Introducing Latvia

**Daos** · 02-23-2010, 05:59 AM

Originally Posted by Soten

LOL, I wish Inese was around to see this.

Me, too!

**RoyBatty** · 02-23-2010, 06:18 AM

Originally Posted by Daos

Very nice, Inese! Now I know where I want to immigrate!

Oh dear...... there may be a surprise in stall when she reads this!

**Peachy Carnahan** · 02-23-2010, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by Inese

Give it a try please!

Thank you.

Can you reccomend a nice b&b...no too far away from all the local amenities.
Thanks.

Peachy.

**Cail** · 02-23-2010, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by hereward

Could you recommend any good reads regarding Latvians and Lithuanians(Balts in general), much appreciated.

What are you interested in particularly?

**hereward** · 02-23-2010, 01:07 PM

Pretty much everthing, educated work on there background, the dawn of their entry into written history and more importantly, how they survived being surrounded by the two largest groups in Europe. Met them on site work since 00-01, mainly Lithuainians, I find them to have a set of looks all to themselves, in most cases.

**Cail** · 02-23-2010, 03:17 PM

Regarding linguistics and history, wikipedia has pretty good articles (i took part in writing them) -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto-Slavic_languages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_languages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lithuania

(if you require some more indepth information on Balto-Slavic languages and history, contact me in PMs or ask away here, that's my field of work).

As for

how they survived being surrounded by the two largest groups in Europe.

- basically, they didn't. What exists now (Lithuania, Žemaitija, Latgola, Latvia) is but a relict of a much larger number of Baltic peoples, largely assimilated by Germanics and Slavs throughout the history of Europe.

On the other hand, there's another possible point of view. The fact is, Slavs are Balts. The three original branches of Balts (western Balts, eastern Balts and Slavs) are roughly equidistant, and most likely a vast continuum existed before this (quite obscure) split. Thus, Slavs are one (initially small) part of said continuum that experienced a major expansion and assimilated nearly all the rest of the continuum.

**Inese** · 02-25-2010, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by Daos

Very nice, Inese! Now I know where I want to immigrate!

You can come as a visitor for vacations but not as a immigrant! Yes Latvia is wonderful and it stays wonderful without immigrants from Romania, Russia or somewhere else..

Originally Posted by Peachy Carnahan

Can you reccomend a nice b&b...no too far away from all the local amenities.
Thanks.

Peachy.

Hello! Is b&b bred and breakfast? You know, i dont come from Riga but i know one who has a very little motel in Kuldiga my hometown. It is far away from Riga in West Latvia but if you want to visit the coast and the nature and want to meet normal Latvians then you can have good days in the Kurzeme region. A trip to Ventspils does not take long from Kuldiga. It is a little town but not overrun of Russians and other weired people like Riga! Most tourists visit Riga and never leave the town --- that is sad because Latvia has more to offer than Russian dominated red light districts and alcohol