This is is a different journey. Of course, I travel as always to explore. But this time, there is a deeper meaning. On road for Stichting Chica, a foundation I became recently a board member of. The foundation supports several schools in Uganda and we are about to visit each one of the projects. Our […]
Suitcases are packed, we checked in at the airline. But before we left Tallinn, we brought a visit to the KUMU in the Kadriorg quarter, just a quick tour of one hour through Estonian art. Interesting was the combination of international trends and new art styles in paintings and plastics with the historic influences different […]
The morning started with a quick tour to the festival field for the singing contests. That is quite an issue in the Baltic States! Somehow to compare with the Olympics. The Baltic Singing contests are once in 5 years, prepared through regional contests and national contest. Only Baltic groups can participate: singing, dancing, instrumental groups, […]
Some confusion. Thought, we had our night stay in the Lahemaa National Park. Seems we had still a few km to drive over there. Our first stop was at the stone museum at the Finish Bay. Stone museum means, the stones lie in nature, numbered, registered and explained. Didn’t see much more of the park. Next […]
Leaving Riga, our next stop was in Gauja National Park. Especially, the part of Turaida castle and the park around it was very beautiful. There was so much to explore, so much to re-adjust pre-assumptions and insights. Loved it! The little church, the terrain where women sing, the old castle itself. And also the view […]
In the morning, the group went off for a visit to the Jugendstil quarter, for once I stepped out of it, did some work and, actually, enjoyed the tranquillity of some lone-time. Of course, I did not wanted to miss the organ concert in the oldest cathedral of the Baltic states, the St. Marien Dom. […]
Shortly after the border, we visited the amber information center, walked along the beach and tried to catch some amber ourselves. Quite funny, fine to be out of the bus for a while. Baltic Landlord: ‘Das Leben zu geniessen ist der Vernunft Gebot: man lebt ja nicht so lange und ist so lange tot.” Kuldiga […]
The Lithuanian saga says about amber: The stones are tears of a girl, who’s husband was killed by her brothers because they didn’t belief her sister could be happy in her marriage on the bodem of the sea. Another tale is: amber arrives from a demolished palace of the sea god by the god of […]
We started with a workshop in amber art. First learned about the source of amber and how to distinguish from artificial once. We even tasted amber liquor (not a recommendation, from my side). First level workshop is about to learn how to polish a piece of amber. We got a certificate for that! (Next step […]
We stopped at the old fortress, which is beautiful restored. Next to it two convents to be find. The buildings, like everywhere, had several purposes through the centuries, depending on who had sayings over all: convent, residence, school, and seminar… The city hall is an interesting building. Mostly baroque. The backside has some similarities with […]