Mon 0056 in bed
Tue 0132 just got back, said goodbye to Samuel and Juliet. Will write all this missing stoff up later. Decent day and I feel a bit sad it is over (socially; I must be up for 11 and do plan to try to be up earlier and either way go to market and maybe a viewpoint tomorrow before heading to airport) but in quite a nice way, not too sad.
1042 Will continue in this file given it would otherwise have next to nothing.
I just checked in online on phone, sitting in hostel dining area with a coffee, and I got an aisle seat. From random allocation! This feels like a good omen! The seat map for buying was sparse perhaps due to me checking in relatively late and there were few unallocated seats anyway, it is just possible the aisle seat was the cheapest seat had I paid. Anyway, while this just maybe suggests a possible strategy for future flights, let's just accept the good luck for now.
I didn't sleep great - to be honest quilt is starting to feel a bit damp and sweaty, I did in fact finally have the wit to turn it over about 7am - but not bad. I got up about 935, had a shower (decided not to shave) and packed a bit badly and am now here. I will have this coffee, go out, see if I can go up the nearby church thing for oberservation then go over to market for food and maybe a solo beer or two before getting bus to airport. 3h rule means I need to be at airport for 1355 but I may not may not be over anal about that, but even if you say I try to get a bus at 1300 that still gives me a couple of hours.
Will finish this coffee now. Full write up of yesterday can be done eg at airport.
1129 just left hostel. Had a second dump after coffee so maybe sorted there. :-)
1231 at market, just ordered a 10 eur 450g plov. Feeling pretty ggood albeit slightly worried about time and finding the bus to airport - both mostly OK but being honest. It is misty the top of the churchy thing, I was going to go up for the view point, he's already hidden in the mist, so I decided not to go up, I'll save it for another visit, I went for a walk along the canals, tried to get some cash out before coming here, didn't work, I walked over to another machine, fair way off, but it's fine, that had worked before, it doesn't work, my chase card seems to be strangely dead, I used the starling, it was fine. Anyway, I didn't really need any money, but I might end up going back with 30, 40, 50 euros by the time I've spent the bit today, that's absolutely fine, it will come in here. ... useful or as a security measure, a safety comfort measure, when I come out another time.
1254 having beer (eur2.35) at market after pretty decent plov at Zeppelin Eastern Cuisine. I may have another after this. The bus is apparently about 30 mins max-ish from nearby 13 janvara Isla and even in the 3h rule I don't need to leave til about 1326 on that basis, and I suspect and Samuel said that 3h is not really necessary, so taking this pint (500ml) leisurelyish and then another is probably fine. Things have felt just a smidge rushed today but broadly speaking it has worked well and barring crises getting bus etc this should all be fine.
Overall and without wanting to jinx it the trip has gone almost unbelievably well.
I think it's about 10-12C today, not certain. A quick poke at web weather earlier suggests London is around 17-20 today and tomorrow but dropping down to 15ish after.
There is free wifi here. My international SIM has worked well when I've used it, not excessively but sometimes esp to check WhatsApp via web app on p7 when meeting Samuel. I am unable to check the balance so no idea what it is or how much I have spent but I am not over concerned, albeit I hope the balance check starts to work at some point as going on a long trip and it maybe petering out at the airport on arrival or something would be shitty.
Going to try to pay attention to surrounding etc. Do feel that vague getting to airport jitter about times but think it is fine.
Actually I think Zeppelin is a food brand as the name appears on various stalls. But anyway, this place is "eastern cuisine" and I did snap a photo of the stall banner from my shared table.
1313 another beer, toolk photo of pump ad price list for the two, last one was 4.8% this is 4.6% and eur1.90 for 500ml. Feel a bit rushed but it is really fine.
1322 fwiw I wouldn't 100& trust it and haven't tried to check, but web ai says Riga airport official tecommendation is to arrive 2h before departure not 3. So on that basis I am ok getting a bus as late as about 1415. I don't intend to over push it, will/am trying to take this beer steady-ish without nursing it, then will try to find a bog and head out to bua stop semi calmly.
1337 finished beer, no point over milking it as foolish to deny there is mild getting to airport tension already. Let's hunt out a wc if possible then go.
1401 into the lining. Just got on 22 to airport. Probably sorted.
