Riga

Latvia

September 5, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

In response to my letters and photographs from Latvia, my old friend and classmate Paul G. wrote the following:

“Thanks, Jan, for the virtual tour.  My wife and I will never visit many of the locations that you experienced.”

Paul’s sentiments are certainly understandable.  For most Americans who travel to Europe, Latvia is not a favored destination.  England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain top the list.    Who can gainsay the decisions to visit Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, Checkpoint Charlie, the Coliseum, or the Plaza de Toros? 

And yet, the decisions of many Americans are now changing.

Riga

Latvia

September 6, 2014

                Diplomacy at the Belarus Embassy

“Sorry. Your passport photo is unacceptable.  Your passport photo is on a blue background.  We require a photo on a white background.”

“It’s a nice photo, isn’t it?” I inquired, hoping for a bit of flexibility that is probably non-existent.  (May I humbly say, “My looks and my demeanor usually go a long way in many countries.”)  But this young punk of a consular official was unimpressed.  “Yes, he agreed, “It’s a nice photo.  But it needs to be on a white background.”

Tallinn

Estonia

August 17, 2014

My fellow phographers,

My friend and professional phographer and guide, Ralph Velasco offered this advice, "Find the human touch."

So after indulging my own proclivity for architecture and landscape, I follow Ralph's suggestion.

As per my typical routine, I find a quiet spot and try (unobtrusively) to shoot the natives.

If I am “busted” I give them a peek at the screen. 

Luckily, here in Estonia, the natives are mostly cheerful, and anxious to strike a glamorous pose. 

Tallinn

Estonia

August 17, 2014

So where do all these tourists come from? 

Helsinki

Finland

August 12, 2014

Hei,

Many years ago I had an American-Hungarian friend.  She insisted that Hungarian was “different” and resembled no other language in Europe.  Since I was a young man who thought he already knew everything, I doubted my friend’s characterization of her language.

Hungary lies in the middle of Central Europe.  Certainly the language is in some way similar to her neighbors’.   Surely Hungarian is related to Slovakian Slavic, or Romanian Romance, or Austrian Germanic?

Well I was dead wrong!