INTRODUCTION
Leaving Cologne hurt a little bit .. mostly due to two reasons: (1) the raging hangover from the house party I should never have attended and (2) because the weather was so awesome. Sunshine, 12°C, no wind, not quite what I'm used to from Cologne. If the weather is great in Cologne, it must also be great where I'm going. Right?
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| this guy is about to travel halfway across the world (and yes, that is my whole luggage) |
After around 30 minutes and a quick stop at the supermarket I checked into my apartment, which was everything but spectacular, but cheap, in a great location and warm. I had food and cold beers, and my friends were waiting in the wings. Yet first of all .. what is this mysterious city all about?
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| my neat and spacey apartment |
WHAT RIGA IS ABOUT
Riga is the capital of Latvia and the largest city in the Baltics with 640k inhabitants. With a total population of roughly 6.1 million people in three different Baltic countries, Riga is home to more of 10% of people living in those countries. More people live in the Madrid metropolitan area than in all of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Nevertheless, Riga feels like a legitimate city. First recorded in 1201 (although apparently ever since 200 people have been hanging out there), it has been occupied by the Polish, the Swedish, those Germans that are everywhere and until 1990 by the Soviet Union. This influence is also greatly visible compared to the other Baltic capitals, as many people look and speak Russian, the houses in the suburbs look like you would expect them to in Siberia and there even is a district called "New Moscow" which basically takes you back 100 years just by crossing the street. The old town itself is beautiful and also part of the UNESCO World Heritage, with the influence of the Hanseatic League being highly visible.
Nowadays, Riga and Latvia use the Euro and are mostly westernized. Public transportation works well (although the bus system has some highly chaotic, Sao Paulo like traits - more on that in my reports about social work in Brazil). The Big Mac Index is 4.15 € for a menu, supermarket prices are roughly 10% higher than in Germany and a pint of beer in a bar (Lacplesis or Mezpils most of the time) costs between 2 and 2.50 €.
Nevertheless, Riga feels like a legitimate city. First recorded in 1201 (although apparently ever since 200 people have been hanging out there), it has been occupied by the Polish, the Swedish, those Germans that are everywhere and until 1990 by the Soviet Union. This influence is also greatly visible compared to the other Baltic capitals, as many people look and speak Russian, the houses in the suburbs look like you would expect them to in Siberia and there even is a district called "New Moscow" which basically takes you back 100 years just by crossing the street. The old town itself is beautiful and also part of the UNESCO World Heritage, with the influence of the Hanseatic League being highly visible.
Nowadays, Riga and Latvia use the Euro and are mostly westernized. Public transportation works well (although the bus system has some highly chaotic, Sao Paulo like traits - more on that in my reports about social work in Brazil). The Big Mac Index is 4.15 € for a menu, supermarket prices are roughly 10% higher than in Germany and a pint of beer in a bar (Lacplesis or Mezpils most of the time) costs between 2 and 2.50 €.
WHY I LIKE RIGA
Oh, didn't I already mention that? A pint of beer in a bar costs between 2 and 2.50 €. Jokes aside, there is more to it than just that. The city gives you a glimpse at the Soviet Union while retaining very Western features. It satisfies both my needs for a rich history as well as for an exciting nightlife. The girls are beautiful, the drinks are cheap, and I have a few good friends there. What other reasons do you need to go somewhere?
This time I kept it rather quiet, as I realized I am starting to get sick and would much rather not have a fever on my trip to the US. I am writing this from the Oslo Airport feeling pretty well, so I suppose my plan worked.
On the first night, I went out with my Latvian friends. We hopped from bar to bar until we ended up in a place that most of the time serves one drink called "Surprise me, Bartender!". It is what you think it is. The bartender (who definitely isn't sober) makes you a drink according to his gusto - mine was red, sweet and strong. Good and bad idea at the same time, would probably do it again.
The next day I walked around for a bit, but spent most of the day in bed recovering. The day after I felt a bit better, went to the old town and the central market (which is AWESOME). There, you can buy a wide selection of fruit (mostly local) for cheap money as well as tons of meat, cheese (biezpiens or cottage cheese being one of the Latvian favorites), fish (especially smoked) and pastries. You can also buy basically anything else in the vicinity, but the food market is the most exciting.
Speaking of the freedom monument: when I had just arrived in Riga for the first time, I decided to take a short walk around the city before checking into my hostel. And well, clearly the pictures you could take if you climbed onto that monument would be awesome, right?
