progress).

The next day, after Valters’s cousin loaded us up with an impressive array of fresh vegetables from their garden, we headed off to Ventspils, which is where I took this photo. This is the Venta river as it nears the Baltic Sea.

I couldn’t find any signs explaining this huge cow. They should have made it a blue one though.

A historic old street in Ventspils.

Valters asked a friend in Ventspils (we have learned that Valters knows nearly everyone in Latvia) for a recommendation for lunch. He told us to go here, to a place called the Tailor’s Cafe. It was a great little eatery, very unique. For example, the legs of the tables were made of old Singer sewing machines (I should have taken a picture of that).

On the table was a bouquet of the national flower of Latvia, the Blue Rye flower.

One of the old main squares in Ventspils.

After leaving Ventspils we decided to check out this old Soviet spy radio telescope. It is 105 feet in diameter, making it sill today the eight largest in the world. As the Soviet Union came crumbling down, the original order was to destroy the telescope. But since the staff working there understood how valuable it was/is, they instead simply destroyed the electrical wiring. Now today it is used to study natural and artificial sources of radio waves.

On our way back across Kurzeme, which is were some of Latvia’s most fertile ground is, we spotted a number of farmers harvesting their wheat and rye.

I had to really zoom in for this one, so it’s a bit blurry.

Finally, a couple “people” photos. The first, above, is from last night, when we went for a late-night stroll through one of Riga’s many parks. And below is a reminder of just how cold and snowy it was here back in February…I hope you enjoyed the photos.

28/08/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Videos of our trip to Germany…

Hello from Riga. Here, below, is the two-part video of our trip to Germany. We hope you enjoy watching it.  Oh, and I should also report that yesterday Brittney accepted a position at a cardiology clinic. So we are about to say goodbye to our days of both having academic-life schedules. Sad. No, but we are thankful that the job search is over; that process is never fun…

 

 

 

11/08/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ahhh, Freiburg…

Hi, everyone. Well, we are back safe and sound in Riga. Our trip to Germany was great. It was so nice to be back in Freiburg, the city where Brittney and I first started our relationship, and to see old friends. We have so many pictures and stories to share that we’ve decided to do another video, like what we did for our trip to Prague. So, since it takes me a while to slowly piece together the video every night, I thought I would give you a bit of a preview by posting a few photos. To begin with, the above photo was taken on the Dreisam River bridge. This street is one of the most famous and busy in Freiburg. The tall tower in the distance is one of the old city gates.

Here is another of the old, beautiful city gates.

A photo from the Cathedral Square, where there is a daily market with farm-fresh food and local crafts.

The best bratwurst in the world! When I lived in Freiburg I ate these nearly every day. And this might sound strange, but the biggest difference from U.S.-style brats is the bun. German broetchen work perfectly as a brat bun, especially because the first and last bite are only sausage, and because it isn’t horrible, soft Wonder bread-style bread. There is nothing more annoying than uebersoft bread.

The famously delicious Blackforest Cherry Cake!  I’m not even going to attempt to find words to describe how seductively delicious this cake is. All I can say is that everyone should eat a slice at some point in their life.

A view of Freiburg from Schoenberg, my favorite hiking spot in Freiburg.

One reason why I like Schoenberg the most is because it is so relaxing to stroll among the vineyards. Germany is fantastic for hiking because you can walk pretty much anywhere you please. No gun-toting, private property crazies. Only people who respect the centuries-old cultural practices behind the unique German noun “Wanderlust.”

A photo from the high Black Forest region, though here we were in more of a pasture land region. It makes me so happy just to be up there, to smell the sweet scent of grass and wildflowers, and to see the vibrant green landscape. Fore sure, if I had to pick my favorite place that I have ever been, the Black Forest would be it. And to go back to the word Wanderlust, once you visit a place like this, you better understand why the Germans felt the need to come up with a word to describe what one feels inside upon seeing this landscape.

Finally, I have two short videos to share with you. The first one I took aboard a German high-speed ICE train. I wanted to show you how fast, and yet how amazingly quiet (I promise, it really is that quiet), these trains are. Sure would be nice if we had something similar in the States!

 

And now, the promised video (from my last post) of the church bells in Freiburg (I took this video from my friend Johannes’s place, which is about a ten-minute walk from the city center. And, yes, he lives next to the old city cemetery)…

 

 

 

04/08/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ligo weekend…

Hi, everybody. I hope you all are well, and that the weather back home was as pleasant this last weekend as it was here in Latvia. After about two weeks of very rainy weather, we somehow managed to get nearly perfect weather for the Ligo holiday here. Before going any further, I should help you understand what Ligo is. So please watch the following video:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the video explained, Ligo is all about being and feeling close to Nature, and so to help everyone get ready for the four-day festivities, on Wednesday there was a Ligo market in the church square, where everyone could purchase flower and oak-leave wreaths, in addition to the all-important Janis cheese and bread, which are the staple foods that people share with friends and family.

