Visiting Rundāle Palace

When I arrived in Riga I had a week left to meet with friends and do daytrips.
I ended up meeting a lot of my friends (yay!) and also had the opportunity to visit Rundāle Palace.
Of all the regularly recommended daytrips (Cēsis, Jurmala, Sigulda, Rundāle Palace) I have done all except to visit Rundāle Palace. Now was the time!

My attempt to go by bike failed as I could not find the way when trying to navigate by the sun.
The roads were also terrible for if you need to go a long way (% sandroads too high). So the next day I went there by bus. Honestly, it was kind of painful as I had done everything by bike before. But my main goal was to reach Riga by bike so I made peace with having at least achieved that goal and went to Rundāle  by bus. Here are some pictures for you to see:

I went and can say I do not regret going. On the way back the last regular bus already passed.
Luckily I could still take the minibus. For future travel, I learned to be more careful to check the timetable of transportation possibilities. At this place you need to get back (or at least start to think about getting back) at the end of the afternoon or else you might get stuck.

Return to Latvia pt. 12: the last stretch

After Kuldīga I went to Sabile, Kandava, Tukums, Klapkalnciems and Jūrmala to arrive in Riga.

In Sabile I had an unexpected and pleasant encounters with motorcylists. I stopped at the supermarket for a rest and bite. There I also saw two motors, with a Latvian and a Lithuanian license plate. A lady on the motor said how they had seen me on the road already four times. I never noticed myself! We had a great little chat. She recommended me to try the local Sabiles Sidrs and gave me an apple of the tree of the brother of one of the motorbikers. When saying goodbye she said we would probably meet again on the road. :) Encounters like these made my trip worthwhile! Unfortunately the Sabiles Sidrs shop was closed over the weekend.

After Sabiles I went to Kandava where I saw some great art, including what looked like Pumbaa from Lion King.

After Kandava I went to Tukums. The first part of the road was good, despite being patched up everywhere. Thereafter, the "bicycle" roads just around Tukums were just plain terrible. My navigation actually stopped working here because I guess I was too far off a main road. The cycling at this time was a heavy burden on my paining left knee. It was a test on my persistence. It was good to know Riga wasn't far anymore.



In Tukums I tried to find an accommodation online but it seemed everything was already fully booked. I also did not notice any camping so I just continued. Having passed Smarde I realized there was only the highway and that was not an option. A kind Latvian stopped with his car and said he could give me a ride to Riga and that my bike would fit in the back. But he understood when I explained that I could not reach Riga this way. So I cycled 10 kilometers back for my final wildcamping. With the mobile network being very weak at this location I had to connect to the provider their network several times so I could book an accommodation on time this time around.

On the final day I woke up early and got an early start as I started to cycle 8:30 AM towards Klapkalnciems. Only 60 kilometers left to Riga. There was quite some rain but at this point no weather (except thunder) could stop me from reaching my destination. The rain cleared relatively soon. In Klapkalnciems I stopped to buy and eat some food as I had barely any breakfast left in the morning.

From Klapkalnciems to Jurmala I cycled straight through glass. Luckily, no flat tire, the last one being in Klaipeda and for which I hoped it to be the last. In Jurmala I saw some great looking buildings (with sometimes deteroriated buildings next to it), art, a clock which reminded me of the Laima clock in Riga and an odd shaped car. Definitely stuff that you won't see just anywhere else.

The last part from Jurmala to Riga was quite a breeze. I The only time I still stopped was to take off my rain-wind jacket because it was too warm now the rain had passed. I arrived in Riga at 12:30 PM with unexpectedly never having seen a sign that I entered Riga. There was not the expected euphoria. The biggest euphoria moment was when I reached Pravieniškės II after two days instead of 2 hours. Yet I could say I completed my trip and I am sure satisfied about that!

Return to Latvia pt 11: making milage

I made a great start into Latvia by having reached Liepaja. The goal by now was to just get to Riga as soon as possible. In other words, making milage/ kilometers. Especially since the weather was great and I did not know for how much longer it would be like that. After a great stay at the camping I headed through Liepaja onwards to Kuldiga via Jurkalne. In Liepaja itself I saw some cool cars on the water.

When I was not even outside Liepaja I noticed how a tick was on my hand. I immediately pulled it off as I did not have my tick pier closeby. Lesson learned: better your packing for future trips. When I stopped I helped a fellow traveller who stayed at the same camping to find her route. After this unpleasant encounter with a tick and helping my new made friend I continued my travel to Jurkalne.

The road to Jurkalne was full of road constructions with plenty parts of gravel. In Jurkalne I stopped at a petrol station to take a rest. There I talked to a local who asked if I came from Liepaja. Maybe he noticed the mud on my bike and knew about the road works. He was a BMX rider himself. He told me I could get water at his place 8 km further and also provided me with a tip for a hotel recommendation in Alsunga. But he also agreed with me when I said it would still be doable to cycle 40 km onwards to reach Kuldiga. After I chatted with another man who offered me beer as he was drinking it. And seemed to have simply gotten in his car afterwards. Memorable encounters.

