travel wedding latvia – TLB Entries

Adventures in Latvia – days 5 and 6

Tiffany Broadbent Beker — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:56:57 +0000

The next morning we caught a cab out to the reception hall for the post-wedding breakfast and to say our goodbyes. There was still some alcohol left over so Dita proceeded to distribute the bottles to the remaining guests, I received a bottle of champagne which is now tightly packed in my luggage, Jim got both a bottle of vodka and a bottle of brandy.

Once we said our goodbyes and thank yous we got a ride back to our hotel from one of Laura’s friends we killed some time and went across the bridge to a little bar Jim had found that had great French fries with a very tasty dill and garlic dipping sauce. We caught our minibus to Riga promptly at 1555 and after a very bumpy ride down the A9 we were dropped off by a beautiful brick building in downtown Riga around 1930. Not sure where we were dropped off exactly we had seen signs for the train station so we walked ten minutes or so through the town market (which unfortunately was already closed for the night) and found an information office where we asked for directions to the hotel, turns out the hotel was right around the corner from thebuilding we were dropped off at, oh well. So we made our way back towards the hotel, checked in, then met back up at 2030 to find dinner. We walked into the Old Town, past some beautiful churches and winding streets and, after a bit of wandering, found one of the restaurants that had been recommended to us by the hotel.

It was in the basement of a building right across the street from the grand National Opera House and was definitely worth the walk. Jim, Jeremy and I had pints of local beer and we started the meal off with amazing garlic bread that Jim had recommended we get. It was different than anything I’d ever had before. It was a dark bread permeated with garlic then (my best guess is) deep fried so the outside was crisp but the interior was still soft then all of it was sprinkled with sea salt and served with a dill butter sauce. YUM. We were also given a bread basket with a traditional (according to our server) side of some kind of bacon and onion spread, also very good. Jim and I split a bowl of cream of potato soup with chantrelle mushrooms and smoked eel (tasty), and for my main course I had salmon with dill potatoes and white asparagus. I really love how they prepare potatoes here, they’re buttery but not oily and slightly crisp on the outside, need to figure out how to replicate that at home.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep and then met up for breakfast at 8 the next morning. At breakfast they had really tasty eggs that were a combination of an omlette and a fritatta, they were served in square slices and were golden brown on top and fluffy inside, very tasty and one more thing I’d like to figure out how to do at home.

We met up with our airport taxi at 9 and have been waiting for the Lufthansa desk to open for checkin (there aren’t any Lufthansa-specific desks, they just open at some point before a flight leaves). It looks like they may be opening the desk now (it’s 1130, our flight is at 1335) so I will finish up and see everyone back in the States!

It has been a wonderful trip, a beautiful wedding, and I’m so glad we were able to make it out. Next will be sorting through the 1500+ pictures I’ve taken

Adventures in Latvia – day 4 part 3

Tiffany Broadbent Beker — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:40:56 +0000

So once Robert and Laura got into the car (the same gold limo from earlier, found out it was a Lincoln Towncar) we were told we could either go straight to the reception place or follow the couple on their “wedding journey”. Happily our ride opted to go on the journey, so many of the guests walked down to the end of the church driveway where we encountered a barrier made out of flowers and a group of neighbors standing around waiting. When the couple drove up they stopped at this “Gate of Honor” and were instructed by one of the neighbor women that they had to solve a small puzzle before they could pass. It was two paper hearts that had been cut into jigsaw puzzle pieces. After about five minutes, and the whole bridal party’s input, they weren’t able to figure it out and the woman said “I will let you figure this out later” and they were moved to their next task: Laura had to braid the hair of one of the young neighbor girls while Robert chopped a birch log into firewood (thankfully Robert grew up in the country and knew how to chop firewood). Once that was complete they were presented with a small basket full of grain and mixed in were many small coins, the bride and maid of honor were pitted against the groom and best man to see who could find all of the change first…we’re not actually sure who won this one but in the end Jim ended up with a big handful of change with bits of grain all over that he carried around for the rest of the journey. After this they were allowed to pass and return to their car, although they only got about a dozen yards before they were met by another gate of flowers, singing neighbors, and an accordion player.

For this Gate Robert was given an even bigger log to chop for firewood while Laura had to prepare a meal, beginning by slicing cucumbers and tomatoes (keep in mind this is all in the middle of the church driveway). The log was so big (and the ax was a bit dull) that Robert wasn’t able to chop it for Laura to use to cook the “dinner” so Jim went to the car and grabbed the bundle of firewood from the previous gate to use in lieu of that log. Robert then proceeded to successfully make a fire for Laura to use to “cook” the small fish she was given. Once the meal was finished to the neighbors’ satisfaction they were allowed to head on to the main road.

Adventures in Latvia – day 4 part 2

Tiffany Broadbent Beker — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:37:30 +0000

So once we made it out of Liepaja we drove through the countryside for twenty minutes or so before pulling into a driveway to a small Methodist chapel tucked in the woods (Laura and many of her friends are Methodist and worked at the nearby Wesley Camp during the summers). The church was all concrete and built in the early 1900s and had been seized by the Soviets and used as a gymnasium but when Latvia regained it’s independence the church reclaimed the building (if you could prove ownership of a building then you could reclaim it).

The inside was decorated with flowers and small saplings that Laura’s parents had cut the day before so it almost felt like you were outside. When the ceremony started Robert walked in followed by Jim and Laura’s little brother Marecks, then the bridesmaids, then Laura, escorted by Pastor Joe, an American who had worked with Laura for many years at the Wesley Camp (her stepfather was too shy to escort her). The ceremony was a pretty traditional Christian ceremony, with readings from the Bible which the Latvian pastor would say then Laura’s friend Gunta would translate to English. At the end was the traditional kiss and then everyone went outside and took pictures, not just the bridal party but each guest got to take photos with the bride and groom in front of the chapel. Then everyone began the journey to the reception hall, and that is the next post