Well, Latvians are very particular about their freedom and independence. After all, they have only been independent for a combined 48 years (1918-1940 and 1990-today). Therefore, they definitely do not think it's cool when you climb onto their monuments. This was explained to me under the threat of a 100 € fee by three not so charming police officers, who were all taller and bigger than me. I somehow escaped the arrest by admitting my mistake, one that I probably will not make again.
Today, I left my apartment at 6:15am to catch a plane to Oslo. Luckily, I caught this sight right in front of my apartment door:
This time I kept it rather quiet, as I realized I am starting to get sick and would much rather not have a fever on my trip to the US. I am writing this from the Oslo Airport feeling pretty well, so I suppose my plan worked.
On the first night, I went out with my Latvian friends. We hopped from bar to bar until we ended up in a place that most of the time serves one drink called "Surprise me, Bartender!". It is what you think it is. The bartender (who definitely isn't sober) makes you a drink according to his gusto - mine was red, sweet and strong. Good and bad idea at the same time, would probably do it again.
The next day I walked around for a bit, but spent most of the day in bed recovering. The day after I felt a bit better, went to the old town and the central market (which is AWESOME). There, you can buy a wide selection of fruit (mostly local) for cheap money as well as tons of meat, cheese (biezpiens or cottage cheese being one of the Latvian favorites), fish (especially smoked) and pastries. You can also buy basically anything else in the vicinity, but the food market is the most exciting.
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| Latvia's freedom monument |
Well, Latvians are very particular about their freedom and independence. After all, they have only been independent for a combined 48 years (1918-1940 and 1990-today). Therefore, they definitely do not think it's cool when you climb onto their monuments. This was explained to me under the threat of a 100 € fee by three not so charming police officers, who were all taller and bigger than me. I somehow escaped the arrest by admitting my mistake, one that I probably will not make again.
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| one of Riga's main squares with the Doms on the left |
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| The Doms from the inside .. rather unspectacular |
Today, I left my apartment at 6:15am to catch a plane to Oslo. Luckily, I caught this sight right in front of my apartment door:
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| Barona Iela, one of Rigas main streets, still in silence |
HOW YOU CAN GET THE MOST OUT OF RIGA
Riga is a good city for a weekend trip. You can cover plenty of ground within two or three days. A few of my personal favorites were:
Riga is a good city for a weekend trip. You can cover plenty of ground within two or three days. A few of my personal favorites were:
- The old town (duh): make sure you take the Free Walking Tour which starts every day in front of the Doms - it is totally worth the money you're not even spending on it since it's free (tip-based)
- "New Moscow": from the top of the Academy of Sciences building, you get a great view of Riga and its surroundings. Also make sure to check out the black market (or don't, if you're into safe traveling), where you could technically buy anything. That includes passports and other not so legal things.
- Alberta Iela: A street in the north of the city center that comes straight from a museum. Beautiful architecture in every single building. Incidentally, many embassies are located there.
- Jurmala: Riga is actually not directly at the beach. That's why its people go to Jurmala, which has a beautiful coastline. If you can afford it, you might even have a house there. I'd say it is the Sylt or Nantucket of Latvia.
- Lido: A Latvian restaurant chain. You help yourself to whatever you'd like to eat, pay surprisingly small amounts of money and get some hearty Latvian food. Example below:
Chicken casserole, Soljanka (soup) and cabbage salad
More importantly (as in every foreign city): go out and talk to people. You will learn so much about the country and them.
A FEW THINGS ABOUT LATVIANS
I love my Latvian friends. No doubt about it. However, some things are very different from what I am used to:
I love my Latvian friends. No doubt about it. However, some things are very different from what I am used to:
- Latvians seem to be generally pessimistic. Nothing good will happen in the future, and everything looks dire. I encountered some weird looks with my incessant optimistic attitude.
- Their sense of humour takes some time to get used to. They make jokes by criticizing each other. This sort of dented my confidence until I realized most of those are friendly jokes.
- Cottage cheese seems to be a huge deal. While in Germany it can be hard to find it at all, there are all sorts and sizes in Latvian supermarkets (or at least in "rimi", the nation's leading chain).
- Not everybody speaks English, but almost everybody knows some Russian. This is very different from Lithuania and Estonia, where getting by with English was no problem. I attribute this to the long period of Soviet occupation.
AND NOW?
Currently I am at Oslo Gardemoen, Norway's biggest airport. After a quick pit stop in the homeland (Frankfurt), I will be on my way to the beautiful United States of America. First thing I will do? You guessed it. Get a triple baconator combo with an extra large drink. And possibly a milkshake.
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