There was also a center stage at the market, where festive folk songs were performed. I once read that Latvians have some two thousand folk songs relating to this holiday. Here, in the picture above, these adorable little girls were participating in a short game of trivia about Ligo. To me, this was the highlight of the entire market experience. Not only were they funny, but Brittney and I just love to listen to little kids speak Latvian. They speak a little bit slower, which definitely is helpful for us, and they are perhaps more playful with the language than adults, or at least it seems that way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So on Thursday, the day that Ligo began, we faced a decision. We weren’t sure whether to stay in Riga or head out somewhere, anywhere, into the countryside. At one point Valters had planned on having us come to their celebrations, but unfortunately there was a change in plans, and thus we had to resolve where to celebrate. Everyone told us that we had to leave Riga, that Ligo is not Ligo unless your in the countryside, but we just were not sure where to go. So ignoring the advice of everyone, we instead stayed here in Riga, in part because we had agreed to meet up with two American scholars that recently began working in the archives, but also because we thought that the list of Ligo events in Riga looked sufficient enough, what with three stages and lots of different food tents. In the end, however, it turned out that we definitely should have listened to everyone, as the celebration in Riga was really disappointing. Simply put, it was not traditional enough for me, or at least not traditional enough according to what I had read and thus was expecting. Instead of great folk music and dancing, there was more contemporary Latvian music, which I guess I am just not too fond of. Maybe the good music came later into the night, since the party ended at 4 am, after sunrise, but I wouldn’t know since we went home at midnight because I was getting sleepy. Yeah, I know, I guess I will have to endure a summer of laziness.

What was not disappointing, though, was the food and weather. As you saw in the photo above, the food selection consisted of typical Central and East European staples like potatoes, cabbage, and sausage, and all of it was really tasty. The weather, as the photo of the picturesque right bank of the Daugava River suggests (and by the way, the festivities were held on the street closest to the river), was ideal. It stayed around 65 all day and night, and there was only the slightest of breezes.

Pictured here is one of the many bonfires that were lit at sunset. This is important, as you learned in the video above, because the fire replicates sunlight and literally signifies the victory of light over darkness for at least this one most important day out of the year. And below is an image taken near the entrance of the festival (no, I’m not on anything, it just pays to have long arms).

Another reason why we should have left Riga is because the city was completely dead from Thursday until Sunday. Just how dead? Well, check out these photos of a normally busy intersection in the central region of Riga. And just so you can get a sense of how long the days are, I took this picture a little after midnight. And sunrise is I guess sometime around 3:30-3:45 a.m.

Since we had a long weekend and were looking for a new place to go for a stroll, on Saturday we decided to head for a new seaside location. This time we journeyed north and ended up in Saulkrasti, which we thought was much more beautiful than Jurmala. It is more pristine, and there are some really picturesque white sand dunes there.

I know that the following video is not particularly exciting, but I have to include it for my dad. He has told me numerous times that he, a landlocked farmer in Nebraska, would like to hear the sounds of the seaside. And since there are actually some small waves at this location, I hope that he will enjoy this short clip. And Dad, I have to say that there might not be anything more relaxing than taking a stroll on the beach. The sound of the waves, the fresh, crisp smell of the sea, and the feeling of the fine, white sand on your feet — it’s an incredibly soothing experience.

Finally, a couple more photos. The first one is of a cemetery in Saulkrasti. As you can see, it’s a bit different from cemeteries at home. I guess I would say that here the cemeteries look and more importantly feel like gardens. I’m not sure how best to put this, but I feel more at ease in Latvian cemeteries. And I would say that on average people here incorporate this space, i.e. as a public space, into their lives more successfully than we do. For example, although you can’t see them very well in the photo due to the dense vegetation, near every gravestone is a small bench, and it is very common, or so I am told, for Latvian families to gather in the cemetery and have a picnic lunch and an afternoon of conversation and drink, while, of course, also attending to the flowers and plants. In other words, people go there quite often during the warmer months. The second picture, then, is of the gym where I have been playing basketball on Wednesday evenings. Gram and Pop were curious to see what a Soviet-era gym looks like, so I thought I would post a photo for them.

29/06/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Where did spring go?

    Good day, everyone. I hope you are all well. Sorry it’s been so long since our last blog post. In case you don’t know, we were lucky enough to have Brian and Peggy come visit us, so we didn’t really have time to sit down and write. It was so incredibly nice to see some family again, though perhaps it was a bit strange because it made living abroad somehow seem less abroad, if that makes any sense. Anyway, as you can see from the low-quality photo (digital cameras are still not the best indoors, especially from a distance), Brittney was überexcited to see her dad, who looked so tired and jet-lagged that I’m surprised he even recognized us. Really, it’s amazing what jetlag does to a person.

