Serendipity

31st March : I still aspire to be a globetrotter. As a kid, my favorite reply to the question 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' was 'A vagabond'. I don't remember clearly but it might have been inspired to some extent from the celebrated poem by Sir Robert Louis Stevenson of the same name. Childhood fantasies die hard. I am trying my hand at travel writing now. Someday when I shall apply for such a job, all this stuff would go into that CV! Anyway, there I was at Riga, Latvia, tucked away on the shores of the Baltic sea, with that particular feature that enthralls me foremost about any place - a quaint old-world charm. We had about five hours to roam about Riga before getting back to the ship for the return sail. I had done a bit of homework and armed with maps picked up from the reception desk of the ship (the helpful guy even marking some of the tourist spots), was all set to take a walking tour. And as in Stockholm, the Old Town was the focal point...

 Hmmm, the title threatens to grow longer than the post itself! Well, just wanted to stick to the 'My Sweden Story' theme, have got into a little flow, so to speak. 30th March -Setting sail! A cruise across the Baltic, aboard a luxury liner called the M/S Romantika, with a Spanish Fiesta theme, to a city with a moniker of  'Little Paris' - it was fabuloso to say the very least! The cruise to Riga was a spur-of-the-moment impulsive decision, (the kind I am always afraid to make by worrying too much about the consequences), then I almost backed out at the last moment (which is actually more like me) scared by gloomy skies, threatening weather forecasts, and the frightening memories of sea-sickness from the last time. And then, it was back to being spontaneous and impulsive! Wow, I was really surprising myself. On way to the Frihamnen port, as the metro passed by Gamla Stan, it was blue skies and white clouds suddenly, and with it the lifting of spirits. Reac...