Latvia Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

      Advents has for me been a time for preparing for Christmas with baking different types of small Christmas cakes, Christmas decorating my house, writing Christmas letters and figuring out what to by for Christmas presents to family and friends.     The last 5 years I have changed my Christmas preparations, less stress with cakes, presents and decorating.    Advent time now days means light a candle, relaxing with Christmas concerts, partic...

even though Riga and Vilnius are capitals of baltic states, they are very different. by architecture and just by atmosphere. :)

Me and my sister decided to entertain ourselves between Christmas and New Year and visit our friend in Latvia. It was shot but really fun trip! Three blonds in Riga - what can be better?! :)

Today we first went to visit some Art Nouveau style buildings in Riga. These were not in old town, but in the newer part of Riga. These buildings were really beautiful!  There were a lot of details in carving of statues, faces on the buildings. The windows were not simple rectangles. Some building even ressembled medieval castles. The architects of these buildings wanted to have their own interpretations of art nouveau called National Romantic style in Riga and they certainly did a great...

Approaching Riga International Airport on a dark February evening, I noticed the snow outside for the first time. It was blowing past the wing in ferocious streaks of white. I turned to Jodie, wondering whether to tell her. After all, it had taken some hard convincing to get her to go to Latvia. I recalled our conversation on the subject. “Come on,” I’d said. “It’ll be an experience if nothing else.”    “Really?” she answered. “So convince me to go to a place I’...

Not too much in Riga today, we had a [relatively] early bus to catch down to Kaunas, Lithuania.  But we did walk through a nice park.

People i met here who contributed to, and improved my trip: Eric (America), - Hostel owner Frank (Australia) and Unknown (American) for been full of c**pRiga highlight: 'This guy from LA tells me theres such a thing as 'An American card!' Oh yes indeed and listen to how well it works! He arrived in Finland and on his first day slept with 4 girls. He then moved in with one the day after and she payed for everything for the next 4 weeks whilst he stayed with her! To add to this she was a nympho...

As I have no new trips to tell about I am going to reminiscence... In May me and my friends finally got together, found free time on the weekend and got into an old Mersedes Benz to drive to Riga. Two guys wanted to do some shopping (it is actually a tradition to go to Riga to shop, a lot better choice than here in Tallinn), I just wanted to meet Madara. Trip was fun, weather was great, we had some fantastic walks, beer in the cafe on the river bank, some good buys, some midnight drinks...

After saying goodbye to Tallinn, it was off to Riga.  We stayed in Old Riga where the streets wind in every direction and are more confusing then the streets of Old Town in Tallinn. In Riga, Nico has a friend who was kind enough to act as our tour guide through the city. The next day she took us around Old Riga and the Art Nouveau area in the city. After seeing most of the sites in the morning we took a short train ride out to Jurmala. Jurmala is a small town that is full of summer ...

I left Tallinn for Riga and unfortunately the only good way there is by bus... which takes over 5 hours...Arriving in Riga was a bit of a shock as it is much more like a 'normal' city than Tallinn.It's much bigger, quite modern and actually, the drive through the country was extrememely beautiful...I met Pete at the hotel. He's a mate (and Travbuddy) from Uni who lives in Paris. Pete is a wicked bloke and it was great to see him, talk some good ol' aussie slang, have heaps of laughs and just...

Drinking is always an very important part of traveling , and there is always alot of things happening when you are drinking. Here are a few of the things that has happened so far. Its also my personal meaning of the different cities.Helsinki.. Well , the nightlife here in helsinki didnt get me going as the way as you should. There where no jumping and singing in the streets and no going up to strangers and start talking shit. Perhaps the locals know the good places, but i didnt find so many g...

One of the most unforgettable moments in my trip thus far, came from an unexpected source. Riga is hosting a Latvian song and dance festival this week. It occurs every five years and fills the town with choirs and dancers from across the country. I missed the actual parade, but couldn't miss the pageant of traditionally costumed participants, roaming the streets, flowers in hair. On Tuesday, Kristine, Gita, Keiko and I went to watch the "Choir Wars." Their friend Edite was singing and it ...

Because this is a family visit we also did some family stuff. We were given a lift to the Zoo of Riga. This is definitily an experience as a Western-European. It looked like we went back in time. Amost all the animals were in small cages with hardly anything to do. But my nephew loved it! All the attention in the world an the best playground in the world with electrical cars!You have to love it!

Photos. For now.

Traveled to Riga in june 2006 for five days....Also went up to the coast, Jurmala.