The spa treatments included mineral wax treatments like this:
And I got a great face and foot massage:
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Our hotel--the Hotel Jurmala Spa
A really lovely spa hotel! We booked a package including 3 spa treatments per day and meals. The former were great, the latter, well, not the best for vegetarians. Breakfast was great, but dinner was sparse! We got a nice room on the 5th floor. We had to use our keytag to use the elevator, which hinted at security risks. But it was quiet and peaceful.
The spa treatments included mineral wax treatments like this:
And I got a great face and foot massage:
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
The spa treatments included mineral wax treatments like this:
And I got a great face and foot massage:
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
The N restaurant--Putin and the Beatles are a fine mix!
We searched for an apparently defunct vegetarian restaurant in the Old Town of Riga, and ended up in a really cool basement eatery called the "N Restaurant." It had some good veggie options on the menu, so after descending through a banquet hall down some winding stairs to the darkwood-walled place, we sat down and had the place to ourselves for an hour. It was wild, with pics of every Russian leader up to today on the walls, and a roomful of portraits of the Beatlesin the dancehall next door So there we were, no one else but us and our waitress, in an imposing basement full of portraits, a bar, crystal glasses and linen tablecloths, while our table was laden with dish after dish of amazing (vegetarian) Russian fare! It was a bit eerie being there all alone, food seemingly appearing from nowhere, in a place so secluded.
Once we were done, we went up the stairs we had used to go down, and were met by 3 people dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns, playing on a cello and piano and being videotaped. One of the women was an opera singer, as we saw her picture on a poster for an upcoming concert, and she had the most amazing voice. I was entranced by the richness of her soprano! What a meal experience that was!
Once we were done, we went up the stairs we had used to go down, and were met by 3 people dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns, playing on a cello and piano and being videotaped. One of the women was an opera singer, as we saw her picture on a poster for an upcoming concert, and she had the most amazing voice. I was entranced by the richness of her soprano! What a meal experience that was!
Poverty
Yes, it is there. Lots of elderly people selling small amounts of fruits and veggies to survive, and marketplaces full of peddlers, peddling inexpensive wares and foods.
The local trains between our resort town outside of Riga and Jurmala must have been from the 50's, complete with rattling noises and no lights. There were shady characters in some areas, but nothing terribly intimidating. We saw a group of thirteen year-olds drinking from a bottle of liquor at 11am on a street corner in Riga, and sad faces on many of the older crowd, worn out by years of oppression and deprivation, but there was also a kindness and warmth in people that was touching to see. Aidan, our 2-year-old son, got lots of smiles, and people helpes us with his stroller and with finding our way around.
The average salary is at around 10 thousand USD a year, and it must be hard to make ends meet in a city that can be quite pricey, and as a nation that knows that it wants good quality items and top of the line technology. I was lots of options for monthly payment plans in many stores, and offers for them on TV.
It is clear that as Europeans, seeing what their neighbors have must be difficult. They want more out of life than they had under Soviet rule, and I wonder how the push-pull of economic realities and limitations plays out for the average young Latvian.
The local trains between our resort town outside of Riga and Jurmala must have been from the 50's, complete with rattling noises and no lights. There were shady characters in some areas, but nothing terribly intimidating. We saw a group of thirteen year-olds drinking from a bottle of liquor at 11am on a street corner in Riga, and sad faces on many of the older crowd, worn out by years of oppression and deprivation, but there was also a kindness and warmth in people that was touching to see. Aidan, our 2-year-old son, got lots of smiles, and people helpes us with his stroller and with finding our way around.
The average salary is at around 10 thousand USD a year, and it must be hard to make ends meet in a city that can be quite pricey, and as a nation that knows that it wants good quality items and top of the line technology. I was lots of options for monthly payment plans in many stores, and offers for them on TV.
It is clear that as Europeans, seeing what their neighbors have must be difficult. They want more out of life than they had under Soviet rule, and I wonder how the push-pull of economic realities and limitations plays out for the average young Latvian.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Back to a place I've never been to!
We returned early this morning from a wonderfully rich weekend in Jurmala and Riga--two Latvian cities on the Baltic Sea. I was inspired enough to create a blog about the trip, as so much touched and moved me.
Latvia seems a place on the cusp of the old world and the new, as I tasted and viewed the mix of technology (WiFi, latest Hollywood movies, cel phones and the latest tech. trends) with all I have read and heard of pre-war Europe (a lovely old town with cobblestone streets, a market where you are expected to haggle, coal-powered locomotives and Victorian architecture), and AMAZING food!! Wow, did the food take me back to my (half) Jewish roots, as I indulged on the most delicious potato latkes, mushroom pirogies, sour and dill pickles, cheese danishes and omelettes I have tasted since NYC's Lower East Side! There was so much that was vaguely familiar, and I felt both comfortable and comforted, being immersed in a culture that once nurtured my own Jewish culture, was blended with it. The Big War changed all that, and 90 percent of Latvia's Jews were exterminated. it was nice to see Stars of David and Israeli flags around, unlike Norway which doesn't have those around--it is too political apparently.
Latvia seems a place on the cusp of the old world and the new, as I tasted and viewed the mix of technology (WiFi, latest Hollywood movies, cel phones and the latest tech. trends) with all I have read and heard of pre-war Europe (a lovely old town with cobblestone streets, a market where you are expected to haggle, coal-powered locomotives and Victorian architecture), and AMAZING food!! Wow, did the food take me back to my (half) Jewish roots, as I indulged on the most delicious potato latkes, mushroom pirogies, sour and dill pickles, cheese danishes and omelettes I have tasted since NYC's Lower East Side! There was so much that was vaguely familiar, and I felt both comfortable and comforted, being immersed in a culture that once nurtured my own Jewish culture, was blended with it. The Big War changed all that, and 90 percent of Latvia's Jews were exterminated. it was nice to see Stars of David and Israeli flags around, unlike Norway which doesn't have those around--it is too political apparently.
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