After I passed Alsunga I continued in the direction of Kuldīga via Ēdole. The route to and Ēdole self had some beautiful sights! When I arrived in Kuldiga I realized it was even more beautiful than I remembered it to be. Because it was dark and there is some delay in the navigation from the smartphone that I bought in Kaunas, I had a hard time finding the bridge where I needed to pass. Luckily, a swiss girl helped me out and even showed me there was still a camping spot available at
the camping she was staying. And then I woke up to this, who wouldn't want that?!
Having made a lot of headway over the past two days (190km+) I knew it wouldn't be long anymore before reaching Riga.

next up: the last stretch

Return to Latvia pt. 10: Latvia here we come!!

After wildcamping for a third time about 12 km from Klaipeda, Latvia wasn't far anymore. In other words: Latvia, here we come!! With the new pump and an inner tire that I had to buy in Klaipeda I hoped most of my bike bad luck would be over.

On the way to Latvia I had a short stop at lake Plaze (Plocis), 8 km to the west of Kretingalė. A fresh water lake of a natural glacial origin that is closest to the sea in Lithuania. Water birds stop at Plocis lake to feed and to rest, during the long migrations located between far located hatching sites. Rather than looking for birds here, for me, it was mostly realizing I am passing special places.

When I arrived in Palanga it took me some time to find lubric for my chain, which was much needed. Two bike shops that I found on Google Maps did not seem to exist anymore. In the end I found what I needed by asking around in a construction market. Multi-purpose household oil did the trick. Lesson learned: do take oil for the chain with you in advance

After I passed Palanga I went for my second session of beach drying. In the meantime I went swimming in the Baltic sea which was a lot of good fun.

Afterwards I continued towards Latvia. As of Klaipeda onwards, the road was easy to find with plenty of Eurovelo 10 route signs. This was a difference with the Nieman cycle trail route, where there were no signs. At the sign of Latvia I made a picture upon which a Lithuanian car which drove into Latvia pressed the horn hah. :)

In Latvia itself it was a straight way across a brand spanking new highway towards Liepaja.
Upon arrival in Liepaja I met a very kind couple who were out cycling with their kid. The man gave me tire seals which I thanked him for but hoped I would not need. He also pointed towards a camping where I could stay. I settled there for the night as it was already late and getting dark soon. I could not have done so without the help of a Lithuanian family who were so kind to call the camping owner for me! I had a pleasant experience interacting with them. And they gave me some Lithuanian candy when I left. :) If you are reading this, thank you. Ačiū!

Next up: making milage

Return to Latvia pt. 9: ferry far away

After having done my second wild camping I thought I would take the ferry to Nidden from the harbour in Minija. Little did I know that what I read about there ferries going 2x each hour only applies to the harbour in Klaipeda. In Minija it is only 2x a day.

Due to still breaking breakfast I missed the first boat.
Then, after finding out there are no ferries running in Vente on monday had to go for the second boat in Minija. I also missed that one. I took a supposedly faster route to Minija but ended up on the wrong side of the water, and there is no bridge.

A meeting with a fellow cyclist on a camping in Ventė sparked the solution. She also had ferry problems and opted to go to Klaipeda as not wanting to wait any longer. I did the same. It just took me about 2 hours or so to cover close to 50 km. Quite the difference with the two days before, where I cycled about 215 km in 2 days (including offroading) but it took up a lot more hours due to adverse weather. I couldn't believe when I got to Klaipeda there was a lot of gravel, being one of the biggest cities in Lithuania.

In Klaipėda I would take it easy and rest for two days, as it seems I needed it. I stayed in a hostel so I could do my laundry. I would have preferred wildcamping again >: Yet, the "Klaipeda hostel" where I stayed comes highly recommended. In Klaipeda there was a lot of rain. With the expected rain in Latvia also I bought a cheap raincoat and extra cycling short at Humanitas, a jogging pants at the market and (dry) shoes at Lidl. A flat tire led me to cancel my 20 km cycle trip in Klaipeda. During these restdays I did still see the Klaipeda university and the launch of an air balloon!

On the day of check out I went to Nida, 3 days later than initially planned. A 50 km cyle after getting across with ferry from Klaipeda. In part I did the ride with two people from the hostel, they helped me to find the right way when I got lost. :)
Then we went sightseeing in Nida together and we could take the bike back on the bus.

Most time I spent in the Curionan Spit on the beach letting my clothes dry. Luckily it was possible as there was close to no rain! where a lot of rain was expected again. Because of the late departure I reached Nida quite late.  In retrospect I would have reached Nida a lot earlier if I would have done another sleepover at the other harbour. But at that time I did not know there were no ferries going directly from Klaipeda to Nida anymore.

In the end, Nida was short and sweet. After the return to Klaipeda I would move on a little bit up north to wild camp for the third time. Knowing that for the next day, with all the delays, I finally could say:

Next up: Latvia here we come!!

