Nordic Hotel Bellevue Riga

... of the buildings. Almost everywhere you look, there is a magnificent structure that reflects the prosperity and attitude of the citizens. Even the restaurants are beautifully decorated and the food is very excellent. You can order some traditional Irish cuisine or go to one of the many international places. Of course you must visit some of the famous Irish pubs on your visit to Dublin. This part of the world is best ...

... but I got a ham and cheese crepe to go. I think this was a bad idea. It is one of those things that should be eaten right away. When I got back to my room it was ham and cheese and grease. Live and learn. Today I am flying to Poland which is slightly warmer than Latvia. I have been wanting to see Warsaw for awhile now so I am looking forward to it and trying not to think about what I would be seeing in the Red Sea right now.

... a number of Soviet leaders had left behind a characteristic architecture of residential buildings construction. None of those buildings was exactly a study in creativity, so a human being in residential suburbs, where they had been building them in bunches, for that's how they usually had, needed almost a navigational system of a swallow or a salmon to find the one they were living in. I may imagine that many a soak missed his when it was at its most critical. And yet, there were ...

... Occupation which covers both the Nazis and the Soviets but it wasn't open early enough for us. Latvia is more Lutheran than Catholic Lithuani, a result of the dominance of the German Hanseatic League and we visited one of the main churches which had been Catholic but is now converted to a Lutheran Cathedral. It has the most amazing organ and during Russian rule was used as a concert hall. All in all a great area and one which we really enjoyed.

... stop at nearby smaller palace as well. <br><br>Arrived Riga mid-afternoon at Centrum Hotel Monika - upgraded to a corner suite overloooking the park - very nice! <br><br>Walked across town to dinner, via nearby streets with amazing Jugenstil architecture, then back via park

... like at 6am, get a shower and head to the doctor by 10am, snowy day which turned into slushy wattery so it made my feet wet... not good. I emt with Marcus and Zane for the noon time we walked and talked and finally I spent day at the library. There I met a woman who was really friendly to help me with getting some books and could speak some perfect french and was quite proud to speak with a canadian... since the president of Latvia is actually a Canadian who had flee the ...

... a few people, and hung around for a bit. Eventually when I saw a train carriage roll by with the number 11 on it (my carriage number) and the cyrillic word for Riga (it was on my ticket which was entirely in cyrillic, great), I was able to relax. I was excited to have found my train, totally thought I wasn't gonna find it. I have a 3rd class sleeper which means no doors and the entire train cabin is open to everyone else. I don ...

... end. I sorted out some post and walked slowly into the heart of the old town. As it was nearly elevenses time I had a large milkshake and then headed for the bus stop. I didn't have to wait long before the number one bus went by. I was definitely in the right place as I had the map that the tourist information had given me but the driver wasn't even thinking of stopping there. So I walked up the street behind it aiming for the next ...

... on strings that click-clack back and forth for hours, our oversized helmets smash into each in the same manner. More speed and sense of adrenaline hits us again, a sheer yell of "Yeaaaahhhaa" closely followed by a "put your ****ing arm back in man" as we take corners 4 and 5. The 6th and 7th corners hit us in quick precession and my eyes blur due the icy wind hitting my retina. I try to clear them, but can't so I blink hard to clear my vision. Regret kicks in as ...