After a year and a half of observing the effect the pandemic had on travel, I'm back in Europe–2021 style! I've been in the country of Latvia for about a week and a half now. So I figured it is time to bring you guys up to speed with my movements, just because it did get a little bit hectic to get to this point, and I believe it is worth sharing. So let's get into it.
You know when you plan something important, you tend to forget that one detail you have to get done, but for some reason, it slips under the radar of your to-do list? Well, that was the case with me. I failed to make an appointment to get my COVID-19 test done at the airport. I was so focused on every other aspect of getting to Europe that I didn't put too much thought into the idea of needing an appointment to get the test. In the back of my mind, I glossed over the scene where I walk up to the testing center, I get the test done, and that's it. But no, that wasn't the case. An appointment was required, especially for the one-hour test result version, which was fully booked for the day. Thankfully, I have the habit of getting to the airport extremely early to the point where I've questioned myself in the past. Still, today it served me well, for there was a possibility of getting a three to five-hour result version of the test.
Running around LAX like a crazy person to get a Covid-19 test.
As soon as I got the details, I jumped on my phone, entered my information, and looked at the next available testing time slot. I was a bit panicked by this point; I was at the airport surrounded by other anxious and angry people, so the adrenaline was pumping. Finally, I booked the next time slot, which was 10 minutes from that moment. And once I got the email, I realized that I had to be in terminal six to get that test done, and I was in terminal one. And so there I go running from terminal to terminal with a 30-pound bag and a side-bag for my camera. It's 98 degrees in Los Angeles. There's a lot of construction, cars, and people (apparently, the time of all those empty airports is now over). It all added up to an exciting scene where time (even though I got to the airport early) was still a factor. And needless to say, by the time I got to the testing center at terminal six, I was drenched in sweat. Ultimately, I passed the COVID-19 test and got all the information I needed to enter Helsinki and Latvia. However, I did engage in some more running in Finland because the connecting gate was quite far from my arrival. But I made that also, just as they started boarding. After all of that, I made it to Latvia to celebrate the midsummer festivities with some amazing people.
It was all worth it.
I was also taken to a "relaxation" center for your feet–a reflexology theme park, if you will. You walk barefoot over rocks, mud, glass, and all sorts of different objects. I NEVER walk barefoot outdoors, so I would say about 70% of my time there was quite painful and got plenty of laughs from the stoic Latvian visitors. I couldn't blame them, however; I was laughing at myself the whole time. It is comical how little (sharp) pebbles can be so painful. Nonetheless, I completed the course and thought that it was one hell of a way to start my time in Europe and end my first week in Latvia.
Thankfully things are starting to slow down now. I'm beginning to find my rhythm, so I hope you join me on the following YouTube episode where I continue to chronicle my time in Latvia. In addition, I will start to explore different cities in this beautiful country, so stay tuned!
*The Video Version Of This Article Is Down Below.
When In Latvia, one does some gardening, hangs around a giant bonfire during midsummer, and visits a reflexology center that has one walking through rocks, dirt, and mud. Long story short, I'm glad I'm back in the beautiful country of Latvia and experiencing new things. As you will hear in the video, it was a bit rough along the way to get to Latvia, but the entry to Europe in 2021 was a success!