For many years, I wanted to visit the Baltic countries. Three small countries finally gained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991.
Living in Sweden thirty-five years ago, I accompanied the oldest son in sixth grade to Tallinn, Estonia, shortly after the liberation. The variety of food was scarce, and everything seemed poor. After all these years of independence, I am sure the living standard has risen.
Last year, at a Half Marathon race in Copenhagen, I noticed a young man in a National Latvian outfit handing out postcards with invitations to run a half marathon in Riga in October 2023.
I was excited to finally take the chance to see another capital city in a Baltic country. Having come home to Denmark, I am still high from all the impressions.
Latvia has a highly complex history. Germans, Swedes, Poles, The Russian Empire, the Nazies and the Soviet Union have ruled them. They finally gained independence after the First World War, only to lose it again before the Second World War.
The old city of Riga is from the Middle Ages and has buildings from different periods and styles. Some were destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt in their former splendour. Several parks and canals cut through the old city, adding to the beauty.
Unforgettable were the conversations we had with Latvian people. They were highly educated in language and culture, history and art and still humble and honest about the dark sides of their history.
Many road reparations occurred in the inner city, but many house facades a bit further out were worn and look unattended through the last hundred years.
We felt safe everywhere in the city and on public transportation. Musicians were performing in the streets and underground passages, collecting some money.