I even bought the ticket from the driver in very bad latvian ("Lidosta paldies... Paldies") proonunciation terrible and I couldn't remember please so used thank you both times but still, progress. :-)
1455 just cleared security, no fuss. Got here about 1433, went to toilet, drank water, didn't rush. Fligtt was showing as go to check in last time I looked.
1513 I just paid 17 euros something for a bottle of black balsam original, at duty-free. I did ask for a little taste just because I felt obliged to and it said it was available. I also paid an extra 15 cents for a bag, which is a bit annoying, although it's good quality and I suppose it might be a sort of pseudo souvenir. But because I understand Ryanair allow you to take stuff on separate to your bagged allowance, if it's duty-free and maybe having the right bag matters, I figured I didn't want to risk not having the right bagging if I had to pay for it. The little taste was nice. It's not like necessarily what's that Italian thing that's very popular in Argentina. It'll come back to me. But this is not the one I had with Samuel. I suspect we had either the cherry or the black currant or something like that. The Clayton, someone's drinking Emporium, which he showed me last night was the one wed been to that first night - I need to write it all up. That's the place we went to with the table football. I'd walked past it a few times associated with some Australian backpacker bar. I didn't realize that. Not a problem of coursem. The other ones are also 30 percent - The cherry and the black currant. this is 45 percent. I know fernet that's the Italian Argentinian thing. So, yeah, anyway, a bit expensive, but it's a souvenir, you know, and I could have got the easier drinking one, but they were all the same price. This is stronger. I asked and it's more traditional and that's what the Web said as well. So, yeah, and also I had tried the other one. I probably was kind of sort of implicitly offering me a taste of the other one, but I didn't want to milk it and it's just a little taste and it's fine. And I'd had two beers. I don't feel drunk, but, you know, it makes me feel a little bit cheap. Cheap.
Omfg the voice typing is bad but the screen s also really shit with this fault. Have made a few tiny tweaks.
I've shoved the duty free bag inside my backpack for now for convenience but I may take it out for boarding unless it is really obvious my bag will be acceptably sized with it in. I also ought to see if I can find a water station to top my bottle up.
1525 okay, so I just found a station, filled my bottle up, drank it and then refilled it so that's 500mls of water I've drunk. I noticed when I came through security that my, because my liquidish bag is also a bathroom bag and it's had like wet toothbrushes and stuff in, the metal vaseline tin in there is staining the plastic bag with sort of rusty colour. Not ideal, but not the end of the world. Obviously the plastic bag is disposable, most of the stuff in there is disposable and it will just wipe clean. But, you know, a small optimisation to be made, not that I've necessarily not seen that before.
I am mildly tempted to have a beer but I already had two earlier I've not seen anything great there afe acceptable looking bars but it's all a bit airporty I mean I'm not even sure particularly local beers like one of them is Heineken branded it's not the same I mean it was nice enough even if a little bit rushed in the market solo today and that was worth it but after the last few days drinking solo doesn't really feel quite right and drinking in airports always feels a bit shit (especially at end rather than start of trip) I don't really want a drink either. you know we've still got an hour and a half until the flight technically leaves but I imagine boarding will be soonish unless I spot something really tempting I am probably not gonna not gonna bother trying to have a drink it's just it's just not necessary and it wouldn't feel fun or relaxed.
1536 just had a quick piss. For what it's worth I also paid 80 cents. Annoying I didn't quite have enough tiny shrapnel at the market to go for one before I left, it's a bit annoying, but I did want to go and I needed a number two as well, so you know at least that's probably sorted.
Excellent, a reminder came up from a signal message and that killed the rest of the chat, apparently. So I was saying before I lost it all irredocably, because the FUTO keyboard thing just doesn't work very well, that I wasn't sure what I'd written up. I probably haven't even written up Sunday, sorry, because I didn't really get much free time to myself that day, not that I'm complaining, but still. And so I'll dictate both of those while I'm hanging around or write it on the keyboard if I can manage that. And then, in fact, it's a duplicate, it can be cross-compared, and the typos and things and the voice typing are indeed clarified. Let me stop talking now, let this transcribe if it doesn't get lost, and then I'll continue walking very slowly over to the gate, by the way.
