(Poland, Slovakia, Austria - not in order)
1. It's strange that, when abroad, it takes such a short time to detox from Latvian information space. For a few days you do not read the usual news sources, you rarely visit twitter, Facebook, draugiem.lv and... voila!... you're clean. Things acquire a broader perspective, the anger is gone, the worries are no longer there, the days get longer and are more fulfilled. Unless you get back, of course - an unfortunate good-quality wi-fi on the train when your Kindle is broken and there is no-one willing to talk except that old lady that doesn't know a word in English, but your German is too basic...
Then the addiction is also back. The only good option then is to unfollow a few of the most damaging twitter personalities that embody the worst traits of Latvian political/media landscape - aggession, frustration, unmanaged anger, one-sidedness - and promise yourself to not come back .... for the duration of travel at least. It pollutes you from within. And you've been polluted enough.
You wouldn't have much interesting to say, anyway. So what, if you got evacuated yesterday? Or are watching the Sound of Music with 12 other people from all over the world right now in .... Salzburg? Or are unsure on how to pass the mid-term exam in that online course while you are travelling? It's relevant to YOU, not people in Latvia. Enjoy it while it lasts.
***
2. There is something about Germans (&Austrians for that matter) and The Nudity. They just are more at easy with it than Latvians, Russians, French, Americans, or any other nation that I am aware of. I think it is their attitude that is healthy. I'd love to know how they acquired this trait.
***
3. I met some Russian speaking kids in Poland today. Around 15-17 years of age. For a while I couldn't figure out what is wrong with them. Too calm, too restricted, too considerate - people from Russia are not usually like this. And, sure enough, they turned out to be Latvian citizens. Someone once said that Latvian ethnic Latvians and Russian speaking community are more alike than local Russians and people from Russia. One more example that this might be true.
***
4. Salzburg, Gothenburg, Edinburgh, Granada, South Armenia right by the Ararat - these are the places where I feel good, better than at home. Took quite a while to find them. There must be more. I'll keep searching.
***
5. The real horror of Aushwitz: the lack of horror. When you are travelling through Aushwitz and Birkenau without a tour on your own - you feel .... like you've already seen it all in films and documentaries, read all about it on your way there - Elie Wiesel, Imre Kertesz. And it was all so much more vivid then.
More vivid than it is now, when you are in the very physical spot where all the horrors took place.
There is nothing new.
There is this numbness that comes from understanding that rocks and fields do not carry memory. Even the pond that is filled with human ashes. The material world is silent and accepts whatever comes.
So in the heat of the sun you go around the whole perimeter of Birkneau, which takes time as it is so gigantic. Or try to get inside every exposition in Aushwitz, which is easy as it is quite small. But in the end it is not about the place. It is what's happening in YOUR head, in every living individual's head that is important. Aushwitz is not for the dead even though much has been done to honor their memory - it's for the living. Aushwitz as a physical site is so much less than Aushwitz as a focus of memories and aspirations for a better world.
***
6. I came to Slovakia in a bad time - all signs point that I just have to move forwards, without staying there. Just in order to not be unjust to the people and the country - one should never generalize from a few bad encounters. I will come back one day.
***
7. Who knew there is a thing called a conference on humour? Just met a guy in Krakow who is taking part. Originally from Australia, now living in France, exploring the works of some obscure 19th century French writer (pre-absurdist). It's always nice to discuss what makes a joke funny and can we ever be able to fully get the jokes of previous centuries (or is the humour to context-specific). One of my Latvian friends just finished a thesis on the humour in Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, so I've been thinking about this for a while. What we agreed on, though, is that analysis sucks all the joy out of jokes ...
***
8. It's almost creepy how similar the Slavic languages are. I've been trying to learn some basic words in Polish, Slovakian, Slovenian, Balkan languages - I think I understand some 20-40% of the written text just by knowing Russian very well. And Slovenian seems to be the easiest language yet. Who decides what constitutes one nation?
***
9. One shouldn't generalize from just a few encounters, but I really really like Poles ... they are reserved, but oh so helpful! Even if they know no English (there are not that many who don't - it seems than in general the English skills are better in Poland than in Latvia) they will try to help however they can. One called me a taxi noticing that I will have to pass quite a dangerous district in the middle of the night. The other helped with airplane troubles. A taxi driver refused the tip. Some other offered me a place to stay at night. And there is more. I just like them.
***
10. At last I'm in countries where the waitresses do not seem to be surprised when I order just meat - without rice, potatoes, etc. I would be so much better-off, if we could get this meat+salads eating culture to Latvia.
