Slovenia - Perpetuum Jazzile concert in Izola

Perpetuum Jazzile is a Slovenian choir that performs jazz and popular music. It was founded as Gaudeamus Chamber Choir in 1983.
The choir consists of both female and male singers. They are occasionally augmented by jazz instrumentalists.
The choir uses a wide spectrum of jazz styles, performing complex and dense harmonies, characteristic of close harmony music. They perform bossa nova and swing music, as well as funk, gospel and pop. http://www.perpetuumjazzile.si/en/




Pero and I coming back home after the concert.

Slovenia - Human Sacrifice in Celje

My 6th visit to Slovenia in the last 16 months, always feeling a little bit "at home"... Visiting friends in Celje


Marko, Helena and I

With Niko

Artistic performance "Human Sacrifice"





The public, trying to get the point of all that ;)

Back to Belgium for 6th time‏

Yesterday I flew from Latvia to Belgium (yes, I know, back to Belgium once more). It is my 6th visit to this country since I started traveling in Europe and the reason is work as always, but not a big deal. Actually, I took this job to use it as an excuse to visit a good friend of mine.
And if you ask me how am I feeling right now I can't lie and have to say a bit sad indeed; feeling nostalgic for what I left behind. Behind I see ten months of sharp experiences, wonderful people, amazing places, little new adventures every day. Now I am back where I was ten months ago. Same city, same flat, same people. I even remember the order of the products in the nearby supermarket and the faces I see in the elevator every morning. My heart is still in the Baltic States. Somehow it couldn't pass the control at the airport and had to stay there with some people I met in the last few weeks. I am sure it is in good hands.
In a wooden house in the Estonian forest, watching old Italian movies with Lithuanian subtitles in a park in Kaunas, wandering the streets of Vilnius walking a dog called Potato, taking night walks in the darkest parts of Ogre, baking bread in Latvian countryside, doing indoor camping in the top floor of the oldest and coziest building I have seen or eating fruits while appreciating the beauty of the old town in Riga and watching Almodovar's last movie just before taking my bus to the airport.
I am missing the realism of Eastern Europe that I love so much, that touch of chaos and confusion in every corner. Now looking through my window the tidy, clean, safe and good looking Western Europe evokes no excitement within me, not even a pinch. But I shouldn't complain so much, because my stay here will last only for 12 days and I have more than enough nice memories to keep my mind busy remembering the last months and dreaming about what is going to come soon when I will go back to the Balkans for another taste of its surprises..

Photos from my last 2 days in Riga:


Andrej's Port Riga

Andrej's Port Riga

With Reinis in Riga

My hosts in Riga


Riga's Old Town



Delicius Latvian sweets

Ineta moments before I catched my bus to the airport

Exercise book

"The world is your exercise book, the pages on which you do your sums.
It is not reality, although you can express reality there if you wish.
You are also free to write nonsense, or lies, or to tear the pages."

"Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have
drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you."

-Richard Back.

"Its crazy what can come into your heart when you open it... and what can seep out is just as surprising."

-Amelia

Latvia - Hitchhiking dangerous? naaaaahh :)

Many times people told me that hitchhiking could be dangerous... I just smile :)

Sept 7th 2009, Latvia.

I wanted to go to Mezezers, a little place 120km east of the capital. So I thought, "Not a big deal. My last trips by thumb in the Baltic were 300-600km in length, so 120 won't be a challenge." After two hours of waiting without getting any ride I changed my mind.
Finally two guys driving a dark BMW stopped and, speaking in Russian, told me to jump in. I tried to ask them where they were going, but couldn't understand the answer. Maybe they didn't understand the question either. So I just took the ride :)
Ten minutes later I found myself in a little village not so far from Riga. The two men who had picked me up seemed to be looking for someone, a dealer of some sort I soon found out. After asking a few people we found her. I deemed her to be around 50 years old as I watched her walking towards the only bus stop in the village carrying some bags with vegetables and other stuff. As soon as she gave my drivers what they wanted we continued on. Everyone seemed satisfied. Shortly thereafter I was dropped off.
I got out of the car, looked to my left and saw a girl hitchhiking. I looked to my right and I saw another girl hitchhiking. Then I realized that this is the area where the prostitutes stand :)
I decided to test market's demand and raise my thumb anyway. Instantly a car stopped.

"Are you Turkish?" the man in the car asked me. Maybe he had some kind of weird fetish.
"What? No! I am going to Plavinas. Where are u going?"
"Plavinas? Ahhh... come, come..."

The driver was in his 60's and didn't speak any foreign language other than German. He looked very suspicious and for the tone of his voice and the way he was looking at me I thought he could have had another idea than picking up a hitchhiker when he stopped. I sat as far from him as possible while he made jokes that I couldn't understand because of the language barrier. To celebrate his mysterious jokes he slapped my left knee, making this trip the most uncomfortable in a long long time.

Our haphazard conversation went as follows:

"Why are u going there?" the man asked me.
"To visit my friend."
"Guy or girl?"
"GIRL GIRL!"
"Do u want candies?"
"NO THANKS" o.O
"Do u want apples?"
"Well, ok thanks." That's me, always trusting everyone :)
"Let's stop to buy bread," he suggested.
"Mmmmm..." I didn't answer
"Do you like bread?"
"Yes" (?)

We slowly got closer to Planivas.

"Where are u going in Plavinas?" the man asked me.
"Actually, I am not going there. I am going to Mezezers, 4km from Plavinas"
"Oooohh! Mezezers! I will take u there. No problem."

He drove for 10 minutes after we passed through Plavinas and I remembered that Mezezers should be located at the opposite side of the highway.

"Do u know where Mezezers is?" I asked.
"No, do you?" At this point I began to wonder where he was driving.
"I think it is in the opposite direction. Do you have a map?"
"No."
"What if we stop and ask someone?"
"Okay"
"I better get out here :) Thanks for everything! Oh! Can I take a photo of u?"



(Thanks Amelia)

Latvia - Baking Bread in Vilce

Sept 5th 2009 - Vilce Latvia

I met Inita last June, in my first visit to Riga. She has a friend, Raimonds, who is a painter living in a 200 years old house in the countryside. We went there to bake more than 15kg of bread last weekend. (I didn't take any photo of Raimonds! Why???)


The house

Raimonds paintings

Pretending to be useful and taking photos flogger style :)

Mmm... dough? more flour more flour

Crazy!

Exhausted, but Inita did everything for me :)

Inita and Vika Kneading the dough

Vika playing with dough, nasty!

Inita and Vika next to the oven

Coming in...

Coming out... Bread is ready