So I cannot remember the names of the place, oh it was Gigala, Gigala, something like that, I did write this down I think I've already written this up on Sunday. I went over there with Sandal We'd have been in turn to go to some other place, which is actually where we went with Juliet on Monday But we couldn't get on the train. It was quite. Yeah, I did write this up. We walked along the main drag We had coffee and a cake Some coffee shop on the balcony and I just chat there before we came home and before that we worked on the beach It was really nice actually quite great, but Not bad at all actually, not very windy and not really cold and we saw the Baltic beach hotel and wandered around a bit So yeah, I think that's a basic summary and I do have photos and that is what happened But as I say this I have a feeling that we already wrote it up anyway So then we got back and we met up with Juliet at Lido she turned up a bit after we did we had a beer there then we had a meal and some another beer and I had the shash lick, which was nice and pancake cheese and ham and then we went back to their place and their place and I had a bit of kavass and few cups of camomile tea and we chatted and I left about I don't know half twelve one and We'd arranged to meet up at about 12 15 on Monday to go to the place We were going to go originally me and Samuel
So I met up with them outside the school where Samuel lives at 12.15, no problem. We went over there. I'll have to put the names in on some sort of post-mortem kind of thing when I'm at home. I have them written down somewhere or they'll be on the GPS tracks. So we got the train over there and it's like a national park and we wandered around and looked at some of the houses and some sort of like you know popped into a church. Or maybe we did that at the other, I don't know if that was Samuel in the du Marla place. We had a little look around anyway, and then we went looked a bit round on some some sort of stately home and associated castle and we had a little go on the swings and got some going to take a picture of us. And then we walked off more towards the national park where there was a sort of cave and we had a look at that. Not very deep cave, but a big cave. And we wandered around a bit so forth. I mean the photos and the GPS tracks probably more the thing there. We there was there was an f-isits meagles whatever the hedgehog in the fog place there, but it was we didn't look but Juliette looked on Google Maps, and it said it was closed Monday, so we we had a dinner I had a pizza there and then we got a slightly later train back instead of going to the hedgehog place. Then we came back into town and after a pop into supermarkets Samuel could get a bit of milk and stuff. We went to the hedgehog place that we'd been to on the very first night. And although Samuel said only one beer, we were having quite a good chat, although it got a tiny bit accidentally deep at one or two points, but not in an awkward way. And we had three beers and then I went home and I think I wrote down when I got back.
I cannot believe how incomprehensible that is, but that's the voice typing for you, isn't it? Anyway, so the basic gist was Sunday me and Samuel went to this seaside place. Then we met Juliet that night, and on Sunday the three of us went over to this national park. We were going to maybe come back at six, but we also thought we might have dinner there. Although we saw in Hedgehog Place that as it is Miggler which is related to some sort of Russian story, and I just looked it up. It means hedgehog in the fog. The one there in the national park place was tempting, but apparently it was closed, which is why we had dinner somewhere else. Anyway, it doesn't matter at all. Then we went to the Hedgehog Place in Riga that I had been at the very first night with Samuel for the first beer. It doesn't really matter, but I think that clarifies if you can be bothered to interpolate this into the previous paragraph.
I'll maybe try and write up some kind of semi-comprehensible bullet point list of what happened each day when I get back on the computer and maybe do the post-mortem. I think on the whole taking this small bag for at least this length of trip has been fine. The red, tiny, dry bag that I was putting dirty underwear in is a bit over full with five or six things it's got in it, but that's not a huge deal. Obviously, maybe there's some lessons for a longer trip as well in terms of packing lighter. There were a couple of points where I did think, oh my god, I haven't got X. I think about the first time I tried to have a shower or shave it was like, oh, I've forgotten my bag of liquids and I hadn't. And then a day or two later it was like, oh, I didn't pack a razor and I had. I think in part it was because the packing was a little bit ad hoc and I had packed properly the first time and then I hadn't double-checked before I left so I didn't trust myself. I had unpacked everything into the sort of locker area under my bed and it was a tiny bit chaotic, but really I was just sort of lightly panicking for no reason. But I hadn't actually forgotten anything and if I had forgotten anything those would have been survivable. So not actually a big deal, but I did have that uncertainty.
