My spirits have risen from the low I found myself in at the beginning of the week. I've been spending a lot of time in cafes, eating at a few favorite spots and walking around discovering the amazing Art Nouveau buildings that this city has to offer. Everywhere I look, there are incredible buildings faced with intricate decals and facades – even in the most obscure alleyways. I never knew that Riga was such an artistic center in the early 20th century. From what I understand, most of the city was bombed out during the Second World War and has been more or less rebuilt to what it was before. Because of all the Art Nouveau, the 'old town' area is a UNESCO World Heritage site. If there's anything I've learned during this time in Estonia and Latvia, it's about the remarkable come-back that these countries have made after being completely obliterated during the 20th century. Latvia has only recently (in the last 20 years) come away from Soviet control and even though their economy is suffering quite severely, there's a lot to be said for the endurance and determination of Latvian people. Having grown up when and where I did in Canada, I have never witnessed anything like what people my age and older have seen in Eastern Europe. I feel so incredibly lucky that my biggest worry these days is where to find the cheapest flight and which cafe has both wireless internet and good coffee. At the same time, a very guilty feeling hits home when I realize that most people in this country have lost one or many loved ones at the hands of human cruelty.
Moving on to lighter things, there's more to Latvia than just its pastries. Disco music is still alive and happening. Even just now in this cafe, a song called “Disco Lady” is playing – I can't help but bob along. In fact, I'm tempted to use my 'disco dancing' techniques learned from that Finnish video I included in a previous update. Most night clubs sport the name “discoteck” (spelled in a variety of hilarious ways) on their signs and I can hear pumping disco beats from the club downstairs when I'm trying to fall asleep at night. This brings me to my next subject: living in a hostel.
One day I will write a full article about living in hostels, but for now I will gloss over a few things to give the reader a mere glance inside hostel living conditions. Now, don't get me wrong, this hostel is great when compared to those in say, the Ukraine, where guests are lied to regarding pre-paid reservations, taken advantage of and told to pay for broken items that they did not in fact break (I've heard horror stories even worse than these!) The transient atmosphere of a hostel allows one long-term guest to meet up to 100 people in the course of one week. You can imagine how tiring this can be and so a hostel is generally split into a few subgroups of guests. I will profile a few that I've encountered this past week though there are far more varieties than the 3 that follow:
The short-term die-hard party animals – these travelers come in packs of 2 to 4 people and usually travel from their homes to the destination and then back again – they only spend up to 4 days on the vacation itself and are usually dreading returning to work in a few days. The party animals' only goal is to drink as much as possible and take in a good portion of the city's 'rockin' party scene' before returning home. The 'tourist' portion of their vacation includes asking other travelers for suggestions on which local cafe serves the best hangover breakfast and where they can get the cheapest beer. They generally only come out at night and can be seen on their departure date slogging out of the hostel with a backpack and a large bottle of water in tow.
The worn-out solo world traveler – This variety of guest usually comes alone or in pairs (however, by this point they're usually so sick of each other that they are both wishing they were alone). She has been traveling for at least over 6 months now and has been in so many hostels that she quite frankly isn't surprised by anything. Most solo world travelers have incredible stories to tell, but are so tired of relaying them over and over again that they just sit quietly in the common room and write in their travel journals. These guests are not interested in partying because they're on a budget and have resumed an 8 hour sleep schedule by now that helps to build some routine into their traveling lives. If you can get into the solo world traveler's bubble, you'll be inspired and awed by what they've done – but good luck getting in.
The awkward lost soul – this guest is likely to be found in the common room listening to everyone's conversations (regardless if they understand the language or not) and laughing along when the conversation calls for it. You can identify the awkward lost soul very quickly, just look for the person who everyone is avoiding talking to and making eye contact with. It's not that they are dangerous – they simply have too much of a story to tell. You can never get a straight answer out of the lost soul, mostly because they don't have one. Their story (and even personality) changes daily, and even hourly. This guest has probably been staying at the hostel long enough to manage it and they've got quite the set-up around their bottom-bunk bed. It's doubtful that you can help the lost soul “find themselves” and so it's best to be polite but don't accept their invitation to play that game of chess.
Riga Coffee Update: Coffee here is delicious! Drip is rare and espresso-drinks are all of very high-quality. A latte can run you from anywhere between $2 and $4.50 Canadian, but it's worth it!
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