Latvian Easter Stories from Scotland and Elsewhere

Happy Good Friday everyone! Easter is a time of year when I really miss home. Latvians have some fantastic traditions, some weird but all wonderful, to mark the occasion. Last year I already managed to share my joint favourites with you: egg dyeing with onion skins and egg fighting. So for 2012 you get my second favourite…

Photo courtesy http://www.latvia.travel

Latvians believe that, in order to protect yourself from being attacked by mosquitos during the summer, you must swing on Easter Sunday. And so it is that giant wooden swings take centre stage at many public Easter celebrations to this day, where locals queue up to protect themselves from mozzies, driving the repellent industry into the ground.

Over the past 6 years that I’ve been away from Latvia during the Easter period, I’ve found myself in some rather bizarre situations. A few times I’ve had to resolve to swinging from tree branches due to a lack of real swings in the vicinity.

My most remarkable Easter adventure, however, has got to be two years ago on Canadian soil. A group of us had taken a road trip to Green Gables, Anne’s house on Prince Edward Island. It felt like we were the only people around for miles yet somehow we returned to our parked car only to discover three bags had disappeared. And so Easter was spent on a sombre note, drinking to the loss of a few iPods, cash, Mexican and Polish credit cards and a pair of glasses that left my dear Miss Polish Travelling Buddy having to wear prescription sunglasses at all times of the day. Needless to say we still managed to laugh at the whole thing after our initial shock had passed!

Proof that we were the only people around for miles!

Oh gosh, and how could I forget my Icelandic Easter adventure in 2009? Freezing our butts off with Miss Red Headed Lithuanian, but warming the cockles of our hearts with fresh fish stew, live music by FM Belfast at Aldrei For Eg Sudur Festival in Isafjordur and a swim at the local hot spring.

Rocking our socks off at Aldrei For Ef Sudur

Do you celebrate Easter with a bang? Share your favourite traditions and let me know if you’ve ever found yourself in an odd situation or if it’s really only me who has such random Easter stories to tell.

– Miss Red

Vintage Online? Look No Further

Fancy a unique new piece of clothing? Look no further, my new online business has been born. The project is a joint venture with my sister. Together we spent the summer in Latvia cherry-picking beautiful vintage goods that are now available to buy at InekaIvete Vintage 

It’s been a fun ride but it sure took a lot more effort than we’d originally anticipated. Not only did we have to build up a collection of clothing, we also had to measure them, model them, price and launder them. It’s going to be hard to part from all the lovely pieces we’ve collected along the way… the cons of working in retail!

Get your orders in fast because rumour has it we sold our first item less than an hour after the shop went live…

– a very proud Miss Red

Mushrooms Are Good For You

There’s nothing quite like wandering aimlessly under the pine trees seeking out mushrooms hidden under twigs, moss and bushes. Mum and I are both guilty of squealing when we suddenly spot a colourful cap. Oh, and I’ll dare call ourselves forest fashion experts 🙂

This photo was taken by my mum after the 3 of us had spent a mere hour and a half foraging in the forest near the town of Cēsis where our summer house is. We’re a mushroom-loving family indeed and venture into the woods as often as we can from August until mid-late September to stock up on chanterelles and other goodies that we freeze for the winter months as well.

Traditionally we, like most Latvians, eat our mushrooms fried with onion, chopped smoked ham and sour cream. We pair this mixture with potatoes for the ultimate end of summer meal. For a modern twist, you might want to substitute the potatoes with pasta, quinoa or gnocchi.

I’m yet to discover the mushroom-picking scene in Scotland. Last year me and my dear Miss Redheaded Lithuanian were very excited about the prospect of taking part in the annual Trossachs Mushroom festival just a few miles outside Stirling. Unfortunately back then the other Lithuanian in my life wasn’t around yet so with no access to a car, we had to pass.

I was looking forward to the 2011 edition but just discovered the festival’s been cancelled due to a lack of volunteers, which is a right shame. At least the name of the festival itself gives away a good spot to head to for mushroom picking in Scotland. Just remember to take insect repellant and a book about mushrooms – some can be deadly so beware!

– Miss Red off to make herself a bowl of fresh boletus

Latvia in July: Positivus festival

Positivus is one of many festivals Latvia can be proud of. Every year in mid-July it gathers thousands of Baltic folk and foreign friends for a weekend of quality music and entertainment at the seaside town of Salacgriva.

