Monika Riga

... the Freedom Monument, Sigulda, House of
Blackheads, the Powder Tower, the Swedish gate, and the Riga Dome
Cathedral. The architecture is beautiful. In terms of the look and
feel of the city itself, Riga is what I imagined Prague to be but
wasn't. Walking around there was this cozy fall ora. There were so few
people out that the sound of a woman's high heals echoed from the an
alley a block away. Architecturally the city is stunning, there's no
doubt that ...

... fun to just wander but when I want to go to specific bar, it takes a little while. I go into more depth today, going into the museums, attending an afternoon concerto at a church … I even experienced hail while on the top of the spire at St Peter’s Church while having an amazing view of the city.

At lunch, I hear John Denver’s West Virginia Country Road’ ...

... back to the van. Riga, as well as some great amber stuff, also has brilliant markets. In the 1970s they brought in 5 massive old Zeppelin hangars to supplement the outside market. The place is cavernous, and a foodies paradise - a good place for a carb fix for the morning after (err, so we're told??) We spent three days there, people watching (did we mention the stunning women???), meandering round shops and taking in the sights. A really great place.

... we walked through St. Petersburg were old buildings and beautiful, impressive cathedrals. It would be easy for some people to spend a quality week touring the city. The highlight for Alban (I'll take the liberty of guessing, and he can correct me) was the Hermitage museum. It was impressive to me also, but each successive museum I go to seems to make them all start feeling the same. Maybe it is narrow-minded ...

... a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial centre in the Baltic's. On the eastern side of the river is the old town where the steeples of 3 cathedrals, St.Peters, Dome Cathedral, and St.Jacobs, dominate the skyline. The new town spreads out north and westward and is separated from the old town by a band of parks. The Gothic St.Peters is about 800yrs old and its 400foot spire was once one of the tallest wooden structures in Europe. Today the view ...

... nearly a million residents. It's Old City is very genuine and historic. I spent a few hours just walking around. At two-thirty PM the sun began to drop to the horizon and it's getting dark quickly as I head further and further north. The little coffee shops around town are just wonderful. They really have style. Many people talk very loudly on their cell phones as they walk through town. Those ...

... to it, he would move and the smell would be back again! - Yuk, I think it warranted a mention in here though, sorry if anyone is just reliving this bus journey and fighting to hold the sick down! We arrived in Riga early afternoon and headed over the road and into the hostel. Some of these hostels are just so conveniently located! Downstairs on street level is a bar that is open 24 hours a day for residents and secretly located behind a bookcase of Russian novels hides the rest of the ...

... to get it out of the way early. If you're reading this and looking for a place to stay in Riga, don't go to Posh Backpackers as it's anything but posh. I think the name Grimey Swampy Itchy Backpackers would suit it better. Add to that probably the most annoying person we've encountered so far had also set up camp there and couldn't help himself in telling us his life story every time he spotted us - on the Internet, making a cuppa, sitting in the common room watching TV or ...

... and Estonia, safe in the hands of Mother Russia! At this monument, we saw two guards slowly parading in front, while another soldier off to the side was enthusiastically snogging/making-out-with his girlfriend- a funny contrast. We went out to the Art Nouveau buildings just outside the old town. On the way, we passed a large Russian orthodox cathedral that was in the process of being painted. On the back, it had test patches of different shades of yellow paint on the back to ...