Islande Riga

... pretty
unexciting. It was this massive "pick your own" weighted plate deal.
All labels were in Latvian and we had no idea what we were eating, they
have some strange looking food. (so do we I guess.. Cheetos?) One of
their staples is a traditional black bread which I tried, turned out to
taste like mild rye. :( I did in fact have some excellent cheese
though. I put a little bit of everything questionable
(non-meat-looking) on my plate and it was.. ok. I can't ...

... the city at dusk (since dusk lasts for so long!!) I saw how enchanting it is!! It's gothic, it's baroque, it's modern, it's post-modern, it's germanic, it's nordic...

It's a gem!! I can't believe how easily I dismissed it! My walk this morning was north of the botanical gardens and opera house (and in a v. drab area!) but this evening I found the labyrinth of cobbled streets and ...

... we'd already done in the day. There were old women in medieval garb guiding & helping in the castle. There was a woman selling tickets to use the toilet (!) for 20 san each. There was another old woman in the church ... There were stalls of souvenirs set up around the car park, as well as one young woman selling tickets to park. It was obviously a major employer in the area! And open till 8 pm at night. We left around 5.30, and this time were finally driving to Riga. The road ...

... these memorials. The words "Lest we forget" have never had more meaning to us than they did on this day! Thankfully, due to the tenacity of the Jewish people and the willingness of people like Chabad, there is once again a Jewish community in Latvia. Lena dropped us back at our hotel after a day we will not forget. We ended the day with a drink in the Skyline Bar, the highest bar in Riga which was on the top floor of our hotel, and supper at a nearby restaurant.

... of getting arrested for unsolicited advances. I don't know what he was doing, was he looking for a tow or what?? I mean Lewis Hamilton wouldn't dare go that close when he's racing in the F1 never a mind in a coach with about 40 people on-board. I'm not a driver, to be honest I struggle to even get a car moving, but I don't think you need to have any driving experience to know when your life might be in danger and therefore what is considered good or bad driving. If the rocking ...

... vaihtorahat vastaanotetaan sanomatta mitaan. Taalla on helppoa menna lapi paikallisesta... :) Kavin myos miehitysmuseossa (Museum of occupation). Siella vanhoja valokuvia ja esineita katsellessa tuntui, ettei museo herattanyt paljonkaan tunteita tai tuonut erityisen uutta tietoa siita, minkalaista latvialaisilla on ollut 1900 -luvulla: itsenaisyys, Neuvostoliiton miehitys, saksalaisten hyokkays Neuvostoliittoon (ja Latviaan), elama osana Neuvostoliittoa, itsenaisyys. Olisin ...

... they said that the entrance was € 10 I decided go outside from there, it was obious. We were waitting for two boys some time and we decided go, bcs maybe they wanted stay there. 5 min later one of the came running and said let's go to Esential a club without prostitutes, so we went there and when we arrived they said that they want go to a streaptease place, so a friend and me decided come back to the hostel. when we were comming back we found the boy who staid in ...

... attacks, knife attacks and scams - and the first night here did nothing but confirm this on the streets. After deciding to call it an early night and make an effort to turn the bad vibe feel of the place around the following day we ended up heading off from the hostel to a dodgy bunker on the other side of the city to fire some guns. It was disturbing how much of a kick I got from riddling a target from 20m with 9mm pistol, 12g shotgun and AK 47 bullets. It was a sense of ...

... to head. My sense of direction was appalling. Even the simplest journey threw me off track within minutes. After grabbing the guide book from my hands, Jodie set off with me following hot on her heels. The oldest of the Three Brothers, a white building with an archway door, dated back to the 15th century. Its tiny windows remind people of a time when having large windows - and therefore more light - was a taxable commodity in Latvia. All three houses looked charming in ...

... relie les statues sovietiques des parties visibles de la place rouge, longe la Moskva, arpente les rangees de sculptures du parc Tetrovskachkosholosomachinchose et... euh, mange dans un resto tibetain ! Ben pourquoi pas ? Moscou-Riga Faut bien dire ce qui est, quand on est celibataire, voyageur au long cours, arrivant de Chine ou d'Asie centrale, c'est tres complexe de visiter la Russie. C'est un peu Tachkent puissance 200 : des slaves gigantesques partout, ultrablondes ou ...