Riga var \u00feeirrar t\u00ed\u00f0ar Hong Kong \u2013 al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0leg verslunarmi\u00f0st\u00f6\u00f0 \u2013 sem flutti \u00fatflutningsafur\u00f0ir hins mikla r\u00fassneska meginlands til marka\u00f0a Hansaborganna: L\u00fcbeck, Kaupmannahafnar, Hamborgar og Amsterdam. Og \u00fear sem eru l\u00edbbleg vi\u00f0skipti, kviknar gjarnan bl\u00f3mleg menning. \u00dea\u00f0 var \u00fearna sem Richard Wagner t\u00f3k \u00fat \u00feroska sinn sem t\u00f3nsk\u00e1ld og Eisenstein lag\u00f0i l\u00f6ngu seinna grundv\u00f6llinn a\u00f0 sov\u00e9skri kvikmyndalist. Flestar borgir vi\u00f0 Eystrasalt voru satt a\u00f0 segja l\u00edti\u00f0 anna\u00f0 en \u00fatkj\u00e1lka\u00feorp \u00ed samanbur\u00f0i vi\u00f0 hina fj\u00f6l\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0legu menningu sem bl\u00f3mstra\u00f0i \u00ed Riga, \u00feegar h\u00fan var \u00e1 h\u00e1tindi fr\u00e6g\u00f0ar sinnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00dea\u00f0 er skemmtilegt til \u00feess a\u00f0 hugsa a\u00f0 Dr. G\u00edsli Reynisson, r\u00e6\u00f0isma\u00f0ur \u00cdslands \u00ed h\u00f6fu\u00f0borg Lettlands, \u00e1tti \u00f3sm\u00e1an hlut a\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 reisa Rigu aftur til fornrar fr\u00e6g\u00f0ar. \u00c1 bak vi\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 er svol\u00edtil saga. G\u00edsli h\u00e9lt ungur ma\u00f0ur af \u00cdslandi til n\u00e1ms \u00ed vesturheimi \u00ed st\u00e6r\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i og fj\u00e1rm\u00e1lafr\u00e6\u00f0um. Hending r\u00e9\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 sem hann var a\u00f0 lj\u00faka meistarpr\u00f3fi \u00ed fj\u00e1rm\u00e1lafr\u00e6\u00f0um vestur \u00e1 Kyrrahafsstr\u00f6nd Bandar\u00edkjanna, f\u00e9kk hann finnskan st\u00e6r\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0ing sem lei\u00f0beinanda. \u00deeim var\u00f0 vel til vina, finnska meistaranum og hans \u00edslenska l\u00e6risveini. \u00dea\u00f0 haf\u00f0i \u00ed f\u00f6r me\u00f0 s\u00e9r a\u00f0 G\u00edsli fylgdi meistara s\u00ednum til Tampere \u00ed Finnlandi, \u00fea\u00f0an sem hann lauk L\u00edcenc\u00edat-pr\u00f3fi \u00ed st\u00e6r\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i og doktorspr\u00f3fi \u00ed fj\u00e1rm\u00e1last\u00e6r\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i. \u00dear me\u00f0 voru \u00f6rl\u00f6g hins unga \u00cdslendings r\u00e1\u00f0in.<\/p>\n