This year saw Hurts, Royksopp, James, Editors and Beach House headlining with plenty of other artists playing on the cute stages nestled in among the trees.

The party certainly doesn’t end when night falls. DJs play in most bars including 2 right on the beach. If you get tired there’s a cinema tent showing movies into the wee hours and there are hammocks hung between the coastal pine trees.

It’s impossible to get hungry at Positivus because of the 24/7 food zone selling great and exotic food for good prices (contrary to other festivals where food is even more expensive than the overpriced booze!). Oh, yes, on the topic of booze 🙂 Beer and cider really are ridiculously cheap and accessible. Stronger stuff is available in a few bars dotted around the festival area.

Most people sleep in the official camping ground but as the festival is in good old ”Eastern” Europe, plenty of unofficial camp sites spring up around the area too. Locals earn good money by charging a fiver or so to park your car or build your tent in their garden, which ends up being cheaper than paying for the official option.

In the morning there’s no better way to start the day than by taking a swim in the very mild Latvian sea.

You should totally come next year – all this and more will set you back a mere £30!

– Red

I Heart the Baltics

Yet another quickie on dear old Riga. After a very intense and emotionally charged 6 days in Estonia at the 11th National Session of the European Youth Parliament ( ❤ ) , I appreciated 2 days at home to rest and rejuvenate catching up with friends and family.

A coffee & cake and vintage clothing hotspot in Riga is Bonera. It’s appeal lies not only in the beautiful selection of homemade cakes, far too reasonably priced coffees and old-school French interior but also in the opportunities for people watching. There’s no better hideout to watch the busy city centre world go by and the cafe’s clientele themselves – an eclectic mix of young hipster couples, gossiping young girls and oh-so-prettily dressed older ladies enjoying their afternoon tea and a cognac. http://twitter.com/Bonera_

I had coffee there with a dear friend who’s agreed to work on the design of our blog so soon we may have a much prettier site to visit!

A hidden gem in Old Riga (where these days it’s hard to find places with character) is Amelie. Though I refrained from ordering a cake this time, I’ve tried them in the past and never failed to be impressed with the huge slices of creamy goodness. Their coffees are a treat too as is the wall of teas to choose from! It’s another French-inspired cafe complete with gallery and an arts &crafts shop too. The cutest touch is the little crocheted tea mats you get served under each mug. http://www.qype.co.uk/place/1776729-Amelie-Riga

Lunch with the family was at our new favourite, Fazenda, yet another French-inspired eatery (sensing the trend in Riga :)?). The interior is as beautiful as what I imagine my dream home to be like with lots of florals and rustic accessories. The menu is super trendy with fresh organic produce – salads, soups, fish and some Latvian classics with a modern twist. The mini-market outdoors sells local garden goodies from the countryside. http://www.fazenda.lv/

…I’m going to miss the Baltics again. Tallinn and Riga truly are must-see and must-enjoy cities.

– Miss Red

Riga Food Scene

I know I announced my absence from Stirling but couldn’t resist blogging from my beloved Riga. It’s been a beautiful day here in the city with lots of early spring sunshine reflecting off the ever-present piles of ice and snow.

I think by now I’ve made it quite clear that I’m a bit of a gourmet and enjoy my food very much so what better way to spend the one day I’m here than eating?

Breakfast? Mum and I popped over to (arguably) the best bakery out of the many on our street for some of their mouthwatering aubergine and cheese bakes – a must for any visitor to the city. Kukotava is the place to go for cakes and bakes.

As it was grandma’s 89th birthday yesterday, I went over for a visit and „crashed” the gathering she’d organised for her neighbours. Even got a cheeky mouthful of champagne though it was just after 12pm… 😉

Lunch was a bit of an experiment really. Encouraged by mum, Sister and I decided to try out one of Riga’s newest eateries that serves up all things „raw” i.e. vegetables and fruit cooked at no more than 45 degrees C. It was nice to see Raw Garden full at lunch time as we had our doubts about how well meat and potato loving Latvians would take the idea! Carb-loving me left with a confused tummy… The food was good but so… green?

As lunch had been so healthy, we felt we deserved an afternoon treat. Stopped off at Muffins & More for, yes, you guessed it – muffins. Some with chocolate, some with cream and rhubarb, they were all divine and gobbled up quickly. Even my favourite (and only) “niece”, Hebe the cat appreciated them 🙂

– Miss Red