Latvia-Part 2

Hi, welcome back to my blog. This is the second part of my blog detailing my recent visit to Latvia.

Quick editorial comment for my US friends...As an Orioles (That's baseball to those outside of the USA) fan, I am anxiously waiting  for them to clinch the AL East. After many years in the darkness, it is good to see the team being competitive again...Thanks Buck!

As for my other favorite team, the Redskins...oh well, there is always next year. That being said, I'd have to say that RG3 doesn't look like he is the future of the franchise which is a comment that should generate some heated debate.  ;-)

Back to travel now..

1) More sightseeing (In Riga)...I ended my last blog with some comments about the sights and food/drink in Riga. The beauty of Riga is that it is fairly small and easy to get around in. There are a number of specific sights that should be included on your list if you visit. The outdoor attractions are free, those that are indoors generally run in the 3-5 Euro per person range. I'd check out the following, take the tour bus first to get an idea of where everything is then walk to the sights at your convenience.

-House of Blackheads.
-St Peter's Church (Photo in last blog).
-Freedom Monument (Located in main park next to canal).
-National library (across the river, very nice brand new building).
-National Opera.
-Presidential palace.

All of the above, with the exception of the library, are located in, or near, the old town. There is a nice park that is to the east of the old town...you can take a tour on the canal that runs through the park (cost is approximately 10 Euros).

There is also a very odd and macabre museum, the KGB museum, which is at the eastern end on Brivibas Bulvaris. It has some very disturbing history and is privately run. Unfortunately, the museum has seen better times and is expected to close mid October 2014. It is a shame as it does provide an insight to what the Nazi's and the Communists were capable of doing.

Hints/Tips:
Take in the sights in old town first then work your way east...the old town should take a couple of hours max. Grab a coffee and some lunch at Double Coffee (waitress) or Lido (cafeteria style) across from the park (15 Euros for two people including beer) then swing Northeast to visit the Orthodox Cathedral. After the cathedral you can walk east to the KGB museum (if it is still open) and grab a nice muffin at 'Muffins and more' before heading back west through the embassy district.

2) Shooting in Riga...Okay, I hinted that I do like to go shooting in my last blog.

                                          Me firing an AK-47 in Sofia...

                                          Me with the lead character from 'the hills have eyes' in Riga...

We tend to use 'King of Shooting' which is company that specializes in shooting packages. It is worth noting that they cater to Stag parties and their approach to range safety is a bit suspect (see the web site). It is a bit more expensive than shooting in, say, Las Vegas, but it is one of the few options that you have to shoot in Europe. The selection of weapons is okay with the focus, for some odd reason, being on ex-Soviet equipment...heck, you can even throw a grenade for 60 Euros....!

King of Shooting-Main site..

The company uses a large building on the West side of the Daugava river, about 10 minutes from the old town district. It was pretty hurried which I attest to us not being a large stag party. If you are interested in a stag event then they offer all kinds of add-ons (I'm talking steak dinners, strippers and even purpose built 'stag hotels').

Hints/Tips:
Definitely worth a try for those who have never fired a gun. It is a worthwhile experience...

The next, and final blog on Latvia will cover trips outside of Riga to Sigulda and Jelgava. I hope that you're finding these blogs useful..

love you all,
Ian

Visit to Latvia....part 1

Welcome to my second blog....this is my first attempt at writing something related to traveling with the hope that it can help and entertain. My plan is to organise the blog into chunks with a summary or hints/tips section at the end of each bit. Let me know if you think it works and if it helps...

This whole organisation and structure thingy is a relic of years of being a Project Manager...I am not really OCD, well maybe just a little. ;-)

1) Rationale for the trip and background...None really, unless you consider being broke and not being able to afford Vegas this year. Okay, that isn't really being honest...yes I am broke but I do try to visit a new country every year so it did fit into the way I do things.

Why Latvia...why not? I had never been before and did have some knowledge of the area from my USAF days (cold war and all that stuff). There was, also, the added bonuses of being close (2 hours 15 mins by air), relatively cheap (240 GBP per person for flights and 5 nights in a hotel) and having the opportunity to go shooting. Did I forget to mention that shooting is something that I try to do at least once a year. Based on that premise it was decided that Latvia was the place to go...

