Susan's Stories

The breakfast buffet was delicious, and I enjoyed sitting and talking with fellow group members. It looked like a cool but sunny day - 60 degrees.in the hotel conference room we met and learned from our speaker, a young man from the Eastern Europe Security Center who spoke to the topic: The Baltics at a Time of Uncertainty.  The three countries have greater trust in the EU than Germany, and when Putin invaded Ukraine the common question was "are we  next?" He talked about the good, bad, and ugly of the war in Ukraine. He also spoke about the unknown - China. We asked questions.  We then boarded our bus with guide for a bus and walking tour of Old Town. History was shared as we looked at Baroque and Rococo and Soviet style buildings.  We heard about the leadership of the country and learned there are 44 Roman Catholic churches in this city in a country which is over 75% Roman Catholic. We visited Baroque Saints Peter and Paul church; ornately decorated with sculptures...

It was 48 degrees, the sky was cloudy, it appeared foggy in the distance, and a light rain was falling. In fact it was like that all day until we were walking home from a restaurant where we had dinner. I wore a cardigan sweater over my top plus my warm jacket with hood plus my long raincoat with hood, and I am glad for having worn them all. En route 30 minutes to see the only castle on an island in Europe in Trakai the bus was heated, and that felt wonderful. We had a guide at the castle. It seems that Lithuania had grand dukes after a king in the Middle Ages died without heirs. This castle is red brick and has been restored after canons damaged it in the 1600s. Rooms, paintings, and display of armaments were made interesting by the verbal history we received from our castle tour guide. We had time to wander around until we gathered again, at which time Kristina gave us each a typical meat-filled dough pocket. It looked like a Cornish pasty and tasted the same - with meat and vegetabl...

The day began at the very modern Latvian National Library. The group moved on after putting things in lockers. For me three lockers didn't accept the one Euro coin. I just gave my things to the person in the cloak room. I could hear our guide but the group had already left to visit the conference center. I found a staff member, explained my need, and she took me up to the fifth floor where another group was meeting. We returned to the main floor, and I mentioned to her what our guide was saying, and the right group appeared. WHEW. We visited the 11th floor for a panoramic view of the city, old and new and the bay. Books are requested online and research is conducted here. We had a very good lunch together in Old Town and visited the University bookstore nearby. I learned that students don't use texts, rather they read their required materials onlin,  saving lots of money. We visited the outdoor Jewish ghetto with photos and dates and a box car and typical home of a Jewish famil...

The day began later than usual.  When the alarm went off at 6 AM I felt a slight twinge in my throat and decided to sleep until 7. When I awakened at 8 I realized that my alarm did not go off for some strange reason. I showered and dressed and ate a piece of black bread and cheese, a few pieces of canned peach, and some tea. I really wasn't hungry, and the throat twinge was no longer there. HURRAH. We met Kristine for an extensive walk through Old Town learning history as we looked at the architecture of Riga city, Parliament, Middle Ages Guild, Embassy and private structures and courtyards. Much of the history messages covered the 19th and 20th centuries.  Our walk concluded at the Freedom Monument, erected before WW2 and not destroyed by the Soviet Union after the war. The maiden Milda holds a ring above her head. The Soviets interpreted the monument to suit their propaganda; they also knew that the Latvian people had donated money to pay for the construction and rightly kne...

I wish I had brought heavy gloves, for a cool wind was blowing when we began our walking tour with Christine.  It was a surprise after being inside the hotel for the 80 minutes with 80 slides presentation by a Dane who works for the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. A lively presentation of the lives of Latvians compared with those of Estonia and Lithuania from many different angles was most enlightening. For example Latvia has more female executives than in any European country.  We then donned our audio devices and ear plugs and began walking in the cool wind around Old Town. A statue of the Bremen Town Musicians stands in front of a church, a gift from their sister city. An interesting feature is that the four animals are about to burst through an iron gate/curtain rather than a window. We saw a star on the steeple of a non-Lutheran Protestant/Presbyterian church, a cross on the steeple of a Roman Catholic church, and a rooster on the steeple of a Lutheran church. The ...

Our fabulous buffet breakfast in Tallinn began at 7 after we had left our suitcases outside our hotel room door. It was the final day, too, to see the soldiers from Germany having an early breakfast.  I learned they are here for eight weeks, the purpose - I would imagine is to provide some sort of support,  perhaps NATO. We departed by bus at 8 and made several stops until we reached our hotel in Riga, Latvia at 6:45 PM. The landscape was either fields for agricultural use or green pastures or woods or forests.  Crossing the border from Estonia was marked by flags, a place to park, thanks to the EU. Our lunch stop was in a country restaurant where we were served chicken breast in noodles with a flavorful brown sauce, and the dessert was a berry crumble. Around the building we watched men re-roof the building with small, regular pieces of pine wood, and overlapping one another. When done correctly the roof will last 40 years. We then moved on to a nearby castle, or rather ...

At 7 AM breakfast Heidi came to me with apologies for leaving me last evening. She stated that she and Phillip got lost returning to the hotel last evening and that she worried about me. I reassured her I made if back safely. Until we left for the Estonian Open Air Museum I took time to catch up on this blog. We traveled then by bus just outside of town to a forest in which a 48 acre Museum is located.  Deer and moose roam freely.  A bear was sighted last week. A Museum guide led us to a few buildings and explained their purpose. Thatched roofs, intricate merging of logs, creative warming without chimneys were some of the interesting learnings. The school was on reading, which was the focus of the Lutheran church, the dominant religion in the country. We had a lunch of meatloaf, baked potatoes, and greed salad with hemp seeds and a cream and berry mixture for dessert AFTER we witnessed a performance of seven locally- costumed singers and dancers accompanied by accordion. ...

Breakfast at 7 AM was a feast. There were aisles and counters filled with breads, cheeses, meats - hot and cold, vegetables, fruits, juices, hot beverages,  pancakes, and eggs in various forms, cereals, nuts, plus more which I probably have forgotten. I wore long pants and sweater and jacket with hood all day with some sun and wind. I missed wearing gloves or mittens! We met in the conference for general information from Christine and quick introductions before Dr. Raivo Vetik, professor of comparative politics at Tallinn University spoke to us about the Estonian Society and Politics in the New Geopolitical Context. He has taught at UC Irvine and leaves this week for a visiting professorship at Stanford. He is involved in UN and Estonian human development research. He spoke about the periods 1918-1940, 1991-, and the re-integration of the Russian-speaking residents of the country, about 20% of the population.  Types of citizenship, statelessness, and their meaning were also pr...

The day began as any Friday: 6 AM  3 mile walk, 7 AM exercising at Curves, 8 AM hand watering outdoor plants before the sun arrived and recommended two week shut-down of home watering systems, followed by the usual Chinese dumpling and fresh orange breakfast while watching public TV. Then things began to change. Well, the suitcase and backpack were already closed and waiting silently by the side door.  After showering and closing some windows it was time for Karin to arrive. We cared for indoor plants and reviewed some things about the house. She brought me to the nearby Metro station where the train to LA Union Station was waiting. The LAX Flyaway bus was also waiting. It departed filled with travelers. I felt overdressed and very warm for the weather. At LAX the Iberia Airlines line was very long.  I crossed my fingers and hoped the Finnair line which was very short would be the correct check in line. After all it was operating the Iberia flight. A good 45 minutes later...