Blogs from Riga, Riga Region, Latvia, Europe - page 4

Geo: 56.9465, 24.1048 Our holiday to Baltic States was planned late; my daughter had just arrived a day before from Hong Kong for the Christmas and next day we were off for a short break to Riga and Tallinn. We were delayed at the Luton airport due to a signal failure but finally we arrived in Riga in the evening, we had booked the taxi with our hotel Wellton Centrum Hotel & Spa but the driver was waiting at the departure but we got it all sorted out in the end. The hotel was having few teething problem, we did not have any wifi in our room and my daughter was upset but the hotel was fully booked so they promised to change our room next day. The weather was freezing cold with minus temperatures and ... read more

I haven't written anything for a while now, I guess now that I am in Vilnius I should do a quick update on the rest of the organic farm stay as well as my three nights in Riga. Well the rest of the farm stay was interesting and relaxing. It was so interesting staying with a family and observing cultural differences which were more prominent than I expected. Marju was really busy the first day I was there and then the next few days was sick with an infection so she was pretty quiet towards me which I understood but after a few days I kind of felt a little unwelcome. At mealtimes conversations were pretty minimal and mostly in Estonian then when people finished their meal they would just leave the table and go watch ... read more

Day 77 – Riga - Latvia Bus bus bus bus. Sigh! Another border crossing which wasn’t as long as the one getting into Russia but still long enough. Eventually we get to Riga in the arvo and our tour leader takes as on a walking tour of the Old Town. I really like Riga. Everything is cheap and in walking distance. We had a group dinner which was delish and headed to a Kiwi Bar to party the night away. It was a great night. Good opportunity to mingle with people you don’t usually speak to. Courtney and I developed Essex accents as the drinking continued and had a bit of fun with that. A lot of photo bombing and posing going on too. Fun fun. Day 78 – Riga A lovely ... read more

Cobbled streets and cars are not a good mix for a quiet surface and we were woken by the increasing amount of traffic going by the hotel as the day got underway.We did however have another good nights sleep on a comfortable bed and long may that continue. Riga,being a compact city meant that we thought we could do our walking tour in 3 or 4 hours and so we didn't need to be in too much of a hurry to get out and about. With the tram at the front door of the hotel we had that option to get into the city but we opted to walk the distance and take in the ambience of the older part of the inner city that we had found ourselves staying in.We found a more direct route ... read more

Geo: 56.9465, 24.1048Today, the Latvians celebrate the Midsummer Night Festival for the longest day off the year. The sun rose around 4.10am, and wouldnt set until nearly 11pm. What a day for it too; Crisp clear blue skies and a pleasant 28C day. Thankfully throughout the day, I got progressively healthier and stronger as my sickness faded. Sone rest, medication overkill, sunshine, exercise and magic water just about have me on the road to recovery. More on that latter antidote later. In store for us today was a long, but enjoyable tour. We were first off the boat around 7am, and the last back aboard before a 3.30pm departure.The tour offered a good variety including Riga the capital, and two other regional towns of Turalda and Sigulda. The sights on display were never exhilerating or breathtaking, ... read more