Monday was our very first full day in Riga, Latvia to adopt our two children living in an orphanage just outside of the city. Prior to coming to Latvia I heard a lot of people saying that I had to bring skinny jeans and boots, because that is what everyone wears there. If I didn't I was sure to get the "American" whispers and looks! I couldn't find my winter jacket when packing, so my friend Peggy lent me hers. Turns out it was the perfect jacket for this area, as everyone wears fur or faux fur on their jackets! I also broke out the furry hat my mom got me back as a teen, and it sure did come in handy! You wouldn't believe the get ups I see here. There is a very obvious age gap and style here. The older women here wear floor length real fur coats with furry hats. Always boots underneath. Women my age wear puffy jackets with faux fur and sometimes real fur around the hood, paired with either black tights, a skirt and boots, or skinny jeans or leggings with boots. Oh, and they mostly carry black handbags. It is very rare to find someone wearing tennis shoes. In fact I think since we have been here I have seen maybe one person! They are very stylish and there is a boot store literally on every corner!! Handbags and coats are some more stores that are on every corner. It is madness! I have never seen anything like it before. I think I look ridiculous, but seriously, this is a very typical get up! As for Tennyson, he looked like any other kid here. Keiffer... well, lets just say he gets some looks ;) Check out some pictures I snuck of people as they passed me!
We walked around and window shopped, and tried to find a good place to eat. We found a place that looked like a 50's style diner, and figured it a good way to ease our way into the culture here, with some familiar foods. The waitress spoke English, as do most people around here. English is a mandatory second language in school here, so the younger generations speak it pretty well, along with their native Latvian. They even had a menu in English, as have all of the other places we have eaten at since then. I ordered a soup that is a traditional Russian food. A dumpling soup with broth. I also ordered a greek salad, Keiffer a cheesburger, and the kids some mozzarella sticks. Our waitress brought us all the food except for the soup. I figured she had forgotten, and didn't remind her. I would just snack on what the kids didn't finish. So we were there for a long time, and were about to ask for the check as we stood to leave, and the waitress comes up and says joyfully, "Are you ready now for your soup?" Shocked I said, "Uh, no I'm okay". She looked at me like I was crazy and I said nervously, "What now? Um, okay" She then left and came back instantly with this big bowl of soup! At this point I was full and not in the mood to eat anymore. They had this little area for the kids to play, so we had already overstayed our time there. Keiffer and I were cracking up at how long our stay was there, and how they are definitely not on American schedules here! I ate the soup and it was delicious. Reminded me of the dumplings my Russian friend Katya makes for me back at home.
The city of Riga is over 800 years old, so it is mostly renovated buildings with shops lining the bottoms. It was very fun window shopping. As you can see, Tennyson was enjoying the view ;)
We walked toward downtown, which is the most touristy area, and only made it to the border, which is where this monument stands. It is called the monument of freedom and had two guards who stand guard for most of the day. They literally do not move a muscle.
There is a river that runs through the city and it was frozen! The temperature was around 19 degrees that day, and it was a beautiful site to see!
We saw kids sliding down hills on their feet and skating along the frozen ground. It looked really fun. Tennyson wanted to do it, but I wouldn't let him. He found a frozen patch on the sidewalk that suited him just fine.
I nearly had a heart attack as Tennyson was walking along the riverside that was entirely ice and dropped down to the frozen lake below. He got particularly close and I instinctively freaked out and ran to pull him away from the edge. Keiffer was laughing and teasing me at how I was overreacting, and I started cracking up, which then lead me to honest tears! All of the stress of being in a foreign country and being super protective of my children here, I guess I needed a good cry to release all of my anxiety!
We finally came across what I was drying to see, as other adoptive families had posted pictures on our adoption Facebook pages. The lock bridge! Off in the distance is a bridge which started off as a place that couples would bring a lock with their names engraved on it, lock it to the bridge, and throw the key into the river to signify their being bound to each other forever. It has turned into not only a place for lovers, but now a place for adoptive families to seal their love and their lives together as a family forever! It is our hope that when we come back for our second trip and after the court has granted us permanent custody of A & E that we will come here with our lock and demonstrate our family being locked together forever.
Tennyson was really enjoying himself, as Penelope stayed bundled up in the stroller. His favorite part was seeing all of the ducks near the river and breaking ice with his boots. Ah the little things. We stopped by two separate playgrounds on the way back to our apartment before we froze our tooshies off! It was a successful first outing in Riga!
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