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This evening Silvija delighted me again with beautiful northern views from her trip to Norway. Here are the photos she sent, so you can enjoy the beauty of harsh Scandinavian nature and - who knows - perhaps find inspiration to travel to this country and see it all in person. In my view, the mountain views are especially superb when mist lies in the valleys.
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Tonight - do it yourself, take part, for it's White Night - Contemporary Culture Forum 2010 in Riga. The dominant aftertaste after observing several visual installations and sound and movement performances: rummaging through old junk and one's own subconscious. We managed to visit only three locations - Survival Kit 2 on Miera Street, the VEF complex, and Andrejsala. One thing is clear: art objects are created by the dark and the light demon that lives within the artist. What is inside comes out. Both carry an extraordinarily powerful energy, and both could be felt that night.
From 26 to 29 August, the annual summer camp organised by the flamenco dance studio DUENDE took place in Zvejniekciems, with an opportunity for all studio dancers to gather together and learn from guest teachers - flamenco instructors from Spain. I took the opportunity to attend two days of compas classes with percussionist Andrej Vujicic, as well as tangos and alegrias dance technique with flamenco dancer Francesca Grimm.
If on some evening you feel a craving for something sweet, I have an idea. I figured out how to make a dessert with as few unnecessary calories as possible. The ingredients and preparation are wonderfully simple.
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Although yesterday the rather unfriendly fine drizzle prevented us from fully enjoying all the festival events, we did attend several of them, and it was interesting - aerobatic display flights, a puppet procession, a retro car parade, an artisans' market, a show at the Small Guild, an open house day at the Russian Drama Theatre, and of course the fireworks.
We discovered the Ulmale (Pinni) Sacrificial Stone, at which the ancestors once gathered. A place not easy to find, and not so much mystical itself as the stone with its bowl-shaped hollow of about 60 cm in diameter. The accumulated water looked a menacing black. Although there is a belief that it heals, instinctively there was no desire to dip one's hands in it.
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This year we visited Madona for the third summer running, where the Exotic Dance Festival took place on the afternoon of 31 July at the culture house. It must be said that with each year the event becomes more organised, more varied, and better attended. Alongside the traditional belly dance choreographies such as oriental, saidi, and tribal, original pieces and fusions of various styles were on display. Several Gypsy dance performances and improvisations with Spanish, Moroccan, Brazilian, and Indian dance styles.
It is often said that for a Turk, trading is one popular national sport - this summer we were convinced of it one hundred percent. We visited and shopped at two markets in Istanbul - the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar).
It all started with sitting down on the floor by the wall and the customary "What is your name? Where are you from?", after which two proper buckets of not particularly warm - rather cool - water came over the head. The attendant with a rough exfoliating mitt and quick, powerful movements scrubbed the arms, legs, back, and shoulders. A sort of peeling treatment, followed by a soap massage that differed considerably from what I had enjoyed at "Sokolovskije Bani" in Jūrmala.
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Today, 10 July, the festival "Dunamunde 2010" took place at Daugavgrīva Fortress, with the participation of 15 military history clubs from Latvia, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland. Walking through the camps set up on the fortress grounds, visitors could explore history from mediaeval knightly tournaments and the battles of the Great Northern War and the Napoleonic Wars, right through to the First World War. Many tried their hand at shooting with a bow, crossbow, and musket.