Latvia, Riga. The magnificent sister

What Europe is and what it should be is often the subject of passionate debate. A unique concept whereby several nations are brought together under a humane, democratic system? The strongest economy in the world? A patchwork of different cultures? A tolerant home for freethinkers and the persecuted?



For Christa Klickermann, a 58-year-old native of Salzburg who now lives in Hamburg, Europe is, above all, somewhere she can call her own extended home. A loveable continent and a great place to live; a place of myriad cultures that shapes and inspires her in her daily life as a woman, mother and entrepreneur in the midst of life. A place so dear to her heart that she has decided to take a fresh look at Europe and, since 2012, has spent her time journeying across its borders. With a great deal of empathy and openness, she sets out to discover Europe’s people, their culture and their modern, everyday lives up close. Riga, the charming capital of Latvia, was the thirteenth capital on her journey.



Praise for Europeans at heart:



Interview with Deutsche Welle TV:

“After reading this book, you will find it impossible not to fall in love with Europe.”



Schekker, the German Government’s online portal for young people:

“This collection of accounts delivers a brief but brilliant glimpse into life in Europe’s incredibly diverse countries, as well as lots of useful information and fabulous pictures that will fill you to the brim with wanderlust. Having taken a literary voyage through the continent via the pages of this book, I can definitely say that I am European at heart. What about you?”



Polen-pl.eu, online Polish culture portal:

“‘The one language that we all understand, and which closely connects all of us Europeans, is the language of the heart: the desire to understand, to empathise, to laugh and find out more about one another.’ And that, according to Christa Klickermann, is the key to living together in harmony. With her book, the author hopes to inspire us and imbue us with a sense of confidence about Europe’s future, and she more than succeeds in doing both. Her approach is so effective in fact that as a reader you feel tempted to take leave and embark on your own European journey of exploration.”





What Europe is and what it should be is often the subject of passionate debate. A unique concept whereby several nations are brought together under a humane, democratic system? The strongest economy in the world? A patchwork of different cultures? A tolerant home for freethinkers and the persecuted?



For Christa Klickermann, a 58-year-old ...



Europeans at heart is a vivid and colourful series of travel and culture books that brings you closer to Europe’s countries and its people. This eBook is an extended and updated travel account taken from ‘Europeans at heart: a journey of discovery through 28 EU capitals’.



CONTENT



+ The thrill of the unknown

+ Latvia (LV) at a glance

+ The magnificent sister

+ Christa Klickermann, talking with Inese Barbare and Gitana Davidson

+ Additional Links

+ He who knows nothing, must believe it all: Europe, the key facts

+ In touch with Europe – an authentic journey of discovery



The magnificent sister



It’s easy to love Riga. As the largest city of the three neighbouring Baltic States, this traditional Hanseatic settlement impresses with glorious architecture, lavish residential streets, expansive parks, a warm air of self-confidence and everyday creativity. It is set to take centre stage in 2014 when it becomes European Capital of Culture, not least with a choir of 20,000 singers.



Some call them the three Baltic Tigers due to the way in which all three states have – since joining the EU in 2004 – proactively and courageously tackled the economic and banking crisis. Others see them as the three Baltic sisters. I feel this idea is more in keeping with the concept of Europe than the image of a tiger with its sharp teeth and claws. But are Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania really as close as three sisters? From afar, they appear to be: three small countries, with the same soviet- influenced past; three countries whose people achieved national independence through the ‘Singing Revolution’; three countries that, after 1991, quickly embarked on the path to becoming cosmopolitan, modern European democracies.



However, as the youngest of three sisters, I also know that three sisters who have grown up in the same house each have very individual personalities and their own unique character. Both myself and my sisters have deep-seated family values and a sense of entrepreneurship, and yet we have each taken very different paths in life. I assume that the same could also be true of the three Baltic sisters. I am keen to find out. But first I have to find out where exactly these three states are situated; geography wasn’t exactly my favourite subject at school. Our geography books were so dryly written that when you read them the paper began to turn to dust. That’s why my journey through Europe is also partly a way to make up for those useless geography lessons – but this time I’m experiencing the continent first hand and discovering places for myself. A much better way to learn!



Well, anyway, it comes as no surprise that at the beginning I had difficulties distinguishing between the three Baltic countries, as perhaps many other people do, so I tried to find a logical mnemonic to help me remember, and created one using the first letter of each country, its geographical location, surface area and population.



Christa Klickermann has always been passionate about building good relationships both at work and in her private life. For 25 years, she worked on forming effective partnerships with her business clients during her time as a freelance marketing consultant in the field of customer management. Away from work, the 58-year-old Austrian has been happily married for 37 years and is mother to three grown-up children, as well as being a grandmother.



In 2012 she said goodbye to her career and fulfilled a long-held dream by moving with her husband from Bavaria to the very north of Germany. She now lives and works in Hamburg as a freelance author, speaker and blogger. On her travels, in her Europeans at Heart book series and in her intercultural panel sessions/readings, she tries to gain a closer understanding of people and their cultures, whilst promoting a peaceful and humane Europe.