Baltic Christmas Day 23 - Baltic Santas Rock Rockville

Today on the 23rd day of a Baltic Christmas I am very excited to welcome Karl Altau, veteran of three Baltic Christmas Santa sightings in 2017; featuring his interview with the jolly old Jõuluvana himself!

Within the span of eight days this month, three Baltic Santas have visited hundreds of children at the Latvian Center in Rockville, Maryland for three separate Christmas gatherings. 

Estonian Jõuluvana arrived on Saturday, December 9 to visit the Estonian School in the Washington, DC-area. A week later, Kalėdų Senelis visited with the Lithuanian community. Finishing up with Latvian school festivities on December 17, Ziemassvētku vecītis arrived to much anticipation to dole out presents and nuggets of wisdom. With that, Santa’s work was done for another year in the Nation’s Capital. Of course, many are expecting individual return visits on Christmas Eve.

The three Santas who visited Rockville were immersed in three different traditions which often seem vaguely familiar. Of course the language, with songs, poems, and declamations are naturally different for each of the three nations, and they distinguish one Baltic Santa from another.

24 Days of Baltic Christmas was fortunate to have an exclusive opportunity to meet with and discuss Jõuluvana’s visit with the Estonian community, and preparations for this year’s Christmas.

24 Days of Baltic Christmas: Hello Santa, it’s a pleasure to meet you here in Rockville. Or should I say Jõuluvana?

Jõuluvana: Thank you. It’s my pleasure being here. Either way works fine. As the Estonians say, “a good child has many names.”

24 Days of Baltic Christmas: How do you find the time at this time of year?

Jõuluvana: At this stage it’s actually not too bad. Everything has more or less been taken care of back North. All the lists, packages, checking things once or twice. Certainly checking things more than twice to be sure. Ok, well there’s still some checking to do. But it’s not that bad.

24 Days of Baltic Christmas: Are the elves helping you as usual? Do you have to deal with immigrant visas and permits and such?

Jõuluvana: (chuckles in such a way that his belly shakes) – Oh heavens no. My team is made up of full-time residents. They don’t have such worries. As I’m covering the Estonian side today, it’s important to emphasize that my helpers are known as päkapikud. They have been out scouring around and leaving provisional gifts in stockings and shoes already for the nice children. Once December comes around, things really start gearing up. These päkapikud have been doing this since forever, and they really have to be in shape too. Diet counts, but they aren’t counting calories either. They could do it with their eyes closed. Of course, I couldn’t do my job without them. By the time I start on my rounds, much of the logistical work is already done. I just have to take my sleigh, that is if there is snow, and visit all the homes. These days, all the electronic gadgets and GPS help quite a lot. Rudolph’s red nose was groundbreaking in its time, but was actually quite rudimentary. Now it’s all satellite navigation, especially on those days we’re up in the air.

24 Days of Baltic Christmas: So just how exactly do you divide your time between the Estonian gig and the other visits? And what about the similarities and differences between visiting Estonia and places like Rockville, which are certainly outside of Estonia?

Jõuluvana: The schedule does seem a little overwhelming at times and pretty complicated. These days I really have to rely on my Google Calendar to coordinate with my team. But coming to visit Rockville was actually easy stuffings. I have to thank the local support team at the Estonian School. They had prepared the program, and got me a nice chair by the Christmas tree. All I had to do was walk in, sit down, and do my thing. When I go to Estonia on Christmas Eve, it’s a whole other ballgame. We’re in full  Jõuluvana mode then. The Estonians are very particular about this, as you can imagine, so I’ve got to be on my toes.

Being in Rockville was a little more laid back. It’s more of a practice run for me, as it is for the kids. They know I’m going to be there, and I know it’s going to be fun. The kids never cease to amaze me. You would think they have never seen Jõuluvana before. Some haven’t. The little ones are always blown away. When I tell them to listen to their parents and teachers and to be nice, you know they are really taking serious mental notes. For the older kids, it's just a little bit of reassurance that this time of year can be fun and filled with something sweet, like some Kalev chocolates. Whether it's the Estonian children, or Latvian, Lithuanian, there is that common thread. It's true practically anywhere in the world.