Haha, hard to believe I was a vegetarian just 1.5 years ago! I will always be grateful to that Indian lady who called the bullshit and brought me back to what I should be eating. And sorry, you-know-who....
***
11. The tourist offices are there for a reason. If you are new to the place (or even if you aren't) do not hesitate to come in and ask. Even if you don't yet know the right question. They'll guide you.
***
12. Oh those Americans and their obsession with cleanliness... one woman I just met was almost suicidal because her feet stank a bit. I've not seen anyone apologizing like this in my life.
Victims of the advertising industry, aren't they? As my Kindle is broken, I watched A Century of Self on the way to Vienna on my tablet. It's a great 4 part documentary on how the freudian theories, psychoanalysis, PR-industry has influenced the societies (and politics) in 20th century. A friend had recommened this documentary to me, but never really had the motivation to watch it. Now I'm glad I did. I do feel that there is something flawed in this documentary, though - that it exaggerates the influence of psychoanalysis. Hard to say by how much.
***
13. There's a quiet spirituality in the small churches of Zakopane, Poland. Wooden churches, light interacting with wood, quiet believers who seem to be lightning-up from within. Last time I've seen something like this was in Ladakh, India.
***
14. I think that one of the emotional differences you can feel in societies that have been prosperous for a very long time - inner calm in the faces of people and respect towards the others. Rudeness, aggression, even impoliteness is very rare here in Austria even among the people who do not know each other or even in political speech. If you dare to try to call someone names that are still acceptable in Latvia, you would be considered a barbarian.
***
15. Krakow at the moment has art events that are dedicated to the remembrance of Czeslaw Milosz. He is one of my favourite poets. In fact the only one whose verses (ok, ok, one short poem) I remember by heart.
***
16. It's funny how the answers to your questions seem to come from unlikely places. I've always wanted to know how the Swiss democracy works. That's even one of the reasons why I chose Switzerland to travel around 5 years ago and have read quite a few books on its history and politics. But the real answers came when I met a guy in Poland who turned out to be a Swiss constitutional lawyer (now turned bank lawyer) - who then told me all the good and bad things I needed to know.
Did you know that Swiss are considering an idea to elect not just their parliament, but also executive (ministers; it's already happening on subnational level)? Did you know that the Swiss citiyens receive a letter from authorities before referendum with honest and impartial arguments on pro's and con's of the proposal? Do you know that the Swiss state trusts its citizens enough just to send back their voting-decision by post - without sending-in their passports, going to notaries or doing all that other bullshit Latvia still deems indispensable?
***
17. Had a call from Latvia on whether the president should send back the new law on referenda. You know what? Somehow I don't care anymore. There are too many compromises in that draft law. I would like Latvia to move in Swiss direction, become even better than Switzerland. But now I know that we have to deal with interpersonal trust first.
Now it's important for referenda regulation to not get worse, but eventually we will make it better.
I'm not responding to phone calls from media anymore. I'm out. Not at home.
***
18. I hate flying. Probably that's why I was not too upset that the plane from Warsaw to Krakow got cancelled for technical reasons (after having waited for several hours, not including the linked flight from Riga to Warsaw). The organization of Polish LOT airlines and behaviour of the airport staff in Warsaw airport was truly dreadful, though. Some lying involved, unwillingness to find any other solution than a bus to Krakow (circa 5 hours). But the interesting thing was how apologetic towards foreign passengers were the regular Polish passengers who also missed the flight. They were genuinely unhappy- not about themselves, but that the foreigners will have a bad experience.
I wonder if the same would be the case in Latvia if something like this was done by AirBaltic - and I know that that company does exactly the same.
As for me, yes I missed an evening in Krakow, but then it probably was worth it. Got to know some great Polish people, a hiker from New-York and a very angry football-fan who was missing a word-championship game.
It's no fun to be going such a distance by bus, but it might be even lesser fun to be flying in a potential wreckage. On my way from Riga I was reading Martin's Buber's I and Though- reading religious philosophy on the plane seems to become a pattern.
***
19. It's even hard to explain how good I feel in Salzburg. It's light and beautiful and has a lot of greenery. I fell in love with the place some 18 years ago, by spending just an hour here on a school trip. Hadn't been there since. So glad that I decided not to stay in Vienna. I just don't quite like the Modern Art museum in Salzburg. The view from the terrace is the best of all museums I've ever been to, though.
As I finish writing this blog post, the three hours of the Sound of the Music seem to be at the end as well. No, I do not like this film. Nice as it is.