Return to Latvia pt. 8: route 141

After Kaunas I took the route 141 in direction of Šilute. The first stop was the castle in Raudondvaris. Then I went off track a bit to pass through Kulautuva as a recommended place. My initial plan was to visit it. However, due to the amount of rain I opted to stick with just one quick stop to make a photo along the Memel river just before Kulautuva. Later I saw a great wooden sculpture in Seredžius. A little bit further I read about an interesting history piece regarding rafting, which included:

RAFT-WAY The River Nenumas has been used for rafting for several centuries. The Nemunas used to be the main trade route to Prussia. We admire Raudonė and Panemunė Castles but not many people know that they were built by merchants who made a fortune trading in wood and ashes. The sight of rafting or stored rafts used to be an integral part of the landscape along the River Nemunas. Rafts tied as “beds” or “packs”, carried by current or dragged by a boat – they used to slither on endless. “raft-ways” on the Nenumunas riverbed. This is how raftsmen used to make a living. “Don’t you dare coming home, if you drown”, - used to tell mothers in order to discipline children who used to consider log convoys as their playgrounds.

 Sculpture RAFT-WAY is a sign of respect for the ancient traditions of the people who used to live along the River Nemunas. It’s a sign of respect of today’s roadmen to the then former main communication and trade route, i.e. the Nemunas. The sculpture symbolizes rafting on the Nemunas and the old Panemune road slithering along.
Project Author: Darius Linkevičius Constructor: UAB ,,SYVTEJIMAS” 2013m.. 2013 Construction: State Enterprise, ,,TAURAGES REGIONAO KELIAI”

As it was raining for 7 hours this day I basically just cycled on to get to my goal for the day: Jurbarkas. I set up my tent close to the river I passed for my first wild camping in the Baltics. I went asleep very proud for having made it through the adverse weather.

After Jurbarkas my goal for the day was to reach Šilute. I passed this amazing park Viešvilė on the way. I ended up reaching Šilute and completing the Nieman cycle trail. Not much time to celebrate, as I still needed to find a place to sleep. Accommodations were scarce so I wildcamped again. I went into the field with tall grass and set up my tent just next to some bushes and small trees.

The morning after I would try to get on a ferry to Nidden.

Next up: ferry far away

Return to Latvia pt. 7: cycling in and around Kaunas

On the train that I took back to Vilnius they did not only have wall sockets in 2nd class but also a screen where you could see exactly where you are on the railway track and how fast the train goes. We don't have these cool things in 2nd class in Dutch trains! In Vilnius I changed my bike for a better one and took the train back to Kaunas two day later. On the train ride to Kaunas I found out that they have a very convenient way to store bikes. Who would have thought Lithuanian trains would be so modern! I didn't ever see this in Latvia whilst I was still living there.

In Kaunas I stayed at the Monk's Bunk Kaunas hostel and got good sightseeing tips. The great owner and host gave me a tip to check out the food trucks that would be nearby that day in the nemuno sala park. There I had a bite, talked to a local couple and talked to cyclists who were also there. There was also some great lightning, which refers to a Kaunas basketball team (Lithuanians are big on basketball). Asking for cycling recommendations they told me I could go to Kadagių slėnis if I didn't mind to cycle a longer distance. Little did I know I would also be crossing rail tracks as my navigation told me this was the way to go.

After I came back from Kadagių slėnis I visited some more places. Not before the hostel owner told me Kadagių slėnis is a place where the air is still completely fresh and visited for healing purposes.

Whilst I already covered 50 km after Kadagių slėnis that didn't stop me for seeing more from Kaunas during the late afternoon and evening. I went to Santakos parks, and the westernmost tip where there is the confluence of the rivers Nemunas and Neris.

And the highlight of my trip, going downhill fast 46 km/h+ on the three girls bridge crossing the Nemunas river to the massive Basanavičius park. This was one of the places recommended by a Lithuanian girl I met in the supermarket. This park is like a track for go karts but then for bikes, totally awesome. Even a gym is included, as in more Kaunas parks.

Besides the parks I also had a good time at Energy Food, a small and trendy café that came recommended to me. After 2 nights in Kaunas it was time to really to make some distance on the Cycleway Nieman Cycle Trail again. I would take the route recommended by the cyclists and also the hostel owner.

Next up: route 141

Return to Latvia pt. 6: covering lost ground

After having slept at the bus station in Kaunas I headed towards Rumšiškės, to cover the lost ground that I did not cycle. It was very, very, hard to find the way. Trying to find the way on hunches  and hoping to get lucky did not work, at all. Went wrong in all wind directions. On the upside, I had seen great things that I would not have seen otherwise if not getting lost a couple of times. And I haven't been as happy the whole cycling trip when I finally found out the right way in the end! I made it back to Rumšiškės!

next up: cycling in and around Kaunas

Return to Latvia pt. 5: sleeping at the bus station

After the Granatos Live festival I wanted to go back to Vilnius to change my bike. That is, it was likely that I crashed in Vilnius because my back tire had no profile on it.