24 Days of Baltic Christmas: What were some of the highlights of your time with the Estonian School kids?

Jõuluvana: It’s seeing the little ones faces, and also of their parents. I can tell the old ones are living this up vicariously. They remember. It’s a magical moment. When the kids are reciting for me, sometimes I know the pressure is on for some of them. My role there is to make sure they do a good job, but also to make them feel that it’s okay if they flub a line a line or two. We’ve all flubbed. I can’t count the times I’ve flubbed. But we’re all stonger for it.

24 Days of Baltic Christmas: Where there any disappointments this time?

Jõuluvana: No, everything was really a blast. I enjoyed it immensely. The school folks were nice enough to pack me a box to go afterward and I loved the Estonian cabbage, pork with hot Põltsamaa mustard – I call it “Estonian wasabi” – and the marinated pumpkin slices. Unfortunately, they had run out of the blood sausage and kringel (a sweetbread made with cardamom or saffron and raisins and twisted into the shape of a pretzel – Ed.), which are two of my favorites. I suppose I’ll have to come back again next year then.

24 Days of Baltic Christmas: Would you like to say a final word before then?

Jõuluvana: Häid Jõulupühi ja Head Uut Aastat! (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! – Ed.)

Rockville Lithuanian festivities

Thanks Karl, not only for your contribution to 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas, but also for the intense Baltic Santa representation in the DC area! If you would like to hear more about Karl’s "Mixed-up Estonian Melting Pot Christmas," check out his post from the series last year... A sincere thank you to Jane Raub for the beautiful photos!

For any questions to Jõuluvana or the Baltic Santas, please direct them to the JV/BS representative in the DC area, Karl Altau: @kaltau. Thanks for joining us for this short Baltic Christmas medley, and please visit tomorrow for a the final day of 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas...

A Star-Spangled Fourth of July at Fort McHenry

Every so often our vacation plans align with the calendar in such a way that what would have already been an incredible experience becomes extraordinary due to the perfect alignment of date and place. Such was the case with our Veterans Day trip to Normandy, which included stops at Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery; it was a somber and emotional experience which has given new meaning to our Veterans Day remembrances. Our recent trip to Baltimore coincided with the 4^th of July, and I immediately realized this would be another one of those occasions; Fort McHenry is the birthplace of the American anthem!

Many people don’t realize that “The Star-Spangled Banner” wasn’t written during the American Revolution, and fewer still can name the war that inspired the words we all know by heart. It was the events of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812 that prompted Francis Scott Key to write the poem that is today our National Anthem, and the Fourth of July was the perfect day for a visit.

Star-shaped Fort McHenry in center, visitor center next to red pin

A week before the battle, a young lawyer set sail from Baltimore along with Col. John S. Skinner, US Commissioner General of Prisoners. They were on a mission to gain release of a prisoner, Dr. William Beanes, and reached the British fleet on September 7^th. After a few days of negotiations on the waters of the Chesapeake they had arranged for Beanes to go free, but because during this time they had learned of the British plan to attack Baltimore, they were detained.

View from bastions over harbor, Francis Scott Key Bridge on right in distance

Washington had already burned, but Baltimore was better prepared due in large part to Fort McHenry’s defensive position guarding the entrance to the harbor. The British attacked the Fort from the water at dawn on the 13^th, simultaneous to an attack on the east side of Baltimore. 25 hours later, after some 1,500-1,800 shells and rockets, the bombships withdrew down the river. As the British sailed away the Americans fired the morning gun, hoisted the Star-Spangled Banner and played Yankee Doodle.

Fort McHenry served as an active military post for the next 100 years, although it would never again see enemy fire. A temporary prison for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and a hospital for WWI veterans from 1917-1923, the Fort became a national park in 1925. Today it is a national monument and historic shrine, the only park in the United States to have this distinction.

The Fort is accessible by harbor ferry, but we opted to drive, passing through Federal Hill and out through Locust Point. We had sailed past Fort McHenry in the dark a few nights ago on our Spirit of Baltimore cruise, a journey that brought us all the way to Francis Scott Key Bridge, the approximate location Key would have watched the bombardment from (about 4 miles out). Fun fact; the British had a range of about 2 miles with their mortars, while the Americans were effective only 1 ½ mile with the Smoothbore artillery. However the Americans only suffered two casualties – a result of a direct hit on the southwest bastion.

