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Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga August 21st 2019

Today was a half travel day starting with a four hours bus journey across the Latvian border to Riga, the capital, and a two night stay at the Hotel Tia. Latvia is a tiny country in size & population while Riga is an amalgam of eastern and northern European influences from 800 years of turbulent occupation, the latest being the Soviets, which ended in 1991. After check-in we wandered around the Old Town with its grand cobblestoned boulevards lined with Art Nouveau facades among a skyline of Gothic spires. The main sights included the Riga Doma Cathedral, St Peter's Basilica, House of Blackheads, the Swedish Gate, Riga Castle, The Great Guild & Small Guild and the Cat House. A very full day with a group dinner at a folk music restaurant in wine cellar basement. Next ... read more
Riga Cathedral
The Small Guild facade
The Swedish Gate

Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga June 14th 2019

Käytiin heti aamulla Pärnun hiekkarannalla, koska se oli lähellä hotellia. Merivedessä tarkeni pulahtaa, lämpötila oli ehkä noin 18 astetta. Hotellissa oli hyvä aamiainen. Lähdettiin ajamaan kohti Riikaa. Häädemeesten kohdalla ajettiin valtatieltä vanhalle rantatielle ja mentiin sitä pitkin Latvian puolelle. Ainazissa pysähdyttiin kahville (siitä valokuva). Ainazista ajettiin suoraan Riikaan. Kun päästiin kaupunkiin, käytiin ostamassa supermarketista parin päivän aamiaistarpeet. Sitten navigaattori ohjasikin ajamaan perille kiertotietä pitkin, koska ilmeisesti suora pääväylä oli tukossa. Oltiin vuokrattu asunto osoitteesta Tallinas iela 35. Asunto oli sisemmän pihan perillä, eli kadun meteli ei kuulunut sinne. Pihalla oli pysäköintimahdollisuus ja puomi nousi kaukosäätimellä. Asettauduttiin taloksi. Tilaa oli hyvin. Käveltiin sitten keskustaan päin. Päädyttiin syömään illalli... read more
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Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga November 28th 2018

Dnes sme mali ist k moru, dzintari, to nam odporucila cs. Furt som bol v tom, ze tam ideme. No sing mi vravi, ze dnes mame stretko s jej kamosom, s ktorym sa stretla vo vientame (polovicny vietnamec ang). Ok, nemam problem. Stretko o 10.00 dole pred mcdonaldom. Samozrejme vdaka brzde meskame 10min a chalan tam uz neni. Tlaci do seba ranajky v mekaci. Sing sa pridava, ja na ranajky mekac odmietam, si kupim nieco cestou radsej. Cez cestu na zel.stanicu, kde sa dozvedam, ze vlak sme zmeskali (drbla sing) a nejdeme k moru ale do dedinky sigulda. To nam cs neodporucala, vraj tam nic extra neni. Nuz vang (kamos sing) nas smeruje na bus stanicu. Prechadzame centralnym trhom, premenovanym na babuska market az k stanici. Bus odchadza za 5min. Listok sa kupuje u vodica, i ... read more

Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga November 27th 2018

Vcera sing zabudla, ze si zabudla na hosteli v kufri spodok pyzama na spanie, tak spala v nohavickach a bola obalena uterakom. Cs uz doma neni ale je tu jej manzel. Na ranajky cierny chleba s fajn syrovou domacou natierkou. To zapite domacim jablkovym dzusom. Tuto sezonu bola dost velka uroda jablk, vylisovali si az 200l dzusu. Princip rovnaky ako lisovanie hrozna. Na obrazkoch dokonca aj rovnaky pres ako na svk. Manzel inak velmi vzdelany a dost mudry. Mi vysvetloval, ze elekroauto sa mu neoplati kupit. Za prve drahe, za druhe vystavba domacej nabijicej stanici tez draha a za tretie neda sa to dat vsade nabijat a slabucky dojazd aut. Povodne sme mali ist na vlak okolo 10.00, no nakonec vdaka suchtaniu sa sing sme sli az na 13.00 Po jedle nas manzel zobral do lesa ... read more

Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga November 26th 2018

Nieco po 10.00 vypadnutie z ubytka, batohy nechane v ulozni. Oproti vcerajsku na recepcii neprijemna blondata suka. Ideme kuknut na centralny market. Po ceste par babusiek predavajuce rozne veci. Na trhu tez len same babusky. Zvacsa oblecenie. V hale zvacsa syrove vyrobky a maso. Sing je uplne mimo zo slova babuska a furt to pouziva. Zacina snezit, no skor dazd so snehom. Sing je vo vytrzeny i ked pred tym videla sneh uz vela krat. Kazdy rok cestuje po europe, usa zhruba mesiac, vzdy v zime ked jej skonci pracovny pomer. Tento rok jej zmluvu vsak nepredlzili, tak je z toho v soku. Udajne kvoli velkym dania v singp, cca 45percent. Parkujeme na neskore ranajky v tackarny pri trhu. Davame polievku, soljanku. Mnam. Co som si vsimol, sing sa vzdy dost velkym oblukom vyhybala z jej ... read more

Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga September 27th 2018

We are in Riga, Latvia now, another pretty Baltic city in whose Old Town I searched and searched for Echinacea tincture since the bottle I brought from home is now almost totally empty. I don't dare stop taking it, as many people on our tour are still quite sick and continue to infect others. No one wants to be sick, either on tour or on our long flights home, so I want to continue taking it prophylactically. I must have asked at ten or even twenty shops, by pointing to a photo of the Echinacea flower on small boxes of loose tea, and saying "tinctura," but had no luck at all. Most shopkeepers spoke no English, and my Latvian only covers "hello" and "thank you," so these were difficult and frustrating interactions. I was also hunting ... read more

Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga July 12th 2018

Bonjour à tous, Je commence par la contrariété du jour. Elle est devenue petite à près coup, sur le parking devant l’hôtel, j’attendais une place, un gars fait une marche arrière, n’a sans doute pas regardé, et bing un bon coup de crochet de remorque dans mon pare-chocs arrière. Sur le moment j’étais colère, et j’ai vu le choc plus important qu’il n’est. Faire, un constat amiable avec un lituanien, avec son anglais, plus le mien, une nouvelle expérience. Un gars assez sympa, il n’arrêtait de se traiter de « stupid boy ». Finalement en passant vite ce n’est pas trop grave. Je pense que si je suis pas dans la voiture, il s’en va. La colère vient que la voiture sort de chez le carrossier, il y à 2 mois c’est Rachid qui avait freiné ... read more
Maison des Têtes Noires
La  Baltique
Incroyable

Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga June 21st 2018

On the way today from Lithuania we visited the Hill of Crosses. One of those “if I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t have believed it” moments. The hill began as an alter for Pagan rituals worshipping nature but when Lithuania concerted to Christianity people started to bring crosses. It is a site where people met during periods of danger. People place crosses there for any special occasion such as births, deaths, marriage. During the Soviet occupation it became a symbol of Christian resistance and the crosses were repeatedly bulldozed and raw sewage was left on it a number of times but each time the locals cleaned it up and then the Soviets gave up. Some wit had placed a special message for Harry and Meaghan’s marriage. Crossed the border into Latvia and our next stop was ... read more
Congratulations Harry and Meaghan
Hill of Crosses
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Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga October 10th 2017

We had lots of time to explore Latvia today but it was raining all day so we toured, took a nap, and then walked around the neighborhood and bought a few items tonight. It’s 7pm and we are in our room for the night ~ that’s a first! I will say most of the intriguing places we are scheduled to visit on this trip are in Lithuania and Poland where we will spend the most nights on this trip. For now, Latvia does not disappoint. The architecture is almost goth-like. It’s interesting but I would not want to live in a town where I felt as though Batman would need to save me from the bad people. Just a note about our tour days so far. Typically, our days are long on this tour. We are ... read more
Kamie trying the sauerkraut
Giant cabbage for sale in the market
A small, older lady buying goods at the market

Europe » Latvia » Riga Region » Riga October 9th 2017

Today was the first day it was beautiful outside - sunny and in the 40s/50s. ? We had very little time in Tallinn, Estonia today before we checked-out and the bus drove us down the coast of Estonia into Riga, Latvia. Our bus has huge glass windows so it’s like being in a convertible – you can see all the landscape, stores, homes, vehicles, etc. It was only a four hour drive but we stopped a couple of times along the way at odd little shops selling strange souvenirs and terrible food. Kamie purchased lunch at one of the stops - soup which included tomatoes, green olives, what looked to be cutup hot dogs, some type of beef and red sausages…all in this one bowl full of orange grease floating everywhere. I swear he will try ... read more
The Bay of Riga
Bay of Riga
A beautiful movie theater near our hotel




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