Eftir stuttan stans \u00ed St. P\u00e9tursborg \u00e1 vegum finnsks fj\u00e1rm\u00e1lafyrirt\u00e6kis komst G\u00edsli a\u00f0 raun um a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 v\u00e6ri betra a\u00f0 \u00e1stunda einkaframtaki\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfur en a\u00f0 kenna \u00fea\u00f0 \u00f6\u00f0rum. Hann f\u00e6r\u00f0i sig um set og settist a\u00f0 \u00ed Riga. R\u00e9ttur ma\u00f0ur \u00e1 r\u00e9ttum sta\u00f0 \u00e1 r\u00e9ttum t\u00edma. Riga var \u00ed r\u00fast. \u00dear var allt falt. En \u00fea\u00f0 \u00feurfti l\u00edka a\u00f0 taka til hendinni til a\u00f0 byggja upp \u00e1 n\u00fd. Erlendir fj\u00e1rfestar, sem vildu hasla s\u00e9r \u00fear v\u00f6ll, \u00feurftu n\u00fat\u00edmalegar b\u00e6kist\u00f6\u00f0var og h\u00e1t\u00e6knifjarskipti vi\u00f0 umheiminn. Snilli G\u00edsla var a\u00f0 hann var alltaf einu skrefi \u00e1 undan samkeppninni. \u00deeir sem vildu setja upp sjoppu \u00ed Riga, hvort heldur \u00fea\u00f0 voru Microsoft, Statoil e\u00f0a Pepsi Cola, svo a\u00f0 ekki s\u00e9 minnst \u00e1 minni sp\u00e1menn, endu\u00f0u \u00fev\u00ed sem leiguli\u00f0ar G\u00edsla. Hann kom upp n\u00fat\u00edmalegri hafnara\u00f0st\u00f6\u00f0u. Hann bygg\u00f0i i\u00f0ngar\u00f0a me\u00f0 \u00faltrat\u00e6kni. Sm\u00e1m saman leiddi eitt af \u00f6\u00f0ru. A\u00f0 lokum var G\u00edsli or\u00f0inn einn helsti athafnama\u00f0ur hins endurreista Lettlands.<\/p>\n
Hva\u00f0 var \u00fea\u00f0 sem ger\u00f0i G\u00edsla a\u00f0 r\u00edka manninum \u00ed Riga? \u00dea\u00f0 var ma\u00f0urinn sj\u00e1lfur. Hann var vakinn og sofinn yfir verkefninu. Hann greindi st\u00f6\u00f0una af k\u00f6ldu rauns\u00e6i og mikilli n\u00e1kv\u00e6mni. Sumir s\u00f6g\u00f0u hann ofvirkan. \u00d3virkur var hann alla vega ekki. En \u00fer\u00e1tt fyrir \u00e1r\u00e6\u00f0nina, s\u00fdndi hann einatt \u00edtrustu varf\u00e6rni. St\u00f6\u00f0umat st\u00e6r\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0ingsins var \u00fer\u00e6lundirb\u00fai\u00f0. Hann greindi \u00e1h\u00e6ttuna sk\u00fdrt, reyndi a\u00f0 sj\u00e1 fyrir hi\u00f0 \u00f3or\u00f0na, en haf\u00f0i \u00e6vinlega varaplan B og C til a\u00f0 breg\u00f0ast vi\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed \u00f3v\u00e6nta. \u00deess vegna reyndist hann fars\u00e6ll. Miki\u00f0 vildi \u00e9g til \u00feess gefa a\u00f0 forsj\u00e1rmenn \u00edslenska l\u00fd\u00f0veldisins hef\u00f0u s\u00fdnt samb\u00e6rilega \u00e1rvekni, \u00ed bland vi\u00f0 frams\u00fdni og varf\u00e6rni.<\/p>\n
Athafnask\u00e1ld me\u00f0 akadem\u00edskan bakgrunn. \u00deeir eru ekki margir sl\u00edkir. Kannski var \u00fea\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0, sem ger\u00f0i g\u00e6fumuninn. En hann f\u00e9ll fr\u00e1 allt of ungur. \u00dea\u00f0 var svo margt \u00f3gert. En hann \u00e1tti g\u00f3\u00f0a samverkamenn \u00ed Lettlandi, sem n\u00fa ver\u00f0a a\u00f0 halda merkinu \u00e1 loft. Laima- klukkan ver\u00f0ur a\u00f0 halda s\u00ednum hlj\u00f3m. Vi\u00f0 Brynd\u00eds sendum \u00d6nnu Margr\u00e9ti og allri fj\u00f6lskyldunni sam\u00fa\u00f0arkve\u00f0jur me\u00f0 \u00fe\u00f6kk fyrir g\u00f3\u00f0ar samverustundir \u00e1 b\u00f6kkum Daugava.<\/p>\n