It took some time (even when asking different people at the festival) to find the station but then after a manager looked on Google Maps I managed to get to the station in Pravieniškės I.

I, however, took the wrong train and ended up in Kaunas. When I arrived I bought a simcard so I could call a family member which then could look online to see if there were still any hostels available in Vilnius. Unfortunately there was no reception, I could call to Lithuanian numbers only.
A pay phone did not made reference to call to Dutch numbers. The operator couldn't help me.
And as the last train from Kaunas to Vilnius just left, it not even being that late, I was stranded in Kaunas. Not wanting to cycle kilometers outside Kaunas to go to a camping or camping out in the wild, I chose the bus station as an alternative.

It was modern in the sense that it had power sockets that I used to charge my phones and battery pack. And it was warm so I decided to sleep there. In retrospect, it does not come recommended sleeping at a bus station on a chair.

Next up: covering lost ground

Return to Latvia pt. 4: cycling to the Granatos Live 2018 festival

On thursday the 2nd of August it was the first day to get on the road and to start cycling towards Kaunas. My destination for the day was the Granatos Live 2018 festival, held at an open-air museum in Rumšiškės. I would stay there for 4 nights. From pre-party to finish.

Already within the first 6 km I had a bicycle crash. A middle-aged woman stood on the bicycle path and did not move when I was coming. Avoiding her and passing over a sewer lid made my bike slip. Result: broken smartphone and having to re-adjust the chain of my bike. After some outside help via phone I managed to fix the chain. And luckily I had paper maps that I got from a Dutch girl back in the Netherlands to replace the navigation on my phone. The most mind boggling thing was that the women had not moved an inch, not even after my crash.

The ride after the crash was really something!
Despite having a map it was hard to get out of Vilnius in the direction of Rumšiškės.
At the end of the afternoon I still had to cycle 75 km. Eventually, I found a guy who advocated I take the A1 in the direction of Kauanas (which in the end, I found out, is actually not allowed).

The ride was really something. It was mind bogglig to look over my shoulder and not see any car for 1,5 km. Due to the warm weather I also drunk close to 8 liters of water. It was a relief when I saw the sign Rumšiškės 1 km. Just before 22:00 PM I talked to the first festival staff. At this time it was also dark, made it off the A1 just in time!

Before I could set up my tent I already had a flat tire. I would deal with that at the end of the festival, making my bike less likely to be stolen in the meantime.

Despite having gone to the festival alone, I had plenty of company.
At the festival I was lucky enough to have kind Lithuanian neighbours to have a chat with. Along the same token, I met the friend of my friend, her sister and other members of the gang she was with. To top things of, I even met complete 'strangers' whom I had a shared meal and Taxify ride with.

At the festival I saw the american artists (Rita Ora and Duke Dumont) that I wanted to see but missed out on lithuanian artists Monique and Beatrich that I wanted to see. In the end, I slept on average only 5 hours each night, which is a fair indicator that I had a good time. Apart from the last day I burned out of my tent at 7:30 in the morning in true summer style. Refreshment was there doing dives or water bombs at the water side. The festival ended with massive rain, which led catering staff to make raincoats out of garbage bags when breaking things down. Luckily I packed 99% of my tent during the heavy rainfall, others weren't as lucky.

Next up: sleeping at the bus station

Return to Latvia pt. 3: cycling tour in Vilnius

On the second day of my trip I did a guided cyling tour in Vilnius. As part of the tour we got a bike, which me, american couple and the tour guide itself used to get around. Picture of the bike was taken outside Vilnius.

Cycling uphill we saw street art where Putin and Trump "make everything great again" (written).  Afterwards, we saw the only Russian Orthodox Church in baroc style. Going on, we saw a place where the tour guide told us here "young people see the sun go down" (maybe made up).


Later we entered the  "Republic Uznavas" which you need to smile to enter.A tour guide let us choose which rule of the republic we preferred most. Some made sense as a rule, others less so and seemed to be more like a joke.
A grasp of the collection:
3. Everyone has the right to die, but this is not an obligation.
4. Everyone has the right to make mistakes.
12. A dog has the right to be a dog.
24. Everyone has the right to understand nothing.

We ended the tour seeing both old and modern buildings, and not to forget, great scenery on the Swedbank terrace. Total tour time about 5,5 hours in which we saw quite a lot.

Next up: cycling to the Grantos Live 2018 festival

Return to Latvia pt. 2: arrival in Vilnius

In the previous post I mentioned that I would go back to Latvia by bike.
Before actually hopping on a bike I first took the plane, my legs and the bus for the first day. My bus had a bright yellow colour with a robust appeal, just how I remember these "beasts". It did a great job bringing me from A to the B&B&B&B&B hostel where I stayed. 

