A day of highs and lows but no real disasters. These I am waiting for!! As each move is achieved I keep thinking that a disaster will happen at any minute. I am now right on the Belarusian border(not saying that will be a disaster)! As I write this thunder is clapping over my head outside, I’m grateful to be inside.
Anyway, to start on a positive. I went to my favourite coffee place this morning as I inhabited limbo before I had to go to the Bus Station. And the nicest treat was that a youngish Finnish girl asked if she could share my table. She was smart and very interesting with a great knowledge of world affairs. We chatted and chatted for well over an hour which was a delight. Covering everything from Russia, Jacinda Adhern, Donald Trump, China and Taiwan. She had just spent time in Taiwan and was very concerned for them. She has travelled the world, particularly Asia, but had never been to Riga before. A bit like me and NZ. I was sorry to part company with her.
I then went back to my apartment. I needed the owner of my Airbnb to ring a taxi for me but he hadn’t responded so I had to go back to get wifi. Anyway long story short my taxi arrived on schedule, another lovely man who again talked of Russian aggression. He said they had been waiting for Russia to try to invade since 1991. Remember the taxi driver when I arrived in Riga and him trying to charge 15 Eu and I gave him 10. The real meter charge today was 6 Eu… I gave the lovely man 10 (as you do).
I sat in the bus station watching the world go by for an hour, got on the bus uneventfully and then waited for a second driver to arrive for a half hour delay. It was an uneventful trip. All along the route there is thick forest lining the road. Fur and Silver Birch and dense and dark. It might sound ridiculous but all I could think of was Wagner forces hiding in there. I don’t really belive it but the atmosphere is right and the border is just there. On the trip they played ‘ I’ll be riding shotgun…’ and I got all misty thinking of singing along with Lou and Maxi. It poured and poured and poured for the second half of the bus trip and I was dreading the soaking I was going to get when we got there.
Finally we got to Vilnius, it was close to 6 and suddenly it stopped raining. Unreal but thank god. Then for my massive argument of the day. Taxis….fucking taxis again. There was one taxi there when I finally got out and he said 20 Eu. I said don’t be ridiculous. He said 15, and that’s my last offer!! I said use your meter. He said he didn’t have one. I wasn’t sure how far it was ( a rooky mistake) and I just wanted to get to the apartment so I said ok but I want a receipt. Anyway, sorry to belabour this, It was about a 5 Eu ride and I was furious with him. I told him he was a disgrace to his country. He said I’d agreed on a price (true). I took photos of his number plate just to scare him (ha ha you say, don’t be so naïve).
Then, as he’d just dumped me, not outside my Airbnb, I couldn’t for the life of me find it. So to add insult to injury I had to take my phone off airplane mode and pay for roaming to call the hosts. I was frazzled!! Moving days always give me the anxieties.
It still wasn’t raining and I hadn’t eaten since my morning croissant so the first thing I did was find food. Fairly horrible food at that, and a glass of awful wine 100ml only, so I had to buy 2!! The food is Polish/German (not the Liz Bowley variety). Very potato and sausage with sour cream. I’ll have to do better for myself tomorrow.
I went for a short walk and then came ‘home’. Showered, put on a load of washing because this is my first washing machine experience. The bathroom is smaller than your en suite(A & K) by quite a bit. In fact by a lot!! Now I listen to the thunder clapping and the rain falling. It nice when you’re not out in it. Hopefully it will all be over by the morning. Tomorrow, lets see what Vilnius has to offer me. Good coffee I hope. Lots of love to everyone xxxxxxx