Riga…

Today was our first full day in Latvia. And my goodness, what a lovely country it is. 

Riga might have been bombed to buggery during WWII but they have rebuilt it something champion. 

It looks great. 

Stuart and I started our tour of the city at the Central Market. One of the largest markets in Eastern Europe. Five big pavilions selling everything from avocado (and aardvark) to zucchini (and zebra). We shopped!

We then popped across to the Riga Town Hall Square (Rātslaukums). Again rebuilt.  The Town Hall and the House of Blackheads looked grand in the sunshine. 

Then we went up the rebuilt St Peter’s Church. Chuffing high though. 57m.  But great views. 

There are quite a few other nice little places to see in Riga too; the Swedish Gate, Sherlock Holmes’s Jauniela Street, some pretty cool cobbled alleys, the impressive Riga Cathedral with its swelling organ and aging cloisters, city-wrapping Bastejkalns park, the tall and guarded Freedom Monument (damned Soviets!), three cute houses (The Three Brothers), and the golden Nativity Cathedral. 

After all the sightseeing we had to start our second tour of the day. The bar tour. Riga is famous for them. Great beers, conviviality in abundance, and a smile at every turn. 

We felt very welcomed. 

We like Latvia. We like Riga.