Archive for the ‘Around Latvia’ Category
Latvian Spelunking
While the Mid-Atlantic States get pounded with a snow storm back home, we’ve also been getting a fair share of the cold, white stuff here in Riga. When that snow begins to melt, some of the buildings around town form some killer icicles. I mean literally, killer icicles. These things could be lethal should they happen to fall on an unexpecting passerby. As a result, sections of the sidewalks are taped off, and it’s not a rare site to see guys like this one, strapped into a harness, carefully climbing on rooftops shoveling away snow and knocking down precarious icicles.
Latvian spelunking
Daugava Crossing
It’s been cold here lately. Damn cold, in fact. So cold that the ice-fishers gather by the hundreds to sit on the frozen local rivers for hours each day. Incidentally, I’m always reminded of Grumpy Old Men whenever I think of ice-fishers.
On one of these bone-chilling days, I went for a walk across the frozen Daugava River, and here’s a short video of my crossing.
(note: excuse the cheesy music selection… but I’ve never been one to shy away from cheese, have I?)
It’s bobsled time!
Today, we took a trip to Sigulda and experienced their Olympic bobsled run. Now you could opt for the dinky padded sled on rails and go down that way, or you can choose to pay a little extra and go for the real thing in a real sled with a professional driver. Needless to say, adrenaline junkie that I am, I went for the real deal.
Oh my. What FUN! What a rush!! Whirring down the course, covering 1km in 48 seconds… that’s AVERAGING about 75 km/hour! As you whip around the corners, you can literally feel your spine compressing under the gravitational forces. The video may look to be in fast forward, but I assure you, it is real time. WOOOOOOOOOO WEeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…. so much fun!!!
A road trip to Liepaja
A couple weeks back, I took a trip with Mr. and Mrs. Boss-man and a fellow coworker on a drive across Latvia to the coastal town of Liepaja.
me at Liepaja (LEE-i-PIE-ya)