I'm outside a very quiet little no one there, bath, cafe type place, and it's 8.90 for a half litre of beer and, you know, I was paying 2 and a bit at the cheap place at the market that Samuel recommended and where we got our beers on that day with Georgia, so it's a bit pricey, not absolutely insane, but I don't, I just don't want it. It's a bit late as well. A late regarding flight, not late in the day. The airport, by the way, is quite nice as an airport. It's, by no means, deserted, but it's not particularly busy. I mean, I suppose I'm slightly surprised given there's a lot of flights to a lot of places, but anyway, it is where it is. It's not, it's quite big, it seems an awful long walk to the gate, but it's 27 minutes if I'm not mistaken on some of the screens, but anyway, no, it's quite a nice airport, as airports go and that's, I could have had a beer if I wanted, but that price and at this time and with this level of mareness about it, it's just not worth it. I did have a quick go on some sort of standing resty thing earlier, I took some photos of it, just a very uninteresting, I'll just mention it verbally to go along with the photos.
1556 starting to feel a tiny bit worried about not being at the gate on time and I'm walking towards the gate and then the sudden this passport controlled and I realised I haven't actually been through passport control and I had two beers an hour or two ago I'm not drunk I was just oddly befuddled by it all not not that's exaggerating it's not my slickest passport transport transit although there was no problem at all so that's a fingerprint scan like there was on the way out but what can you do they already got me in Panama so fingers crossed I'm ok for the gate.
1559 OK I am at the gate. Fwiw I sneaked my bag into the Ryanair size frame at an unused gate before passport control and it was fine so I may not take my duty free bag out.
1604 oh, there were like 4 or so manned passport booths and hardly anyone going through. Perhaps had I not been just immediately able to go through I'd have had time to collect my thoughts I fear the last bit gave wrong impression I am pissed or something, I absolutely am not, I think I am just vaguely end of trip zoned out in part because of the general airport waiting and wandering and so on.
1626 on plane aisle seat 31d, slightly overflowing woman to my right but not really a big deal. All over bar the shouting now? No one said anything about my bag.
1751 finishing off (not first read) And Then There Were None. I feel broadly OK, vaguely wondering if something was wrong/bad after all but that's probably just me being an idiot. Would be nice to get home and I am mildly hungry but broadly everything feels fine. Will be nice to sleep in my own bed etc.
1758 I think captain said it was 19C in London when we took off.
1807 fwiw I was almost unbearably sleepy out of nowhere as we were taxiing to take off but tried to resist and then somehow almost by accident I jerked myself out of it completely(probably by getting phone out and watching a breif video - the shallot episode of Sarah and Duck! - for some reason) instead of just putting headphones in once seatbelt sign went off and leaning into it. Not a big deal but perhaps mildly annoying.
1843 listening to No one likes a polymath on repeat while reading, finished TTWN and on An Unexpected Guest. Which I feel have read before but which also feels oddly fresh.
1922 taxiing. We just got the fanfare another ontone flight thing which istr Chris H telling me about ages ago but which not sure I had ever heard and which we didnt iirc (and am fairly sure) have on the landigg in Riga, so maybe we were slightly late even if Ibdirnt notice? Woman and her ftiend to my right are having a laughing for no obvious reason, just maybe the fanfare started them? It did me a bit.
1953 In queue for National Express. Flibco bus waiting and maybe another time I should consider them but anyway. Fingers crossed one turns up soon and has spare seats, I am a bit early for my reservation. No real problems at immigration, massive queue but it did go through fairly quicky and the automatic gate worked. I hate the invasiveness but in reality it probably makes little difference.
2029 just got on coach, guy inspected my ticket and seems fine. Apparently everything is running late so hope this isnt too slow but it is good to have been allowed on at least. To be fair the woman who waved me into the queue back at 1953 said it was OK but I wasn't sure there mightn't be some kind of problem or check when I boarded. Anyway, fingers crossed. It is possible flibco would have been better but musnt assume just because of this one off. I also don't know if they are eg flexible in terms of getting on other coaches than the time boooked
2034 en route, we pilled out almost as soon as I wrote the above. Apparently delays die to road closures at liverpool street so with lick I won't be delayed from now - the coach route goes on through Waterloo etc to Victoria.
(PRob switched back to UK time)
1951 bus is nt particulaly full btw ii have double seat to o myself.
Allmst there.
2032 uk been home via Tesco for milk for a few minutes. All seems to be OK, shame trip is over but it is also good to be home. Trite but true.
(Posting this a day or two after my return but it is not edited, just posting late.)
