Travelblog: Riga

(The Swedish Gate, Riga)


The first week of vacation I went to Riga to visit the semi-misanthropic Latvian - though not my first time in Eastern Europe, it was the first time I'd been in a Baltic state. I have to say, Riga is a beautiful old city, and for as often as Latvia has been occupied by external forces, it's in remarkably good shape. I definitely recommend visiting if you get the chance.

Highlights of the week included a concert by the Berlin Philharmonic at the National Opera House, an interesting art exhibit showcasing Latvian art made under the censorship of the Soviet era, being there to celebrate May 4 (Latvian Independence Day), a 10 hour hike through the Gauja River Valley, and walking along the shore where the Daugava River enters into the Baltic Sea.

As much beautiful art, architecture, and nature as I saw there, what's most fascinating to me is always the socio-cultural dynamics of a place. I find Latvian culture very similar to Depression-era culture in the United States - nothing is wasted. For example - they've got a zillion different dairy products because they use milk and its byproducts at all stages of development. I'm sure this is in large part due to the austerity of life in Soviet times, and it's not a bad thing at all in terms of stewardship of resources, but I wonder if (or how long) it will hold out in the face of encroaching Americanization, especially among younger folks who have never known life as a Soviet state.

Along similar lines of not wasting - Latvian cemeteries are more organically landscaped than their well-manicured American counterparts. Maybe it's because they're a small country and need to make the most of their arable land, but instead of burying people in an open field that could be used for farming, they thin out a forest and bury people within it. Most folks plant real flowers around the gravestone, and many have benches for visitors. A very different and less sanitized approach than we take in America.

And speaking of sanitation - I am admittedly kinda OCD about proper food handling and storage, and as you might imagine, I had to just let a lot of that go on this trip (disproving Grandma Louise's theory that Christopher and I would've never survived the Depression or a freak soap-operatic detour in an abandoned fall-out shelter) . It's true that I never got sick from anything, even when I was nervous about how it was prepared or stored, so maybe there's a lesson in that for me, that I shouldn't worry about it so much.


(Hiking in the Gauja River Valley)

Another interesting cultural point is that Latvians are, well, kind of rude. I used to think this was an individual quirk of Aiva's personality, but now I'm realizing it's more of a cultural phenomena. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and assuming it's another held-over defense mechanism from Soviet times. But I always try to learn at least the words for common courtesies for wherever I'm traveling, so I learned "Thank you" (Paldies) right away. Then I asked Aiva how to say "You're welcome" and her answer was "It's not really a welcome like in America, it just means 'no problem' - it's not worth learning, it won't have the meaning you intend." Then I asked how to say "Excuse me/Pardon me" and her answer was "You don't." You just push past people or cut them off if they are in your way. (!)

And it's true - when we rode the bus to the Baltic, it was rush hour. At first there was all this space in the aisle in the middle of the bus, but no one would move to it. Even people who were riding for a long time wouldn't move in to make room for new people, so at each stop people would just keep shoving in, the space by the door getting tighter and tighter, without a word exchanged. Finally people had to move because there was just no possible way to cram another body in at the door. It was bizarre to watch - I mean, even in New York City, people riding for a while will generally move to the center of the subway car so that new people can get on the train!

The Independence Day celebration was also interesting. People were bringing flowers to lay at the base of the Independence Memorial, in front of which was a large floral display in the shape of Latvia. There were a lot of activities going on throughout town - folk dancing troupes dancing and popular folk groups and choirs singing at various stages. An artsy theater was running animated shorts and documentary films all night (we watched, among other things, a hilarious stop-action short that was an abbreviated history of Latvia). All these things we took part in were free of charge and free of merchandising. It wasn't chest-thumping patriotism, but it was the people coming together to celebrate their culture and heritage. And I thought it was a refreshing change from how 4th of July is often celebrated in America (where we seem to either celebrate our independence from each other by retreating to private vacation homes, or come together to celebrate our freedom to excessively and extravagantly consume).


(Hiking in the Gauja River Valley)

So, those are some impressions of Latvia. All in all it was a good week, and I'm glad to have visited. If you ever find yourself there, the aforementioned "paldies" (pal-dee-es) is a handy word to know. "Labe" (lah-beh), which means "good," will also serve you well in many situations. As in:

"How was the concert?" "Labe."
"How did you sleep?" "Labe."
"I think we should take the 10 am train." "Labe."
When a guest in someone's house, gesture toward the food and say "Labe." And, when you are stuffed and Aiva's mom is trying to put more food on your plate, put one hand over the plate, one hand on your stomach, smile, sigh, and say "Labe."

Helpful word, that labe!

That's all for now. Tune in next time to hear about Dresden!