Do you have a wish list of influential people you would like to meet? High on my list is Vaclav Havel. I wish I could have met him as his prophetic wisdom is on my mind ... This goes out to everyone flirting with authoritative regimes and ideas where truth does not matter, where freedoms…Read more More than a Wikipedia fact in postcard from Latvia
Memory
An inspiring day at the cemetery
Some may consider it morbid but Latvians like their cemeteries. Of course, not all Latvians and there is an ongoing debate why we pay so much attention to our grave sites and what does it say about our psyche and values and so forth. Even though things are changing, most people still choose to be…Read more An inspiring day at the cemetery
Lest we forget…
"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." (Edmund Burke) Beautiful October day and I am enjoying my morning coffee. Checking the news, Facebook, e-mails... thinking about something fun to do later in the day. I was planning to write my weekly blog about something fun, too. I thought to myself - enough…Read more Lest we forget…
By losing our neighbors we lose a part of ourselves
I continue to reflect on my recent trip to Ukraine. Particularly the city of Lutsk, the regional center of Volyn province. It is a very nice, slow paced city in northwestern part of Ukraine with very fascinating story. It has a beautiful old castle and lots of other interesting cultural, historical and architectural sights. But…Read more By losing our neighbors we lose a part of ourselves
These stones make me stumble
I am from a city that still has cobblestone streets. These roads in Riga are not the most comfortable for riding a bicycle or walking with high heel shoes (women in Latvia do it anyway) but they are beautiful. The old stones make you think of previous generations, even centuries and people who walked here.…Read more These stones make me stumble
Growing up in the Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors
Often people ask me what was it like to grow up in Soviet Union? What kind of childhood I had and how did it compare to the way they imagined it. They want to know the story behind the story. Winston Churchill coined the phrase "Iron Wall". Of course, there was a literal wall in…Read more Growing up in the Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors
Why is Angelina Jolie causing a traffic jam in Battambang?
It turns out I have a few things in common with Angelina Jolie. She is in Cambodia and I am, too. She was in Battambang and I was there, too. She was shopping at the Night Market in Siem Reap and I was, too. She is researching the Khmer Rouge regime and the genocide of…Read more Why is Angelina Jolie causing a traffic jam in Battambang?
The old man who is still looking for peace
You never know who you may meet while traveling. Last week I spent some long hours on the plane from Riga - Moscow - Bangkok. Sometimes you have an encounter and think, "Interesting timing! Why am I meeting this person here and now?" When boarding the plane in Moscow, I noticed that I would sit…Read more The old man who is still looking for peace
Tale of two cities
What does Coventry, England and Dresden, Germany have in common? Beauty, life and forgiveness out of ashes and destruction! I like history. Blame it on my dad who should be a history teacher. I just wish I had my dad's memory for facts and dates and names and places. You know how they say that…Read more Tale of two cities
peaceroads 