Claire

It is my utmost belief that everybody needs a Claire in their life. I am lucky enough to have a Claire already and it has come to my attention just how indispensable she is.

Maybe you already have a Claire in your world lucky you!) but are wondering how you can tell. Let me enlighten you on how to tell when you have found your Claire.

They can be a he or a she, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that they are your cheerleader. A Claire will believe that you have the ability to make money from painting on the streets of Sydney, or to write a book, or to speak a foreign language, even if you have only ever shown a mediocre talent in any of these areas.

Not only will a Claire cheer you on, they will also inspire you. They are go-getters and risk takers (and here you can be a cheerleader for them!) and they are always looking beyond what they are doing now, for the next exciting opportunity.

But a Claire is not so stubborn headed that all she concentrates on is getting to the next big thing, no no no. A Claire is also a fan of the lighter things in life. Claire's firmly believe in doing things like dancing in fountains, picking flowers at midnight and drinking absinth with strangers in hostels. Because, after all this is where the real memories come from.

The true beauty of a Claire is that although they are indispensable, their usefulness does not depend on proximity. After all, one of their most important attributes is their ability to listen, to console, to conspire and to confide in. All of which can be done over the internet in this wonderful day and age, making it unnecessary for direct contact all the time (although we do always wish to be close to those we love so it would be ideal). If you have found a Claire already you know how many hours can be spent messaging, skyping, emailing and calling until it feels as though there is no divide between you at all.

So let's raise a glass to Claire's, here there and everywhere. Making your day a little brighter, one random essay sized text at a time.

To Riga!

After my Scandinavian trip  from back in June left to drive on to 

St Petersburg I was left without a purpose for 10 days. My boss had said he would fly me from Tallinn back to our crew house in the Netherlands but I casually asked if I might be able to postpone the flight until the 23rd, and maybe I could fly out of Warsaw instead? He said yes right away and booked me a flight! Awesome, now I just had to decide how I would fill in that week.

 

Cafes in Tallinn

I spent a few more days in Tallinn, mostly just recuperating from the trip. By this I mean

spending hours on Skype updating various people whom I hadn't spoken to in weeks, taking hours to have a lazy breakfast in a café with a book, watching movies at night and walking with no purpose or direction around the city just taking in the sights but not really doing anything at all. This is how I rest after a trip, il dolce far niente.

 

Tallinn

I did browse some beautiful shops, Tallinn has a lot of local crafts stores with metal work,

wood work, textiles and jewelry. They are particularly known for their amber jewelry and from every other store window came a glow of golden honey brown or silver flecked green calling me in, but I have learnt with these tempting beauties that it is better to not to even  look.

Tallinn's main square

After a few days I was ready to move on and my trip leader Monika had suggested to me

that buses down to Riga in Latvia were cheap and easy. At the end of the trip the RS goes on through Riga and Warsaw and I thought it would be fun to see a bit more of the trip route if I could. The bus to Riga was only about 4 hours, I rocked up at the bus station asking for a ticket and one was leaving in 20 minutes!
 

Riga

As I drove into the city I realized a few things. I didn't know what currency they used, what time zone they were on or the address of where I wanted to stay that night (Monika had given me a name). Professional right here! It's like I said before though, part of being a constant traveler is just being able to take it in your stride. I started scanning the advertisements on billboards and found that all the prices were in Euros so there was one answer. My phone automatically updates the time when country jumping and it was telling me I was still on the same time zone as yesterday so my second question was answered and when I got to the bus station I went to the Info guy and asked for directions to the Naughty Squirrel. He drew it on a map for me and I set off. It was so close to the bus station so I was surprised when I couldn't find it on the street he had directed me to. After going up and down the street a few times I went back to the other hostel I had passed, Old Town Hostel. I walked in there and the first thing that happened was a guy offered me a chocolate covered pineapple lump. Good start. I asked for a room, saying that I hadn't booked as I had intended to go to the naughty squirrel. reception was surprised because they were the sister hostel and it turns out that my directions I had been given were wrong. Oh well. I checked in here.