After I met the awesome staff at the hostel I met with my ERASMUS friend Agnė in the evening. We went to the cafés Peronas and to Snekutis. At Snekutis I asked for a drink that wasn't a beer and I received Gira. I told the bartender it tasted a bit like Kvass after which he enlightened me that it was Kvass, it just being called differently in Lithuania. First Lithuanian word learned! :D At Snekutis I also had grated pancakes which turned out to be the best I tried in the whole of Lithuania and Latvia. All in all, I had a very good first day.

Next up: Cycling tour in Vilnius

Second return to Latvia: this time by bike! - pt 1: packing

From July 31st untill August 26 I took a holiday abroad. A second time to Latvia. But this time by bike.
Starting point: Vilnius, Lithuania.
End point: Riga, Latvia
Means to get there: Bike (not cycling all days)

In the Netherlands there is a game that is called "I go on vacation and I take with me... [fill in the blank]" in which you keep on adding packing items to the list. This is what I took with me for a cycling trip which should last no more than 2 weeks:

The total measured weight was about 13,5 kg. This is within the 12-15 kg that was prescribed during the "my first cycling trip"course that I took in April of this year. Now that I have completed the trip I estimate I could cut down on (hopefully) 2 kg for any future trip.

Next up: Arrival in Vilnius (by plane)

Return to Latvia

Two days after my last exam in Groningen I went back to Latvia (July 11-25). After having suffered from Erasmus depression and a hard time at Uni there was nothing better to go back to the place where I spent such great times to just chill out... Seeing both my friends from Latvia and even some ex-Erasmus (!) was very cool. I  got to know my friends a little better and realised they are even more special than I already thought they were…  Being able to see and speak with them again was great!
Also, I got to know many new and interesting people.

I stayed in the flat of my 1^st ex-roommate from Reznas, even though he was in Norway… He arranged with his friendly Finnish flatmates that I could stay in his room for my entire stay. I don’t know what to say, rather than this being extremely generous of him! We will definitely meet and catch up when I come back to Riga for the 3^rd time. The flat is great, just like the view from the window.
After having explored the immediate surroundings I walked from the Centre to Old Town to see how much green and flowers I would find during summer times.

As I walked on and hours passed, at times, everything felt to be a bit overly familiar. In a sense this felt disappointing. That is, when I came back to my student city Groningen everything felt ‘new’ to me. Shortly after I realised that this just shows how much Riga is my 2nd home. In Riga I have lived, in Groningen I have not. Frankly, I probably have seen more from Riga in half a year than I saw from Groningen after 3,5 years. Luckily, not any sense of boredom when hanging out with friends, showing me there is always fun to be found and things to see, do or experience in- and outside Riga.

Thursday July 11

In the evening Riga Good Times VI (July 11-14) was starting, being the longest annual Couchsurfing event in Riga. We had a nice dinner at Taverna  (Torņa iela 4-2a) and then went to party in Pulkvedis (Peldu iela 26). Some people were making remarks that it was like a sauna. All I can say is that if you come to Groningen and go to ‘’De negende cirkel’’ (The ninth circle) you will experience real sauna… stuffed with students in a small place. The fact that (popular) bars in Riga are not as crowded as in Groningen is what always appealed to me very much.

Friday July 12
On Friday morning I skipped the City Exploring Time as I already did three guided tours in the past. Instead, I went to Mežaparks and Riga Zoo (taking tram 11 from the Centre), being completely new for me. Because I arrived before the Zoo opened, I first walked around in Mežaparks. Now I know why I read and heard about Mežaparks several times before, it is peaceful, very green and well… big.

Just like many other places in Latvia, you can also enjoy a pretty water scenery in Mežaparks.

After having walked around for some 40 minutes it was past 10 o’clock, which meant that the Zoo was open for visitors, let’s go!. When I saw the giraffes and goats it reminded me of 1) A giraffe licking the window of the tourist bus in Zoo Beekse Bergen in NL, when I was in the bus… and  2) mountain goats in wadi’s (dry riverbeds) in Oman (where I was born, grew up and lived for 7 years) as part of the natural environment. Good times relived. :)

What surprised me at the Zoo was that Riga Zoo actually has a contract with Beekse Bergen and two other Zoo’s in the Netherlands. Hence, there is even more export (I saw many Dutch products in Riga) from my country to Latvia than things such as vegetables and fruits… apparently also elephants… :))

After the Zoo I went back to Maskacka (!) to see how things were rolling at the student canteen of PRIMA. Somewhat unsurprising, I was the only student there (vacation time, no school, international students having gone back to their home universities). I can say that the food is still good and that Maskacka still feels the same… Before I knew it, I was chatting too long with the new canteen worker that I missed the planned boat cruise on the Daugava river with the CS group. That is why I made sure I was in time for the dinner at LIDO Recreation Centre (Krasta iela 76), scheduled at 19:00. However, nobody was showing up, me being the only one from CS there. The irony. After having called the organisers I learned that there were some troubles with, well… something. Luckily, just as I wanted to leave around  20:00, everybody showed up, people telling me the boat cruise was delayed. Patience is key. :P