With that in mind, we tried not to run them ragged (you will have to ask them if we succeeded — Brittney is doubtful), and so rather than trying to pull off a grand, whirlwind tour of Latvia and the Baltics, as we had originally planned when we first found out they were coming, instead we stuck around the Riga area and tried to show them what day-to-day life is really like here. So on Saturday we wandered around aimlessly in Old Riga, ate at Lido (which is perhaps the most popular “traditional” Latvian restaurant), picked up some food at the Central Market, and took in the sights at some of Riga’s picturesque parks. On Sunday we took them out to the Open-Air Museum, where there was a special craft and folklore festival. There were so many vendors selling handmade clothes, fabrics, pottery, jewelry, and homemade food that I really have no idea how many there might have been there. Let’s just say that we didn’t see all of them — and we were there all day long. Besides seeing all of the impressive goods for sale, I was also pleased that Brian and Peggy got a chance to watch Latvian folk dancing, though our own incessant tango with the HUGE Latvian mosquitoes kind of put a damper on the experience (the mosquitoes really aren’t bad where we live in Riga, but they are horrendous in the forests).

After having our energy depleted by the incredibly unusual warm weather (while they were here it was above 85 for three days, and this was an all-time record for June — thanks Brian and Peggy for bringing the nasty Midwest heat with you), on Monday we kind of took it easy. We did a walking tour of the Jungendstil region of Riga. Then that night we ate at one of our favorite restaurants here in Riga, which has a lovely outdoor patio (sorry, I always forget to take a picture while we are there). Peggy and I had the Latvian porkchop, Brittney enjoyed the pasta primavera, and Brian ate steak (yes, Gram, he agrees that nothing beats a steak from Nebraska).

Tuesday was probably the hottest of the abnormally warm days, so it worked out well that we went to the seaside that day. We didn’t do too much while we were there, mostly we just tried to relax. Our landlady was kind enough to let us crash her summer cottage, which is only a couple hundred yards from the beach, so we had a picnic lunch there in the backyard, under the welcoming shade of the apple tree. Later we then made our way to the sea, which, I was later told, was unusually cold due to some strange, unseasonal water currents, which brought sub-40 degree water clear up to the shore. The Bay of Riga contains hundreds of thousands of sandbars, so at times we found warmer water that had pooled behind a sandbar, but otherwise the water was so cold that it felt like thousands of tiny knives stabbing at your feet and legs. Just for fun I convinced Brian to journey out with me to water that was mid-shin deep, and boy, let me tell you, that was painfully cold! Still, despite the frigid currents, we saw a few crazy young guys who were trying to show off their youthful manliness to the beach-goers by sprinting out into the water. What a bunch of crazy hooligans! The rest of the day we just strolled on the beach, walked up and down Jurmala’s main boulevard, and took a walking tour of the local mansions (sadly, the cute little summer cottages are being replaced by ostentatious homes built for the super wealthy Russians). Then, after we had a nice meal at a trendy outdoor Asian restaurant, we hung out at the beach until sundown, which nowadays is around midnight. As you can see for yourself in the following photos, it was a splendid sight.

Perhaps I should say, for those of you who are wondering, that the reason why the water is so calm is mostly due to the aforementioned sandbars, which extend quite some distance into the sea. As a result, in some places I guess you can walk out a really long way before you reach deep waters. Because the water is so shallow and calm, some people describe the Bay of Riga as the world’s largest bathtub, albeit an ice-cold one. But really, it is a perfect place to take the kids, because you don’t have to worry about them getting hit by big waves or venturing out too far (especially when the cold water will make them turn back anyway).

So, to finish telling you about Brian and Peggy’s stay, on Wednesday, their last day in Latvia, we hung out in Old Town, did some shopping, and went to the Occupation Museum, which documents in a very emotionally provoking way the lingering horrors here of what occurred during one Nazi (1941-44) and two Soviet occupations (1940-41; 1944-91). I hope they did not find it too depressing, and I hope that they don’t think that I talked about European and Latvian history too much, but surely one cannot understand one’s encounters in Latvia without a basic understanding of what has occurred here since the thirteenth century. And on that note, from my point of view, it was great to be able to share with family my passion and love for this place and its people and history. I often feel sad and frustrated that my family does not fully understand what I am studying, and why it means so much to me, so it was nice to share with Brian and Peggy a key part of my life that truly can only be understood by being here. I guess the best way to summarize what I am talking about is Brittney’s friend Jill’s comment (in case you forgot, she was here in early March) that for the first time in her life she actually felt History. And I can attest that this stirs the soul unlike anything else. It’s a weird, very personal feeling, both somber and euphoric all at once, yet at the same time you’ve never felt so close to all of humanity and the sorrows and joys of centuries past. In fact, just this week I again had this experience while standing at the foot of the Freedom Monument, which was covered with flowers in honor of the nearly 16,000 victims of the June 14, 1941 deportations. In the wee hours that fateful morning, Soviet authorities rounded up many of Latvia’s best and brightest politicians, academics, artists, businessmen, etc. — and not just the men, but also their entire families, including the elderly and children — and put them in railroad cars destined for prison or Gulag camps. Many were later shot and thousands died from the horrible living conditions, and those who survived only made it out after, in most cases, some ten years plus of hard labor. Here, at right, is a photo from the other day. And below is one of the monument at the train station where people were forced into the train cars.