Start your tour of Fort McHenry in the Visitor Center. After paying admission and picking up Jr. Ranger booklets we headed into the museum where the film soon started. This was one of the highlights of our visit; as the movie ended the Star-Spangled Banner sounded out from the speakers, the enormous screen rolling up to reveal the Fort with American flag flying proudly directly behind. The words of our anthem came to life, watching the fort and flag revealed in a similar fashion to what Francis Scott Key would have seen in the early hours of September 14^th. After jotting down notes aboard the truce ship, Key returned to Baltimore and wrote a poem titled "Defence of Fort McHenry." Published the next day, it was soon sung to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven" and is now known as "The Star-Spangled Banner." 

From the Visitor Center we headed out into the heat of the day to explore the fort. During the bombardment the guns were manned by 60 artillerymen – the remaining 70 were sick, had deserted, or were under military guard. We entered through the Sally Port, passed the Civil War guardhouse, and one by one explored the barracks, the officer’s quarters, the powder magazine and finally the bastions under the flag waving crisply in the harbor breeze. The original flag (which measured 42 by 30 feet) that inspired Key was made by Mary Pickersgill, and today is displayed in the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

A second highlight of the Fort McHenry trip was watching reenactors fire a cannon. As commands were issued and orders followed, the whole firing process was explained to the spectators. Afterwards visitors could get an up-close look at the weapon and ask questions. We continued our tour by descending to the sea wall, circling the peninsula and enjoying the view of the harbor, before finally returning to the visitor center and starting our journey back to South Carolina.

The Fort had a special schedule of activities on our visit in honor of Independence Day, but normal summer activities include daily flag changes, interpretive programs, living history features and of course, the self-guided tour of the star fort and grounds. Fort McHenry is also on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail (which tells the story of the events, people, and places that led to the birth of our National Anthem), and is located in the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network and the Baltimore National Heritage Area. For more information about the fort, operating hours, special events, fees and more, visit the official Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine website.

Echoes of the song festival / Dziesmu svētku atskaņas / Part 2

(This is part two of a two-part post on the Latvian Song & Dance Festival in Baltimore. You can find Part 1 here…)

The Šmidchens clan represents in Baltimore

The Līdz Auseklis Lec dance party was underway when we returned from our Inner Harbor excursion aboard the Spirit of Baltimore. Organized by the American Latvian Youth Association, DJ Ai-Va kept the tunes flowing long into the early morning. Check out this video via #niceonequipment to hear ALJA’s Dziesmu Svētki beat.

The next morning we grabbed the kids and joined Iļģi once more, this time sacrificing Rakstnieku cēliens in return for bērnu rīts. I’m not sure who enjoyed the morning more - the kids, or the adults that had joined them - for what turned out to be a foot-stomping, bagpipe-wailing, kicking-up-a-fiddle-storm type of concert. We sang along, we danced and we even learned about some of the traditional Latvian instruments; the morning was over far too soon.

  

Two more events we had to skip: the Kamermūzikas concerts at the American Visionary Art Museum and the Ceļā uz mājām theater production which had traveled all the way from Latvia. There just wasn’t much choice, as we wanted to be able to enjoy the main event of the entire festival – the Kopkora koncerts – and needed some down time in between. Before long we were boarding one of the shuttles that would take us to Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the perfect venue for what is the climax of the song festival.
 

The festival choir explored the centuries-old tradition of song in Latvia in a heart-stopping, emotion-evoking crescendo of 28 songs. The tears started with the first two, the American and Latvian hymns; as the audience stood up and joined in, it was clear that we were not to be an audience for this concert, but sentimental līdzgājēji on the journey through over a hundred years of the Latvian Song Festival. From there, 400 voices singing as one took us through the prayers of our forefathers, Pauls Berkolds conducting Tev mūžam dzīvot Latvija and a little later in the program, Vizma Maksiņa with Lūgšana. Again and again the audience leapt to their feet with applause, but somehow the conductors maintained their forward momentum, raising the bar with each additional song instead of caving to audience demands to repeat favorites. I couldn’t breathe during the last four songs before intermission, the pride in our national identity overwhelming during what was a finale that shattered expectations and left the audience trembling: Saule, pērkons, Daugava (conductor Kaspars Ādamsons), Jāņu dziesma (conductor Laura Padega Zamura), Tēvijai (Kaspars Ādamsons) and Lec, saulīte (Krisīte Skare).

