It's official... I'm in EASTERN europe

HEY!
Hi Camo, as always, your travels stories are amazing! I am so glad to hear that you are living the dream!!! Keep the blogs coming! Julie

fabbydoo
I am going there on Fri! thanks for the great photos and comments!

I am sorry you had such a horrifieing first experience with Riga, that was just a result of bad coincidences. You arrived with a bus from tallinn, instead of taking the main street str8 down to the city center - the driver took less busy road around through the ungly soviet block districst (Belieev me Tallinn and Vilnius have even more of it) than landene on the bus station which is situation next to market on the other side of railway station - "little moscow" we call that area. 99% people living there are russian immigrants and thus brought there some of the problems of their country. Lots of drug use, poverty, alcohol. the true Riga, the one everybody refers to the city center was on the oposite direction. You discovered it later and logically your opinion changed. Sadly you were visiting on sunday - that is the worst day to visit Riga. People leave the city or stay home so it is very quite. The best day visit Riga is thursday and friday - city is bustling, full with energy and atmosphere especially on some celebrations, young people on the streets in bars and cafes - these moments are why Riga is celebrated and loved by everybody. Big bustling sophisticaed and elegant place. But I am happy you liked it anyway.

its NOT eastern europe
Somehow I just came up to your journal and as I'm a latvian myself it's pretty interesting to glance over your stuff. I like that you felt kinda the same as I did there. It's sorta cool feeling to know that I'm not the only one. Yes, Riga at the very moment is one of the crappiest cities out there, everyone seems to rave about the place but I just can't see any significance. It's just the place as anywhere else. I mean, the Old Town and this art nouveau thing is awesome but it's definitely not enough to call it a great city. Basically, the place has some sorta potential but at the moment they don't seem to use it. Look at Tallinn. Or Vilnius. Both pretty great places compared to Riga, although Riga is the biggest one. Tallinn and Vilnius have their own pretty cool and neat downtown, I can't find anything like that in Riga though. Well, I believe- someday, hopefully, itll be a great place worth visiting. That's about it. I left Riga not so long ago. I can't stand it there. I was too depressed to carry on there. Now I'm happy again though, you see! About that eastern europe comment... You're right man, but it's culturally ,NOT GEOGRAPHICALLY eastern europe.!! You can ask any lecturer in any part of the world and he will tell you that it's northern europe, because of the location. Eastern europe starts from Poland. Even Lithuania lawfully counts as northern europe. Yes, Latvia at the moment CULTURALLY is eastern europe, owing to the long lasting occupation from the east which brought in anything from that part of the world. Nowadays only Estonia seems to fight these influences off so yeah, I can't say anything. So you can say culturally but definitely not geographically! Have you heard about the livs? Didn't you know they were of finno-ugric branch? They're indigenous here and are as much northerners as finns and latvians. We're all the same and we've always been and will always be a part of the north not east. As long as you keep mentioning this eastern europe thing, this will never fade. But you don't want it, right? Well, hehe that's about it. Hope you having a good time wherever you are, keep it up. cheers!