Blogs from Latvia, Europe - page 19

I was really looking forward to visiting Riga, I’d heard great things about it and can also trace family lineage back to Latvia on my mother’s side…. Pretty sure one of my Great-great-great Grandmothers was a Princess of Latvia and I am due a castle there somewhere…… ;-) Latvia has had a somewhat troubled history, and it’s hard to believe that it only shed it’s Russian stranglehold less than two decades ago. Despite years of intense suffering under Soviet and Nazi occupations, Riga appeared to have a definite feel of serenity and a whole lot of charm to boot - we were definitely impressed! Still somewhat off the tourist path, Riga is set on the 500m-wide Daugava River, and combines quaintness with impressive Art-Nouveau architecture of its own, a historic old quarter and large parks. You ... read more

Toured Riga today. Beautiful...lots of history...great food! Went through the Museum of Occupation and learned a lot. ... read more

Depending whether or not I have (free) internet in Oslo, this may be my last entry for the trip..!! Crazy - 5 weeks sure flew by. I’ve had a blast, but it’s good to be coming home =) Not that much excitement today - bus ride from Vilnius to Riga was, thankfully, uneventful. Not only that, the A/C was working(!!) aaaaand I got two seats to myself. Double bonus. It was nice to arrive in Riga and already know (generally) where I was going. Ah, the perks of returning to a city you’ve already gotten lost in haha. I found my hostel without any trouble though - The Naughty Squirrel. Yeah, best name everrrrrrrrrrr. The hostel itself ain’t too shabby either. Awesome décor (really bright and colourful, neat graffiti on the walls inside), huge common room, ... read more

July 12 part 2 - The bus took about 45 minutes and put me there in Cesis around 4pm. So adventurous of me, as I normally think about going back to my hostel soon after that. I wanted to get the 6pm bus back to Riga, so I only had two hours to wander. I took some pictured of the church and then headed for the caste. So many in one day! But this one was also great. And had a free bathroom. So I went there first and washed my face in super cold water, which felt amazing. I am getting so tan, even with the sunscreen. But it's a farmer's tan. Anyway, when I started to head out they gave me a lantern with a candle in it to light the way inside the ... read more

July 11 - Crap day, all around. I couldn't sleep well last night at all, perhaps since I knew I had to get up early and leave and try to make the bus at 7am. Either way, I was checking the time all night, so the sleep wasn't good. I decided to get up at 5:30am, since I was up anyway. I packed up quietly, skipped eating, and hurried over to the other side of town to drop off my bags at the new hostel to try to make the bus. No real luck. I made a mistake as to where the hostel was, so from 6:15-6:30 I kept looking and looking. It was humid and hot as the sun had been up for hours and I was sweating with all of my gear on. I ... read more