Well, it’s hard to believe that spring is already over. Where did it go? It just flew by. And now, this week, we will be celebrating Ligo, or the summer solstice. This is the most significant holiday in Latvia, and everything shuts down from Thursday through Sunday. We aren’t exactly sure yet what we will do, but for sure we will be attending the Ligo events here in Riga, which last all night long on the 23rd. Hopefully I don’t just fall asleep somewhere in the middle of a park, as it’s been a very long time since I have tried to stay awake all night long (maybe in this case “night” isn’t the right word, though, since there is only about three hours of dark). We will be sure to post plenty of photos from the celebrations. Finally, I have to share with you one more photo, which I actually took yesterday. Since the weather is incredibly nice now, the tourists are arriving in Riga in swarms. And as a result all of these ridiculous tourist attractions are popping up everywhere. But this, at least in my opinion, takes the cake (see below):

19/06/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Flowers and parks

Hello again, everyone. I hope this post finds you all well. Brittney and I are well and are very much enjoying our first (and we certainly hope not the last) Latvian spring. After a few weeks of longer (the sun rises around 4:30 a.m. and it gets dark around 10:30 p.m.) and warmer days (we have been mostly in the 60s) and a number of lovely, gentle spring rains, all of Riga is blossoming into one huge garden — and in fact that is nearly the case, given that the largest percentage of land within the Riga city limits is devoted to public parks and gardens. Just to give you an idea of how many there are here in town, within a 15 minute walk from our flat, I can think of at least nine different parks. And no matter what time of the day, you can always find plenty of people strolling amongst the oaks, poplars, maples, lindens, birches, and other flowering trees and bushes (especially lilacs). After the long, dark winter months, people here absolutely do not take spring and summer for granted, and as a result you can tell that everyone’s spirits are lifted by the sudden explosion of color and warmth.

In fact, I would say that Latvians have a particular love affair with flowers that surpasses that of any other national culture. I guess the best way to summarize it would be to say that flowers are part of everyday life here. For example, on a daily basis I see people in the buses and trams and on the sidewalks with a bundle of flowers in their arms. And people are not just buying them for themselves, but also for friends, work colleagues, or to leave at the base of the many different national monuments here in town. For instance, on May 4, when Latvia officially celebrates its post-Soviet independence, the government set up, at the base of the Freedom Monument, a huge flower pot in the shape of the Latvian state, where people placed flowers as part of a rather solemn celebration that both simultaneously embraced the hope of the future while not forgetting the pain, suffering, and sacrificing that previous generations endured.

                                                                             Yet another way that flowers are used is as a gift on people’s name day, which might be more important here than actual birthdays. Each common name is given a particular day in the calender (meaning that it is rare for someone to name their child something crazy like Superman — maybe you never heard this, but in 2007 a couple in New Zealand named their baby boy Superman after their first choice, 4Real, was deemed unacceptable by the government), and on that day, family, friends, and colleagues bring the person candy, flowers, and sometimes alcohol (usually amongst men). I have had the privilege of seeing two name-day celebrations at the archive, and it was splendid to see all of the flowers by the end of the day. Naturally, then, with so many people buying flowers, Riga has more flower shops than you could ever believe, including some that are open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week (I guess it’s convenient for husbands who need to make late-night apologies).

Changing topics a bit, yesterday Brittney and I went with one of the other Fulbright students to our landlady’s summer cottage in Majori, where she prepared for us a Latvian barbeque, which consisted of pork kebabs, chicken, smoked bacon, and lots of fresh, delicious cucumbers, pickles, radishes, etc. And for dessert I prepared an apple pie, as I wanted to make something quintessentially “American.” It certainly was not even 1/100th as tasty as Gram’s, but I guess it wasn’t too bad. Anyway, it was such a relaxing and enjoyable day. We barbequed around noon, and then spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening chatting and soaking in the sun’s pleasant rays. It was certainly one of the most enjoyable experiences we have had outside of Riga, and we are very fortunate that we have such a kind and giving landlady.

22/05/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Prague Video Part Two

Hello, again, everyone. Here, below, is part two of two of our slide show about our trip to Prague. And for those of you who have not yet seen part one, please note that you can find it in a separate post below. I hope you enjoy the video.

07/05/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Part One of Prague Video

Hi, all. Here is part one of two of our slide-show video about our recent trip to Prague. We will be posting part two very soon, hopefully tonight. And again, for those of you who have slower computers or internet connections, the video will play better for you if you hit play and then pause it, so as to let the video fully load (watch the red bar), before you attempt to watch the full video. We hope you enjoy it! Oh, and one last thing: if you want to expand the slide show to full screen, simply click on the symbol with four arrows at the bottom right corner of the video display.

