This is the best Thursday we have had in Latvia yet!

What more can you ask of a Thursday in Latvia? Not much.

We began today bright and early. The group loaded a bus at nine and we had about an hour ride to our first destination: Latvia's Summer Bobsled track. We went down the track in the bob in groups of three, with the instructing driver in the front. It was quite a rush as the bob reached up to three 3g's.  Our team (Wilson, Jared, Patrick) backed up a victory in street hockey from the previous day by shattering the course record.

After everyone had gone we loaded up on the bus again and headed out to Ozolkalns, a recreational area that turns into Latvia's biggest ski slope in the winter. They opened during the economic crises and are still operating to this day and continue to grow. In the summer months they offer ropes courses, rafting, and canoeing.

Shortly after leaving the slope we arrived at the Cesis brewery, Latvia's second largest beverage producer. We had a brief presentation from the CEO of the company, then we were given a tour of the brewing process.

We stopped for a quick lunch at one of the local pizza joints where we were lucky enough to spot one of the rare Latvian stray cats, who graced the group with its high quality entertainment. After hanging out with this stray cat for lunch for an hour or so we could have called it quits on a high note but we decided to forge on. We made our way to an elegant river overview, but had the misfortune of being swarmed by a throng of mosquitoes. Today was a busy but successful one. The group is planning on heading over to the sandy beaches tomorrow; imagine Key West plus Destin with a splash of Gulf Shores (minus the oil). 

We send our love from Riga, Latvia.

Jared and Patrick

Happy Birthday Alexa!