Sixth Take- Is it an Elf or a Simple Person?

Greetings from Thailand!

It's hard to believe I arrived in Armenia on June 22, 2022 and after two years, I said farewell. I leave behind a nice life in Armenia where I've built a support system and made life long friends.  My Russian and Armenian friends are making plans to visit Thailand, with the new visa laws they can travel here for 60 days visa exempt. My plan is to stay in Thailand for a year and beyond that depends on the life that I build for myself while I'm here.  In June I suddenly turned 70 and I have the hearing aids to prove it. It's a cliche but true, the years go by fast.

My time in Armenia gave me a view of the world that I wouldn't have otherwise known, the fear of Russia in post Soviet countries still exists. In a recent conversation with a Turk who said, "it's difficult living in middle east and the caucus countries "  he's right.

In October I visited Latvia and Estonia for Intra-league European Qualifying fubol. Armenia, along with 52 other countries, played in the qualifying rounds for the 2024 European Cup tournament.  Armenia's group includes Turkey, Croatia, Wales and Latvia. Because Armenia's National team has little money the players are not as developed as the other teams and sadly they usually hover at the bottom of the division.  The highlight of the visit was not the Armenia v Latvia game but my time exploring Riga and Tallinn.  

Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, Lithuania have museums dedicated to the Occupation of Nationalist Socialist Germany and the Soviet Union. Comparing their occupation history to Armenia's occupation history there are parallels. For most of their history the Baltic countries were occupied by Germanic and Scandinavian conquerers, Armenia has also been occupied for most of their history, their conquerers were the Persians, Ottomans and Russians.  The Baltics and Armenia had a brush with independence in the 1920's & 30's but with the rise of Hilter and his entrance into Europe and Russia's move into Armenia in1922, independence was short lived. The Baltic states had resistance armies where Armenia fought with the Russians in WWII.  Lativia and Estonia share borders with Russia and even though the Baltics are members of the EU and NATO, there's a fear among Estonians that they may be next on Putin's list. On the other hand Armenia and most of the Caucus countries have struggled to be independent of Russia.  This area of the world is complex from Tajikistan to Georgia, but there's one unifier - sports, especially futbol. 

Latvia (dark jersey) 2

Armenia (white)  0 

In Latvia, Riga's Central Market is the largest market in Europe. Built between 1924 - 1930 from old German Zeppelin hangars, this was the premier market of the area, however with the growth of supermarkets, the Central market is no longer full with vendors.  Today, this fantastic market is a popular tourist attraction and a shopper's special occasion destination.

  

Hangar 1-  Breads, Cheese, Desserts

Hangar 2-  Meats

Hangar 3-  Smoked Fish and fresh caught fish 

Right- Kefir, yogurt and cheese from a local farm

Below-  Black Bread, one of Latvia's signature foods

Raspberries and blueberries, sweet and delicious

Both Riga and Tallinn offer excellent free walking tours.  In Riga, the tours are conducted by guides who dress in Medieval or Renaissance period pieces, enhancing their already excellent story telling.  The tour guide tells the history through a 'simple person's,' existence. We walk through the old town hearing the everyday life and work stories of this simple person. He also refers to class distinctions,  land owners who lived in the city center on the other side of the city's fortress wall and his family who lived outside of the fortress wall.  By far one the best city tours (and it's free) I've taken.

Tallin boasts of it's architectural history that includes Baroque, Classicism, Art Deco, Scandinavian Classicism and Soviet period archi-tecture.

Tallinn's old town is a UNESCO Heritage site. It's surrounded and protected by the Walls of Tallinn.  A fortress first built in 1265, it's the largest existing city walls in Europe.

During my visit both Latvia and Estonia were on hightened alert after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  Throughout the capital cities Ukrainian flags are flown, protests were taking place and signs are numerous. 

From Armenia I traveled to Istanbul for two months.  Initially I visited for the food and the history.  The food was disappointing but the museums, palaces, antiquities, ancient sites, etc were endless and educational.  For me, the ancient city of Efes or Ephesus, were the most impactful.  At the time the land was part of Greece but today Turkey heralds the area as Turkey and Greece is never mentioned, these two countries have never liked each other.  As early as 500 BC, Efes was a major trading center of Asia Minor, around 180 BC after numerous occupiers, Ephesus became part of the Roman Empire.  Known for their architectural excellence the Romans added buildings and improved the infrastructure of the city.  A few pics from  the ancient city.  

                 

                                              Greek Goddess Fortuna's temple

Curetes Street the main walkway of Efes
        Mosaic Floor  in a Terrace home.

                                              

Wall painting in a Terrace home                                                    

   The Library of Celsus.  

Built in 135 AD, it housed up to 12,000 manuscript scrolls it was the third largest library of ancient times.

Three weeks ago I moved to an apartment in Bangkok and am beginning to settle in.  I'll leave you with this video of the ubiquitous motor bikes of SE Asia, tuk tuks and the never ending bumper to bumper traffic in Bangkok. 

Lastly, meet my travel companion Tuxy (short for Tuxedo), a street cat who I adopted in Yerevan.  She's as curious as I am, so we're good companions.

Hajogh

Sheila