Derek and I came home from Europe still afflicted with an urge to explore, so we did some exploring of our home and found some real gems. Most of these pics are from a pair of museums on Stanford’s campus (Cantor & Anderson). They’re free with free parking on the weekends and the spaces are just beautiful. We were surprised to find Pollock, Rothko, and ‘The Thinker’. The last pic is from the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. This museum is small but well done and I bought a garland of felted morning glories in their gift shop.
I bought this dress from ASOS and never found an occasion to wear it for an entire year, then I lugged it through Norway so I could wear it to the wedding. And it was perfect. Also, Derek is wearing avocado socks.
The whole reason we came on this amazing trip is because we wanted to see our friends get married. They’re both Latvian (now in the US) and they met in grade school in Riga. The wedding was small, heartfelt, and full of ppl from all over the world. Every word of the ceremony was translated to either Russian or English. I cried, I laughed, I haven’t danced so much since high school homecoming. Beautiful.
We thought Riga’s cathedral was good, but St. Peter’s was really special. You ride a hot, crowded elevator (terrifying, really) up to the roof and you’re rewarded with these amazing views of Old Town Riga. And when we went into the church proper, we found an amazing textile exhibit (pic 5) with work by Latvian artists.
One of the things Riga is known for is its Art Nouveau architecture, which is fascinating and beauuuutiful. We seriously underestimate how psychologically beneficial it is to be surrounded by good design. Plus, there’s something about those screaming heads poking surreally out of walls.
Two beautiful, romantic places: House of the Blackheads, a historic merchants’ guild hall, and Black Magic, a bar/chocolatier/witch’s guild
Latvia! For those who aren’t familiar with this small country (like I was when we started planning), it’s in Eastern Europe, sharing borders with Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, and Belarus. Its western border is on the Baltic Sea. Impressions: well-preserved, beautiful city, cleaner than the US (like it was in Norway, littering is far less common). Cab drivers are cranky, but everyone else is pleasant. It rains a lot, but rarely for long, and the sunny days are lovely. I didn’t need anything warmer than a trench coat. People speak English, Latvian, and Russian, and you can find some combo of these in writing everywhere. Russian is spoken bc of Latvia’s former occupation by the USSR, but now they’re making a real effort to make Latvian the dominant language. They’re in the EU and use euros as currency. Food and lodging are cheaper than average for Europe, but not by much. If I could snap my fingers and change two things about Riga (the capital, which we did not leave during our week here): 1) a train from the airport to the city, and 2) everyone would stop smoking, or at least start vaping. Pics: me in a coffee shop bathroom, the Freedom Monument, the park across the street from our hotel, Riga Cathdral, and Cask of Amontillado vibes.
More from Trondheim: Nidaros Cathdral, the royal residence (Stiftsgården), and some amazing rugs we liked at the National Museum of Decorative Arts
An amazing water park we visited in Trondheim. Totally indoor, very clean, warm water. There were 3 slides, 5 diving platforms, at least 5 separate pools, a little lazy river, a climbing wall (you can see it in the background of Pic 1 - it was hard!), and an inflatable glacier (Pics 2/3) that I proudly climbed twice. I love swimming, but there are few water parks that meet my standards for cleanliness and adult-friendliness. Atlantis in the Bahamas is probably the best I’ve seen, but I thought about how $$$ it was the whole time we were there, which dampened the experience somewhat. Comparatively, this park was very affordable, but it was overrun by unsupervised tween boys who dominated some of the attractions through sheer numbers. I would pay double for a single adults-only hour. 🏊🏼‍♀️
The delightful city of Trondheim, which, despite the fjords and puffins of Lofoten, was my favorite place in Norway. It’s small and walkable, yet there’s tons to do. There’s a great mix of nature vs urban and new vs old. Something about this place was just very comfortable.