Indian Ass and Grocery Store Confrontations

We saw Riga Synagogue, an understated well-guarded building tucked in an alleyway in Old Riga. Then we had Indian food in a beautiful square under St. Peter's Lutheran church. Many Latvians are Lutherans though few attend religious services. In the Latgalia region, people tend to be Catholic. While perusing the menu at the Indian restaurant, Candace found out that the Latvian word for spicy is "ass." Google translate disagrees. It says that Latvian ass is English axis.

We then walked by the huge shopping center and a grittier part of town. On the other side of the tracks, we got close to the huge and interesting science building. We reached our destination at the plain Holocaust memorial and ruins of another synagogue.

Latvians have a resting face that often shows scorn or disdain. They are absolutely fascinated by Candace's scooter. People drive crazy, but they are respectful when they walk. A lot of people ride bikes in Riga. Across the bridge from city center is relatively undeveloped and a great real estate investment.

We went to a grocery store and were waiting in line. A guy left his basket in line and went to go grab some more items. A few shoppers stepped past in line. When it was my turn to get in front of the basket, the guy came back and barked at me in Latvian or Russian. He then slipped in front of me. He was older middle age with a bushy Stalin-like mustache. I was upset. I started speaking out loud in English about how he can't just leave his basket and do some more shopping. If that was the norm, there would be chaos. People would be leaving their empty baskets at the front of the line as soon as they entered the store. If you have more shopping to do, whether in Latvia or anywhere else, back of the line with you.