We returned from the intermission with tissues stowed, thinking ourselves ready for the onslaught of sentiment. The concert continued with a celebration of East Coast Latvian composers, rejoicing in the return of the song festival to the east US in the first time in 40 years. Exciting arrangements of popular favorites – Ziedi, ziedi, rudzu vārpa, Dod dieviņi kalnā kāpt and Pērkonītis ducināja – rolled over the audience in waves, bringing the end of this portion of the concert far too quickly. As the final farewell approached, we were taken on one more voyage of passion: the reverbrations of Gaismas pils (conductor Kaspars Ādamsons), Šķind zemīte, rīb zemīte (conductor Krisīte Skare) and Pūt Vējiņi (conductor Laura Padega Zamura) cut clear to the soul, and will stay with me long after the final echoes of applause have died away.

The most unique event at this Dziesmu un deju svētki might have been the Festival Dinner. The menu for the banquet was created and produced by Māris Jansons, head Chef of Bibliotēka №1 Restorāns in Rīga, Latvia. We knew we were in for a treat when we arrived to an epic spread of finger foods, all traditionally Latvian but with a contemporary twist: Rīga sprats on rye bread with horseradish cream, goat cheese with cloudberry (lāceņu) jam and onion pickled in beer, grey peas with bacon, herring on rye bread with sour cream, and my favorite, salmon in beet roots on toast with hemp butter.

Once we had been seated the feast continued, albeit with less emphasis on the Latvian and more on the modern. The mixed green salad with raspberries, candied walnuts and crumbled goat cheese was topped with a red wine vinaigrette. The salmon was accompanied by wild rice, asparagus puree, asparagus mélange and pickled fennel. The third course was pork tenderloin seasoned with Old Bay, smoked corn puree and heirloom tomatoes on the side. As sated as I was after the third course I should have known there would be two desserts: A melt-in-your-mouth strawberry shortcake, and the Latvian counterpart of sweet rye bread and red bilberry (brūklenes) trifle!

Chef Māris had produced the entire meal in the hotel kitchen, working alongside the (American) hotel chef and a local team. The festival dinner was an event to remember, and I’m excited for the chance to someday dine in his restaurant in Rīga. As a final coup de grace Chef Māris had arranged for Rīgas Melnais Balzams to be served alongside the coffee and tea, and we emerged from the banquet thoroughly sated.

The final event of the Svētki was the Festival Ball. Toronto-based Latvian rock band Penzionāri had a deal with the attendees – we keep dancing, they keep playing! It was a final hurrah, and an energizing night with friends; ballējam, neguļam!

The cousins (with husbands, kids and significant others!)

Thank you for joining me on this journey to the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Baltimore! For those of you already looking forward to the next festival, next year Latvia is hosting the XXVI Vispārējie latviešu dziesmu un XVI deju svētki during the Latvian centennial celebrations. Tickets go on sale in January of 2018; for more on that and the Latvija 100 celebration, visit the official LV100 website. 

However if you’re looking for the next festival on this side of the Atlantic, you will only have to wait until 2019 when Toronto will be hosting the XV Latviešu dziesmu un deju svētki Kanādā! The dates have been set (July 4-7), and a preliminary calendar of events is already available; please visit their website and follow them on facebook, twitter and Instagram to keep up to date on all the latest.

Māci man dvēsles mieru, māci debess spēku,

Kā pati Laima lika, tinot mūža rakstu.

Lec, saulīte, spīdi spoži, torā puisi, rotā meitu,

Lec, saulīte, tumsu šķel, vieno visu Latvju tautu.
(Lec, saulīte - Raimonds Tiguls)

For more memories from the Baltimore Song and Dance Festival, make sure to visit festival Reviews and Reports page as well as the Smugmug page which features photos available for download. One of the articles I think best captures the essence of the festival is the Latvians Online article “Baltimore Latvian Song Festival– a resounding success.”

Echoes of the song festival / Dziesmu svētku atskaņas / Part 1

Our four days in Baltimore passed in a blur of concerts, what felt like several years of Latvian culture boiled down into 100 hours of events. With three young children along (and an abundance of family and friends we wanted to catch up with), we knew we would not be able to do everything – but that didn’t stop us from trying!