Later that night there was the sauna place in Baloži. I got lost on the way there, but luckily two Latvian chaps were so kind to walk me to the place. It was a long time ago that I went into sauna, which was maybe why I forgot that you shouldn’t stay in too long. ^^ It was good fun. I came back to the flat after 8 o’clock in the morning…

Saturday July 13
Even though I wanted to go to the Go Blonde Parade in Jurmala, I was sleeping instead….
I joined in again for the party with sauna in the evening, already having met fellow CSers at the bus stop, heading the same way. As they didn’t know exactly how to get to the sauna place I showed them, me now knowing exactly how to get there, hehe. Again, I came back late, now at 8 AM…
When waiting for the 2^nd bus from Stockmann, I happened to notice an old man was doing morning stretches with his arms, also having seen this same movement at festivals for people to get in the mood for party. :)))

Sunday July 14
I woke up at about 14:20, had a quick 1^st breakfast and rushed to get myself at RIMI in Galerija Centrs at 15:00, our meeting point and time for going to the newly-built Ķīpsala beach. This time I skipped the Open Air Museum in the morning, which I also went to three times before. 2^nd breakfast, sun and sleep at the beach, I enjoyed!
In the evening there was the finale time at No Problems (Nekadu Problemu) at Doma Laukums.
To my surprise, new people joined in and many CSers turned up, there being 40+ people there in total, wow. Later we moved with a group to Shot Bar, which was unexpectedly empty without loud music. Then I realised it was a Sunday, which explained everything. :P The female bartender also did not expect that I would order hot chocolate, instead of a shot, resulting in a priceless surprised face. :) Shot bar was a good place to end Riga Good Times VI.

Monday July 15
On Monday morning  I picked up my ordered tent for the Positivus festival (July 19-21) from the 1a.lv office. The last time I went there I had to wait for three hours in the afternoon… Luckily, this time I only had to wait for 10 minutes, amazing! :))
Rather than buying a cheap throw-away tent like many others, I decided to drop some more cash and get something of better quality with more durability. I left it at the apartment for my ex-roommate to use, not at the camping site… Wouldn’t take it back to NL either as I was only carrying hand luggage, no room for a tent. Also, prior to the festival I read an article how annoying it is for festival organisers to deal with tents being left behind and how you are basically trashing the environment by using it one time only. With being less than 55 EUR on discount for a 3-person tent, I don’t feel like I spent that much. And by having bought a 2-layer tent with some quality, I knew I would be good for 4 days of camping (and many more in the future). The rest of the day I didn’t do anything special, I mostly rested to recovered from Riga Good Times and a lack of sleep.

Tuesday July 16
On Tuesdays I went out for lunch with international coordinators of the University of Latvia.
When I passed by to simply say ‘’hi’’ the week before I was invited for lunch, by university staff, who would have guessed!! I don’t see this happening at my university, ever. I always have loved the personal approach at LU, teachers at my home university could learn a lot from this… most of them not even knowing your name… Then I walked around a bit more in Old Town where I stumbled upon this statue.

Of course, I can’t tell you my wish, else it will not come true. ;) 

I also went up in the St. Peters Church and the Academy of Science Building, viewing Riga from great heights for the first time. 

View from Academy of Science Building over Maskacka.

View from St. Peters Church over Old Town.


In the evening I went to the weekly CS Tuesday meeting. Afterwards I figured that I should have brought a  sweater, as we were sitting outside instead of inside. It just shows, expect the unexpected. I got a severe cold the day after, lasting for about 10 days…

Wednesday July 17

On Wednesday I went to Tukums by train. I knew one of my Latvian friends is from there, but that is all I knew about the place before going there, really. :D One of my other Latvian friends told me once that she was talking to a Latvian friends of her how adventurous it would be to just go to the train station and take the first train, wherever it would go.
I basically was thinking about doing the same , only I looked which train rides wouldn’t take extremely long, Tukums fitting the bill! Upon arrival I learned that Tukums is famous for its flowers. I must say, I haven’t seen such a beautiful flower garden at any train station! 

Also, other parts of the centre of Tukums have proven to be nice sights.

After having wandered around for several hours I took the train back to Riga. There I bought some plasters, mosquito repellent and other stuff for the Positivus festival at a Drogas store in Origo. I figured I’d better be prepared for my first multi-day festival. I was a bit surprised when the girl at check-out started talking to me in Russian, I think the first time ever I experienced this… !!
I talked back in English and she seemed a bit shocked as well. :P I paid and left..

