The Old Country- Latvia

A few years ago, my wonderful Grandfather, Gunars, gave my family and I the best possible gift that someone could give. He gave us the opportunity to get in touch with our roots and kick it old school in....Riga, Latvia.
You see, my grandparents were born in Latvia. For you non travel channel watchers, Latvia can be found sandwiched between Estonia and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, bordering the mighty whale of a country, Russia. Latvia is often called a Baltic State. It's a pretty tiny country, about the size of Indiana.
Anyways, when you are born Latvian you are proud of your heritage because Latvians have been through so much. During WWII, the greedy Soviet Union and their communist regime attacked Latvia and my grandparents had to flee. They spent weeks hiding out, trying to make their way to a port to come to America. My grandpa was shot and taken to a German displaced persons camp. This is where he met my grandma, Lidia, who was also fleeing the country.
After a long boat ride to America, the ship stopped in Mississippi. Lidia and Gunars were lucky enough to find a sponsor to pay their way into our great country. The sponsor was a cotton plantation owner, and my grandparents would have to pay off their debts by working on the plantation. In 1950, an unexpected gift came...my father, Pete. The plantation owners wife liked little Pete so much that they wanted to adopt him. Good thing my grandparents put their foot down and refused or else I might not be here today telling you this story!
During our 10 day stay, my dad got to meet his family for the first time. Gunars and Lidia could never take my dad to Latvia because it wasn't safe until after the wall came down in 89'. It was incredible to see the similarities between my dad and his extended family.
I feel very blessed to have been given the chance to experience my roots first hand. I know that this was an incredible gift that my grandparents gave us. It was fantastic to get the opportunity to see and relive my family's history with my own two eyes. Thank you grandpa.

Back to Basics, Italy

My first European country to visit was Italia. What an incredible start! If I could go back and change the order of countries visited I probably would. I mean, what other country could possibly compare to Italy? The great hospitality of the people, the natural beauty of the rolling hills and pristine coastlines, and the food, my gosh the food- there is really nothing like it. Unfortunately I cannot go back and change the past, but I can share with you a few special moments.
I was lucky enough to travel to Italy with a few of my special friends from Indiana University. I had 5 pledge sisters studying abroad in Florence, Italy and they invited a few of their KKG soul sisters to travel across the ocean to stay with them. It was a great opportunity because they were already very familiar with the city that they had been inhabiting for 2 months prior to our visit. They made great tour guides!
Our trip lasted 10 wonderful days. We spent most of the time exploring Florence and the wine country. We also made the trek up to Rome for a 3 day get away.
Recommendations: hiking through the Roman Ruins, taking a Chianti tour in Florence, Faces the pre-game night club, kissing the red marble in the Vatican (it's good luck), eating a snack during the day since Italians don't eat dinner until 10 o'clock, stock up on gelatto- no American ice cream could ever compare!

Steer Clear: Grapa- that stuff will kill you, pick pocketers on Vespas- they will sneak up behind you and cut your purse strap. Hold on tight!!

This is it!

Welcome to The Great Escape! First of all, thank you for stopping by. My husband and I love to travel and experience new cultures, traditions and ways of life. The best way to document these experiences is through photography. Think of this blog as a way of getting in touch with your adventurous side. Please check back often for highlights of interesting yet unique countries and spectacular cities. Thanks for stopping by and remember to never stop exploring.