Two cities, two operas,

two boats. Sometimes we go to operas. The local opera house plays maybe 7 or 8 different operas every season. We've seen pretty much all the classics they play this season. The last one we watched was Tannhäuser in mid-November. As much as I could tell they played pretty much by the book with the exception of having the leading lady sing two roles (those of Elisabeth and Venus). The events had been brought to more modern era so the activities took place aboard a cruise ship.

A month later we wanted to see Don Giovanni, an opera written by a composer Mike likes(Mozart, that is). To see the opera, we had to take a pre-Christmas trip to Riga, Latvia. And seeing it, we were presented yet another version of a classic opera updated and set to take place... - aboard a cruise ship!

Riga's opera house is perhaps not so imposing on the outside but quite so on the inside. Its main hall has two floors of balconies on three sides, the seats are single chairs covered with red velvet, and golden accents are used lavishly in decorating the ceiling and the walls. It could have been just this piece we saw but it made me just a tiny bit envious seeing how the parts of young lovers were sung by young singers. Also, I might be mistaken but perhaps there are more younger people going to the shows in Riga than in Tallinn. Here I often feel like Mike and I could be among the youngest in the audience; not so in Latvia. Part of the reason for that could be that even though both theaters seem to get viewers from their respective neighboring country up north, Finnish visitors of retirement age traveling to Estonia seem to have it made easier for them than their Estonian peers going to Latvia.

I would also have liked to add to the post's title the phrase “two Christmas markets” but I couldn't do it. Turned out whereas Tallinn has only one such a place then Riga had several, perhaps 4 or 5 that we saw. To Mike's eyes the goods were pretty much the same but I would argue there was some diversity: if not in the methods of crafting then in the outcomes accomplished. Between the goods sold in Tallinn and Riga markets there were differences in mitten patterns and cutting board shapes for sure.

Advent

is something most Estonians observe and cherish. Advent is not celebrated by going to houses of worship to listen to sermons and readings since majority of the citizens are not Christian. Advent is celebrated in homes and its purpose seems to be to count down Sundays till Christmas and to stretch the holiday cheer. The main symbol of advent here is a candle. You start with one candle on your table or window and add another at each consecutive Sunday. You may keep your candles on a simple plate or candle holder, you may have a special set of candle holders, or you may incorporate your candles into a centerpiece. Sometimes, if you are especially excited about lighting candles or if you don't care for live fire as much as you do for Christmas spirit, you might switch on an electric candelabra on a window. Actually, I believe more than half, perhaps even three quarters of households have those lights at least on one window at Christmastime. I might be mistaken but I suspect those electric candelabras are fashioned after the menorah, or more likely the orthodox candelabra. Yet, let me remind you again, majority of the folks here want nothing to do with religion.

Majority of children, I'm sure, want everything to do with another aspect of advent – the elves. The elves look like miniature, younger, slimmer versions of Santa Claus. They are Santa's helpers; it's their job to find out and report to The Old Man which kids have been good and which haven't. Well, parents say that elves keep their eyes on the children all year round but children know that the elves really come out in December so that is the time to behave one's best. You gotta watch yourself at school and at home in the evenings. You have to keep in mind that even though the elves are very hard to see - since they are tiny and tend to move fast - they are very likely to be around. To prove that to yourself, your friends, and especially parents – those non-believers – you can leave one of your slippers on a window sill for the night. In the morning you'll find the treat that the elves have brought in your slipper. As I said this only works if you've been a good kid all day. If not, you might want to try bribing the elves by leaving them a piece of candy or a cookie.