Salvete from Latvia! Hello!
NORMANDY made the mistake of pulling in to Riga, Latvia on Tuesday...PAY DAY! So of course, we all had a ball! Before I get into the details of my adventures in Latvia's capital city, let me give you a little background on the city and country itself...
Riga lies on the Western Daugava River at the southern end of the Gulf of Riga. It's Latvia's largest city and the center of the country's shipping, accounting for half of Latvian industrial output (chemicals, electronics, industrial machinery, to name a few). Riga was founded by German crusaders in 1201 and Latvia became an independent nation more than 700 years later, in 1918. Riga was immediately declared the country's capital.; however, just 22 years later (1940) the Soviet Union seized Latvia. After the Cold War, Latvia broke away from the Soviet Union and gained independence for the second time in 1991.
At any rate, we finally pulled in after a very difficult Sea Detail. The original plan was only going to take three hours to get up the river to our berthing; however, terrible fog made the trip last over eight hours! We had to keep turning around because we couldn't see more than 200m off the bow of the ship. The transit into this port is very challenging, because the river is neither very wide nor is it very deep, so the slightest mistake could cause us to run aground! After the weather cleared enough for us to pull in, the port master told us that there had been a mistake and the water at the pier was not deep enough for our ship... We finally got divers in the water to reverify that we had enough room, and then we started in! Made for a very long day, but we got here safely, and that is what matters!
After pulling in, we onloaded some food and parts and then prepared for a reception for local officials and dignitaries! Once that was over, I headed out in search of food with some other Junior Officers. We were so exhausted from the long day that we simply got some Latvian pizza and beers and came right back to the ship to sleep! In the morning, we had to take sponge baths ("Navy Showers") because we still didn't have water hooked up....oh the luxuries of being on deployment! In the afternoon, we went on a tour of a region called Jurmala (pronounced Hurmula) which is a resort area on the Baltic Sea. Very different from anything we call a resort in America! The sea didn't have any waves and the beach was quite flat...and there were certainly no palm trees or tiki bars! We planned to wander around the town a bit, but there wasn't much to see and do, so back on the bus to Riga. Once in Riga, we searched out a traditional Latvian restaurant and sat down to a wonderful meal. I was expecting to find something bland and along the lines of sauerkraut and sausages, but was surprised to find the food very well seasoned and flavorful...grilled chicken kebabs, sauteed veggies, and wonderful baby potatoes roasted in something yummy! We wandered around Riga some more, looking for trinkets and souvenirs, but I couldn't find anything that tripped my trigger, so after mailing postcards, meeting up with some other people for drinks and a late dinner, we came back to the ship! We'd planned to also go to the opera, but turns out it was a ballet last night, and it wasn't the Latvian ballet company, so we opted not to go....another time perhaps!
Anyway, that is it for now!
Valete (Goodbye!)
Kate
