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The apartment was one which Silvija's parents have been
renting for a number of years whenever they visit. And there was a new neighbor
down the block, a new IBM office building. Now, if they were only hiring...
as it turns out, a year later they were, but Peters couldn't make the
four-year commitment.
It was a spacious home base, an apartment from the "Ulmana
laiki" (between WWI and WWII) complete with a little balcony off the kitchen.
We would congregate there in the evening, it was coolest place in the
apartment.
Our first stay really together, here, was especially
poignant for Silvija, who had given up the thought of ever sharing Latvia with
someone special in her life. As for Peters, spending more and more of his
vacation in Latvia every year, he had just figured it would continue that way.
After all, it's not always easy to find someone who would share his passion for
Latvia as a top vacation destination! It just goes to show, never predict what
can't happen! |
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Awaiting us (at Peters') were a beautiful congratulations card, champagne with glasses, and a magnificent floral arrangement. The flowers came with us to the apartment and delighted us, radiating with resplendence and rich perfume. Peters' cousin Gaida works at a florists—she really outdid herself. |  |
Silvija fancies herself a pretty good card player. Peters could certainly attest to being trounced at gin on numerous occasions. So it was high entertainment for him when Silvija's dad, the acknowledged gin expert, trounced her. And more than once. Peters just laid back on the couch (and this is the couch's eye view!) and enjoyed the show. |  |
A short walk down the street on Zaubes iela was a little cafe. It didn't have any Latvian beer, but at least there was an all-night store close by where you could get your own on the way home. Silvija's dad liked the place, they had really tasty kiplok maizites (garlic toast). One evening we had a "guest" join us to discuss politics, the rating of gold purity by percentage versus karat, and observe that the night was still young. |  |
As cloistered as Latvia can still seem, sometimes, there is one passion they share with all Europeans. Almost everyone has a Princess Diana book. It doesn't matter if you are fairly well off (like the people who owned the apartment rented out for the trip), or if you just get by on your pension, like Peters' late cousin Janis' wife, Ruta. |  |
Under DIANA, the title reads Her True Story Told in Her Own Words. |  |
Silvija's dad has some difficulty getting around, especially with a bad knee. So, if we were going someplace and he stayed behind, he'd have a full schedule of visitors already set up. Our grand event, though, was inviting over and hosting both of our relatives and friends—even meeting some Internet buddies for the first time—to meet and celebrate our marriage. Unfortunately, we ate most of the piragi we baked (in the incredible heat!) before the party, so there weren't enough left to put out for the guests! |  |
Some of us were more bashful than others. There seems to be a bit of occasional photophobia running in Silvija's side of the family! Fortunately, this wasn't our only picture of Silvija's cousin, Anda. |  |
Anda's daughter Kristine (and Silvija's goddaughter) was much less bashful,
as you see here. Yes, the fan intrudes on the picture, but it was the only way
to stay cool—and there was no way we were going to move it (since there was
no other place to plug it in!) It's only the camera that makes
the fan look like it's not running. |
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