DZ 29

Labdien,
We are settling in to the apartment number 29 on Lacplesa. We have a large living-dining area L shaped with the kitchen on the short end of the L. Large windows in the kitchen and dining areas and skylights over the living section bring in plenty of day light. A hall leads to a bedroom and half bath and a larger bedroom and full bath. Very pleasant. Eventually we will be in shape for the 8 flights of stairs we walk up from the courtyard. Since we enter a courtyard we don't hear much city noise at night. During the day it sounds as if some construction is going on near by.
We're working on getting cell phones set up and a printer/fax machine to connect to the lap tops we brought with us. Karlis is our helpful guide to all things Latvian. After shopping, for a sim card and a hair dryer and eating lunch out, he took us on a whirlwind tour of Vecriga (the Old City). We stood on the bronze medallion declaring it a UNESCO World Heritage Site, saw several squares, the old wall of the city, Swedish Gate, Powder Tower and several of the churches. We will return soon with the camera and learn additional background information. The highlight yesterday was the Freedom Monument which is very impressive. A female statue representing freedom at the top of a tall column holding aloft 3 stars representing the 3 regions of Latvia. Several large carved figures on each of the four sides of the pedestal.
After dinner an omelet, bread and tea we grocery shopped for saldkabmaize which is delicious sour dough rye bread and cheese and juice. We will probably shop daily. By going to Rimini the grocery store at 8 at night meant the store was less crowded and we were able to take our time examining labels as we made our decisions. We bought paper towels and the rolls are shorter so each piece torn off is smaller. Good for the environment. Today Bob is at the Attistiba Institute for an orientation and tour.