Tomorrow I'm leaving for the trip of this summer - time to leave the comfort of my home and it feels even more comfortable than longings for traveling. 3 weeks I'll be on the road.
Here is the plan: tomorrow I'm leaving to Poland (bus ticket Riga - Poznan). From Poznan I'm getting to Szczecin and the journey can start. I'll meet my travel buddies in Poland where we are staying 4 days learning from each other: I don't really know what experiences the rest of participants of the project are expected to share and teach others, but my part is a hitchhiking class (that I'm going to prepare in the bus to Poland). As far as I know there are just some main things hitchhikers should take in account: smile, walk and talk, but of course there is more than enough to talk about up to 3 hours (what I'm expected to do). I'm excited to meet others who have similar experiences, although I'm kind of surprised that I was chosen for making hitchhiking class.
So, we will be 12 people there from 3 countries: Latvia, France and Portugal. Don't ask me - why, I don't know how this EU project was prepared, but I'm glad to be part of it. As far as I know the idea is discovering the differences between the Western and Eastern Europe, so we will be crossing that border all the way hitching and hiking: Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia and Italy. By the end of the project we are expected to meet in Trieste making a movie about the trip. I hope we will make a nice (although non-professional) movie, so I can show it to you too when I'm back. (No, this time I'm not hitchhiking also the way back, that will be Ryanair from Milan that will take me back). Oh, and we will travel in small groups of 2-3 people, meet in different cities on our way and change our travel buddies every 2 days. It sounds really great to me.
Before I leave: there is something you can read about Riga while I'm away. Destination Riga blog I discovered when a blogger from America - The Count - who is running this blog contacted me to meet somewhere in Riga. I'm glad he did it, because these were really nice two meetings I truly enjoyed. Latvians, you should at least try to be a little bit friendlier! It's clear that on loud weekend parties when the romantic Old Town turns into the world's party center (ok, I know that's a little bit too loud to say "world") we are open to everyone, but... there is something missing in daily life... The Count is in Riga now and sharing his daily experiences in his nice blog. Of course, I can't avoid telling you that the article he posted after our first meeting is warming my heart: Finding a Friend in Riga.
While I'm not here to report you what's going on in Riga, Destination Riga is a great chance for you to discover things I couldn't tell you simply because I see Riga by the eyes of a local, not tourist. For those who are willing to visit Riga - Destination Riga might be really useful.
I'm returning on 10th of September and planning to live these 3 weeks without checking my mails daily and without tweeting. Not a big deal, but I just wanted to add that you can still message me although most likely I'll answer only when I'm back.
Wherever you are, whatever you do - enjoy it! That's what I'm planning to do these 3 weeks.
Have a great trip Christine! I'm really happy we had the chance to meet twice, and it will be the best part of my adventure here for sure.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who's thinking about visiting Riga - Don't hesitate to contact your "Friend in Riga", Christine. She is a selfless person who knows a lot about Latvian culture and life. You don't have to be alone in the city. Of course, wait until she comes back from her trip :)