 

Riga

The staff were so awesome. This girl checked me in, Showed me all the way up to my room (I needed a bit of help with the stairs, my bag and my hand still in a cast) and talked me through the facilities, then once I had settled in and come back downstairs she poured me a free beer and we sat down with a map and she drew on it to show me all the things I should be doing and seeing. I was enjoying the vibe in the hostel pub and wanted to watch the word cup soccer match on soon so I just dashed out to grab some takeaway and when I came back asked to join the group of guys who had offered me the sweets when I had walked in. After a few hours of talking it turns out they were the owners of here and the Naughty Squirrel and knew a friend of mine from Topdeck. How small is this world?

Riga

The next day I started with pancakes at a place the hostel had suggested and they were

delicious :) Berries and caramel and banana goodness. Again it was a slow breakfast, my favorite kind, as I was waiting to join a walking tour. I LOVE free walking tours. They are such a good way to get to know a city, a good way to meet people, and a great way to find out about what's on. Our guide was tough looking but soft spoken and called us 'my dear friends' in a sweet accent. He took us around for a few hours and at the end we were offered shots of Black Balsam, Latvian Jaeger, and were told about events happening that night around the city. I am always happy to tip at the end of a tour because I have never been disappointed yet. (Ok, one exception was a free ghost tour in Edinburgh but I'm going to let that slide).

The Hangers/ Markets

 

Markets

 My next stop for the day was the markets in little Russia, (you can pretty much assume that everything I did was following the hostels recommendations). These markets are housed in huge warehouses that used to hold Zeppelins. Crazy to think of. There was nothing flash about them like the markets in Barcelona or Florence, some items literally looked like the store holder had gone out into the woods and foraged for them this morning. Some items I didn't recognize, pinky-red tomatoes, strange salad leaves, Tiny yellow mushrooms. I bought a few things for lunch with the intentions of going to a park for a picnic. But as I left the hangers the sky opened on me and I hurried back to the hostel as the rain poured down to eat my feast upstairs.

Markets

Just as a side note, I had several people come up to me to chat whilst I was eating, most of them wanted to ask about my feast. One guy I chatted with was a friendly person from Melbourne if a little eccentric. That's OK, you are allowed to be eccentric, but, I asked what he did and he told me he kills people for money. I laughed with him, but seriously, joking about this with a girl travelling alone I think is taboo. Its like joking about bombs at an airport. you don't do it. That gave me an off feeling but lucky I'm a confident person and could shrug it off after he left. Please people, don't do this.

My lunch  feast

Once the rain stopped I collected my book and went up to the park and to a café that had

been circled on my map as a favorite. It was perfect. Right on the edge of the river it was a circular building with all glass walls and a top level that is a complete ring of cushions. Shoes off, coffee ordered and reading my book whilst overlooking the river was just perfect.

The sweet little cafe

 From there I walked to The Radisson hotel where you can go up 26 levels to their sky bar

for 360 degree views of the city and its surrounds. Of course you can have a drink as well or you can be like me and just press your nose up against the windows and marvel.

View from the radisson

The next thing I did was something I had been looking forward to since the guide this morning had told us about it. There was going to be a pre-midsummer festival in the park that evening. For those that don't know, for many of the northern countries, midsummer is the biggest festival of the year. Drawing from ancient pagan customs they celebrate the longest day of the year. Apparently a long time ago the celebrations would involve lead up celebrations for months but now the lead up is only a week or so and in the park I found a few hundred people in national costume singing, dancing, playing games, making head wreaths and building various items for their ceremony. The park was decorated with huge bright symbols hanging from the trees and general merriment. I wandered, soaking it all up. The songs they sung were repetitive and bright, the sort you feel you can join in on even though they are in another language. In the end I was looking at all these people in bright skirts and beautiful flower crowns and thought, 'if Claire or Mum were here you would be in there making wreaths with them, what's so different about doing it by yourself?' So I dived in and had great fun weaving my own crown. I wore it in the park and there were so many people on the streets of the city wearing them that I wasn't even looked at twice as I walked back to the hostel. My friends from the previous night were in the bar again and they thought I was a bit funny in my crown but I was pretty happy and I wore it for the rest of the night.

Festivities in the park

I had good touristic intentions for my second day in Riga, there was another walking tour

that had interested me in another part of the city but when I woke to the steady beat of rain on the window of the dorm I changed my plans and smiled as I realized what I was going to do. I headed out all rugged up back to the café from yesterday. Again with the rain beating down outside and a relaxing and warming playlist washing over me I spent a few hours skyping and writing. It was still raining as I left but I kicked myself in to gear and walked down to the Occupation museum in old town. The museum told the story of the multiple occupations that Riga and Latvia have gone through since the 30's. It was a sobering experience, but that is one of the kinds I appreciate. I like that when I read about atrocities like this it makes me feel something, it makes me appreciate what I have, where I am from and really that we are the lucky country.

