It turns out one can speak of wine and cheese as a couple that can form an ideal relationship or, conversely, be utterly incompatible. Of people one says "like finds like" or "opposites attract" - in the same way wine and cheese can be spoken of as a couple with much in common, from the fermentation and ageing process to storage and serving. Though between them there are two fundamental differences - mould and salt, which characterise a good cheese but are completely unacceptable in wine.
This year winter has been a proper one. Although I must say, winter is not my favourite season - the cold doesn't inspire any kind of active activity. And yet, a walk on a sunny winter day among snow-covered trees is true beauty. See the photo gallery, created on a couple of such walks right here in Riga with a Nikon D200 in hand.
Using online machine translators doesn't always yield a precise translation of a given word, phrase, or text fragment - but sometimes the results are quite amusing. For example, "Kalvītis" in Google Translate comes out as Хеллоуин (Halloween), the word "saimniece" (hostess) as "любовница" (mistress), and "lopu vagons" (cattle wagon) as "серийный автомобиль" (serial car).
Although the event took place at the end of last year, I decided to write about this lovely Madeira wine tasting evening, as the pleasant aftertaste has lingered right through to today. It will be something of a report on what was heard and seen, since unfortunately the magical aromas and flavours of Madeira cannot be conveyed - one simply has to experience them oneself. But briefly: about the production technique, grape varieties, and wine styles, and the discoveries made during the tasting.
This time we welcomed the New Year not at or under the tree at home, but at the event RELIVING LEGENDS NYE PARTY, held at the "Floating Workshop" on Andrejsala. In fact I only spotted the poster online on the afternoon of 30 December and at the last moment decided to buy tickets. I was inspired by the idea that we'd be able to watch the midnight fireworks from the ship's deck - sort of - and dance to live music.
Yesterday - that is, last year - we wandered around central Riga literally a few hours before the New Year, to enjoy the decorative lighting worth 480 thousand lats, so praised in the media. Beautiful!
Have you ever felt the spirit of Christmas on a summer's day? We visited this picturesque Bavarian town a couple of years ago, at the end of summer - late August, it seems. The Christmas spirit made itself felt everywhere, despite the facades of the old houses being richly adorned with flowering pots of plants in the most varied and cheerful colours. So what was it that created this winter solstice feeling?
Phantasmagoria in several episodes. "You dreamed of being free, I carry you on / There is nothing I desire but to love you / As a storm fills a valley / A fish fills a river / I made you to the measure of my loneliness / A whole world in which to hide." And then he slowly leaned slightly forward, and their lips met in a long and passionate kiss, something like that...
That can safely be said of a woman dressed in a gown by designer Mari Cruz from her new 2009–2010 collection. I was fascinated by the bold, vibrant colour combinations that both challenge and harmonise with one another, and unmistakably speak to you and capture your attention. Moreover, the garments are presented in a setting that enhances the mood - natural dark-wood interiors, an antique painting in a gilded frame, a church vestibule with candles, Arabic patterned tiles on the wall (a common sight in Spain and Portugal), a view of Seville's old town, and so on.
Yesterday, 14 November, around 18:00, several Riga building facades were coloured by light beams of various hues, rhythmic shadows wandered along the walls, fish silhouettes began dancing in the sewer manholes. The second light festival in its history - "Staro Rīga" - had begun. The main installations were concentrated precisely in Old Riga and the city centre, so the streets were full of people - every other one with a camera in hand. See video and photos.
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