Letonia; El resto de la semana.

Tuesday, Ruta's sister Sanita took me to the open air museum, where we saw what all the old style houses used to look like back in the day. Very pioneer. We just walked around and looked at all the different types of buildings there were. It was set in a really pretty forest and close to a lake. We spent roughly two hours there before heading out to get some lunch at another Lido restaurant. I tried traditional Latvian meatballs, sausage, and potatoes. Everything tasted delicious, of course. Afterwards, we walked to a park and then met up with Ruta. When Ruta came, we went to the mall and looked around for a dress for her graduation. It's really weird to see huge stores and malls here because, in exception to Corte Ingles, they are nonexistent in Spain and everywhere else I've visited in Europe as well. Later, they took me to see a war memorial and then we went to their parents' house for cake and ice cream. Then Ruta dropped me off at the apartment and I called it a night.

Wednesday was a much busier day. Sanita and I started the day by seeing Riga's biggest market while Ruta was taking an exam. We picked up some strawberries and cherries to eat during the day. Then we shopped around for a bit and I got an amber ring. When Ruta was finished with her exam, she and Lauris picked us up at the apartment to head out to go to another town an hour away from Riga called Bauska. There we saw a big and impressive castle. We climbed to the top to see a beautiful view. Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch. Lauris ate an insane amount of food, like always, and I couldn't even finish mine. It was really good though. I love Latvian food. After lunch, we drove just a bit farther to another castle in Rundāle. This is supposedly one of Latvia's most famous castles. It was of a newer style and had a beautiful garden. We spent a while there, exploring the castle and gardens before heading back to Riga. When they dropped me off at the apartment, I met up with Janis right away to spend the evening with him. He first took me to a small shop to get some bread and then we went to a really nice park and fed the ducks. That was a lot of fun. Then we walked around the lake at the park and just talked for a while. It was a really nice and relaxing evening. He took me back home later and the day was over.

Thursday was a bit boring than the other days. Everyone had things to do so I was by myself for the beginning of the day. I explored Riga again, shopped for a little bit, but soon ran out of things to do so I went back to the apartment. Janis picked me up at 6 pm and took me to Brigita's house to socialize with her and some other people I didn't know. Lauris, Krista, and Janis were there, though. So I still had friends who could translate for me. Brigita also has an adorable beagle who was really fun to play with. We ate dinner at her house and she made sure I was well-fed and after about two hours, Janis and I left. We went back to the center of Riga and got some coffee and walked along the river and talked for another hour before he took me home for the night.

Today (Friday) I went to see the Botanical gardens with Sanita and Krista. That was really pretty and reminded me a lot of my cabin but we had some rainy weather which was not so good. After the gardens, we walked to Brigita's house to have some lunch. We were there for about an hour before she sent us to go to a museum. So Krista and I saw the museum. It was kind of boring, but that's okay. Then she walked me back to the apartment around 4 pm to finish packing my things and clean up the apartment. Later we will go out so I can see what a real Latvian party is like and then I will have to be at the airport around 4:30 am to begin my journey home.