Liepaja, LatviaThursday, June 18, 2009
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Trip Across Eastern Europe DAY #4
Once again we woke up to sunny and not particularly warm weather, but it was a beautiful day to head to the next destination of our Latvia trip. The city of Liepaja is on the west coast of Latvia, a beachside city with a thriving arts and music community. After a lovely three hour drive from Jurmala we arrived in Liepaja. We were met by Juris and Kristine, YWAM staff who had invited us to come and stay in their home for the night. It was wonderful to get to know their family, the city, and more about YWAM ministry in Latvia. To say that Juris and Kristine are talented artists would be an understatement. Art simply flows out of them and touches every aspect of their lives. Their home is in a 100 year old building that was more or less a ruin when they purchased it. After 7 years of hard work and creativity they have transformed the space into a beautiful home that combines their artistic talents and still allows the charm of this old home to shine through. They run art camps for children in the city as well. The kids had a great time playing with their children, Kalis and Katrine. The girls were also very happy that they have a very friendly Chihuahua and cat.
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Upon our arrival they (I didn’t mention yet that Juris is also a very good cook) fed us a fabulous lunch of chicken and rice with curried vegetables. We then set off with them into the city to see the sights. We drove first to a beach, an interesting area with crumbling military buildings and old foundations for heavy machine guns slowly falling into the sea and being eaten by the waves of the Baltic. We passed blocks and blocks of old communist apartments which had been left empty shells because the Russians took even windows and heating units with them when the Soviets withdrew their forces. In the middle of this military compound we came upon an old Orthodox church, amazingly ornate, and looking completely out of place in its Spartan surroundings. Kristine told us that during communist times it was used as a cinema for the soldiers.
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Our next stop was down by the river where boats were docked. We saw everything from what looked like a small pirate ship to a big military ship, left over from a recent festival. We were extremely curious about the next destination because we had been told we would have to guess what the building had once been. We arrived at a long brick building, lined with large windows, but without any remaining roof. We had passed many buildings that had once been part of a military academy, but we couldn’t figure out what this building might have been used for. After a few unsuccessful guesses we were told that it had been a horse arena for the soldiers to practice their drills in during the winter. This building at one time had a glass roof and must have been very beautiful.
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We drove on to the city center and saw the charming heart of the city where the art and music side of Liepaja is apparent everywhere. We had a chance to relax over cappuccinos and smoothies at the rock café, a trendy place that features music and memorabilia from Latvian as well as international artists. From there we headed to the home of Simone and Guntis for tea and we got a chance to get to know yet another couple from YWAM. We had a pleasant evening with Juris and Kristine and their kids. Juris made us crepes for dinner, we had a time of worship together, and then they very kindly gave up their bedrooms for us when it came time for bed. In the morning, after Juris made us a delicious breakfast we went down the street to visit Katrine’s pottery class at the University of Liepaja. We were able to meet her classmates and watch them at work, sculpting masks, pots, and figurines. We said goodbye to their family for now (we will see them again on Tuesday) and headed off for the YWAM base in Valdermarpils.
Our next stop was down by the river where boats were docked. We saw everything from what looked like a small pirate ship to a big military ship, left over from a recent festival. We were extremely curious about the next destination because we had been told we would have to guess what the building had once been. We arrived at a long brick building, lined with large windows, but without any remaining roof. We had passed many buildings that had once been part of a military academy, but we couldn’t figure out what this building might have been used for. After a few unsuccessful guesses we were told that it had been a horse arena for the soldiers to practice their drills in during the winter. This building at one time had a glass roof and must have been very beautiful.
.
We drove on to the city center and saw the charming heart of the city where the art and music side of Liepaja is apparent everywhere. We had a chance to relax over cappuccinos and smoothies at the rock café, a trendy place that features music and memorabilia from Latvian as well as international artists. From there we headed to the home of Simone and Guntis for tea and we got a chance to get to know yet another couple from YWAM. We had a pleasant evening with Juris and Kristine and their kids. Juris made us crepes for dinner, we had a time of worship together, and then they very kindly gave up their bedrooms for us when it came time for bed. In the morning, after Juris made us a delicious breakfast we went down the street to visit Katrine’s pottery class at the University of Liepaja. We were able to meet her classmates and watch them at work, sculpting masks, pots, and figurines. We said goodbye to their family for now (we will see them again on Tuesday) and headed off for the YWAM base in Valdermarpils.
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