2009.03.7-8 Riga, City of Spring and Love

On the 6th of March I suddenly felt spring in my mind and weird, un-known urge to visit Riga and meet those awesome people I know there.
And in this very short time I also made plans for my summer trip.

Anyway... Friday was quiet, concerts in Tallinn didn't sound interesting so I didn't do anything special. Next morning I packed last few things and took a bus 18 to go hitch-hiking. Some candies and a bottle of liquor I bought from Viru Keskus (they have strawberry and marzipan praline candies there - impossible to find in supermarkets).

The bus went 30 minutes and at 11:00 I was by the road, poster "Riga" in my hands. In 25 minutes I got my first ride. It was green Žiguli "06". Good young fellow was driving. He had just come from Turkey working as a guide.

He was curious about the time I drove Žiguli last time. It wasn't that long time ago. I didn't mention it felt a lot more special to drive old Volga car from seventies, about to fall apart :)

So we drove to Pärnu, having nice conversation. He let me out on Northern side on Pärnu. I went shopping, walked few hundred meters and started hitch-hiking again. It didn't take long time, about 20 minutes or so when I saw one car coming towards me, passing me, turning around and picking me up. We were talking, he asked about hitch-hiking in Germany. It hadn't gone so well for him last year there. And he dropped me off at the southern side of Pärnu. And turned back to town... :-D

"Thumbs up" again. Not much longer than 15 minutes it took for me to get another ride. This time pretty new Audi A4, 3,3L engine. A woman was driving and speeding a little. Of course, what's the point of having such car and not speeding.
We weren't talking at all after I said "tere" when I sat in.
After some time of going car started to blink the headlights and we slowed down a little. Soon we noticed cops sitting in the bushes like rabbits. And our speed went up again.
After few kilometers we saw someone with magic wand waving us in the middle of road. Cops again. With car in private colors. The lady was invited to their car to spend some time...
And she came back with a yellow note in her hands. Probably cops phone number...

We continued the trip. In Latvia, close to Riga she suddenly noticed police driving at us. She quickly slowed down and as the police car passed, they also slowed down. The lady hit her hand against the wheel. But she was lucky, they didn't turn around.

We arrived to Riga and she dropped me very close to Old Town. I thanked her (in Russian, because I had understood it in the mean time).

From 2009.03.7-8 Riga Spring & Love

I walked to Old Town and around, around, around... I tried to select different random streets but all the time I ended up at the same place.

From 2009.03.7-8 Riga Spring & Love

I sat in Irish Pub Paddy's the beer was good and the guys at the pub... from Great Britain. And didn't seems so great at all... They were watching football and mainly two words I heard from their mouths.

I sent SMS to few friends and I was invited for a walk and dinner at the same time.
I chose walking to dinner to join two great things. When I realized we're not walking to dinner, it was too late and I got SMS saying like "damn, you're late, bastard!". I got some instructions how to get to dinner and phone battery got empty. I felt bad already because I was late. Now I was late, in hurry and didn't have a clear idea where to go. So I started walking quickly to direction I felt right. But it wasn't. I asked for direction from a guy with guitar who had just finished playing in a restaurant. This was great guy. And showed me exact place where to be.

I tried my phone again and battery was working (now, on Monday evening it's still working wine and battery is more than half full). Baiba came out, half naked :)
She had also another guest. American girl Tessa, studying in Germany.
Baiba offered me a lot of food and it tasted good. Fresh salad, fish...

Then we left for a party where I was also invited before. I didn't know it, because even though I wrote in forums I can't read messages in the evening, there was the invitation.

From 2009.03.7-8 Riga Spring & Love

The house party was nice. James recognized me, even though we met in 2007, April. And didn't spend much time together at Kinderis Camp. Drinking, chatting and we left for pub in Riga Old Town Hostel. There I met Swedish girls who had interesting things to say. And with Bernard I had funny conversation. I really hope to continue that!

From 2009.03.7-8 Riga Spring & Love

After a beer left clubbing. I didn't even have to buy the ticket (thank you!) :)
It was very cozy little club and during whole evening I had two beers there. And dancing almost whole time.