360 cushions in the cafe

 

Breakfast

That night I went to a traditional Latvian restaurant and ate at the bar with several glasses of cider (I'm in Spain now and even Calimucho cant take away the longing for cider). I had a mushroom and goats cheese tart to start and then chicken with mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese for mains. It was all delicious and so cheap! 15 euros for 2 courses and 2 ciders. I had an early bus in the morning to catch down to Warsaw so I took myself off to bed early after another soccer match. Riga was so good to me, I wouldn't hesitate to go back, I left plenty to do :)  

Midsummer decorations

Making wreaths




 


 
My crown!




 

 

La Sciagura

As part of my job here Au-Pairing, I take the eldest child to school each morning and pick him up in the evening. Because of this I have a car that is mine to use as I like during the day. Which is great because around here the only public transport is the school bus which comes once in the morning and once in the evening and only goes – to school.

It took me a little bit to get used to the driving here. The roads are tiny and any time you pass anyone you subconsciously suck in your breath to help you fit. And we live in the foothills of the dolomites so the roads are windy and steep, its like a rabbit warren of routes in these hills. But I got used to them and last week felt it was time for me to explore somewhere different. The mountains.
 

From the base of the mountains you can see winding roads zigzagging their way to the top and they just looked so exciting that I had to go. I waited for the snows to melt from the top of the peaks and then one day I just felt inspired, and straight after doing the drop off at school I headed up the mountain. This was 8am and I had googled the route beforehand and knew it should only take me an hour to do a round trip.

The drive was spectacular I started in thick forest, still in the final throws of autumn and so was speckled with red and orange and golden light through the leaves. Sometimes this changed to pine trees standing tall and dark and giving the place a very fairytale aura. If I thought I had done steep before. This was steeper. If I thought I had done windy, this was windier.

 

 

  

Suddenly I broke through the tree line and everything became very open and I was smacked by the view all around me. I had chosen a clear day and the mountain dropped sharply below me and then plateaued suddenly at the towns at its base. From here the foothills were in sharp relief and each seemed to stand alone, unlike when you are in them and they all seem to blend together.

I drove with my mouth open, laughing out loud and the amazing view I was getting. But I wasn't even at the peak yet.

 

 

I pulled over at what I had just thought was a good viewing spot. When I stepped out of the car I found something even better. Just a few steps off the road were the remains of old trenches dug and used in WW1 in Italy's fight against Austrian forces. I learnt this off a noticeboard nearby. The trenches were almost as deep as I am tall and their walls were reinforced with the white stones that are plentiful on the mountains. There were still steps and benches made from this stone in various places and the trenches twisted, divided and joined up again all along this little ridge. I thought this was so cool, but it got better. As I went back to my car I realised that on the other side of the road, the trenches continued. I followed them up the mountain, there were so many that when they were used it must have been like an ants nest of activity. I found this old picture of what just one part of the mountain was like and as you can see it is like a little town of streets. As I followed them, sometimes the trenches went in to the side of the mountain and out the other through a cave which must have taken much work to create. In some parts the caves were not a tunnel and must have simply been used as a store house or somewhere to shelter. In more open spots there were the remains of small houses or buildings which could have been used for the same purposes. This whole mountain was alive with history. When I finally reached the summit of this part I was struck once again, this time with a new view. I had rounded the top of the mountain and now could see to the north and the rest of the Dolomites. They were a sight again to take my breath away. The further north I looked, the higher and steeper and meaner looking the mountains became, they dipped in-between to low valleys filled with houses and green fields but quickly rose again to the next peak. Although on the south plains the mists of the morning were clearing quickly, in some of the valleys of the north the cloud was so thick that I wondered if it was still dark beneath it. Even from this height I could hear the faint sounds of a highway in the south but overwhelmingly it was still and fresh and bright. I reveled in the beauty of it before I headed back down to my car.

 

Not much further on I came across a little museum near some more trenches. The museum was closed but I still took the time to look at these trenches as well, they were a bit better cared for with reconstruction of the original peep holes in the walls and bridges crossing over the tops of the trenches.