Our largest obstacle to fitting everything in was arrival time, as we were set to arrive in Baltimore on Friday night. This meant we wouldn’t be able to attend the opening ceremony (svētku atklāšana), about which my friend Daina had this to say; “While the official opening event (atklāšana) has traditionally been less than exciting, this festival's opening featured enough interesting people (Latvia's Minister of Culture! Latvia's Ambassador to the US!) who kept their remarks brief, as well as high quality musical performances that indicated the great concerts we were to experience during the festival. The East Coast Combined Choir's performance of Ēriks Ešenvalds' stirring Dvēseles dziesma was particularly beautiful.” After the opening ceremony the Song Festival continued in earnest with various acts taking the Printful Stage, as well as with the Sacred Music Concert (garīgās mūzikas koncerts). The one event that I regret missing most was the dance party that evening with Iļģi; luckily we were to have more opportunities to hear them play, but more on that in a bit…

Saturday we took a quick look at the svētku market before heading out into the heat of the day to see the Peabody Library and Bromo Seltzer Tower, missing the Jaundeju skate (new choreography contest) at the Lyric Opera House. Here’s a view from backstage with members of the dance group Sienāzītis, the children’s group that traveled all the way from Longford, Ireland to the festival...

We used a moment of quiet in the early afternoon to check in at the mobile passport station, and then while dad set out to take care of a few obligations, the boys and I headed to the Sheraton for the theater production Emīls un Berlīnes zēni. Based on the children’s novel Emil and the Detectives by German writer Erich Kästner, the production was an adaptation performed by the San Francisco Theater Workshop. Director and producer Māra Lewis brought a cast of 18 to Baltimore, and the family-friendly show was a hit with parents and children alike; the kids had all gathered at the foot of the stage within the first 10 minutes and were kept enthralled for the duration, while the parents enjoyed the positive values put forth such as honesty, hard work and teamwork. My three boys give 6 thumbs up to the show. Parole – Emīls!

The next morning we headed downstairs to the Fells Point room for bērnu nodarbības (children’s activities). Overflowing with energy, the kids made puzuri out of straws, decorated mittens with Latvian designs, played with helium balloons, and in general, caused a ruckus until mom declared it to be pool time. Only complaint? Who puts 50 children in a room together with their parents with no coffee…

While dad took two of the kids to the pool (another enclosed space with 50 kids and no coffee), the third joined my sister and me on a tour of the art and the fashion & folk costume exhibits. The latter showcased contemporary fashion alongside traditional dress, and featured a number of current designers with their take on folk patterns & symbols.

The art exhibit brought together an eclectic collection of work, all by Latvian-American artists and relating to the theme “On the Road to Latvia’s Centennial.” After browsing the pieces, more than one of which was the work of a familiar name, we took in the view of the harborfront, Latvian flag fluttering in the steady breeze coming off the Patapsco.

The folk dancing show (tautas deju lieluzvedums), one of the primary events of the weekend, took place Sunday afternoon at the Royal Farms Arena. 778 folk dancers came together to reflect the changing face of Latvian folk dance, the selected dances highlighting the evolution of patterns, movements and music over the last 100 years. The dancers came from all over the world: 32 dance troops from the US, Canada, Latvia and Ireland, and the 26-dance program was strewn with crowd favorites ranging from Vidzemes polka to Gailis un vista.

From there, a portion of the attendees headed to Christ Lutheran church for the SŌLA concert. Daina writes “Attending the Sōla concert was a true musical treat. The program had been well chosen – the first half contained works by Latvian composers, and the second part presented Latvian folk songs in choral arrangements. The beautiful setting of Christ Lutheran Church with its excellent acoustics only added to our enjoyment of this outstanding choir’s concert.”

Meanwhile we were trying to get the boys fed because that evening we were lucky to have vecpaps Jānis around to watch the kiddos while we relaxed aboard the Spirit of Baltimore. Setting sail from the Inner Harbor, we watched the sunset over the city while enjoying hors d’oeuvres, and soon were slipping past a dark Fort McHenry. The lively accompaniment of Iļģi filled the boat and floated out over the water as we navigated all the way out of the Inner Harbor to the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The conversation and laughter of long-time friends reunited echoed from the shore, if only for one magical evening on the Chesapeake.

To be continued…..

Exploring the Bromo Seltzer clock tower in Baltimore

From Washington Monument & Mount Vernon Place we headed south on Cathedral Street past the Walters Art Museum, whose collection includes masterworks of ancient Egypt, Greek sculpture and Roman sarcophagi, as well as illuminated manuscripts, Renaissance bronzes and Old Master European and 19th-century paintings. We didn’t have time to stop there, but we did duck into the Enoch Pratt Free Library for a respite from the heat and humidity. Located across the street from the Baltimore Basilica, the library is currently undergoing restoration – but it is open for business. After our exploration of the George Peabody Library the boys were anxious to get their little hands on books that they could actually read, and so we spent a quiet half an hour tucked away in the basement children’s section before continuing south to our next destination, Baltimore’s tallest skyscraper - if only from 1911 to 1923.

