Day 7: From a brewery to a palace - it just keeps getting better!

The programme I have been filming for the past week was set to take place in a beautiful hotel translated into Dikli Palace located just outside of Valmiera.

The 15th century manor. My second home (in my head anyway!)

In the morning me and my filming partner found out that our camera wasn't working due to a formatting issue and the software needed to fix it was on a laptop miles away from the hotel. Not to worry though! In place of filming, I was asked to complete an assignment of something I love to do - write! I was asked to write a press release for the week's event for the university website. This writing was really what I needed because it had been over a month since my brain was put to good use in university.

My source of inspiration.

The main thing that I was looking forward to today was the sauna and water relaxation in our 2 hour long free time period, this being my first sauna experience. At 5.30pm everyone rushed downstairs to the spa. We created a routine of sitting in the sauna for about 10 minutes and then jumping in the cool swimming pool. I will have to find my local sauna back in England and visit it regularly and that's a promise.


For our second-to-last dinner, we were being served a four course Latvian meal consisting of lettuce and bacon, potato and truffle soup, flounder fillet and potato mush and fruit salad - labu apetīti or bon appetite to me and you!

Does this remind anyone else of Romeo and Juliet?

Tomorrow is the last day of the event, but I have exchanged my number with many of my new international friends. I will try my best to stay in touch with them all. Plus, it gives me a good reason to explore their home countries on my new quest of the world.

I've also begun to notice that my blog posts are getting shorter and shorter. I assure you that this is a good sign that I am enjoying my time out here!