Latvia

If you like pancakes and are on a budget, try Sefpavars Vilhelms!

Was Christmas 2006. Every one of the locals(ok, I admit I saw ONE guy who looked Turkish or something) is white and, funny enough, that’s a bit disconcerting for me. I’m from Boston and I’m used to diversity. None o’ that here.

The opera house and the theater in Riga were amazing! The shows were quite well done and entertaining. The architecture and the building were just heads-and-tails above anything we have in the US.

Oh, and a tip for all you American tourists… DRESS UP for the theater. It makes the experience all that much more genuine. I brought a blazer and slacks and I felt really under dressed. Next time will be a suit. =)

I also visited Jurmala, a quaint little seacoast city. I walked up and down the beach on the Baltic seacoast and through the city center. It’s a city that really hasn’t awakened yet… but it seems to have the potential to spark into an exciting place.

Next time I go (Christmas 2007) I plan on trying to get to some of the other places in the country. =)

-josh

I spent time in Riga and Jurmula. The people are wonderful, the city of Riga is great. Loved it. I went in January and it was incredibly cold. I would love to go back in the summer and spend time in Jurmula near the baltic sea.

We went to Liga and the reason for it was to get drunk cheap….
It had really nice bars (The Skyline Bar was excellent!)
It also has alot of places for sightseeing although outside riga seemed abit deserted…
The view seemed nice for just a while….

Spent a few days in Riga. There were parts of Riga I liked and some I didn’t care for, but it’s an up and coming city, and the people are fantastic. I remember watching “Biosphere” in my hotel room. It was dubbed in Russian with Latvian subtitles, but the English still came through in the background. I remember feeling a bit embarrassed that Pauly Shore was being exported into Eastern Europe. Haven’t these people been through enough, what with communism and all?

I spent nearly 2 weeks in Rezekne, near the Russian border. I remember taking a 4 hour train ride from Riga to Rezekne with no head on the train cars. When I got to Rezekne, I went into the restroom located on he platform, but was so disgusted by the putrid, stagnant urine sitting in the trough-style urinal that I threw up and ended up relieving myself behind a bush outside.

It was extremely rainy in July, but I still had a great time making new friends in Rezekne. Went to a nightclub that was a blast, but almost got beat up by this huge Russian mafia thug. He wanted to play snooker with me, but since I didn’t know how to play, I refused. Things got ugly, but a new Latvian friend I had made, Sasha, was able to diffuse the situation by talking to the guy. And all I had to do is pay for this guy’s drinks all night!

Don’t eat the chicken pizza. I had to have our driver pull over in rush hour traffic and threw up on the side of the road. VERY nice city (Riga). I would like to go back again.

I’ve heard so much about it and it’s all good!

I had the good fortune to live in Riga for a year awhile back, and to return there for long visits for several years. Now I wish I could go back again!
In the past 15 years, since the fall of the USSR, Riga especially, and Latvia, too, have changed so much, trying to catch up with the rest of the West, but what I love there is the tradition.
June is the best time to visit, although it can be rainy or cool, because of the fabulous craft festival held at the Ethnographic Park at the edge of the city each first weekend of June. Hundreds of artisans sell their beautiful baskets, linen wares, amber and silver jewelry, woven shawls and rugs, items of wood, iron, silk, leather, glass and ceramics, all for bargain prices.Later in the month comes the celebration of Ligo, the ancient midsummer’s eve traditional fete. In the countryside, people weave flower wreaths, sing, drink beer, dance around bonfires, and eat special foods, all night until the first rays of dawn, around three a.m.

Latvia was a great place to visit.
I started my trip from Valka and traveled around the country until Riga, and from there I headed north. I guess I could see quite a lot!
Beautiful country with warm people. Really nice.
Riga was as beautiful as I heard it would be, and people there were just as nice as the ones from the countryside – I assume that’s quite rare!
But I’m afraid people from the cost are a bit fed up of tourists. If you travel along “Via Baltica” to Riga, you might not find any toilets available.

Very beautiful city. The food was superb and the women…..oh the women. Seriously, thus far the most consistant display of georgous women I have seen. Night life not too bad but you have to work a bit for the ladies attention.