The Parents Have Come and Gone!

I just had one heck of a last week or so. I was in Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia last weekend and then I met up with my parents on Sunday in Riga which was so sweet! First, about the 2 other Baltic countries along with Lithuania. Latvia is just north of Lithuania and Estonia is on top of Latvia. Just to give you an idea (I know you have no clue where any of these countries are), Estonia is pretty much directly south of Finland. Riga has 900,000 people and is more of a modern city because over half of it was ruined during WWII and Soviet occupation. We ate at this really cool Latvian restaurant that was a HUGE buffet where you paid individually for items of authentic Lithuania food. They do buffets right in that you pay for what you get. These countries are also very slender as a whole in body type. We also hit up some bars and a karaoke club in Tallinn. Yes, I sang loudly and obnoxiously and YES an Estonian girl pulled me up onto a pole in hopes that I would "break it down" with her. A little awkward and I just kind of ran away. Tallinn is known for AIDS and prostitution, pretty sad. It's a cool old walled city though and Saturday was spent enjoying the town and checking out souvenirs.

So, Mom and Dad arrived after a night spent sleeping on the floor of one of London's many airports and they were tired but they were troopers and we ate at Lido's and walked around Old Town and talked. It was so so nice! Then the rest of the week was spent seeing the sights around Klaipeda. We went to a couple of different beaches, some great restaurants, a jazz club, a bar overlooking Klaipeda at night (Dad LOVED the ice cream!), and we just enjoyed each other's company. The weather was magnificent. Blue sky everyday which is opposite of what Lithuania should be like this time of the year. I just realized a bit more how amazing my parents are and how much they have poured into my life and would do about anything for me. I am so blessed. So, all in all, it was so great and now it's back to Lithuanian life as we know it! I kind of feel like I'm at home here. Today I checked out a few new spots by myself and I am enjoying the exploring. Hope all is well in the good ole USA! God Bless you and bless others through you!