As I left this point I came to the height of the mountain and it was breathtaking. I was driving on the edge of this steep steep drop with what seemed like the whole of Italy spread out on my left. I was on a high and when I came to the turn off to go back down the mountain and found it blocked of by a roadwork's fence I just shrugged my shoulders and thought I would go down at the next turn off. This is when things started going awry.

 

It was only a KM away that I came to the top of the mountain and the road crossed from the south side to the north side. This was my problem. All of a sudden there was snow, and lots of it, that I had not seen or anticipated. See the snow on the south side had all melted earlier in the week due to it being the side that got the most sun. As soon as I was on the shady side it was apparent that this snow still had a while to stay. It was crazy, there was almost a line on the road where the snow just suddenly started. I was shocked but I thought, oh surely it will stop just as suddenly, and so I continued on to that road. The very first hill that I went down scared the life out of me. I am Australian, I can count the amount of times I have seen snow on my two hands, I don't know why all of a sudden I thought I could drive on it. Going down this hill I slipped and skidded and did all I could to stay in control. When I was on the flat again was when I really got scared because I realised there was no way I was getting back up that hill and so the only way was onwards. I went carefully but when I came to the next hill down I stopped. This one was even steeper and with more snow and I just knew that I couldn't make it down it without losing control. So I burst into tears. Then I found my phone, and found that I had no reception. More tears. I got out and walked back for 10 mins until I found some reception, and who did I call? Dad, in Australia. Panic mode sets in and you just really need a parent. He talked to me and calmed me down, although he was quite worried for me too. I told him there were no houses around and I hadn't seen anyone up here in ages. He suggested that I try reversing slowly back up to where I had come from, I looked at it later and I was only 1km from where the snow had started, not that far right? I found a stick and a stone and for the next 2 hours I cleared paths in the snow and ice for my tires. I eventually made it back to the first hill I had come down, and I even made it halfway up that hill, until something snapped in the car. I had lost all traction in my gears and could not go forward or back. Now I was properly stuck. I had covered about 500mt in those 2 hours. And I once again had no signal, not even emergency services. I collected everything out of the car and started walking back towards the snow-less side of the mountain thinking that I would eventually, come into reception, pass a house or pass another person. Luckily I found another person very quickly. I only walked about a km before I found a cyclist heading up towards the snow. I called him over and in our mix of Italian and English I told him my problem, he asked me to walk with him back down to his friends. As we walked I came in to reception and I quickly called the father of the family I am staying with, telling him the bad news. The cyclist took the phone from me to explain were I was and I was told that I would be picked up in an hour. The cyclist's friends were down at the fork that led down the mountain, and my heart sunk to see that the road block was now open. The cyclists left and I mulled on all that had happened, with only the worst outcomes racing though my head.

When I was picked up, S had a big grin on his face, which confused me because I was feeling so terrible. He drove down to my car despite my warnings of 'its pretty bad' his car is evidently better than mine because although it did still slip and slide a bit, he managed to get out without any trouble.

 

Then I found why he was so happy. He had brought snow chains for me! He was going to put them on and I would drive out no problem, until I explained to him about the whole, no gear traction thing. Then all of a sudden we had a problem. It got difficult. We pushed the car off the road it was blocking and drove back down the mountain. Me wanting to disappear into my seat the whole time, if I had just called him in the first place instead of being convinced I could solve it myself, I would have had a snow chains hours ago and it would have been fine. We drove down to a transport company owned by a friend who called around until he rustled up a tow truck which had snow chains, this took and hour and it was 3pm. I was dropped at school to wait for the child whilst S went up the mountain again to show the tow truck driver where the car was. He was back down at about 5, there had been troubles with the truck in the snow as expected but they had got there and the car was now at the mechanics. I was still in the depths of regret and embarrassment but S kept saying that I was young, and he did silly things when he was young too, that this was an adventure. It didn't feel like an adventure to me, it felt like a disaster.

The car is back now, at considerable expense, and I haven't even been told 'don't go up the mountain again' although I have learnt enough of a lesson that I don't really need to be told.

 

Then last night we were talking around the dinner table about this word that doesn't really exist in English (there are lots of them). Sciagura, it means a personal disaster, something that happens just to you and is the worst thing that could possibly happen, a disaster sent by god. And I thought, I know exactly what you are talking about.