Friday - Riga (capital of Latvia and a port city on the Baltic coast - so far we’ve been in landlocked countries which is a bit difficult for an Australian to comprehend),
In our ‘apartment’ (with another double room sharing the bathroom and kitchen) we did a load of washing and the room stayed warm enough to dry it in the afternoon. There was a cool wind from the north today so light jumpers were put on. Asher is in a dorm in the Riga Old Town Hostel and up on the 4th floor. We’re a couple of doors down the road, up one level in an apartment building. They gave us a code to get into the door from the street but you don’t need it! Just push the door and you’re in (gives me the yips a bit, lots of shady looking characters hanging round). But, we need two keys to get through a double door and then we have another key for our own lockable room. Just that there’s so much security makes you wonder a little, well me anyway. The Hostel has a noisy bar (but you have to smoke outside) and the door to the spiral staircase that goes up to the dorms is made to look like a bookcase so it’s sort of hidden a bit but people keep coming in and out. It’s ll fun and noisy and many different English accents. Last night we did have a drink at the bar and tried out the Black Balsam (one straight, one with black current and one with coke) so we could come away saying we had tried it. It’s a herbal liqueur and black, some people don’t like it, but I reckon it could be an acquired taste. It’s a bit like Jagermeister or the Czech Becherovka. I probably like the sweet ones like Benedictine better.
Started off the day in the huge markets near the bus station where we arrived yesterday. There are five huge hangers (originally designed to house zeppelins) and cater for all your needs. Each one has different produce; meat, fish, vegetables, bread, cheese, staples, etc. and outside there are many more small stalls for the shoppers delight (lots of vegies, strawberries and cherries, and even people selling secondhand shopping bags for you to carry your stuff home in. After wandering through we ended up near the Academy of Sciences building, which is an interesting example of Soviet architecture (called Stalin’s birthday cake and built the year I was born). We were able to take the lift to the 17th floor for some great views of the old city. There was an interesting display in the lift foyer of the work done by the Latvian Folklore Association. They go out and visit the rural/remote areas and record music and songs, take photos and take oral histories of the local Latvian culture.
On our way back through the old town we did a DIY walking tour and after visiting the Ravel Hotel and going up the lass elevator to the 26th floor (for a great view over the city) went through the area with all the Art Nouveau district and it’s fantastically designed buildings. The building facades are covered with carvings of lions, nymphs and goblins etc. with colourful tiles accenting the designs. A few have been lovingly renovated while others are in various states of repair. On our way back through the old town and onto the bridge to get a view looking back to the city, I managed to trip on a stair and dropped my camera lens first! Oh, woe is me. Smashed the glass in the filter and mangled it into the lens so it was fairly well jammed in. Ash helped get the glass out of the filter and the lens still seems to work OK (auto focus etc.) except the zoom has got a little tight. Will have to take it into a camera shop in Sweden and look into an insurance claim.
Visited the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (a most appropriately designed building, very sombre, if not scary) and spent an hour walking through reading about the Soviet and Nazi occupations. Terrible stuff, with the invaders bringing their armies and new settlers with them and embarking on efficient programs of re-culturation which There were also mass deportations by the Nazis (just the same as elsewhere) and the Soviets shipping people of to the gulag! It’s an amazing story and you begin to wonder how these things have an effect on a people. I can understand that there may be some residual anger but also fear, particularly with the KGB actively monitoring what’s going on.
Went to the Lido restaurant for dinner and tried out few things but they weren’t as cheap as we thought they might be. This place was a bit similar to the Delano in Vilnius but less to choose from, they cooked fries in a huge (1 meter wide) fry pan!
Did some email at the hostel (wireless connection in the bar) and Wendy got roped into playing cards with a couple of Finns and a Latvian who were drunk enough to shout all the time.
In our ‘apartment’ (with another double room sharing the bathroom and kitchen) we did a load of washing and the room stayed warm enough to dry it in the afternoon. There was a cool wind from the north today so light jumpers were put on. Asher is in a dorm in the Riga Old Town Hostel and up on the 4th floor. We’re a couple of doors down the road, up one level in an apartment building. They gave us a code to get into the door from the street but you don’t need it! Just push the door and you’re in (gives me the yips a bit, lots of shady looking characters hanging round). But, we need two keys to get through a double door and then we have another key for our own lockable room. Just that there’s so much security makes you wonder a little, well me anyway. The Hostel has a noisy bar (but you have to smoke outside) and the door to the spiral staircase that goes up to the dorms is made to look like a bookcase so it’s sort of hidden a bit but people keep coming in and out. It’s ll fun and noisy and many different English accents. Last night we did have a drink at the bar and tried out the Black Balsam (one straight, one with black current and one with coke) so we could come away saying we had tried it. It’s a herbal liqueur and black, some people don’t like it, but I reckon it could be an acquired taste. It’s a bit like Jagermeister or the Czech Becherovka. I probably like the sweet ones like Benedictine better.
Started off the day in the huge markets near the bus station where we arrived yesterday. There are five huge hangers (originally designed to house zeppelins) and cater for all your needs. Each one has different produce; meat, fish, vegetables, bread, cheese, staples, etc. and outside there are many more small stalls for the shoppers delight (lots of vegies, strawberries and cherries, and even people selling secondhand shopping bags for you to carry your stuff home in. After wandering through we ended up near the Academy of Sciences building, which is an interesting example of Soviet architecture (called Stalin’s birthday cake and built the year I was born). We were able to take the lift to the 17th floor for some great views of the old city. There was an interesting display in the lift foyer of the work done by the Latvian Folklore Association. They go out and visit the rural/remote areas and record music and songs, take photos and take oral histories of the local Latvian culture.
On our way back through the old town we did a DIY walking tour and after visiting the Ravel Hotel and going up the lass elevator to the 26th floor (for a great view over the city) went through the area with all the Art Nouveau district and it’s fantastically designed buildings. The building facades are covered with carvings of lions, nymphs and goblins etc. with colourful tiles accenting the designs. A few have been lovingly renovated while others are in various states of repair. On our way back through the old town and onto the bridge to get a view looking back to the city, I managed to trip on a stair and dropped my camera lens first! Oh, woe is me. Smashed the glass in the filter and mangled it into the lens so it was fairly well jammed in. Ash helped get the glass out of the filter and the lens still seems to work OK (auto focus etc.) except the zoom has got a little tight. Will have to take it into a camera shop in Sweden and look into an insurance claim.
Visited the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (a most appropriately designed building, very sombre, if not scary) and spent an hour walking through reading about the Soviet and Nazi occupations. Terrible stuff, with the invaders bringing their armies and new settlers with them and embarking on efficient programs of re-culturation which There were also mass deportations by the Nazis (just the same as elsewhere) and the Soviets shipping people of to the gulag! It’s an amazing story and you begin to wonder how these things have an effect on a people. I can understand that there may be some residual anger but also fear, particularly with the KGB actively monitoring what’s going on.
Went to the Lido restaurant for dinner and tried out few things but they weren’t as cheap as we thought they might be. This place was a bit similar to the Delano in Vilnius but less to choose from, they cooked fries in a huge (1 meter wide) fry pan!
Did some email at the hostel (wireless connection in the bar) and Wendy got roped into playing cards with a couple of Finns and a Latvian who were drunk enough to shout all the time.
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