Park Hotel Ridzene Riga

... br>counter with their black wool hats, chomping down on cheese! Seeing
the people at the market was nice,. haven't really seen anything quite
like it.

Markets
are my all time favorite places to get a feel for a town but it's also
the most difficult place to take photos. At the risk of being
rude/attracting attention I didn't take alot of pictures eventhough I
SOOOO wanted to! It's always a *************.

I wandered around
the city and saw St ...

... 8230; 2nd band is along the lines of Louis Armstrong.Skip the food.


For those looking for info on bars, clubs & restaurants in Eastern Europe, the guide books can get out of date fast and there are not a lot of sources. I have been using a free online guide www.inyourpocket.com. Also, www.wikitravel.com is a decent source of logistics info although quality varies widely depending on location (ie, who writes it up).

... can't speak Latvian, but they are retired anyway, so it doesn't matter for them. And all younger people speak Latvian. So it's not so bad." Ivan told me he had once been a seafarer. That was when he had met a few Croats, as well. Some good memories still linked him to them and he still remembered a few Croatian words. Interestingly enough, all those usable ones he had probably forgotten, but he remembered all curses just fine. You couldn't really call it a practical knowledge. I ...

... to signify their wedlock!! A pity that we were told by our guide that the divorce rate is 50%! We had both an organised tour yesterday afternoon and then we went back this morning on our own to explore the city. We also strolled down to the main square last night after dinner to soak up the atmospher at night which is always so different from the day. This is certainly a place we could come back to. We wanted to visit the Museum of ...

... think that I'm getting a little worn out and a bit bored with all the days spent doing the same things. The cities aren't that different, I'm in need of new experiences. I guess too that I haven't exactly spent much time in some of these cities; the traveling is probably becoming a little chore at the moment. It would be nice to settle somewhere for a little while I think. Its great meeting people but you don't build up many lasting relationships when you are constantly on the move ...

... evening and just have a preliminary wander around town to get my bearings, then go to a cafe and have a meal of 4-5 types of pelmeni (similar to ravioli) with soup, several types of sauces, and a glass of sour milk. When I arrived at the bus station I noticed these huge hangars nearby. I find out they are the central market and go there next morning and while away a couple of hours browsing and watching people, and eat a couple of pastries, pomegranate juice ...

... before all that as well too. Anyhow I moved to Marcus's place somehow and spent a part of evening in town talking with Elita, Alice (HC:snus), other people and the workers at the old town hostel. Visiting as well Marcus who was working nightshift in his hostel as well... Not any special reminding... -------------- December 12 About the same than the previous day... although the Finnish people were gone. Talking with Alice, with Elita and visiting Marcus at the hostel where he was ...

... was quite cool, I just wish I could have seen a few tanks roll through it. I found my night train but without much ease. They make everything sound like it so simple, 'get out of subway and train station is right there'. In reality, you get out and the train station is not right there. Totally not obvious which building is the train station. When I eventually found it, it totally wasn't marked what track I was going to be on. I ...

... the countries), the total lack of anything like a mountain (the highest point is about 300m! - which I don't think people in the UK would even stretch to call a mountain!), the noticeable wide amount of farming in the countryside, plus everywhere felt very safe and homely in a way. Aside from the obvious differences (different languages, different currencies, etc), there were also some other noticeable differences around. Estonia, for instance, appeared to be ...

... sight to ensure you hit nothing but the target... my mind started to drift.... Any cop movie from the past 20 years.. "Put your hands in the air and lay on the ground you piece of ****....." Classic Dirty Harry: "Do you feel lucky punk ...." Mr Samuel Jackson: "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers..." Once I broke my day dream and started to stare down the galley to the ...