Saturday, three weeks on the road already!
Still had the morning to spend in Riga so we packed up our bags and left them at the hostel while heading off to the cathedral (Doma laukums) which is the largest in the Baltics. Cost $6 (2 Lats) to go in so we didn’t bother - we’ve seen so many churches. This cathedral does boast a 6768-pipe organ which when built in 1884, was the world’s largest. Also visited St.Peter’s and I went up the lift inside the spire and had some good views of the old city. It was a little crowded in the lift with 12 of us (me and a bunch of French visitors) and as we exited the lift we had to squeeze past all the people going back down! There was really only room for 16 people (4 on each side of the viewing area), so we all shuffled along looking North, West, South and East before the lift arrived and we had to squeeze past the next lot who came up. Hip and shoulder together as we descended and a phone went off. It was that tight they couldn’t get to answer it before we got to the bottom. Bit of a weird experience...
Stopped for coffee (had a Viennese coffee again - half coffee/half cream - yum) and had to sit through Latvia’s version of Rage that was showing on a large LCD panel which was mounted in a lovely gilt frame! A few Irish guys were consuming shots of something and beer and I don’t think they’d been to school because they had a very limited vocabulary. One word in particular was getting used fairly regularly as a noun, verb adjective, adverb, past participle, conjunction and preposition, all in the one sentence! (very clever for not having been to school).
Dropped in at the hostel to do a bit of Ineternetting and then went to the markets to have a greasy Latvian lunch. It was very yummy though. We had these fried dumplings with either meat, cheese or potato in them and also what’s generically known as a zeppelin. A bit like a potato/hash-brown with a tasty onion/bacon/mince filling. We actually ordered another one it was that good.
Went back to collect our bags and had to try three taxis before we were happy with the price quoted (from $24 down to $15!). Departed Riga at 17:30 on the Regina Baltica a large passenger ferry with 10 decks, 8 with cabins for up to 1500 passengers as well as lower decks for trucks, camper vans and cars. Like a big hotel, it also has restaurants, casino, duty free shopping, a sauna and bars. Fairly comfortable but showing it’s age.
On the way out of the river/harbour we passed the coal docks! Amazing, heaps of cranes all working feverishly unloading trains into trucks and loading ships from big piles. No sophisticated conveyor belts or anything clever here - looks like they have been doing it this way for a long time. Then out through the breakwater and into the open sea. Thankfully the weather’s calm.
On the boat/ship we had a double cabin (a bit like the train but with only two bunks instead of three, and our own toilet and shower) and Ash was in a 4 berth with 3 other guys. We bought dinner on board and noticed that things were starting to get more expensive so Sweden will encourage us to watch the pennies (kroner) a bit more closely.
Still had the morning to spend in Riga so we packed up our bags and left them at the hostel while heading off to the cathedral (Doma laukums) which is the largest in the Baltics. Cost $6 (2 Lats) to go in so we didn’t bother - we’ve seen so many churches. This cathedral does boast a 6768-pipe organ which when built in 1884, was the world’s largest. Also visited St.Peter’s and I went up the lift inside the spire and had some good views of the old city. It was a little crowded in the lift with 12 of us (me and a bunch of French visitors) and as we exited the lift we had to squeeze past all the people going back down! There was really only room for 16 people (4 on each side of the viewing area), so we all shuffled along looking North, West, South and East before the lift arrived and we had to squeeze past the next lot who came up. Hip and shoulder together as we descended and a phone went off. It was that tight they couldn’t get to answer it before we got to the bottom. Bit of a weird experience...
Stopped for coffee (had a Viennese coffee again - half coffee/half cream - yum) and had to sit through Latvia’s version of Rage that was showing on a large LCD panel which was mounted in a lovely gilt frame! A few Irish guys were consuming shots of something and beer and I don’t think they’d been to school because they had a very limited vocabulary. One word in particular was getting used fairly regularly as a noun, verb adjective, adverb, past participle, conjunction and preposition, all in the one sentence! (very clever for not having been to school).
Dropped in at the hostel to do a bit of Ineternetting and then went to the markets to have a greasy Latvian lunch. It was very yummy though. We had these fried dumplings with either meat, cheese or potato in them and also what’s generically known as a zeppelin. A bit like a potato/hash-brown with a tasty onion/bacon/mince filling. We actually ordered another one it was that good.
Went back to collect our bags and had to try three taxis before we were happy with the price quoted (from $24 down to $15!). Departed Riga at 17:30 on the Regina Baltica a large passenger ferry with 10 decks, 8 with cabins for up to 1500 passengers as well as lower decks for trucks, camper vans and cars. Like a big hotel, it also has restaurants, casino, duty free shopping, a sauna and bars. Fairly comfortable but showing it’s age.
On the way out of the river/harbour we passed the coal docks! Amazing, heaps of cranes all working feverishly unloading trains into trucks and loading ships from big piles. No sophisticated conveyor belts or anything clever here - looks like they have been doing it this way for a long time. Then out through the breakwater and into the open sea. Thankfully the weather’s calm.
On the boat/ship we had a double cabin (a bit like the train but with only two bunks instead of three, and our own toilet and shower) and Ash was in a 4 berth with 3 other guys. We bought dinner on board and noticed that things were starting to get more expensive so Sweden will encourage us to watch the pennies (kroner) a bit more closely.
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