06/05/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Our Easter Weekend

Good day, everyone. I hope this post finds you well. Sorry that it’s been a while since Brittney and I last updated our blog, but we spent a lot of time outdoors during the long Easter weekend (Europeans leave work early on Thursday and then don’t work on Good Friday or the following Monday), when the weather was abnormally warm, and then we took a trip to Prague, Czech Republic. As you might imagine, then, we didn’t really have the time to sit down and write. So since the archive and national library are closed today due to the May 4 national holiday (this is the date when Latvia officially regained their sovereignty in 1991), today is serving as our “catching-up day.”

Anyway, in this blog post I thought I would share with you a bit about our Easter weekend. The first photo, then, is from the Thursday evening before Easter, when we trekked to Jurmala in order to watch the sunset. As you can see, it was indeed picturesque; however, it was a bit too cloudy. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our two-hour stroll on the beach — it’s so incredibly peaceful to listen to the sound of the water and to feel the crisp, fresh air on your face.

On Good Friday we spent most of our day stocking up on groceries. We went to the Central Market, which was busier than we have ever seen it. I cannot even begin to describe the stimulation overload that is the experience of going to the market. From the hoards of people, to the sight of the bright colors of fresh vegetables and spices, to the smells of smoked meat, fresh pastries, etc., to the offerings of unique products like Birch tree juice (yes, I tried it, and it was ok, but nothing I would crave), going to the market is always a fun experience. Well, anyway, we picked up the things I needed to make our traditional holiday quiche. I guess here, for those of you who don’t know, perhaps I should explain that Brittney and I have a tradition of eating quiche and drinking a bottle of rosé wine whenever we cannot make it home for a holiday. Living away from “home” is always an up-and-down experience, and without a doubt being away during holidays is the ultimate low, so on those days we try to fill our stomachs and souls the best we can. I guess we have been doing this for some three or four years now. It certainly does not replace the comforts of home and the joy of being with family, but I do really like the pairing of quiche and rosé wine.

The biggest highlight of our weekend, though, was our trip on Easter Sunday to the open-air museum located in the northern outskirts of Riga. The museum hosted an Easter celebration, and since we had been wanting to check out the museum anyway, we decided to spend our day there.

For me, one of the best things about the festivities there was the food. As you can see in the picture at left, the food was prepared in traditional iron pots, and the samplings included sausage, pork, soup, fried potatoes, sour cabbage, and delicious Latvian rye bread. I am happy to report that the food was excellent, and perhaps smelled even better than it tasted…

About the open-air museum, I should explain to you that it was founded in the 1930s, during the apex years of interwar Latvian nationalism, with the intent of preserving for future generations the “traditional” way of life. So, as you can see from the second photo, the government brought in entire farmsteads from all over Latvia so that even as the majority of people lose touch with the agricultural way of life, they can wander around this huge museum and garner a sense of how their ancestors lived. We very much enjoyed the museum (though I got a bigger kick out of it than Brittney did), and in particular thought the various windmills were fascinating (see picture below).

Finally, I have a couple of videos to share with you from our time at the museum. That day, in addition to the traditional, home-style food offerings, the museum organized a number of fun cultural activities, including egg coloring stations for the kids, an archery section, and more. For sure though, what we enjoyed the most was the folk dancing. Folk dancing is still very popular here, even amongst teenagers, so I was pleased that Brittney and I could enjoy watching such an important cultural tradition together. I’m not exactly sure why, but watching people dance to folk music, one cannot help smiling — it just puts you in a festive mood. Maybe you will better understand what I am saying after watching these videos:

04/05/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Lost in translation…

Well, I wanted to share some thoughts with you all about something I have been pondering lately…The ability to communicate with others is really quite an amazing gift. Many people, including myself, struggle with articulating their thoughts and truly listening and understanding one another. For example, it is quite interesting that two people who speak the same language can sometimes not understand one another because of not conveying an accurate message or having incongruities in their body language and what they are saying. But yet, I am so intrigued when two people, who do not speak the same native language, can understand each other — although, I do think it is almost  impossible to have a deep, meaningful conversation with someone who is not fluent in your native language because many times meanings of words and expressions are not accurately understood. To sum up this situation, I think it is best to say that things are just lost in translation. Meanings of words and phrases sometimes aren’t understood the same to a foreigner. Simple, comic examples include, for instance, Jordan asking for a “glass of water” on the airplane and the flight attendant giving him coke and water…or Jordan asking if the server could “break” a large bill and having the server not understand at all what he meant…or ordering one glass of champagne and getting two instead…these all little, silly things, but it just reiterates the fact that when surrounded by people who speak a different native language, you are forced to find ways to better articulate yourself and communicate with them.

