Beside the Seaside

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Update on Monday 6 November

November 6, 2006 by Mike

Riga

Hello again

Another quick note, rather than the regular diary updates I'm trying to keep going when I can.

I'm in Riga - yes __that __Riga, capital of Latvia and therefore some way south of where I last wrote from in Narva.

Since when I've stayed in Tallinn (beautiful, snowy), Parnu (coastal, snowy), Saulkrasti (desolate, snowy) before reaching Riga. It's snowing.

I took the decision to try to outride winter and head south when I can. It's meant not spending long in Estonia and I'm hoping to get through the rest of the Baltics quickly too. Though today's snow looks deep and crisp and even, rain and even warmth are forecast for the next few days. (It was -6 this morning.)

So. Riga. I'm staying in a cheap hotel out of the centre which has WiFi "but not for Macs" so I can't upload pictures or diary. And I can't take the Mac into town because it will freeze. The bike is under a plastic sheet and I'm off to town now to try and work out if I can get a visa for Kaliningrad.

The c***-up at the Embassy in Helsinki will cost me a few days and possibly a couple of hundred quid -- or mean that I have to bypass Kaliningrad altogether. We shall see.

Pip pip and I hope the sun is shining wherever you are. But I hope even more that it leaves you and comes and finds me!

--Mike

Comments

By Humpty | November 6, 2006 4:46 PM

Beautiful in London Mikey...and not snowing - it's cold thou!! x

By helen | November 6, 2006 4:49 PM


I can't believe you've written c***!!! Shocking!!! Ah, now I see. You mean "The chap up at the Embassy..."

Enjoying your tales very much. Huge sympathy for the part when you nearly lost your bike down a ravine/ditch. I dropped a 250 once. In cow poo. Took me ages to get it upright.

Helen
x

By Lorna | November 8, 2006 11:18 AM

Mr With :)

I've been giggling at my desk reading your snow stories and paying off dodgy coppers with zits! heh heh

Just wonder where we should send your xmas card this year?!

Luv ya

By mark | November 8, 2006 5:09 PM

Isn't Kaliningrad where the Russian navy has one of it's main bases?

By kc | November 9, 2006 5:39 PM

Well - you really are taking in the good, bad and snowy!!
Remember we are fifty ;femti (half norsk and half brit) - do look after both halves!!
All de best sis

By Annette | November 10, 2006 2:58 PM

I once showed up late on a Thursday night at the boarder of Kaliningrad and tried to go in without a visa. They weren't really having it. Later someone said I could have just slipped the guard a tenner but I have never been good at bribes. Actually not that I have ever tried I just imagine I wouldn't be good at bribes.

Take care and stay warm.
Annette

By Alan Whelan | November 14, 2006 9:27 PM

Hi Mike

Found your site through Horizons Unlimited (where would we all be without it?) and just wanted to say a triumph-ant hello from someone riding to Cape Town next year on a Triumph - there just aren't enough of us out there.
Well done, fascinating trip and look after yourself.

Cheers
Alan Whelan

By jacs | November 16, 2006 2:27 PM

Hola Mike
Remember this:you are missing the switching on of the Christmas lights in Norwich tonight with Brian Gunn and Linda Barker! Plus santa with his soggy reindeer at St.Peter Mancroft...yes, it's peeing down here.
ps thought that being 1/2 Norwegian you'd whinge much less about a bit of the white stuff.......................!

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