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The first time
I was in Latvia was with Otto on our way to Estonia
in March of 1992. There were no highways, no roadsigns, no tank-stations and
no street lighting outside the cities. I remember getting hopelessly
lost on the backroads, while one of us did the driving and the other
one would be peering in the dark, trying to see where the road would go
and if there weren't any unexpected obstacles like hay carts without
lights. In the back we had five jerrycans of Polish diesel that smelled like
hell, but could bring us all the way back to Holland. We made it through the
country in one night.
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Some years later I had met a Latvian girl who invited me to come over
to visit Riga. This time there were not only roadsigns, but fancy restaurants,
hip bars, mobile phones and traffic jams. In seven years since independence
the country had changed dramatically, from a Soviet colony to a Westernised
country, exchanging one set of problems for another.
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In Riga some restauration had begun and a few of the most beautiful Art Nouveau
buildings were looking like new.
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Even
with all the changes, evidence of the recent Soviet occupation
is still everywhere. On this day flowers were laid at the
Freedom Monument for the people that got deported to Siberia. At the
same time you have members of the Russian minority in Latvia
demonstrating for their rights and right-wing Latvians commemorating
their Nazi war-heroes. Fortunately most
people are looking into the future and have their focus on jobs
and the rising price level and the day unfolds in quiet respect of
people that gave their lives for what they believed in.
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Aside from
the capital city Riga, the country is almost empty. Amidst endless forests
and farmlands, people live in small towns and villages. In the modern economy,
unfortunately there is little room for such an idyllic scene and you can see
a lot of poverty in the countryside. The people are still extremely friendly
and if you don't watch out, will invite you into their house for a drink or
a meal.
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