Tue 0132 just got back, said goodbye to Samuel and Juliet. Will write all this missing stoff up later. Decent day and I feel a bit sad it is over (socially; I must be up for 11 and do plan to try to be up earlier and either way go to market and maybe a viewpoint tomorrow before heading to airport) but in quite a nice way, not too sad.
1042 Will continue in this file given it would otherwise have next to nothing.
I just checked in online on phone, sitting in hostel dining area with a coffee, and I got an aisle seat. From random allocation! This feels like a good omen! The seat map for buying was sparse perhaps due to me checking in relatively late and there were few unallocated seats anyway, it is just possible the aisle seat was the cheapest seat had I paid. Anyway, while this just maybe suggests a possible strategy for future flights, let's just accept the good luck for now.
I didn't sleep great - to be honest quilt is starting to feel a bit damp and sweaty, I did in fact finally have the wit to turn it over about 7am - but not bad. I got up about 935, had a shower (decided not to shave) and packed a bit badly and am now here. I will have this coffee, go out, see if I can go up the nearby church thing for oberservation then go over to market for food and maybe a solo beer or two before getting bus to airport. 3h rule means I need to be at airport for 1355 but I may not may not be over anal about that, but even if you say I try to get a bus at 1300 that still gives me a couple of hours.
Will finish this coffee now. Full write up of yesterday can be done eg at airport.
1129 just left hostel. Had a second dump after coffee so maybe sorted there. :-)
1231 at market, just ordered a 10 eur 450g plov. Feeling pretty ggood albeit slightly worried about time and finding the bus to airport - both mostly OK but being honest. It is misty the top of the churchy thing, I was going to go up for the view point, he's already hidden in the mist, so I decided not to go up, I'll save it for another visit, I went for a walk along the canals, tried to get some cash out before coming here, didn't work, I walked over to another machine, fair way off, but it's fine, that had worked before, it doesn't work, my chase card seems to be strangely dead, I used the starling, it was fine. Anyway, I didn't really need any money, but I might end up going back with 30, 40, 50 euros by the time I've spent the bit today, that's absolutely fine, it will come in here. ... useful or as a security measure, a safety comfort measure, when I come out another time.
1254 having beer (eur2.35) at market after pretty decent plov at Zeppelin Eastern Cuisine. I may have another after this. The bus is apparently about 30 mins max-ish from nearby 13 janvara Isla and even in the 3h rule I don't need to leave til about 1326 on that basis, and I suspect and Samuel said that 3h is not really necessary, so taking this pint (500ml) leisurelyish and then another is probably fine. Things have felt just a smidge rushed today but broadly speaking it has worked well and barring crises getting bus etc this should all be fine.
Overall and without wanting to jinx it the trip has gone almost unbelievably well.
I think it's about 10-12C today, not certain. A quick poke at web weather earlier suggests London is around 17-20 today and tomorrow but dropping down to 15ish after.
There is free wifi here. My international SIM has worked well when I've used it, not excessively but sometimes esp to check WhatsApp via web app on p7 when meeting Samuel. I am unable to check the balance so no idea what it is or how much I have spent but I am not over concerned, albeit I hope the balance check starts to work at some point as going on a long trip and it maybe petering out at the airport on arrival or something would be shitty.
Going to try to pay attention to surrounding etc. Do feel that vague getting to airport jitter about times but think it is fine.
Actually I think Zeppelin is a food brand as the name appears on various stalls. But anyway, this place is "eastern cuisine" and I did snap a photo of the stall banner from my shared table.
1313 another beer, toolk photo of pump ad price list for the two, last one was 4.8% this is 4.6% and eur1.90 for 500ml. Feel a bit rushed but it is really fine.
1322 fwiw I wouldn't 100& trust it and haven't tried to check, but web ai says Riga airport official tecommendation is to arrive 2h before departure not 3. So on that basis I am ok getting a bus as late as about 1415. I don't intend to over push it, will/am trying to take this beer steady-ish without nursing it, then will try to find a bog and head out to bua stop semi calmly.
1337 finished beer, no point over milking it as foolish to deny there is mild getting to airport tension already. Let's hunt out a wc if possible then go.
1401 into the lining. Just got on 22 to airport. Probably sorted.
