The Baltic Beaches

Today we made an adventure to the Baltic Sea for a day on the beach. We took a train to Majori, a town outside of Riga. We explored the city and took a walk down the boardwalk before going to the beach. It was a great day for the beach, but we only lasted for about an hour. The water was freezing and somebody forgot the soccer ball... patrick.

When we got back to Riga, we were all invited to a dinner hosted by the University of Latvia. This was the last time we got to see Agnese, our tour guide. She was great.

After dinner, we went to the Latvian Opera and saw a modern take on Mozart. Interesting, to say the least.

Tomorrow some of us are visiting a concentration camp. Should be a insightful experience.

-Daniel & Steven

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!

FUN FILLED DAY!

Today was a lot of fun!
We started early with a company visit to Nordea Bank. We learned were able to hear people speak from two different sectors of the bank and take a tour of their brand new building in Riga. They were recently voted the twenty-first safest bank in the world and they are the largest bank in Latvia.

Next we went to Lido, an authentic Latvian restaurant chain. After our last experience at Peppersack {authentic Estonian food}, I was a little hesitant. Lido showed me. It was delicious! There is also are small amusement park rides/games outside the facilities. We all rented roller skates and skated the afternoon away!! It was such a throwback to the good old days and the guys even got in some healthy competition with a game of hockey!

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing laundry!! It was much needed for most people... stinky. haha. Some of us went to a local laundromat, while others got creative washing clothes in the bathroom! It all worked out and we are now all so fresh and so clean clean!

Tomorrow is going to be another adventurous day, and I'm excited! Riga is wonderful!

-EMMA & MATT

Rainy busy day in Latvia

After breakfast, we went to Stenders a cosmetic store in Riga.  It was a quick but rewarding visit, many of the group members (the girls) enjoyed the vast array of bath products.  Who knew there were so many different additives for a mere bath.   After getting some fresh air, we met back at the University of Latvia for a meeting with Schuco Solar, a solar power panel company.  We were informed that Schuco is currently working with the city of Riga to construct an energy efficient public library.   The majority of Shuco's clients are from residential, rather than businesses.  Overall the company is working to reduce energy consumption in Latvia.  We hoped on a tram across the river to Tele 2, the leading mobile phone provider for Latvia.  Dr. Shook was happy to find a coffee machine as we walked through the front door.  Tele 2 informed us of their guerrilla marketing campaign.  Long story short, they made world media coverage by creating a fake meteorite crash. They used the awareness to their advantage, introducing their new service plan called Meteorite.  Jared was so worried about eating chocolate that he forgot his jacket.  Thankfully, he has supernatural speed and was able to make it back in time to catch the tram.  We were able to change into some casual clothes and meet back at the University for a tour and a delightful dinner at the canteen.  We are now "Wifi"in it up at the local coffee shop.

 On top of the University of Latvia

Munchin on some bath salts...

P.S.-There were absolutely NO seagulls!

- Mary-Elsye and Jared

Riga Day 2

On day 2 of our of our excursion in Riga, we began the day with a lecture from the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics, Mr. Juris Puce. He gave us some very insightful information on the current economic situation of the country of Latvia, as well as the basic economic policies they follow. After the lecture we were taken on a tour of the Old Town and the Art Nouveau buildings. Riga is a very different city from Tallinn, and it was good to see a change of scenery and some fresh views. For our first company visit of the trip, the chairman of the company Madara came and spoke to us about their business operations in Latvia and the other countries they operate in. Madara is a eco-cosmetics company, making products that are great for the skin an body as well as the environment. We were able to take a short visit to a Madara shop. The highlight of the day was the celebration of the 21st birthday of one our classmates, Daniel McClendon. For his birthday dinner he chose TGI Friday's, and we were able to provide him with the opportunity to celebrate with a cake and candles. For our nighttime activity, most of the group took a trip to the Skyline Cafe, which is on the 26th floor of a  high-rise hotel located in the middle of Riga. It was a long day, but one filled with great experiences and much learning.

I would like to give a shout out to my parents for being expert skypers, my brother Owen for not responding to my messages, my sister Sarah for responding to my messages, my girlfriend Audrey for being our most loyal Twitter follower, and everyone else who is keeping up with the blogs.

If you do not have a Twitter account, create one and follow AUCEESP, I promise you will be entertained.

-wilson

Riga!!!

Goodbye Estonia, Hello Latvia! We have conquered one country and have two to go! Today we said goodbye to our dorm at the Tallinn University around 11:00 and got to travel to Latvia in a Mercedes bus that was quite comfortable. Everyone relaxed and caught up on sleep from the late night on our four-hour bus ride. When we arrived at our hotel in Riga, we were all very impressed with how nice it looked from the outside. The rooms however are not as spacious as the dorm rooms, but they are still comfortable. We met with our tour guide for Riga, Agnese, and she showed us around the city. We quickly found that our hotel is right in the middle of the city and takes little time to walk anywhere. Dinner was the next order of business, and we decided to eat at an Asian restaurant called Dada. It was a stir-fry place where you get to pick your meat, vegetables, and sauce. After dinner the girls toured the 5-story mall, which took a very long time to explore! We had a great first day in RIga and are so excited to see what this week holds!


Kristen

Farewell, Tallinn

Today marks the last day of our visit to Tallinn Estonia.   During the course of our visit we saw and experienced many interesting things.   Among these experiences are: losing luggage,  walking around a lot (and occasionally tripping), riding buses and trams, travelling on a “ferry” (more like a cruise ship), visiting the university, eating a splendid breakfast at the hotel each morning, visiting several landmarks around town, several company visits, and going to prison.  We also ate a variety of different types of food here in Tallinn.  The first night, we ate traditional Estonian.  We have also eaten delicious Italian food at Vapiano, steak, McDonald’s, Subway, Hesburger, Lido (a Latvian restaurant), pizza, Chinese,  Turkish kebab, delicious pastries and bread, and more.
Today, a festival was beginning in Tallinn.  We went and looked at the open air market for Estonian crafts and souvenirs.  There was a small parade and music through the town.   Now, we are getting ready to go eat dinner followed by some of the Estonian night life.  Tomorrow, we leave for Riga after breakfast.  We have enjoyed our time here in Tallinn, and look forward to what the rest of our trip has to offer.  So, for the last time from Tallinn, goodbye.

-Written by Derek Godwin and Joseph Guthrie