Blogs from Latvia, Europe - page 30

Prior to easter 2005, I was searching for a destination for a European city break which would provide a travel experience to a relatively-unknown city on a favourable budget, and came up with the idea of visiting Tallinn, in Estonia, where I spent 4 inspiring days over easter of that year. After that enjoyable trip, I vowed to return to the region in order to check out the rest of what the Baltic States had to offer, and the next port of call was the Latvian capital city, Riga. By and large, Riga is considered to be Baltic States' main hub of activity, and upon arrival, a few brief glances around the cityscape in downtown Riga revealed hints of what treats the city had in store. Pre-departure background reading about the destination enabled me to gain ... read more

Het was leuk om even terug te zijn in België maar onze voeten begonnen te jeuken en het werd tijd om terug te vertrekken. Om middernacht landen we in Riga. Te laat voor de bus nemen we een taxi naar het Elisabeth Hostel. We vermoeden dat de bestuurder ervan droomt de Letse Senna te worden. De straten van Riga zijn gelukkig niet zijn Imola. Een supervriendelijke madam ontvangt ons met een brede glimlach op dit nachtelijke uur. De dag erop gaan we na een goede nachtrust de stad verkennen. We lopen wat rond in de Oude stad. Het is er niet groot (om niet te zeggen piepklein). Alles is recentelijk gerenoveerd en in perfecte staat. Eeuwenoude gebouwen zien er nieuw uit en zijn mooi opgeblonken. Het lijkt een beetje onecht. Het is wat zielloos. Onze inkopen ... read more

Those were some interesting days, I tell you. First of all, I was exploring Vilnius a bit further, especially its cafes, since it was raining for the next two or three days. Apart from that, I visited the Museum of Genocide Victims, also known as the KGB museum. It deals mostly with the KGB in Lithuania, but also pays tribute to the armed resistance against Soviet occupation from 1945-1953. The highlight of the museum was the former KGB prison in the cellar (where else?). A truly chilling place, all the cells were perfectly preserved, including the welcome cell, which was so small that prisoners could only stand inside, and which was used to break the will of the newly arrived, the water cell, where inmates had to stand for hours in freezingly cold water, and the ... read more

Well here is a place I have wanted to go to for a long time, and was really impressed by the city and its history. I went to a museum in Estonia on the occupation of the Baltic States but you didn't see as much there as you did in Riga the capital. As for the history of the area is,well I think this would tell it better then I could http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Latvia (I know but its true and you all know it..) Any way there were all sorts of things to see and do in Riga you could even go out to a Soviet Bunker and shoot a AK-47 but the guide was out of town for the weekend so I went to a outdoor museum. I know its not as good of a choice but ... read more

We arrived at the airport in Riga on Friday afternoon. (Both Latvia and Estonia are 1hour ahead of Germany.) As we taxied to our gate, we saw an airport in need of some work. The runways needed paving, the airport terminal itself was tiny, and there appeared to be a Soviet plane graveyard in the middle of it all. Once inside the terminal we found an ATM to withdraw LATS (the local currency). Knowing a bus ride was only 40 LATS cents, we needed to break the new 50 LAT bill we got from the ATM. We walked into a small airport store which sold drinks, food, and candy. As I was wandering around inside, Romas disappeared - leaving me to pay for a 35 LAT cent roll of Mentos with a 50 LAT bill!! It's ... read more