Valdemara 77

A new job took us from Alūksne to Riga—a move I couldn’t make fast enough! There was really no community for me in Alūksne and lonely didn’t even begin to describe it. Riga had everything, long-time friends, an ex-pat community, restaurants, shops and a buzz. I found us a new flat at Krišjānis Valdemāra iela 77. It was four rooms with a kitchen and bathroom and had been previously been rented and renovated by a foreigner—this meant the fabulous fiberglass wallcovering and real paint had already been applied along with a clean bathroom (meaning fresh tile and fixtures that hadn’t been rusted out by the orange water) and a western kitchen (our love affair with Ikea continues). It even had a designated place for my new washer/dryer unit in the kitchen! All we had to buy was a stove, and as luck would have it, the only electric stove that would fit was a top of the line Electrolux glass top. Darn. I wouldn’t get to light a pilot every time I wanted to boil drinking water and hope we don't all blow up.