To be continued...
1. It's strange that, when abroad, it takes such a short time to detox from Latvian information space. For a few days you do not read the usual news sources, you rarely visit twitter, Facebook, draugiem.lv and... voila!... you're clean. Things acquire a broader perspective, the anger is gone, the worries are no longer there, the days get longer and are more fulfilled. Unless you get back, of course - an unfortunate good-quality wi-fi on the train when your Kindle is broken and there is no-one willing to talk except that old lady that doesn't know a word in English, but your German is too basic...
Then the addiction is also back. The only good option then is to unfollow a few of the most damaging twitter personalities that embody the worst traits of Latvian political/media landscape - aggession, frustration, unmanaged anger, one-sidedness - and promise yourself to not come back .... for the duration of travel at least. It pollutes you from within. And you've been polluted enough.You wouldn't have much interesting to say, anyway. So what, if you got evacuated yesterday? Or are watching the Sound of Music with 12 other people from all over the world right now in .... Salzburg? Or are unsure on how to pass the mid-term exam in that online course while you are travelling? It's relevant to YOU, not people in Latvia. Enjoy it while it lasts.
***
2. There is something about Germans (&Austrians for that matter) and The Nudity. They just are more at easy with it than Latvians, Russians, French, Americans, or any other nation that I am aware of. I think it is their attitude that is healthy. I'd love to know how they acquired this trait.
***
3. I met some Russian speaking kids in Poland today. Around 15-17 years of age. For a while I couldn't figure out what is wrong with them. Too calm, too restricted, too considerate - people from Russia are not usually like this. And, sure enough, they turned out to be Latvian citizens. Someone once said that Latvian ethnic Latvians and Russian speaking community are more alike than local Russians and people from Russia. One more example that this might be true.
***
4. Salzburg, Gothenburg, Edinburgh, Granada, South Armenia right by the Ararat - these are the places where I feel good, better than at home. Took quite a while to find them. There must be more. I'll keep searching.
***
5. The real horror of Aushwitz: the lack of horror. When you are travelling through Aushwitz and Birkenau without a tour on your own - you feel .... like you've already seen it all in films and documentaries, read all about it on your way there - Elie Wiesel, Imre Kertesz. And it was all so much more vivid then.
More vivid than it is now, when you are in the very physical spot where all the horrors took place.
There is nothing new.
There is this numbness that comes from understanding that rocks and fields do not carry memory. Even the pond that is filled with human ashes. The material world is silent and accepts whatever comes.
So in the heat of the sun you go around the whole perimeter of Birkneau, which takes time as it is so gigantic. Or try to get inside every exposition in Aushwitz, which is easy as it is quite small. But in the end it is not about the place. It is what's happening in YOUR head, in every living individual's head that is important. Aushwitz is not for the dead even though much has been done to honor their memory - it's for the living. Aushwitz as a physical site is so much less than Aushwitz as a focus of memories and aspirations for a better world.
***
6. I came to Slovakia in a bad time - all signs point that I just have to move forwards, without staying there. Just in order to not be unjust to the people and the country - one should never generalize from a few bad encounters. I will come back one day.
***
7. Who knew there is a thing called a conference on humour? Just met a guy in Krakow who is taking part. Originally from Australia, now living in France, exploring the works of some obscure 19th century French writer (pre-absurdist). It's always nice to discuss what makes a joke funny and can we ever be able to fully get the jokes of previous centuries (or is the humour to context-specific). One of my Latvian friends just finished a thesis on the humour in Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, so I've been thinking about this for a while. What we agreed on, though, is that analysis sucks all the joy out of jokes ...
***
8. It's almost creepy how similar the Slavic languages are. I've been trying to learn some basic words in Polish, Slovakian, Slovenian, Balkan languages - I think I understand some 20-40% of the written text just by knowing Russian very well. And Slovenian seems to be the easiest language yet. Who decides what constitutes one nation?***
9. One shouldn't generalize from just a few encounters, but I really really like Poles ... they are reserved, but oh so helpful! Even if they know no English (there are not that many who don't - it seems than in general the English skills are better in Poland than in Latvia) they will try to help however they can. One called me a taxi noticing that I will have to pass quite a dangerous district in the middle of the night. The other helped with airplane troubles. A taxi driver refused the tip. Some other offered me a place to stay at night. And there is more. I just like them.
***
10. At last I'm in countries where the waitresses do not seem to be surprised when I order just meat - without rice, potatoes, etc. I would be so much better-off, if we could get this meat+salads eating culture to Latvia.