Therefore, for the first few months we were here, I just tried to listen and listen and listen some more. I barely spoke to others, mostly out of fear of not being understood. Now I try to do more talking, some in Latvian, mostly in English, and I definitely at times feel like I’m not understood. For example, when I gave my lectures to the nursing students, I took time to ask them questions and occasionally they would stare blankly back at me and I would have to rephrase my question or further explain what I meant. However, even then they sometimes still did not understand. Or, there is the instance when I went shopping by myself and stopped in a little boutique and was helped by a nice Latvian woman who spoke a little English and together, with my poor Latvian language skills, we were able to find what I was looking for. I so badly wanted to express my gratitude, but all I could manage to say was “paldies,” which means “thank you,” and a warm smile, hoping it was enough. It can be quite frustrating, but you grow as a person with each experience because you are forced to better your communication skills.

However, it is due to these circumstances that lately I feel a sense of isolation and have realized that I do not feel truly understood while living in another country. But it is a double-edged sword — I am not understood as a foreigner in another country speaking a language that is not native to the locals, nor am I understood in my own country as I try to explain and articulate my experiences to others who have never had similar encounters. Which is why I think more than ever I have become so cognizant of my ability to communicate with others, and I strive every day to be a better communicator because I think that it is one of the greatest achievements one can obtain.

So, with all of my rambling, the point that I want to make is that although these may be  silly instances of poor communication, when these everyday occurrences happen on a larger scale, in more important situations, you can realize how things have gone so horribly wrong in politics, the economy, healthcare, relationships and so forth…Communication is so vital and it is something not many people can effectively do. If we as individuals don’t make it a point to better our communication skills, then how can we rightfully hold others accountable for doing so as well? I think if we all took time to listen more, speak less, and attempt to truly understand one another, things would be a lot less complicated…

04/05/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Recent photos and videos…

Finally, here are some videos. I’ve been meaning to post them for some time, but simply never got around to signing up for a Youtube account. Thus, a few of them are from previous months, but I hope you will enjoy them nonetheless. The first video is from the Christmas Market. The next one was taken at the seaside in late February, when the Baltic Sea looked like the North Pole. The last video, then, is from just a couple of days ago, when Brittney and I went with Valters to a hockey game. Latvians are crazy about hockey, and since Latvia was playing Kazakhstan (Latvia won quite easily) in the under 18 world championship tournament, he invited us to join him. And just to let you know in advance, yes, that kid screaming in the video did so for most of the game. I guess he must be quite passionate about hockey. **Oh, one last thing, for those of you who have slower internet connections or older computers, you might want to hit play and then hit pause right away in order to let the video fully load before you watch it, otherwise the video might not play smoothly. Enjoy!

14/04/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

a bit more on culture…

Hello, everyone. Since Jony left a very thought-provoking response to my last post, I thought would answer her via a new blog post, so that everyone can read my more fully explained definition of culture. ~Thanks again, Jony, for your post. I look forward to discussing this again over a glass of wine. Here, now, is my response:

Hi, Jony. Thanks for your response. I enjoyed reading it. However, in doing so, I see that we have two slightly different definitions or concepts of “culture.” So allow me to clarify. My definition of culture is one premised upon the ideals of the Enlightenment, particularly that of die Auflklärer, or the thinkers of the German Enlightenment. Specifically, I have always thought that Immanuel Kant was right on in saying that the purpose and goal of becoming “enlightened” is to reach the point of Unabhängigkeit, a word that is not fully translatable, but which means something, collectively, like moving beyond the stage of self-suppressing immaturity to one of full consciousness. Perhaps here I should also explain that many of the German philosophers believed that the difference between man and animal is that the former has a soul which provides a sense of consciousness by causing man to ponder the question of existence. In other words, unlike an animal, which just is (or so they theorized), man asks the question: What does it mean “to be” (the German verb sein)? So, by full consciousness, then, Kant and others meant that once a person reaches Unabhängigkeit through education, or what the Germans termed Bildung, or self-cultivation, then he or she would finally truly understand the meaning existence, which, they believed, could never be understood on the individual level, but rather only through the full understanding of one’s place in Humanity (I capitalize humanity here because in many ways their notion of humanity takes on a quasi-religious tone, almost as if Humanity replaces God as the source of all power and understanding). Coming full circle, then, “culture” should be understood as the mediums through which man practices self-cultivation (education, the arts, connecting with nature, etc.), or through which his sense of consciousness, i.e., his place within humanity, is honed. Thus, it seems that you have touched on a key point by saying that American culture is not pretty or romantic, for according to this theory of culture, social practices cannot be considered true “culture” unless they are indeed somehow pretty and romantic in the sense that they touch the soul. Put another way, in this meaning, culture (e.g. Beethoven’s Ninth, Goethe’s Faust, Jugendstil architecture, etc.) is the combined social and societal manifestations of individuals’ recognition of their collective existence, and an optimistic statement that through this recognition mankind can perfect itself.