After my phone clock alarm woke me up at 12 o'clock I felt like I had drank half a liter of vodka and some wine. But it went better quickly. I had told Agnese last night we can go for a walk together next day at 12 but I'll SMS her before... I was late already, so I sent her a message. She agreed to meet me 12:30 and the moment

From 2009.03.7-8 Riga Spring & Love

I got the message it was 12:20 already. So again... I was late. But I took Tessa with me for a walk. I left Baiba's place. She's just perfect host and a wonderful person (take care ;) )

It was International Women's Day (not THAT international, to be honest) so while walking with two ladies I was looking for kiosks that sell flowers. None. After I sent Agnese back to work I saw flowers. I bought two.
And I took Tessa to Lido. The place looked great but it was so crowded it was impossible to enjoy the place. During this time I didn't see any sign of crisis.
The fact that government doesn't have money doesn't mean people can't have fun.
It's just politicians are too good in wasting money they don't earn or have...

We took a tram back and Tessa wanted to continue walking with me and we went along Brivibas iela. We stepped into a Cafe and ordered tea. It wasn't bag of Dust Of Lipton, it wasn't fancy cannabis - water lily - orange tea... but simple green tea with big leafs. Perfect!

We continued walking and at one point Tessa decided she'll take a tram back. I though the tram line is going to end soon so I'll just keep walking. It turned darker and I started to worry a little. I was walking walking walking... and finally made it to the edge of the city. I didn't remember it's such a long road. More than 10 kilometers was my walk.

I was hitch-hiking for some time and two more girls came to hitch-hike. The place is great - street lights, wide road and where road get more wide, it's convenient for the drivers to stop. Girls were hitch-hiking without poster. And after 15 minutes or less they got a ride even though they were standing after me.

18:35 I was at the spot and around 19:45 I got a ride. Actually not that long waiting but in darkness it feels longer. The guy picked me up. It started raining (first rain. Liga got what she asked for in the summer - Rein was leaving and rain came instead). The car had Latvian license plate I said in Latvian I wanted to Estonia. He spoke to me in Russian and he went to Tartu. I had thought before I'll agree only with "Tallinn", and I was holding sign "EST" but Tartu sounded better than going back and waiting for a bus (it it goes at all) or staying another night in Riga (not that I didn't want to, but Monday is working day). So we went towards Tartu. He offered perhaps I want to stay in junction of road to Riga and E67 but waiting in total darkness didn't sound so great.
He also offered me to stay in Valga, but Valga... :-D

In Tartu he asked if I wanted to go to center or Tallinn - Tartu road.
I chose the road, because I knew Tartu people love to go to sleep early and the buses are not going to Tallinn any more. The driver made a big detour for me around Tartu and I was afraid he'll drop me few kilometers from Tartu in darkness at the junction but no, this was wise man and took me to closest bus stop (it was raining a little) where the street lights were. I was there about 11:15 P.M.

Before midnight I got a ride. Straight to Tallinn. The driver stopped, picked me up and asked if drivers are still picking people up that late in the evening... he was :-D
On the road to Tallinn there was really rare when cars were going. Next but was 3 o'clock in the morning.
I had really great conversation with this man. He even bought me tea at one stop. Firstly I noticed he was listening Russian speaking radio. It felt odd. Then I thought I just switched off my MP3-player were was also Dub Community Of Russia playing.
Later it came out his mother language was Russian and he learned Estonian after time service in army. His grammar was perfect and even pronunciation - without accent.
Only thing that he stumbled on was when he mixed up spring and summer - which comes first. But it was after midnight and it happens to everyone that simple thing confuse you.
I was at my place around 1:35 or so. He took me where I was living and making quite a extra trip for that. Great guy!

It's great going around and watching names of small places. Like Murjani (Latvia) (murjan = dirty person in Estonian old slang); Muusika (Estonia) = music; Plika (Estonia) little girl in slang; Rebaste (Estonia) Foxes' (village). Kõduküla (Estonia) Moulder village.
One car had license plate "THC".


Rein
10.03.2009
P.S. If you want to see rest of the pictures: RigaSpringLove


"Is TV imitating life or Life imitating television?" (stencil on the edge of Stenbock house (Government) in Tallinn.