Destination, Gauja Valley (East of Riga)

On my 2nd day in latvia, I decided to drive to the Guaja Valley forest. Another wonderful decision!

The Guaja Valley forest is absolutely gorgeous. It's a long valley with a river running through the middle (a perfect canoeing & camping spot... anyone want to go next year?). Pine and aspen trees are everywhere. Caves are also a frequent site. And medieval ruins are scattered throughout the valley. The E. European & Baltic forests are the most gorgeous that I've encountered in Europe.

It was the perfect day for an outdoor adventure... warm weather, sunny skies, and the leaves just starting to change colors (it looked like a Monet would if painted in fall). I was really looking forward to some hiking. However, it seems Latvians have the same view on hiking as Croatians... paved paths and high heels are the preferred option. There are even paved paths and stairs to nowhere (like the 200 stairs I climbed to get to a platform overlooking nothing... my legs & butt thanked me though). Off-road hiking and canoeing would be the best way to see the valley.

The medieval ruins were fun to explore. The castle in Sigulda, the 1st town I visited, was in great shape and packed with tourists. I was able to see the entire valley from the top of the tower. There random pieces of modern art sculptures (imagine the statues on Easter Island) on the castle lawn were a little weird. This was the place to be on a Sunday.

The castle in the Cesis, the 2nd town I visited, was falling apart. All tourists to the castle were given a lantern (a real lantern with a candle) at the entrance to light the way up the tower stairs (8 flights of stairs total in a small, windy staircase - 4 of the flights were climbed in pitch black because the candle wasn't light enough). It's not clear why they didn't give out flashlights or ask people to use the lights on their cell phone, or light the stairs. The little kids in the group in front of me loved that they got a real candle. There were 2 staircases going to the top of the tower, over 50% of them were crumbling and blocked off... not a good sign to see when you're stuck in a pitch black, windy staircase. Still my sense of adventure prevailed and I climbed to the top. At the end there was a small hole in the floor with a ladder inviting tourists to crawl down. Seriously, I wonder how many people have gotten hurt here. It was a pretty town.

The evening was spent the same way as the other 2 evenings... sitting in a center square in Riga, enjoying a drink and listening to music (Oktoberfest-themed songs & an incredible guitar player). It took a lot of effort to force myself onto the plane the next day. I want to go back.

Destination: Riga, Latvia

Last Thursday I made a spur-of-the-moment decision and booked a trip to Riga, Latvia for the weekend. My decision was spurred by 1) a need for a break after 2 long, stressful weeks of work and 2) my Dad's (great!) recommendation to visit the Baltic countries. This spontaneous decision turned out to be one of my better ones... Latvia was possibly the best weekend trip I've taken in Europe.

Day 1 was spent in Riga (the capital). The town is absolutely charming. Having only recently broken free from a Communist regime, I was expecting the cement "block-like" houses seen in other ex-Soviet countries. Instead, Riga is filled with gorgeous old & new buildings designed in completely different styles. There is everything from gingerbread house to fairytale castles to art nouveau styling (ex: one building has dogs as gargoyles, another has 3 men holding up a globe on top, another has statues, like those of Easter Island, carved in the side). Riga does a fantastic job preserving it's historical monuments and writing placards about the events that happened at each site, which is great for tourists.

The food options were just as diverse as the architecture. Riga is only the 2nd city in Europe which I've seen to have restaurants offering all types of food (even spicy food which is a rare find in mainland Europe) and do a wonderful job in cooking it. Most bars and restaurants have unique decorations which match to their cuisine. One restaurants looked like a doctor's office with operating beds as tables, another looked like the Bayou with crocodiles. All restaurants had live music. The best part about Riga was the evenings. At night everyone goes to the outdoor (and heated in winter) beer halls* in the center squares and listens to live music. Sitting in the square, enjoying the warm weather, having a drink, watching other people, and listening to live jazz was the perfect way to end the day.

*Latvia prides itself on it's beer. The beer halls in Riga serve all the micro-brews. Riga's beer halls are more like outdoor picnic areas with live music. It's a must-do for toursists.

Pics1-3: Blackhead's House; the 3rd pic is from a postcard - it looks amazing at Xmas time!

Pic4: "medical" restaurant

Pic5: beer halls in square around Riga Dome

Pic6: "Grocery store" for Riga. There are no grocery stores in Riga. Instead people sell produce at a central terminal with 5 huge halls (like at a convention center). Each hall has a different items (like fruit, veggies, bread, meat, etc).

Pic7: Amazing flowers that were sold on every street corner.

Pic8: Random sculpture in the town park; sculptures as unique as this are everywhere.