To relate all of this to your examples, then, I would say that they are different from the kind of culture I am talking about because they do not emphasize full human consciousness (e.g.: Perhaps some poor kid from rural Appalachia “volunteers” for the armed forces because he sees it as his best hope for individual financial improvement.), nor do they embrace the narrative of the Enlightenment’s optimistic tone (here I would say that the evangelical narrative of a flawed, sinful human nature predominates in America). To conclude then, I guess I would say that these other social practices, some of which I also enjoy (such as watching a basketball game) are premised upon an immature understanding of self, meaning that they lend pleasure to individuals but do little to nothing to cultivate a heightened sense of collective existence. So, to clarify once more, what I tried to say in my previous post was that for a number of reasons, Europeans (past and present) have tended to be more centered on a sense of collective existence (as evidenced by the Latvian folk music I discussed), while it seems to me that Americans are much more individualistic, which, as a corollary, has led to social practices that should not be considered “culture,” at least not according to the original meaning of the term in relation to the Enlightenment.

11/04/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

what is culture?

Hi, everyone. I’m really sorry that it has been so long since I posted anything. I guess I’ve just been really busy with my archival work; plus on the weekends we try to go exploring and do something fun. In other words, lately I just cannot seem to find the time to sit down and write. But we just finished eating supper – I made some delicious German schnitzel and farmer’s potatoes (diced and fried potatoes with ham and onion) – and I don’t have anything on the agenda for tonight, so I thought now seemed like a great time to write a new blog post. And I’ve been meaning to post something anyway, as over the last couple of weeks I have been doing some thinking about the meaning and significance of culture… Let me explain. You see, over the last two weeks, a few things have happened that provoked me to think about this topic. Despite the fact that I am going in the reverse chronological order, I think I should tell you about the second of the two experiences first.

Last week I was asked by the staff at the U.S. embassy here in Rīga to participate in the selection process for this year’s Latvian representative for the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Summer Institute, which brings together high-school students from all over Europe and the Western world in order to have them engage each other in discussions about topics such as leadership, media and democracy, etc. Naturally, I said yes to this invitation, as I was very interested to meet some of Latvia’s most gifted young students. And let me tell you, the kids I met were indeed gifted. Over the course of that day, I, along with two staff members from the embassy, interviewed the eight finalists who an earlier committee had narrowed it down to. The person we chose, just to give you an example of what I am talking about, was an eleventh-grade student who had an unbelievably rich list of volunteer work, had nearly perfect grades (and she attends a very challenging high school—in fact, you have to apply to get in much like what we do in America for university study), was fluent in four languages (and was also learning Spanish), and was incredibly mature and analytical. Anyway, it was really quite an enjoyable experience to meet all of them. And without a doubt, one of the things I enjoyed the most was hearing their answers to a question that we asked each candidate, which, to paraphrase, was: Given that most people you will meet at this program in the U.S. will probably not know very much about Latvia, what three things might you tell someone about your home country in order to give them a sense of where you come from?

Each student had an interesting and thoughtful response. And the range was anything from “Well, I would bring some great Latvian brown rye bread because I’ve heard that bread in America is not very good” to “a piece of our famous amber from our sea.” For sure, one of the main reasons why I enjoyed hearing their answers is because I was curious to see how they would handle such a tough task, i.e., to summarize in only three statements or points an entire country’s land and people. Later, then, as I was making my way back home along the quaint cobblestone streets of old Riga, I couldn’t help but think about how I would tackle that question in regard to my own home country. More on this later.

The second experience, then, was a collective one that involved numerous observations. You see, right away I discovered something that I think is really cool about the archive where I am working. The doors that are restricted to personnel only are locked, and rather than using a key to open them, the staff instead types in a code on the number pad, which then electronically unlocks the door (just to clarify, most front doors in Europe are like this, or at least where I have been anyway, and of course there is also a keyhole in case the power should go out or something). But that is not what I find cool. Instead, what I thought was interesting is that the buttons on the pad play a musical note, and when the door unlocks, the first six or seven notes of the folk song “Pūt vējiņi” are played. So, I can assure you that I hear this about fifty times a day or more, because of course the staff there are always going in and out of doors as they retrieve and reshelf the files that all of us patrons order. At first I assumed that perhaps these door chimes were specially ordered for a key government building, one which, in this case, is devoted to facilitating the study of Latvia’s history and culture. But then, over the last few weeks, I just happened to be passing by at exactly the right time and was able to discover that the front doors of these two random apartment buildings also play this exact tune. After uncovering this, I was even more impressed, as it says something very important about Latvian culture, and perhaps even about culture in general.

Perhaps to explain I should remind you about this song, which I introduced you to back in January or February (if you want to watch it again, just click on this link and watch the first video: https://crookedtimberofhumanity.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/babel-an-addendum/). As I said in my earlier post, this is an extraordinarily important and much-loved song, for it, in my opinion, beautifully incorporates Latvians’ love of nature, of their elders and ancestors, their appreciation of history, and of course their fondness for music and culture. So for me anyway, and I would be shocked if it did not do the same for Latvians, when I hear this door chime I think about all of those aforementioned things and more. And although I’m not technically “Latvian,” when I hear those notes something stirs in my soul and makes me feel connected to this place and the people around me.

