Reveling in Riga

While Riga is certainly not on the top of everyone’s wish list for winter destinations, we found the real side in Riga! Normally a summer time destination, the city is sleepy, but has plenty of charms! Pretty soon we were reveling in Riga!

How?

In the early fall, Blake and I were chatting when we both realized we had an open weekend. We both searched for very cheap destinations from Dublin and London and quite literally stumbled onto Riga! Since it is a new country for the both of us, we knew we had to cross it off our list. Unfortunately, we both were too happy with the long British summer to realize our minor mistake… Riga is located on the Baltic coast and we would be going in November!

Flying from Luton Airport, our Wizz flight was outrageously expensive! Just kidding. We did have ideal flight times as it departed late on Friday and we were on an early flight back to London on Sunday. However, I forgot that Wizz Air changed to the Ryanair style where we have to pay for priority just to carry on our luggage. Oh the joys of budget traveling!

For lodging, for the grand price of $15/night per person, we could have our own AirBnB flat located 20 minutes from old town by walk. We splurged and went for the entire flat! Our rooms weren’t bad, but clearly meant for a family rather than two married couples! Plus, the bathroom tub, while it is visually pleasing, is not well suited for a cold morning!

Before heading to Riga, make sure you check out the Taxify app (similar to Uber) for extremely cheap rides throughout the city! I don't think we ever paid more than $5 for a long taxi.

Fixed Costs:

• Flight: £190
• AirBnB: £50 (total!)
• Cold Winter Air: Priceless

Onto Riga

Due to work complications, we were praying for a little delay in our flight. Our prayers were answered and then some! Since our flight was delayed by two hours before we even reached the airport, we slowly took our time to Luton. Thankfully, I purchased parking that is within the garage right next to the terminal so it was a simple walk! Really no rush when there is no plane to take us anywhere!

While we waited close to three hours, we were so fortunate that Wizz Air “bought” us our meal - lovely Pret sandwiches as we sat in line… Outside of that, the actual plane ride was quiet nice and simple. Once you actually board a budget airline, (knock on wood) it is relatively easy!

Since we landed at nearly 2am, we immediately called one of the only taxis in Riga (I think). Because we were at an AirBnB, Blake graciously volunteered to personally greet us outside! Pretty quickly, we scurried upstairs and immediately passed out.

Real in Riga

For our only full day in Riga, we wanted to see the real Baltic capital!

A Two Hour Tour

Similar to our other trips, we began by researching a morning walking tour so we could know more about the city. Before we began our walk, we had to gather our strength via one of the best “brunch” places in Riga - Big Bad Bagels. While they are not as simple as NY bagels, they are extravagant and extremely tasty! I had an Oh Canada bagel which was cream cheese, bananas, bacon, and maple syrup! Yummy!

For the walking tour, we met at the famous St Peter's Church. We began our first stop at a sombering memorial to the dwindling Jewish population. Unfortunately, it is the only Jewish synagogue in Riga and one of three in the country. Before WW2, the country had nearly 70,000, and the number only decreased in WW2 and the following Soviet rule. Our guide recommended the two WW2 museums in town - the Riga Ghetto and the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.

House of Blackheads

Our next stop was a little more light as we headed to the famous House of Blackheads. As Blake put it best, this is the picture on Google Flights as we booked the flights so we were happy! When the House was originally built, it held various social clubs that basically ran the city and country which are the building across the square. Probably the only other “fun” fact I remember about the House is there aren’t many toilets so they just relieved themselves where they stood!

Outside of the House of Blackheads, the Town Hall square is the oldest square in Riga. Supposedly, back in the mediveval ages, the square was also the first one to have a Christmas tree! Hence, they erected a Christmas tree statue that really does not resemble a tree… It isn’t even three feet tall!

Dome Square

On the way to the Dome square, our guide stopped us at an usual memorial to Sherlock Holmes. Back in the 1970s, Riga was caught up in Sherlock fever. One of the few Soviet movies produced, the Sherlock Holmes film was hugely popular and filmed on this street! Nowadays, it is a shrine to the detective!

