We had many amazing experiences in Latvia. After the flight we headed towards the north, almost to the Estonian border because our partner school is located in Naukšēni. During the lengthy bus ride we looked at the beautiful forests of the countryside and realized that Latvians are closer to nature than us. The whole time we spent in Latvia we experienced an amazing enthusiasm regarding music, dance and singing. The famous Cabinet of Folksongs, inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World list in 2001, is not only some distant object from the past, placed in the National Library in Riga. Latvians love singing and dancing and it is part of the school culture as well. Most of the students sing, dance or play a musical instrument.
History is also alive in Latvia as we experienced on the Estonian border when we visited the monument dedicated to Baltijas ceļš, or the Baltic Way, also known as the Chain of Freedom. In 1989 millions of people held hands spanning hundreds of kilometres through the three Baltic countries, demonstrating their love of freedom and independence. We could stand in the monument and understand more about the peoples of the Baltic.
We also visited Riga, the capital, and took part in a guided tour of the city’s beautiful buildings. On our way back we stopped at a beach of the Baltic Sea – a must for landlocked Hungarians.
Students took pictures and created videos of their experiences using Photostory3.
National Prides in a European Context 