I even bought the ticket from the driver in very bad latvian ("Lidosta paldies... Paldies") proonunciation terrible and I couldn't remember please so used thank you both times but still, progress. :-)
1455 just cleared security, no fuss. Got here about 1433, went to toilet, drank water, didn't rush. Fligtt was showing as go to check in last time I looked.
1513 I just paid 17 euros something for a bottle of black balsam original, at duty-free. I did ask for a little taste just because I felt obliged to and it said it was available. I also paid an extra 15 cents for a bag, which is a bit annoying, although it's good quality and I suppose it might be a sort of pseudo souvenir. But because I understand Ryanair allow you to take stuff on separate to your bagged allowance, if it's duty-free and maybe having the right bag matters, I figured I didn't want to risk not having the right bagging if I had to pay for it. The little taste was nice. It's not like necessarily what's that Italian thing that's very popular in Argentina. It'll come back to me. But this is not the one I had with Samuel. I suspect we had either the cherry or the black currant or something like that. The Clayton, someone's drinking Emporium, which he showed me last night was the one wed been to that first night - I need to write it all up. That's the place we went to with the table football. I'd walked past it a few times associated with some Australian backpacker bar. I didn't realize that. Not a problem of coursem. The other ones are also 30 percent - The cherry and the black currant. this is 45 percent. I know fernet that's the Italian Argentinian thing. So, yeah, anyway, a bit expensive, but it's a souvenir, you know, and I could have got the easier drinking one, but they were all the same price. This is stronger. I asked and it's more traditional and that's what the Web said as well. So, yeah, and also I had tried the other one. I probably was kind of sort of implicitly offering me a taste of the other one, but I didn't want to milk it and it's just a little taste and it's fine. And I'd had two beers. I don't feel drunk, but, you know, it makes me feel a little bit cheap. Cheap.
Omfg the voice typing is bad but the screen s also really shit with this fault. Have made a few tiny tweaks.
I've shoved the duty free bag inside my backpack for now for convenience but I may take it out for boarding unless it is really obvious my bag will be acceptably sized with it in. I also ought to see if I can find a water station to top my bottle up.
1525 okay, so I just found a station, filled my bottle up, drank it and then refilled it so that's 500mls of water I've drunk. I noticed when I came through security that my, because my liquidish bag is also a bathroom bag and it's had like wet toothbrushes and stuff in, the metal vaseline tin in there is staining the plastic bag with sort of rusty colour. Not ideal, but not the end of the world. Obviously the plastic bag is disposable, most of the stuff in there is disposable and it will just wipe clean. But, you know, a small optimisation to be made, not that I've necessarily not seen that before.
I am mildly tempted to have a beer but I already had two earlier I've not seen anything great there afe acceptable looking bars but it's all a bit airporty I mean I'm not even sure particularly local beers like one of them is Heineken branded it's not the same I mean it was nice enough even if a little bit rushed in the market solo today and that was worth it but after the last few days drinking solo doesn't really feel quite right and drinking in airports always feels a bit shit (especially at end rather than start of trip) I don't really want a drink either. you know we've still got an hour and a half until the flight technically leaves but I imagine boarding will be soonish unless I spot something really tempting I am probably not gonna not gonna bother trying to have a drink it's just it's just not necessary and it wouldn't feel fun or relaxed.
1536 just had a quick piss. For what it's worth I also paid 80 cents. Annoying I didn't quite have enough tiny shrapnel at the market to go for one before I left, it's a bit annoying, but I did want to go and I needed a number two as well, so you know at least that's probably sorted.
Excellent, a reminder came up from a signal message and that killed the rest of the chat, apparently. So I was saying before I lost it all irredocably, because the FUTO keyboard thing just doesn't work very well, that I wasn't sure what I'd written up. I probably haven't even written up Sunday, sorry, because I didn't really get much free time to myself that day, not that I'm complaining, but still. And so I'll dictate both of those while I'm hanging around or write it on the keyboard if I can manage that. And then, in fact, it's a duplicate, it can be cross-compared, and the typos and things and the voice typing are indeed clarified. Let me stop talking now, let this transcribe if it doesn't get lost, and then I'll continue walking very slowly over to the gate, by the way.
