The Barricades

Yesterday, January 20, we saw many Latvian flags on buildings and as we came into the doma laukums in the Old City we saw bonfires. These were lit to commemorate the January events...

the Barricades which commemorates Latvian resistance to the Soviets in 1991. This action led to the reestablishment to an independent Latvia that year. As described in the blog http://lettonica.blogspot.com/2007/01/barricades.html..... half a million seven hundred thousand people gathered in Riga to defend, the banners read,

" your freedom and ours". They faced the Soviets. Four people were killed by snipers, two of them journalists filming the events. At that time heavy equipment blocked streets and huge stones and lumber blocked off access to the old city creating barricades. At the Freedom Monument there was a procession to lay flowers as a military band played ending with the playing of the National Anthem. We are in awe of the courage of the Latvians.

Tallinn, Estonia 59 N 25 W

Over the weekend of January 12 to 15 Bob and I visited Tallinn in Estonia. Bob presented a lecture at Tallinn University on Monday and we had Saturday and Sunday to explore the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Michael, a Fulbright professor from Rutgers to Tallinn University was our guide. It was interesting for us to see the similarities and differences with Riga.

The familiarity of the weather, cobblestones, public transportation tram and Rimi grocery store contributed to our being comfortable finding our way around. The differences seem to be a result Tallinn as a port on the Baltic for many ferry and tour boat lines. There was more English on the signs and people in the shops and hotel and restaurants seemed adept at English usage. We heard little to no Russian. Everyone seemed especially helpful and friendly. The people in the hotel, albeit a Swiss hotel, went out of there way to answer questions usually about tram routes and stops. Another outstanding example of this friendly helpfulness occurred on our tram ride back to catch the bus back to Riga. We were riding the tram with our luggage to the bus depot. I was following along with my slip of paper the count the five stops and listen for the names. At the fourth stop a woman on her way off of the tram says to me in English "It's the next stop and you walk across the street."

Amazing....The bus ride to Riga took about five hours. We experienced a little bit of history.

The Schengen Treaty removes border checks of the European Union countries. It was this December 21, 2007 that nine countries were admitted to the Schengen visa free zone. When we crossed the border into Estonia we could see the former gates and check points completely empty...no stop..the bus just drove on through. When we were in Germany at Christmas our friends there felt it was very positive to now have Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and two more.....It is good to be back in Riga.

Return to Riga....laimigu Jauno gadu 2008

Laimigu Jauno gadu 2008

We wish you all the best in the new year.....a year of promise and hopes....

I've heard there is a tradition in Latvia that during the Advent season one lights candles an additional candle each day and then on New Year's Eve as you blow out all the candles one at a time you blow away all of the worries of the old year. It is appealing to think of the New Year as a year of hope and good things to come.

Let's all keep the best memories and have a Happy New Year 2008

Christmas in Beedenbostel, Germany

Christmas in Beedenbostel was a wonderful week of visits with Bob's AFS family. We shared many memories of visits in the past, to Germany with Tina and Andrew when they were young and the visits of Mattias and Gudrun canoeing with Edie and Hutch , the many visits of Ota and Eve and of Mutti as well. Also of Lilli and Gunther to Tamworth....so many wonderful memories. We had wonderful German food, venison, red cabbage, quark and of course potatoes. I learned how to make herring salad with Mutti giving me the directions in German and we even had Gudrun's homemade pesto and the venison was from Mattias' successful hunting. We caught up with the children and met some of the grandchildren of the Liman clan having coffee in Brokel with Ota and Eve. Bob went with Mattias to his hunting grounds, no wild boar to be seen even though the trails were there. WE spent an evening in Celle with Rainer and Sabine and Thomas and Erika and Lilli and Gunther. We walked, we laughed, stayed up late and slept in. Heilige Abend (Christmas Eve) was especially beautiful in the church and at Mutti's with the tree and its many real candles lit for Chirstmas. We hope you all had a Christmas filled with the warmth and joy of family and friends.