This is exactly what culture should do: it should stir the soul and remind us that we are but individual buds on the branches of the tree of humanity. And to me this is exactly what much of European culture is about, it embraces the human story in an attempt to bring us together and enrich our short time here on Earth. But what is really sad to me is that for some reason I don’t get this same feeling from “American” culture, if in fact there is some sort of one American culture, and this has frequently puzzled me. Instead, when I consider American culture, more often than not I think about things associated with American competition and individualism, or perhaps even about American consumerism, such as blue jeans. Why is this? Is this a good or bad thing? On the one hand, perhaps America gained its place in the world as a result of constant competition in society and, of course, in the marketplace. But on the other hand, perhaps this single-minded focus on the concept of survival of the fittest has led us to become a country of crass consumers whose souls are repressed by work, materialism, and self-induced isolation and atomization. And why is America different than Europe? Perhaps it is because of America’s relatively isolated geographic position, or maybe it is because the great intellectual movements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, such as the Enlightenment and Romanticism, did not alter America in the way that it did countries like Germany and France. Whatever the reason, all I know is that when I am in Europe, I feel different, more connected to the past, and perhaps even more alive as a human being, since my soul is frequently stirred by the omnipresent culture that makes Europe so alluring.

Finally, on a less philosophical note, here are some photos from the last few weeks. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

05/04/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Life as a tourist…

Well, sorry it has been quite a while since I posted anything. It seems like life just isn’t as exciting since Jill left. We had an amazing time while Jill was here. We did a lot of walking, eating, and sightseeing. We had a once in a lifetime experience of being the only people that day to tour the Rundale palace. We saw the Arctic tundra (ok, it was actually the frozen Baltic Sea) in Jurmala. 🙂 We were invited to a traditional Latvian dinner hosted by my Latvian tutor, where we all got to try pickled herring, pankukas (potato pancakes), and boiled potatoes with biezpiens (something in between cream cheese and cottage cheese) and fresh dill. Yes, even I tried the pickled herring, and it actually was not too bad. I also got to cross off something on my bucket list when the three of us went ice skating at meza parks. We showed Jill the breathtaking skyline of Riga at a restaurant on the 26th floor of a hotel situated near the downtown. We also had an unforgettable night at ALA folkclub, which is a bar that has live traditional Latvian folk music and dancing. Jill ended up befriending a group of Italians who would end up helping her safely get to where she was going in Italy the next week.

So,after a week of all that fun, how could things not seem boring now? 🙂 Well, I have managed to do some new things as a nurse. I started going to a laboratory and helping draw blood (I’m following in my mom’s footsteps :)). The nurse at the laboratory is so gracious and thankful that I come. She is the only one that works at the specific lab that I go to, so she acts as the secretary to check each patient in, processes their paperwork, takes their money, and then she draws their blood. So, needless to say, people wait in a long line to get their blood drawn. It is ridiculous how hard she works–she only gets a break if there aren’t patients waiting. Sometimes she sees 200 patients a day! So I’m sure she enjoys the break from all the work when I come to help. She always asks when I will come again and tells me that it is her holiday when I come. 🙂 We’ve enjoyed chatting and comparing stories about nursing. We are always so amazed at some of the differences. Well, I also met with the faculty at Riga Stradina Academic School of Nursing and we decided that I would give three guest lectures. I’m actually giving my first lecture on transcultural nursing tomorrow. I’m excited but a little nervous. The class size is small, only like 12 to 15 nursing students; however, the faculty made it sound like the students aren’t very proficient in English. So it could be a rather interesting experience. 🙂 My other lectures are on nursing research and the role of the nurse. Other than that, I’m still going to the clinic each week in addition to working on my Latvian. It has started to click a little more in my brain; I am picking up more words that people say and I’m starting to get better at speaking in simple sentences. I told Jordan the other day how much more I appreciate and acknowledge how hard it had to be for him when he took the two summers of intensive Latvian language courses. 🙂 I don’t know how he learned anything in LA because I was always dragging him somewhere!

Well, the weather is slowly getting warmer. The last few weeks have pretty much been in the 30s and some days even the 40s. It feels so good to not have to wear a hat all the time and to actually have the sun shine down on you. Anticipating the spring, Jordan and I decided to book our trip to Prague for the end of April. We are so excited!! I can’t wait to see the beautiful scenery and architecture and get a sense of where my ancestors came from. We are also considering buying tickets to the ballet, Anna Karenina, at the Latvian National Opera house and we have another Latvian dinner planned on Friday, so this week will hopefully be more exciting. 🙂 We are already looking forward to more visitors! My dad and Peggy are coming in June, so we are starting to plan for their stay. I hope all is well back home! Love you all and miss you!!

27/03/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Rundāle and ice skating: two more reasons why you should come visit Latvia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12/03/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 6 Comments