Mirthe.org

I only just got back from my parents house, were I stayed after attending the Haggard show in Het Kasteel (Alphen aan den Rijn).

Since it's the annual celebration of the Spanish siege of Leiden (which took place in 1574) today, meaning public life pretty much comes to a halt for a few days, I was pleased to be able to leave the city this evening/night. There was no way I would have been able to make it back home anyway, the entire inner city is completely blocked off from transport for the funfair.

The show itself was great. In hindsight we could have arrived maybe an hour later though, the opening act wasn't that impressive. In between acts a curtain was closed and upon opening 12 members of the band appeared in the smoke. I've never seen a stage so crowded! I feared before hand they might play the new album, which seems to be en vogue these days. But thankfully they played a great mix of old and new.

This was also the first show wearing my new earplugs, which I can't recommend enough. Wish I'd bought these 10 years earlier! I attend quite a few shows a year and have noticed a trend of shows getting louder and louder. After the Monster Magnet show this summer I still had a ringing sensation after 2 days. That's not good. So I won't be attending any more gigs without these things.

My parents have been married 35 years this coming year. To celebrate they're thinking of taking the six of us on a city trip. We were trying to decide what would be nice to visit, thought of Glasgow and Copenhagen. Surfing for more info however, we found a site on the Baltic states and, being fans of the colder climates, were quite taken with the idea of going to one of their capitals. So it's beginning to look like I'll be visiting Riga (Latvia) early next year. Can't wait!

The Historic Centre of Riga has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city is particularly notable for its extensive Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture, which UNESCO considers to be unparalleled anywhere in the world.

The climate of Riga is maritime and temperate, but the winters can be extreme due to the northern location. The coldest months are January and February, when the average temperature is -6°C but can frequently drop as low as -25°C.

For lots of photo's, try Riga on Wikimedia Commons.