Hints/Tips:
Don't rush in to a quick decision based on costs...I decided to go with Ryanair based on the cheapness of the flights. Those of you who live in Europe would have heard of Ryanair. It is a 'budget' airline based in Ireland which competes with other such airlines (Easyjet, Flybe). Please note here, for translation purposes, that Ryanair is Latin for 'Total Crap'...okay, I made the Latin bit up but they are crap. Please be aware of 'additional' costs that accompany using Ryanair. This includes a huge cost (70 GBP) if you fail to check-in online, an additional cost for each checked bag (50 GBP) and, to our surprise as it wasn't made clear when booking, a 7 Euro charge to be allowed to go through security at Riga. Seriously, not sure what that covers....probably coffee for the 2 people actually working at the time.

 2) Travelling to Latvia...arrived at noon on a Saturday, this was based on a 0730 departure from Stansted (see Hints/Tips at end of this section). The airport at Riga is very small considering it is the main airport for the country. There is a quick bus ride from the plane to the terminal. The trip through passport control was pretty quick considering they only had 2 security staff working. It is important to note that visitors from the US and EU countries do not require a visa. This is also true of Estonia and Lithuania in case you want to visit all 3 Baltic states.

Hints/Tips:
I would avoid Stanstead..it should be renamed Chav International. It is, currently, undergoing renovation so it's a bit of a mess. If you combine that with the normal plethora of Brits getting completely wasted at 6am then it isn't the nicest place to be. I would pay a little more and go from another airport. The only drawback is that it is becoming difficult to fly to Riga from anywhere else in Southern England due to the monopoly that budget airlines have...possibly try Baltic air from Aberdeen.

Another Tip...book the airport shuttle which costs 5 Euros per person, a taxi will be 12 Euros each.

3) Hotel and places to stay...We decided to stay at the Radi Un Dragu which, apparently, translates to 'Friends and Family'...I actually think it is 'Really very noisy'. ;-)

The hotel was chosen based on it's Expedia ranking and cost (see Hints/Tips). It is located in 'Old Town Riga which is a UNESCO site located on the right bank of the Daugava River. It has been around for eight centuries and contains quite a few of the main sightseeing attractions to be found in Riga. Unfortunately, it also contains a majority of the clubs and bars in Riga. That's great if you are on a stag/hen night or you are the typical Brit tourist (Not sure if there's much difference TBH). It isn't so great if you are there to relax and see the sights.

                                                   St Peter's Church

                                      View of Old Town From across the river

Hints/Tips:
Pay a little extra and stay at one of the bigger upscale hotels such as the Radisson (the Blu is located in the city centre). If you insist on the Radi or on staying in Old Town then please be advised that when people say that the rooms are relatively quiet, they are lying! Of course the ear plugs in each room should have been a sign. Also, some of the smaller hotels do not have a concierge so you will get little more than cursory assistance with any sightseeing or info (the will point you to the local tour bus company and that's about it).

4) Riga tourism and eating/drinking...Decided to use the Riga by bus tour. The tour starts outside 'Golden Coffee' next to St Peter's church (see picture above) and travels around Riga for about an hour...costs 15 Euros low season or 18 Euros high season per person. It is a good opportunity to see all the main sights as quickly as possible. It is a hop on/hop off service but you will have to wait up to an hour for the next bus in off-peak times. There are a number of pretty churches to see, cobblestone roads and typical Eastern European architecture.The city made it through WW2 relatively in-tact so it maintains a lot of its charm.Ended up following the tour with a walk around the city...it isn't huge so you can cover a lot in a short period of time. Suggest the market which is near the main railway station and uses old WW1 German hangers. It is full of fresh fruit, veg and lots of fresh fish.

                                                     Riga City Market

As for eating and drinking....Latvians love there meat and potatoes. The food is typical of Eastern Europe with specialties such as dumplings and sausage. They love their sausage...! I made the mistake of having an appertiser, at 'Peter's Brewhouse' in Old Riga, which was sausage, dried meat and garlic rye bread. I had also ordered what I call the 'sausage challenge' which is abut a gazillion pounds of more sausage. I am sad to say that  could not man up to the challenge. :-(

Surprisingly, there are a number of really good places to eat in Riga. There is a pretty wide variety of choices from Japanese (They seem to really like Japanese food???), to pizza, to authentic Latvian and even Subway. What you won't find is a Starbucks...they have Costa Coffee and MacDonalds but no Starbucks...I didn't miss it!

The Latvians also like their beer...as with most European countries, you can get it in 2 main sizes (.25L and .50L). Generally, a large beer will cost 3.5 Euros but you can get some good deals at places such as 'Double Coffee'. The beer is primarily lager but I found it to be very good, especially after 2 of the .50L ones. ;-)


Okay..enough for today...I'm boring myself now. I will post part 2 later this week. It will cover more things to do both inside and outside of Riga. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings...

Love you all,
Ian