The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower is 15 stories tall, a testament to the role of the Emerson Drug Company in Baltimore during the first half of the 20^th century. The Palazzo Vecchio-inspired tower and factory were designed by Joseph Evans Sperry specifically for Bromo-Seltzer inventor Isaac Emerson after his visit to Italy, and opened in 1911. By 2002 the tower was virtually abandoned, but instead of demolishing the landmark (which had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973), the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts and philanthropists Eddie & Sylvia Brown worked to transform the structure into artist studios, resulting in the restored building we explored on our visit.

The Bromo-Seltzer brand of antacid was composed of acetaminophen, sodium bicarbonate, and citric acid, and was marketed as a pain-reliever and hangover cure, as well as a remedy for heartburn, upset stomach and acid indigestion. Among the original components were sodium bromide (tranquilizers that were withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1975 due to their toxicity) and acetanilide (now known to be poisonous); this explains why you won’t find Bromo-Seltzer on your pharmacy shelves today. The main factory for the drug was adjacent to the tower but was demolished in 1969 and replaced with the firehouse that stands there today.

Instead of numbers, the four clock faces feature the letters "BROMOSELTZER" and smaller roman numerals. As if the 24-foot diameter dials aren’t visible enough, the tower was originally topped by a 51 foot glowing and rotating blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle & crown which weighed 20 tons and could be seen 20 miles away; this beacon was removed in 1936 due to structural concerns.

When it was finished in 1911 the Bromo Seltzer clock featured the largest four dial gravity driven clock in the world. In 1975 it was electrified, but as part of the restoration the original weight drive was recently restored, and today the inner workings can be viewed on the guided history tour.

The tower is only open to visitors on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm (art studios open at noon), while clock room tours are given at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 for a fee of $8/person. The tour includes not only access to the clock room, but a 30-minute presentation, and entrance to the tower museum on the 15^th floor. The collection showcases all sorts of Bromo Seltzer memorabilia such as the cobalt blue glass bottles made by the Maryland Glass Corporation – another one of Isaac Emerson’s businesses, specifically started to provide Bromo Seltzer with their trademark glass.

Planning your visit? Tours can fill up beforehand and are limited to a certain # of people, so you might want to arrive before the scheduled tour time to purchase tickets and sign a waiver. While waiting for the tour to start, check out the artists’ studios for a unique Baltimore souvenir, or browse the museum and marvel at the spectacular view from the tower. If you’re hungry I can recommend the Thai restaurant across the street, and if you’ve really got some time to kill head on over to Westminster Hall and Edgar Allen Poe’s grave some six blocks away. The Bromo Seltzer Tower website has more event and artist information. 

As we walked back towards the harbor we passed a wave of baseball fans on their way to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, but once we approached the Convention Center and the various downtown hotels we started hearing more and more Latvian spoken by passersby, a reminder of the event that had brought us to Baltimore in the first place – the Latvian Song and Dance Festival.

The George Peabody Library, a cathedral of books

There was no shortage of attractions on my Baltimore-to-see list, however being that we were in town for the Latvian Song & Dance Festival and had tickets to a half-dozen concerts, theater productions and other events, we knew going in that realistically we would be able to fit only one or two places into our schedule. Attractions such as the world-famous National Aquarium and Port Discovery Children’s Museum were crossed off as we knew we would want to dedicate more time to explore them than we would have available, while the City of Baltimore Conservatory and Hampton National Historic Site were struck from the list because we didn’t want to have to spend what little time we had in the car.

The first destination was an impulse, but retrospectively an easy choice – the world famous George Peabody Library. In 1857, the philanthropist from Massachusetts founded the Peabody Institute and dedicated it to the citizens of Baltimore. The Institute combines the free (but non-circulating) public library, a lecture series, a conservatory of music & an art collection, and today is part of Johns Hopkins University.

The Peabody Library building was designed by Baltimore architect Edmund G. Lind and opened in 1878. In the stack room, five tiers of ornamental cast-iron balconies rise 61 feet to the latticed skylight, while stately gold-scalloped columns, decorative railings and classical embellishments touched with gold-leaf provide an environment worthy of the wealth of information contained in the over 300,000 volumes that are contained in the library. The Victorian research collection includes books dating from the 15th century. Tables and chairs are arranged on the black-and-white marble floor, and study areas are tucked away in the nooks and crannies below the 2^nd floor balcony.

