Day 1, June 27-28
My dad, sister, and I woke up early to go to the airport on the 27. While at the airport, we made friends with an ex-marine and saw one of the draft picks of the NBA walk by Chili's, which was awesome. In addition to this, we did typical airport things: security, checking baggage, waiting around, etc.
Our first connection was to Chicago, then from Chicago to Helsinki, Finland. That flight was slightly miserable considering we didn't have individual TV's, the seats were uncomfortable, and 9 hours flights just suck, in general. However, my family and I did have a TV in front of us so we could watch movies that the pilot played for us. We got to watch American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook. Guess what?! Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence were in both of those movies! Coincidence? I think not. I liked Silver Linings Playbook the best.
From Helsinki, we had a short flight aboard a rickety plane to Latvia. I've never been on a plane with the propellor on the outside...but it didn't crash! It actually flew! We arrived in Riga, Latvia in no time at all.
Once we got to our hotel, our rooms weren't ready yet, so my dad, sister, and I went out to explore Riga and get some lunch. Riga is beautiful! The buildings are a mix of old and new and there's a ton of little shops. There's a lot of gardens, benches, and squares. It's kind of a blend of Italy and Germany. The people are gorgeous, too. The guys could be applauded for their attractiveness and the women look like those models you see on Pinterest. We had lunch in the middle of the square where we were serenaded by a bride-to-be at her bridal shower. She danced in the street playing her recorder, wearing a candy bra. Wow. After lunch, we came back to the hotel to take a nap. I was so jet lagged. Later that night, we walked around town and ate dinner at the hotel.
Day 2: June 29
This morning, my dad had his workshop where he taught other professors about measuring factors in business (we were in Latvia for a conference). Meanwhile, my sister and I got to sleep in and have breakfast downstairs which was surprisingly delicious.I had this chocolate thing that tasted like a donut and this crumb cake with apples and zucchini in the middle.
After breakfast, my sister, Claire and I came back upstairs to our room and hung out, waiting for our dad to come back. Once he did, we went to lunch at McDonald's. I know right. In Riga. I figured that if I spoke in a British accent when ordering I wouldn't look like a dumb American. I would look like a dumb Brit, instead. No offense to you Brits, out there! You guys aren't dumb! Neither are Americans! It was a joke-okay. Nevermind. Anyways, I was trying to practice my accent by my dad noogied me every time I did. Oops. For lunch I had a gross cheeseburger and fries. I also go this dragon toy that spins on a stick! After lunch, Claire got a key chain, I got a chocolate bar, and we went back to the hotel.
Once at the hotel, I watched "Love Never Dies", which was amazing. I've been dying to see it for the longest time. If you ever get a chance, watch the movie or see the show. It's amazing. At 4:30, we went on a tour with the people in my Dad's conference. We got to tour traditional Latvian houses and taste traditional Latvian food, which is definitely interesting. Me and my sister made friends with a 6'4'' guy from LA at dinner with the people at the conference. 
Seeing that dinner was a bit light, we went back to the hotel after and ate sausage with cheese and bread. That's the end of that day. Day 3: June 30
On this day, I woke up at what I thought was nine in the morning and got Claire up for breakfast. It turns out that my time was wrong and it was really eight o'clock, so I didn't have to rush her out of bed. Oops. Anyways! After breakfast, we came back to the room to wait for our dad to get back from the conference once again. When he came back, we went to lunch at the conference. I wasn't too impressed with the lunch, but the dessert was good. 
Following lunch, a speaker was giving a speech about satellites, but I regrettable fell asleep. I felt so bad, but it was really boring, and I was in food coma time. We went back to the hotel shortly after. I napped. After waking up from my nap, we went back to the university so my dad could go to the meeting. My sister and I just sat outside the meeting and hung out. We watched Phantom of the Opera on my kindle. I'm obsessed, as you guys know.
Day 4: July 1
This morning, we woke up at eight in the morning in which my dad, sister, and I had breakfast together downstairs. We had a train to catch at 9:40, planning to meet up with our new friend and his mom for some castle visiting.
Once we got to the castle, it was pouring. Actually, most of this trip was spent in the cold and wet. Anyways! The first castle we went to was really awesome. We got to try on some cool medieval armor and we got some great pictures from that. The first castle was a short visit.The second castle we visited was absolutely gorgeous. Despite the rain and dreary chill of the Latvian air, we had a good time walking and talking with our new friends up to the castle. Once we got there, we trekked up to the top of the tower. It was like...a lot of stairs. I felt like Hazel Grace in TFIOS. It was a climb. However, once we got to the top, it was absolutely stunning! There were several windows to which I could see out all sides of the tower. The view was of lush forestry, misty rivers, and rolling hills. Absolutely gorgeous. The rest of the castle was really nice, too. There were some neat exhibits displaying historical Latvian events.
After touring the second castle, we got lunch at an old cafeteria. It was a Soviet era cafeteria, so it was plain, basic, and functional. The food was really good, though! I got Schnitzel with potatoes. By this time, we were exhausted and took the train back into town. We spent a bit of time getting ready at the hotel before we went back out for our last dinner at the conference. We had dinner at a windmill restaurant with okay food and delicious dessert. I met a professor from Australia who told us about his beloved continent, and me and my sister played poker with our new friend. I'm bad at it. Well that was our last day in Latvia! As I am writing this, I am in Poland, and will be sharing a post about Krakow with you soon!
-Love Ling
No comments:
Post a Comment