So I cannot remember the names of the place, oh it was Gigala, Gigala, something like that, I did write this down I think I've already written this up on Sunday. I went over there with Sandal We'd have been in turn to go to some other place, which is actually where we went with Juliet on Monday But we couldn't get on the train. It was quite. Yeah, I did write this up. We walked along the main drag We had coffee and a cake Some coffee shop on the balcony and I just chat there before we came home and before that we worked on the beach It was really nice actually quite great, but Not bad at all actually, not very windy and not really cold and we saw the Baltic beach hotel and wandered around a bit So yeah, I think that's a basic summary and I do have photos and that is what happened But as I say this I have a feeling that we already wrote it up anyway So then we got back and we met up with Juliet at Lido she turned up a bit after we did we had a beer there then we had a meal and some another beer and I had the shash lick, which was nice and pancake cheese and ham and then we went back to their place and their place and I had a bit of kavass and few cups of camomile tea and we chatted and I left about I don't know half twelve one and We'd arranged to meet up at about 12 15 on Monday to go to the place We were going to go originally me and Samuel
So I met up with them outside the school where Samuel lives at 12.15, no problem. We went over there. I'll have to put the names in on some sort of post-mortem kind of thing when I'm at home. I have them written down somewhere or they'll be on the GPS tracks. So we got the train over there and it's like a national park and we wandered around and looked at some of the houses and some sort of like you know popped into a church. Or maybe we did that at the other, I don't know if that was Samuel in the du Marla place. We had a little look around anyway, and then we went looked a bit round on some some sort of stately home and associated castle and we had a little go on the swings and got some going to take a picture of us. And then we walked off more towards the national park where there was a sort of cave and we had a look at that. Not very deep cave, but a big cave. And we wandered around a bit so forth. I mean the photos and the GPS tracks probably more the thing there. We there was there was an f-isits meagles whatever the hedgehog in the fog place there, but it was we didn't look but Juliette looked on Google Maps, and it said it was closed Monday, so we we had a dinner I had a pizza there and then we got a slightly later train back instead of going to the hedgehog place. Then we came back into town and after a pop into supermarkets Samuel could get a bit of milk and stuff. We went to the hedgehog place that we'd been to on the very first night. And although Samuel said only one beer, we were having quite a good chat, although it got a tiny bit accidentally deep at one or two points, but not in an awkward way. And we had three beers and then I went home and I think I wrote down when I got back.
I cannot believe how incomprehensible that is, but that's the voice typing for you, isn't it? Anyway, so the basic gist was Sunday me and Samuel went to this seaside place. Then we met Juliet that night, and on Sunday the three of us went over to this national park. We were going to maybe come back at six, but we also thought we might have dinner there. Although we saw in Hedgehog Place that as it is Miggler which is related to some sort of Russian story, and I just looked it up. It means hedgehog in the fog. The one there in the national park place was tempting, but apparently it was closed, which is why we had dinner somewhere else. Anyway, it doesn't matter at all. Then we went to the Hedgehog Place in Riga that I had been at the very first night with Samuel for the first beer. It doesn't really matter, but I think that clarifies if you can be bothered to interpolate this into the previous paragraph.
I'll maybe try and write up some kind of semi-comprehensible bullet point list of what happened each day when I get back on the computer and maybe do the post-mortem. I think on the whole taking this small bag for at least this length of trip has been fine. The red, tiny, dry bag that I was putting dirty underwear in is a bit over full with five or six things it's got in it, but that's not a huge deal. Obviously, maybe there's some lessons for a longer trip as well in terms of packing lighter. There were a couple of points where I did think, oh my god, I haven't got X. I think about the first time I tried to have a shower or shave it was like, oh, I've forgotten my bag of liquids and I hadn't. And then a day or two later it was like, oh, I didn't pack a razor and I had. I think in part it was because the packing was a little bit ad hoc and I had packed properly the first time and then I hadn't double-checked before I left so I didn't trust myself. I had unpacked everything into the sort of locker area under my bed and it was a tiny bit chaotic, but really I was just sort of lightly panicking for no reason. But I hadn't actually forgotten anything and if I had forgotten anything those would have been survivable. So not actually a big deal, but I did have that uncertainty.
