Russia was a rush due to Visa constraints and last night I hopped a train across the border into Latvia to the city of Riga. Riga was completely off the radar for me until I looked for an overland way out of Russia. Belarus and the Ukraine involve visas and I didn’t have enough time for St Petersburg where I could have crossed further north into Estonia.
The border crossing into Latvia was a breeze and I had no problem getting an exit stamp even though I did not register within three days of arriving in Russia. I had been informed that the law had recently changed and unless I spent more than 7 days in one place I did not have to register with the government. It seems like the new law is not very well known so I expected at least a little bit of questioning upon leaving. I had been advised to hang on to receipts to prove whereabouts etc. but I wasn’t asked for anything more than my passport at the border. I noticed all of the border officials were kind of young which is a good thing in Russia. The younger officials don’t seem to be too caught up in the old Soviet ways. Also, they’re probably not as corrupt.
For me Russia was a nice surprise. Language was a real issue, probably more so than anywhere I’ve traveled, but it was still easy to break the ice with a couple of phrases from my book and see that Russians are pretty darned nice and friendly. Surprisingly so. Everywhere I stayed I wished I could have stayed longer.
My last stop in Russia was Moscow. Red Square along with the Kremlin are quite impressive, however, I didn’t really feel an attraction to the city beyond that. Most backpackers feel the same way but rave about St. Petersburg which I didn’t have time for. Aside of Red Square I found the Lenin mausoleum to be a bizarre and fascinating attraction. In the Mausoleum you can see the actual preserved corpse of Lenin himself with one hand frozen in a fist and the other hand palm down flat as he’s dressed in his usual historical attire.
Upon entering the somewhat 70’s gaudy granite block like structure resembling a small Aztec temple your coldly welcomed by intimidating stone faced guards right out of the cold war era. The only sound you hear is the harsh snap of a finger as particularly scary official keeps the line moving quickly. Lenin himself appears remarkably well preserved. Sharp soft lighting bathes him like an angelic figure that demands to be remembered but it comes off more as a novelty attraction than anything. Well, at least that’s my take on it.
While in China I saw Mao Zedong in similar fashion. Although it seemed a little bizarre as well there is still a great regard for Mao in China therefore it definitely felt different. In Moscow I didn’t feel the same regard for Lenin and quite frankly I don’t think the people of Russia today really give him too much thought. However, I could be wrong. It’s just my impression.
Riga is a lovely city. It’s old, clean, nice, not expensive and every bit Europe. For me this kind of marks a point of "Mission Accomplished". I’ve been on the road for exactly 3 months as I passed through China, Mongolia, and Russia which was my goal. All three countries had their own kind of challenges that you need not worry about in Europe. China is exotic, Mongolia is wild, and Russia is Russia. Riga in fresh, trendy, and all about Easy.
For this trip difficult travel is over as far as I’m concerned. Europe is Western culture. Same, Same and not all that different from what I’m accustomed to back in the states. Today it seems like most everyone under 30 speaks English to some degree in the European cities and is happy to do so unlike France where they speak English but want you to try and speak French first. In Riga English is just fine. No problem.
I booked a spot at a hostel in a 4 bed dorm while in Riga. The way you get to it is very easy and kind of funny. From the train station walk out across a square and head to McDonalds. Walk into McDonalds and look for a door to a stairway. Go up to the 3rd floor and wait to be greeted by two friendly young tall blond haired women while new alternative music booms in the background. The place is very modern, trendy, and well managed with an excellent staff. It obvioisly caters to the 20 something traveler but it's not a party house from what I can tell.
I plan to spend a couple of days in Riga just hanging out and catching up with the blog. There have been many things I’d like to write about and photos to post but the last two weeks haven’t really allowed too much for the luxury. Until today I wasn’t too sure what I’d be doing with the remainder of the summer in Europe but this afternoon I came up with a plan. I’ve decided to return to a particular Chateau in France and volunteer again for the European Yoga Festival as I did last year. The fact is, after 3 months on the road, I’d kind of like to stay put for a little while. At the Yoga festival I’ll pitch my tent and reconnect with friends I met last year. Also, I won’t spend a dime for three weeks while I detox on healthy food, yoga, and meditation in between set up duties.
In the next few days I’ll make my way to Budapest to catch a ride with a friend from last year’s festival. From there we will drive to France. It seems like the perfect thing for now and I’m really looking forward to it. In the meantime I’ll enjoy a little bit of Eastern Europe.
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