Let's start from the end! The direct bus ride from Kyiv, Ukraine to Riga, Latvia takes almost 29 hours, crossing western Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania. After I bought the return ticket, the thought of this long trip would make me tired. Afterward, I realized that it depends on the traveler and the reason for the…Read more Homebound from Ukraine
Culture
Tell me your story: A sketch of Daugavpils
Lately, I cry at the most unexpected moments for the strangest reasons. Like staying at a hotel for two nights on a trip to Daugavpils, a city in the eastern part of Latvia. I put down the key card and did the routine check around the room like many, many times before. Nice decor, check!…Read more Tell me your story: A sketch of Daugavpils
Making this soul sing
Honestly, I should clean my desktop. Too many unused apps and files but one of these documents I keep in front of my eyes on purpose. An unused Ryanair voucher from an originally booked flight from Riga to Dublin last April. I was invited to a wedding, a real Irish wedding at a beautiful country…Read more Making this soul sing
That’s it! No resolutions but one!
I went to the farmer's market for the weekly shopping. Potatoes, carrots, apples, oranges... what else do I need for the last three days of 2019? Do I want to cook something? Not really! This is what happens when my husband is away during the holidays and I don't care if the fridge is empty.…Read more That’s it! No resolutions but one!
Off the beaten path or where in the world is Zumbrota
Last week there was an article in TIME magazine how Europe is overwhelmed with tourists. Particularly Italy, France, Spain and specifically some of the popular cities like Barcelona, Venice, Rome and Dubrovnik in Croatia. "Of the 1.3 billion international arrivals counted by the U.N. worldwide last year, 51% were in Europe. Americans, in particular, seem…Read more Off the beaten path or where in the world is Zumbrota
My Minnesota diary: Indians and cowboys
Every writer needs a break. After a busy year of university studies, I was deflated. Emotionally and mentally. Who wants to write a blog after staring at the computer screen for days and weeks and months? After a one month hiatus 'peaceroads' is back... the world keeps spinning and there is too much happening to…Read more My Minnesota diary: Indians and cowboys
My cheesy Christmas reflections on this beautiful mess
'Cheesy' in the urban dictionary means trying too hard. That which is unsubtle or inauthentic in its way of trying to elicit a certain response from a viewer, listener, reader, audience. Cliches are often cheesy because they are an obvious way of making a point. What obvious point I want to make? That this world…Read more My cheesy Christmas reflections on this beautiful mess
What is it to be?
99 years... old or young? There is a popular Latvian song about Latvia being too big to hug or cover with your blanket as you would for a loved one but it is too small to go alone in the big wide world. Similar metaphor can be used for these 99 years we celebrated yesterday…Read more What is it to be?
Martin Luther, Krišjānis Barons and my claim to fame
My parents could not pick the day I was born but my mom was always very proud of the date - October 31. She used to tell me that I was born on the same day as Krišjānis Barons (1835-1923), one of the most influential people in forming Latvian national identity and shaping cultural history.…Read more Martin Luther, Krišjānis Barons and my claim to fame
Beware of narrow vocabularies and two-dimensional world
The great "back to school" migration has begun... public transport packed with excited or anxious children, proud or worried parents and other happy or annoyed passengers who observe this happy noise and energy. In fact I am building up my own excitement for continued studies in Latvia University which begins on Monday. In Latvia (and…Read more Beware of narrow vocabularies and two-dimensional world
peaceroads 