I'm outside a very quiet little no one there, bath, cafe type place, and it's 8.90 for a half litre of beer and, you know, I was paying 2 and a bit at the cheap place at the market that Samuel recommended and where we got our beers on that day with Georgia, so it's a bit pricey, not absolutely insane, but I don't, I just don't want it. It's a bit late as well. A late regarding flight, not late in the day. The airport, by the way, is quite nice as an airport. It's, by no means, deserted, but it's not particularly busy. I mean, I suppose I'm slightly surprised given there's a lot of flights to a lot of places, but anyway, it is where it is. It's not, it's quite big, it seems an awful long walk to the gate, but it's 27 minutes if I'm not mistaken on some of the screens, but anyway, no, it's quite a nice airport, as airports go and that's, I could have had a beer if I wanted, but that price and at this time and with this level of mareness about it, it's just not worth it. I did have a quick go on some sort of standing resty thing earlier, I took some photos of it, just a very uninteresting, I'll just mention it verbally to go along with the photos.
1556 starting to feel a tiny bit worried about not being at the gate on time and I'm walking towards the gate and then the sudden this passport controlled and I realised I haven't actually been through passport control and I had two beers an hour or two ago I'm not drunk I was just oddly befuddled by it all not not that's exaggerating it's not my slickest passport transport transit although there was no problem at all so that's a fingerprint scan like there was on the way out but what can you do they already got me in Panama so fingers crossed I'm ok for the gate.
1559 OK I am at the gate. Fwiw I sneaked my bag into the Ryanair size frame at an unused gate before passport control and it was fine so I may not take my duty free bag out.
1604 oh, there were like 4 or so manned passport booths and hardly anyone going through. Perhaps had I not been just immediately able to go through I'd have had time to collect my thoughts I fear the last bit gave wrong impression I am pissed or something, I absolutely am not, I think I am just vaguely end of trip zoned out in part because of the general airport waiting and wandering and so on.
1626 on plane aisle seat 31d, slightly overflowing woman to my right but not really a big deal. All over bar the shouting now? No one said anything about my bag.
1751 finishing off (not first read) And Then There Were None. I feel broadly OK, vaguely wondering if something was wrong/bad after all but that's probably just me being an idiot. Would be nice to get home and I am mildly hungry but broadly everything feels fine. Will be nice to sleep in my own bed etc.
1758 I think captain said it was 19C in London when we took off.
1807 fwiw I was almost unbearably sleepy out of nowhere as we were taxiing to take off but tried to resist and then somehow almost by accident I jerked myself out of it completely(probably by getting phone out and watching a breif video - the shallot episode of Sarah and Duck! - for some reason) instead of just putting headphones in once seatbelt sign went off and leaning into it. Not a big deal but perhaps mildly annoying.
1843 listening to No one likes a polymath on repeat while reading, finished TTWN and on An Unexpected Guest. Which I feel have read before but which also feels oddly fresh.
1922 taxiing. We just got the fanfare another ontone flight thing which istr Chris H telling me about ages ago but which not sure I had ever heard and which we didnt iirc (and am fairly sure) have on the landigg in Riga, so maybe we were slightly late even if Ibdirnt notice? Woman and her ftiend to my right are having a laughing for no obvious reason, just maybe the fanfare started them? It did me a bit.
1953 In queue for National Express. Flibco bus waiting and maybe another time I should consider them but anyway. Fingers crossed one turns up soon and has spare seats, I am a bit early for my reservation. No real problems at immigration, massive queue but it did go through fairly quicky and the automatic gate worked. I hate the invasiveness but in reality it probably makes little difference.
2029 just got on coach, guy inspected my ticket and seems fine. Apparently everything is running late so hope this isnt too slow but it is good to have been allowed on at least. To be fair the woman who waved me into the queue back at 1953 said it was OK but I wasn't sure there mightn't be some kind of problem or check when I boarded. Anyway, fingers crossed. It is possible flibco would have been better but musnt assume just because of this one off. I also don't know if they are eg flexible in terms of getting on other coaches than the time boooked
2034 en route, we pilled out almost as soon as I wrote the above. Apparently delays die to road closures at liverpool street so with lick I won't be delayed from now - the coach route goes on through Waterloo etc to Victoria.
(PRob switched back to UK time)
1951 bus is nt particulaly full btw ii have double seat to o myself.
Allmst there.
2032 uk been home via Tesco for milk for a few minutes. All seems to be OK, shame trip is over but it is also good to be home. Trite but true.
(Posting this a day or two after my return but it is not edited, just posting late.)
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