Positivus festival, camping site (July 18-22), festival site (July 19-21)
On Thursday afternoon (July 18) I was going with the Positivus shuttle bus to Salacgrīva, the location of the Positivus festival.  It didn’t take long to realise I wasn’t the only Dutch person going. I already noticed there were at least 6 other Dutch. I started talking with two Dutch girls. I was curious how they liked Riga and they seemed to have enjoyed themselves thus far. :)) Soon I also spotted two German guys, who loaded two cardboard boxes with beer… no surprise there. Not particularly smart though, as even after arrival on the camping site we had to wait for 2 more hours in burning sun before the camping site would be opened at 17:00. There beers must have tasted real good. :)))
When waiting for the camping site to be opened also got to meet and talk to two Latvian girls who were volunteers at the camping site. I think I should sign up for something like that as well in the near future! I was thinking about doing this before but I never followed through..

Within the first hour of having entered the camping site we formed a group of people that just happened to be close to each other with their tents. That’s basically happens what you get when there is a Latvian guy asking everybody ‘’hey, where are you from?’’ and saying ‘’join us!’’. ^^ Two Australian girls had a tarp and our pick nick spot was set. I teamed up with a German and Kiwi girl, who helped me to set up my tent in trade for luggage space. Actually, they didn’t bring their own tent at all, it being delivered the day after. Later they found a place to sleep too, I suppose it is easy when you are a girl. Later my tent was also luggage space for two Estonian girls. 1 person + 5 bags. :’)

I explored the festival site with them, good fun! Overall, I liked the festival, but much more for the atmosphere and the people than the music. Only being 41 Ls was an extremely cheap price for me to pay for 3 day festival + camping site (where I was 4 days) for this experiment. For previous festivals I went to I paid this price for one day festivals. I probably will not go again to Positivus. However, if I would, I would be staying mostly at the dance stage, being the most close to music I normally listen to, also providing a beautiful outlook. 

All in all, I enjoyed the festival, as I met my friend from Lithuania as well as four Latvian friends and got to know new interesting people. In terms of music and entertainment, I found the in between acts of Darwin Deez to be pretty awesome. Footage below:

Monday July 22 
Monday afternoon I went back to Riga and rested afterwards, also drinking some Black Balsam with coffee creamer (instead of hot milk, Latvian friend said coffee creamer was better) and honey to remedy me more quickly from my cold. Since the Friday before I also used medicine from the pharmacy, readily having effect.  In the future I will stop using strong alcohol as medicine all together, as medicine from pharmacy +  a good night’s sleep works better. At least, that is my experience.

Tuesday July 23
On Tuesday I went out for lunch with international coordinators of LU.
When I came by to just say hi the week before, I couldn’t imagine I would be asked out for lunch..!
I don’t see this happening at my university, ever. I was happily surprised! After the lunch I explained how I favour this personal approach. Sadly, many teachers at my university don’t seem to give a rat’s ass, not even knowing your name.

In the evening I had my last Couchsurfing meeting, happy to still being to enjoy one before going back and having visited 4 bars I hadn’t been before. :) I stayed again late, anticipating that I could sleep at least 1,5 hours in the bus to and from Talsi, my destination for the next day.

Wednesday July 24
On what was basically my last day, I went to visit my Latvian friend in Talsi. The last time I left Riga he offered me to show me around his is town Talsi, also known as ‘The Town of Nine Hills’. He showed me around by car, which allowed me to see a lot more than when going by foot. Time passed by quickly, time flies when you are having fun… Before I went back by bus, we passed the tourist centre to see if there were any souvenirs. The funny part here is that Talsi is famous for its rally track, a map showing  ‘’routes for hasty drivers’’. The most exciting part of this day trip was that we entered a closed track where brand new WRC (World Rally Championship) rally cars were tested for the Finland WRC Cup, being at the right place and the right time to see something extraordinary.   

After having returned to Riga, I still had a late night chat with the latest Erasmus I got to know. As a result, just like last time, not much sleep on the last day before returning…

Thursday July 25
Time flies… fifteen days had passed quickly. I would have preferred to stay a little bit longer but I had an event at home I couldn’t miss. Also, I experienced a lot of new things and learned, just like last time, a lot about myself and why I value my international friends so much. This trip was more than worthwhile. :) I reserved bungeejumping in Sigulda, Bauska and other places and things to see and do for another time. ;)

BEIGAS

Last days in Riga

It's a week ago that I got back in the Netherlands, so it seemed about time to write my last blogpost. At least for now, since I already decided to visit Latvia again next summer. Below you can read about my last days in Riga.

Because of my injury I was staying longer inside my dorm room than to my liking. Yet, it seemed like a good idea to start listening to other people their advice, including that of my doctor(s) who told me to rest.  Whilst I was planning to still visit a few clubs –those I hadn’t been before but heard good stories about- in the last two weeks, I decided that it would be better to postpone this activity for my return visit. After all, each time when I went out and told myself to come back at a certain time... I never did. In reality it was always a few or several hours later... Hence, 'just going out for a short while' (to save my knee) would be fooling myself. In Groningen I don’t have this problem so much, as I tend to get fed up by the music quite soon. But in Riga I liked the music. Furthermore, the company I had in the numerous bars was always good, making it more difficult to 'bail out' earlier than anybody else. Luckily I could still pursue passive activities, such as having dinner with my neighbours and first roommate from the REZNAS dorm. We had a joint dinner at the ''big LIDO'' (Krasta iela), followed by taking pictures of the decorations outside.




