Tomorrow I am off for south of Sweden, and then to Copenhagen. It is nice with a little journey. Hope I will find a Danish flag to put on the table together with the Swedish and Norwegian flag I have. The Danish flag, Dannebrogen, is sad to be one of the oldest in the world, and is somehow connected to the battle in Lindanäs, Estonia, in 1219. I cross my fingers I will find one.

I get energy and rest by being in a new country. It has been intense, and I know it is a contradiction, but it makes me relax. I remember history etc from school, and it is so interesting to put old knowledge into a new perspective. When reformation was introduced in the 16th century. How Latvia was occupied by various countries, but today is an independent country. Etc etc.

Books have been in my mind. Rumours say that publisher Johannes Gutenberg stayed in Riga in the15th century. He introduced printing to Europe with the printing press, and thereby played a key role in the development of eg the reformation and renaissance. Today I saw books in colour at the Hagström Medico-Historical library in Stockholm. Those books were painted in colour by hand, and still, 500 hundred years later, they are beautiful.

Last weekend I also did a visit to a pharmacy museum in Riga. Medieval pharmacies have evolved. The staff at the museum thought I was Russian.

I have been very lucky. I did a very nice journey to Latvia, a country with so much history. And as you know, I love history. Maybe it was not the best time of the year to travel since there was no sunshine. But refreshing to read some history and also see some museums. Since Latvia is famous for spas, I went for swimming and sauna as well. To reflect is important, and my impression of Riga was a mixture of a modern city with medieval influences. As I saw in a newspaper:

“We have what it takes to live like the Swiss🇨🇭. It is now up to us to make good use of these opportunities”

Latvia’s future will probably depend a lot on the geopolitical development in the world, where eg China, Russia, the USA and Europe play important roles. A geopolitical balance. Latvia is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and the presence of € gives Latvia a European touch.

I am very found of photography and couldn’t resist to visit a photography museum. It was a very quiet museum, and there were a few photos from the first world war. It was also interesting to see the mini spy Minox camera invented by Valters Caps. In 1940, when Latvia was occupied by the USSR the production was changed. The Soviets replaced “made in Latvia” with “made in the USSR”. An elderly woman explained about the very first cameras, and how photos were made in the beginning of 20th century. I have always wondered why people are so serious in the photos. But now I understand, when I was at the arranged photo session area, I couldn’t smile either.

First snow. Always fun. It is nice to stay outdoors for a few hours, and then stay indoors infront of an open fire. I went for jogging today and then walk with sweetie. She is getting to know the new dog Molly. Molly is too little to go for walks on the road, she is in the forest instead.

It is difficult with names. Morris was suggested, but that is a male name. Then I thought of Morissa, but it is too long. Then Morran came up. Morran (or Mårran) is one of the characters in Mumindalen. However, Molly is her name in the passport that she was given in Tirana, Albania. This is now the most popular name for dogs in Sweden. And Lady & Molly sounds good. Both names have the letter L. Easy to call for them.

They are now very good friends.