Rachel, Ariana, and I had a fascinating journey over here...the first flight was full of Spanish youth
prattling away in rapid Spanish. Goodness knows how many times people assumed or asked if
we knew Spanish. I admired the beauty of these people and marveled that they do exist outside of
TV. Honestly, that's really how this whole journey feels so far. The Latvian people are beautiful,
too, in a different way.
Rachel and I ran into some challenges at the airport in Madrid. The men are cordial; the women
not so much. We had to take a subway type transport from point A to point B, then a bus from there
to point C. All this to discover that they wanted us to pay for 2 of our carry-ons. Yeah, thirty Euro for each
bag ($25). Rachel jumped through hoops for these people. We both went away in a bad mood.
Exhausted, we waited for our next flight. I found myself weary of Spain after our whole experience.
Don't get me wrong. The land and the people are gorgeous. We just had an airport experience, so to
speak. Our next flight went smoothly, also. There we had some lovely Latvian stewardesses. I slept
most of the time, and woke up stiff. However, when we landed on the strip, I was on the verge of
crying with joy. Elizabeth and Janis' friend Earnests and little boy Roberts came to pick us up, as
the Grinbergs had trouble with their car.
It's very quaint here. The houses remind me of what might be in England, to a degree. There are
SO many flowers here, and I'm amazed at how Westernized it is. I somehow imagined it to be more
rustic. Oh, and it's incredible how many trees there are!
Elizabeth left me a sprig of lavender on my pillow with a tag tied to it that says: "The Sweetest of
dreams to you." By my bed are a caramel chocolate bar and a journal. This struck me as so very
sweet and dear! She also gave Rachel and me each a rose.
Matthew, Elizabeth, Rachel, Daniel, Amelija, Ariana, and I walked into the town of Ogre today. I
went and exchanged some of my money, as did Rachel. We then went to the grocery store, a
consignment shop (Matthew watched Daniel and Amelija at the park), a place for lunch (Matthew
left to pick blueberries after this), stopped for ice cream (I had a scoop of chicory with a scoop
of chocolate on top), and then walked home.
That's just the beginning! I'm loving Latvia. It's worth all of the hassle just to be here. :)
It sounds like you have a very thoughtful,lovely hostess!:-) I love hearing all the details. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Shaina! This is Sarah commenting through mum's thing. Sorry you had an airport experience in Spain. Tell Elizabeth she's a darling and thank her for taking good care of my sister! :) Have heaps more fun!
ReplyDeleteHey Shaina! This is Jonathan commenting through Jonathan's thing. :p Sorry, just felt like being a goof. It's currently 2:06 in the morning and I'm wired on Starbursts trying to get school done. I can't wait for this week to be over and take away the algebra forever! I hope you appreciate how jealous all your friends are of you. :p :) I hope the rest of your trip goes way better than your experience in Spain. :)
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