Haha, hard to believe I was a vegetarian just 1.5 years ago! I will always be grateful to that Indian lady who called the bullshit and brought me back to what I should be eating. And sorry, you-know-who....
***
11. The tourist offices are there for a reason. If you are new to the place (or even if you aren't) do not hesitate to come in and ask. Even if you don't yet know the right question. They'll guide you.
***
12. Oh those Americans and their obsession with cleanliness... one woman I just met was almost suicidal because her feet stank a bit. I've not seen anyone apologizing like this in my life.
Victims of the advertising industry, aren't they? As my Kindle is broken, I watched A Century of Self on the way to Vienna on my tablet. It's a great 4 part documentary on how the freudian theories, psychoanalysis, PR-industry has influenced the societies (and politics) in 20th century. A friend had recommened this documentary to me, but never really had the motivation to watch it. Now I'm glad I did. I do feel that there is something flawed in this documentary, though - that it exaggerates the influence of psychoanalysis. Hard to say by how much.
***
13. There's a quiet spirituality in the small churches of Zakopane, Poland. Wooden churches, light interacting with wood, quiet believers who seem to be lightning-up from within. Last time I've seen something like this was in Ladakh, India.
***
14. I think that one of the emotional differences you can feel in societies that have been prosperous for a very long time - inner calm in the faces of people and respect towards the others. Rudeness, aggression, even impoliteness is very rare here in Austria even among the people who do not know each other or even in political speech. If you dare to try to call someone names that are still acceptable in Latvia, you would be considered a barbarian.
***
15. Krakow at the moment has art events that are dedicated to the remembrance of Czeslaw Milosz. He is one of my favourite poets. In fact the only one whose verses (ok, ok, one short poem) I remember by heart.
***
16. It's funny how the answers to your questions seem to come from unlikely places. I've always wanted to know how the Swiss democracy works. That's even one of the reasons why I chose Switzerland to travel around 5 years ago and have read quite a few books on its history and politics. But the real answers came when I met a guy in Poland who turned out to be a Swiss constitutional lawyer (now turned bank lawyer) - who then told me all the good and bad things I needed to know.
Did you know that Swiss are considering an idea to elect not just their parliament, but also executive (ministers; it's already happening on subnational level)? Did you know that the Swiss citiyens receive a letter from authorities before referendum with honest and impartial arguments on pro's and con's of the proposal? Do you know that the Swiss state trusts its citizens enough just to send back their voting-decision by post - without sending-in their passports, going to notaries or doing all that other bullshit Latvia still deems indispensable?
***
17. Had a call from Latvia on whether the president should send back the new law on referenda. You know what? Somehow I don't care anymore. There are too many compromises in that draft law. I would like Latvia to move in Swiss direction, become even better than Switzerland. But now I know that we have to deal with interpersonal trust first.
Now it's important for referenda regulation to not get worse, but eventually we will make it better.
I'm not responding to phone calls from media anymore. I'm out. Not at home.
***
18. I hate flying. Probably that's why I was not too upset that the plane from Warsaw to Krakow got cancelled for technical reasons (after having waited for several hours, not including the linked flight from Riga to Warsaw). The organization of Polish LOT airlines and behaviour of the airport staff in Warsaw airport was truly dreadful, though. Some lying involved, unwillingness to find any other solution than a bus to Krakow (circa 5 hours). But the interesting thing was how apologetic towards foreign passengers were the regular Polish passengers who also missed the flight. They were genuinely unhappy- not about themselves, but that the foreigners will have a bad experience.
I wonder if the same would be the case in Latvia if something like this was done by AirBaltic - and I know that that company does exactly the same.
As for me, yes I missed an evening in Krakow, but then it probably was worth it. Got to know some great Polish people, a hiker from New-York and a very angry football-fan who was missing a word-championship game.
It's no fun to be going such a distance by bus, but it might be even lesser fun to be flying in a potential wreckage. On my way from Riga I was reading Martin's Buber's I and Though- reading religious philosophy on the plane seems to become a pattern.
***
19. It's even hard to explain how good I feel in Salzburg. It's light and beautiful and has a lot of greenery. I fell in love with the place some 18 years ago, by spending just an hour here on a school trip. Hadn't been there since. So glad that I decided not to stay in Vienna. I just don't quite like the Modern Art museum in Salzburg. The view from the terrace is the best of all museums I've ever been to, though.
As I finish writing this blog post, the three hours of the Sound of the Music seem to be at the end as well. No, I do not like this film. Nice as it is.
To be continued...