Monday
Another thing that I still wanted to do before leaving was making more pictures of Old Town. I was always waiting for sunny days, but those have been rare.  Since it was my last week and chance to make pictures, mediocre weather would be considered good enough. I planned to go out with my camera on Monday. I would wander alone through Old Town and city centre and pres the shutter button of my DSLR to make some shots. However, when I got an invitation from ESN to join the Old Town of Riga Tour I decided that I would join them. I already did such tours before but they would pass sights -I expected this tour to be similar to the one I took with ESN the first time- I wanted to take pictures of anyway. And any company is still always better than no company. Joining in allowed me to meet some of the new ERASMUS students and to see teammembers of ESN Riga again. In the end the latter is what I enjoyed the most. They always have been very friendly and open to talk, this time being no exception. I enjoyed the short last chats very much. :) 
 
After the tour ended I sticked around to make some more photo's in Old Town and subsequently City Centre. Photo's are shown below. 



Jekaba iela 11, the place where you can see members of Latvian Parliament crossing the street!

The other photo's (click to enlarge) will  give you an impression what Riga looks like during the winter. 







Tuesday
On Tuesday I met with my CLP (Couple Learning Programme) buddy, to see her one more time before leaving. We had a refreshing walk and talk in the city. Furthermore, she gave me a nice postcard and a photobook as a goodbye gift. She figured I could put photo's from Latvia in it, and that seems to be an excellent idea. Having it printed still has it's charm over digital only. I will save a spot for a bungee jump photo! That is, I still want to go bungee jumping in her hometown, Sigulda. Then, in the evening I went to my last Couchsurfing meeting. Here I received a bag with foods & drinks from another friend. I didn't expect to get all these gifts, it was a surprising day for me! It was also a bit of a sad day, as I will have to miss these and other Latvian friends for some time.

Wednesday 

On my before-last day in Riga I went with my first roommate to 'Go Planet' (http://www.goplanet.lv/eng/go_planet), a 15,000-sq-metre funhouse. If you want to go there by bus you can get off at 'Mēbeļu nams', from there it is a few minutes by foot. Since my Latvian friend told me it would rain that day playing games seemed a better option than the Zoo. It turned out that she was right, the weather being quite dreadful in the afternoon. Staying inside was definitely better than hanging out outside at the Zoo. At Go Planet they have games for young & old, including some weird 'Create your own horse' game.






We played one game where you stand on a jeep and start to shoot with your gun. After that we played airhockey and billiards. I was better at airhockey, but he was clearly better in billiards. It was nice to have some last fun with my ex-roommate.

Thursday

And on Thursday morning early it was time for me to leave the dormitory and to head to the airport. My first roommate got on the same bus and joined me to the airport. He mentioned the day before that he still wanted to give me a postcard.  A very nice one with a writing that will remind me of his great sense of humour! Furthermore, when I went to the toilet at the airport he snugged some presents in my suitcase! I found out at the airport itself, as I had to shift some weight between my bagpack and suitcase. This is when I decided to give him my thermos bottle. Eventhough I could still take it with me I considered it to be more useful for him. After all, he will stay a few years more in Latvia. In the Netherlands it is less cold so you don't actually need it as much. After having said goodbye (read: auf wiedersehen) I found two other ERASMUS at the gate for my departure. They would join me in the flight from Riga to Bremen. It was nice to chat with them and to reflect on our ERASMUS period. Then it was time to board, time to leave Riga.

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When we almost landed with the airplane (was sleeping almost the whole way) I found out that there was also a student-assistant from LU on the same flight, what a coincidence! When we arrived at the airport in Bremen she asked me if I enjoyed my ERASMUS and how I felt about going back home. I told her that I enjoyed my ERASMUS. Moreover, that I felt okay about going home but that I would have preferred to stay in Riga. Once I walked out of the airport my immediate thoughts were ''boring'' and ''looks like the Netherlands''. Then I walked to the bus stop, awaiting a last surprise! I was taking the Public Express Bus (http://www.publicexpress.nl/) from Bremen to Groningen. It was here where a girl approached me to ask if I was Latvian. It must have been the Dinamo Riga cap I was wearing and the Laima chocolate I was eating. She told me she was Latvian and we started to talk. Once our bus arrived I decided to sit next to her so that we could talk some more. Then we just chatted the whole away about my experience in Latvia and what she could possibly expect in Groningen. She told me she would do her ERASMUS in Groningen, just like other students in the bus. It was nice to take this ERASMUS vibe with me on my journey back. Finally, I have to say that I could never have imagined that I would return back home chatting with a Latvian girl, what are the odds! All in all, this was the best ending of my ERASMUS I could have wished for.

BEIGAS