Only the first floor is open to visitors, but we took full advantage of the opportunity to wander around in the soft morning light that was streaming through the skylight: opening a book, paging through the card catalogue, resting in one of the well-worn wooden chairs. Once we had our fill of the stacks we took a look around the Exhibition Gallery, where pieces from the Johns Hopkins Libraries collections are on display.

The dramatic architectural interior of the library has certainly achieved a sort of notoriety in recent years, appearing in dozens of Pinterest-geared lists such as “10 of the world’s most beautiful libraries.” While it remains open (and free) to visitors, there are set hours that the library is open to the public – see website for more info. During evenings and weekends the library is transformed into a wedding and event venue that makes me think of the Hogwart’s Great Hall…

The George Washington monument

The Peabody Library is located in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood, a National Historic Landmark District and a city Cultural District. Mt. Vernon is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, the name honoring the Mount Vernon home of George Washington. The original Washington Monument that commemorates the 1^st president of the US is just across the street from the library. Also nearby are the Walters Art Museum and the Maryland Historical Society, which has two time capsules from the Washington Monument on display (1815 and 1915). 

Boy and Turtle Fountain (1916) with Washington Monument

Five on Friday: Song festival highlights

The XIV Latvian Song and Dance Festival in the US was a resounding success. Visitors to Baltimore enjoyed concerts, markets, boat rides and art & fashion exhibits, as well as dinner by a famous Latvian chef and all-night parties with 2,000 of their closest friends. I will be giving you an in-depth look at the Ceļā uz Latvijas Simtgadi event next week, but until then, here are five places to see pictures, video and written impressions of the XIV Vispārējie latviešu dziesmu un deju svētki ASV.

1. The official XIV Latvian Song and Dance Festival Facebook feed features photos and videos from all aspects of the festival. For those Cinderellas who left the balle before midnight, go live for some 2am rotaļas. Songs from the Festival Choir Concert include Ai, nama māmiņa and Jāņu dziesma. Get a look at the bērnu rīts with Iļģi & some of the acts that took the Printful stage, as well as get a behind-the-scenes look at the action in Baltimore last weekend.

2. Visit Ģirts Rība’s YouTube channel for video from the Festival Choir Concert. The eight videos include beloved classics such as Pērkonītis ducināja and Gaismas pils, as well as hits Saule, Pērkons, Daugava and Lēc, saulīte. My favorite song from the concert - Šķind zemīte, rīb zemīte is included...

3. Latvia’s Television had a segment on the Song Festival; being that it aired on the 2^nd, it doesn’t cover the last couple of days, however you’ll see some familiar faces and get a feel of the enthusiasm that encompassed the  event. See also the short video segment of SOLA and the introductory video.

4. For snapshots from a variety of festival visitors, be sure to take a look at the Instagram feeds for not only the official song festival hashtags, #dziesmusvetki2017 and #Latviansongfest2017, but also #dziesmusvetki and #dzsv (although those have photos from other Dziesmu svētki mixed in). Favorite shots include the one from @Saulessister, “Single Ladies” (below), while some of the most interesting videos are close-ups from the Folk Dancing Show, such as Meita puišus dancināja.

These Single Ladies (except for 3 of us) joined the likes of Beyoncé and performed at the Royal Farms Arena today for the Latvian Song and Dance Festival 2017. @latviansongfest2017 Photo courtesy of @tijamarie . . . . . #latviansongfest2017 #latvianfolkdance #folkdance #tautasdejas #tautasmeitas

A post shared by Sandi Vetter (@saulessister) on Jul 2, 2017 at 9:09pm PDT

5. Finally, some individual & group feeds from the song & dance festival participants: Iļģi with their video of Danču vakars… taken from the stage, Ilona Vilciņas video of the Folk Dancing Show finale, Sandra Kalve with her behind-the-scenes at the choir concert photos, poet Laris Krēsliņš’s take on Rakstnieku rīts, and my two favorite albums, Elga’s all-encompassing Baltimoras dziesmu svētki 2017, & Marisa’s heartfelt thank you.

If you have any online links to pictures or video you think should be included, let me know in the comments! Stay tuned next week for more on the song festival, as well as some Baltimore-area attractions...