"We Must Obey the Time"

Hard on the return from Asia, it was off to Latvia to add yet one more country and a bit of random Russian-themed madness to this long voyage. It was only a brief weekend jaunt, but good right from the beginning, as I befriended a young Latvian/Russian girl by helping bring her 10 month old daughter aboard, and sat with her for the flight. Her recent life-story unique, but not atypical of the road. She met her British documentary film-maker husband at a nightclub in Riga a few years ago and sustained the relationship through Skype, culminating in a traditional Russian marriage and now the start of a young family. Quite classic.

Katja clearly wanted to ensure we made the most of our time in her country, suggesting that we join her and her family to a Russian bath and maybe even an expedition to pick mushrooms in the forest if it could be arranged. Unfortunately, the timing for our short visit did not work out, but it still made for a great flight as she entertained with some great stories about actually meeting Prince Charles (her father-in-law is one of his many gardeners) and such, and shared her traditional Russian sandwiches.

With such a start, the rest of the trip breezed along merrily, from the superb food to the dixieland music in the square on Friday (including a rendition of "Blueberry Hill" that had the Latvian couples dancing), live ammunition firing in an old Soviet bunker, experiments with Riga Black Balsam and Champagne on the Saturday night, and a lazy Sunday walking the Baltic seashore before a sunset cruise on the Daugava river and a return to London.

Photos of our Latvian excursion here. Hopefully this initial foray into the old U.S.S.R. serves as a precursor to a grander Silk Road trip from Moscow down through to Samarkanda and the 'Stans at some later date, as long ago imagined.

Now back in London, where I have been relaxing the past few days around Tim's apartment, sorting through the possessions of the backpack and resting up for Scotland, Strasbourg, and Munich to come. Nice bit of downtime, actually, just lounging about with nowhere important to go or nothing important to do but lie-in and reflect on what has been and what is to come.

Caught an excellent version of Othello last night just off Trafalgar Square, my first time seeing this superb Shakespearean play. Of course, the poetry is timeless, and when Othello mutters early on: "Come, Desdemona: I have but an hour Of love, of wordly matters and direction, To spend with thee: we must obey the time", I smiled at the thought of having "but two weeks" left in this adventure, a timeline that must also be obeyed.

So it always is - passing strange and wondrous pitiful, to quote the Moor again. And so tonight, more Champions League football drama over English pints, then another overnight Megabus trip back to Glasgow, walking along Edinburgh's familiar Royal Mile and unfamiliary Skye, back for a final farewell to London, then to Strasbourg to see Laura at the European Court and, finally, to meet up with Stransky for my second Oktoberfest, five years since Gartner and I there celebrated the success of our plans to that point.

Happy I am to be able to raise the litre Hofbrau and Lowenbrau steins in as celebratory a fashion this time around.