I have had a great past few weeks, my friend Pedro and I visited Riga, Latvia. Thanks to Ryanair and incredibly cheap airfare as well as an almost free hostel, we were able to make it very cheap. While it was cold and snowy, I think it was a bit nicer than St. Louis/Columbia at the moment. It was definitely a new and interesting experience, as I have never been to a former Soviet country before. In parts of the city, you could definitely feel the taste of Soviet leftovers. It was so cold the entire river was frozen over and there were a number of beautiful large gray block buildings.
However, the main city center was filled with beautiful (reconstructed) historic buildings. We wondered around the city and saw numerous embassies, new buildings, Art Nouveau style buildings, and a pretty great park with the freedom monument.
However, one of the most interesting things we did was go on a "Soviet Walking Tour" of Riga. This took us through a lot of the parts of town that had been converted or built during the Soviet Occupation. We went through a few museums, including one that went over the history of the occupation. When looking at the history of this country, the fact that it's been occupied by Poland, Sweden, Russia, Independent, Soviet rule, Nazi Rule, and Soviet Rule again. Only gaining independence finally in 1991. I came to the realization that if I were here, living in the Netherlands just 15 or 20 years ago, the reality would be completely different. The Soviet Union would still be a force, and wars would still be taking place on the continent. Then, I consider what's happening in Egypt right now and it reminds me of the way the Latvians stood up against the Soviets. As we went through the "barricade" museum we really were given an idea into what it was like during the rejection of Soviet Power.
When I returned Amy and I had another presentation in Gulpen, site of one of the many Dutch breweries. The presentation went well, we got a lot of questions and interest in our topics. It was also interesting being in a club that is still, basically, all male. They were all male until just a few years ago, and now have just 1. The feeling is a bit different than the clubs back home, but none the less incredibly welcoming.
Last of the events of the past few weeks was a sushi night with friends as a bit of a kick of to the semester. We spent a few hours making and eating sushi and generally just hanging out. That was pretty great way to kick off the semester before all the work starts up.
