Of course, there are still cars, but it’s so much better being dropped off at your destination than struggling to find a parking spot.
The Fine Arts Scene: As the days get shorter and colder, it is very common for people of all ages to take to the opera, ballet and theater. I started looking at tickets back at the end of October, and was struggling to find availability for many of the acts until late January! The National Opera and the National Theater have an event nearly every night in the colder months, and both locals and people from abroad take advenatage of this opportunity in Riga! I'll get back once I get my ticket stub.
More Interesting Observations
Braving the Cold: As you can see by my barrage of snowy pictures this week, there’s no mistaking that it is officially winter here! This is my first time experiencing a true winter climate as a part of daily life. Students still have school, roads stay open, transit still runs, people still drive and life seemingly goes on without adverse reaction to the snowy conditions. In Tennessee, if we got four inches, we were out for a week, but here that’s just another Tuesday! And it is typical for the snow to stick around on the ground and sidewalks until spring, as the temperature rarely breaks freezing and more snow continues to add to the accumulation.
Cultural Exchange: It was also interesting to note that even though Thursday was Thanksgiving to me… nothing happened here! I knew they did not celebrate this American holiday, but it still felt funny seeing the juxtaposition of everyone celebrating back home and not here.