While in the second oldest square in Riga, Dome Square, our guide told us a few interesting stories. A few years ago, the famous Riga castle where the president resides, burnt to the ground. Now, it wasn’t intentional, but apparently things just burn down very quickly! Our guide was talking to an old man who was casually laughing at the TV and drinking a beer! He said it wasn’t news so he wouldn’t be bother with it!

In this square, Latvians voice their complaints, lost and found freedom. The “famous” radio station is where former president turned dictator torn down buildings and built his station and then used it for rally speeches.  There are many hidden symbols in the square of the power struggles through the years, but it is very ordinary!

Cat House

In Riga, there are a few things that are well known - black blasmal and Art Nouveau architecture. One of the few Art Nouveau buildings in Old Town is the famous Cat House. There are many myths and legends of why or how these cats got on the roof, but they are now very famous! Can you spot the cats??

We ended the tour at the famous Powder Tower which is one of the few remaining gate houses from the medieval times. Fittingly, we were in Riga on their national independence day! This explained the countless Lativan flags hanging from every light post. The city was hosting an independence parade on Sunday!

Foodie Heaven

After the tour, we went to the famous Central market. Held within four converted airplane hangars, the market hosts loads of fresh fruit, veggie, and meat stands along with countless shops selling everything I could ever ask!

In addition, there is a hidden treat at the Central Market - cheap donuts! In a stall tucked in the corner, two old ladies work a hand pressed donut fryer and produce delicious fresh donuts! Did I forget to mention they are 20 cents each!?! (PS - you are NOT allowed to take any photos of this stand! Whoops...)

Tip - Located by an orange awning and in the corner called Donuts!

Since we had our donuts, we now had to try the second most famous thing - black blasmal! Similar to absinthe or American moonshine, the black liquid is best on a cold day and warms the soul instantly!

In my research, I found a really cool bar called Black Magic which serves the liquid poison.

Because Lauren and I were the only brave ones who tried it in our coffee! Rather than an Irish coffee, we had a Latvian coffee! The taste was better than expected and certainly warmed us!

Occupation Museum

Similar to other former Soviet and Eastern European countries, Riga has a very somber and detailed occupation museum called KGB Museum. IN the museum, the exhibits and facts highlight the pain and suffering of not only the Jews, but others who were wrongly persecuted. Before the war, there were close to 70,000 Jews whereas after the war, there were only 6,000.

Once the Soviet occupation began, they began purging the population of native Latvians and replacing them with every one from the Soviet empire. We learned that the population was around 80-90% native Latvian to close to 60% Russian/other Soviet and nowadays it is trending back towards 75%. Between WW2 and early 1950s, there are certain days where the population dropped by 1-3% due to the deportations! Then again, the current population is 1.9 million so it does not take much! Thankfully, things are looking up!

Orthodox Church

As we were walking back to Old Town, we made a pit stop at the beautiful Russian Orthodox Cathedral. I do not think we had visited a Russian Orthodox church before so it was unique! The interior is absolutely stunning, adorned with golden structures and paintings. As we walked in, we took off our beanies, but we quickly realized that the ladies were wearing headgear. Mary Frances and Lauren had to keep their beanies on while Biake and I didn’t. It was different!

Latvian Tavern

One of the best kept secrets in Riga is Folkklubs ALA pagrabs. Away from Old Town, beneath an unassuming tavern hall, Folkklubs brings Latvian charm, locals, and tourists together! The atmosphere is well worth a visit, but I wish we made a reservation as it was very hard to find a table! Luckily, we sat in a reserved table that began at 6:30pm as we planned on heading to real dinner.

For English and Irish “locals,” this was exactly what we wanted since it was a tavern. Because we were only here for delicious drinks, such as a honey beer, we ordered a few snacks including garlic bread! Everything was delicious and we wished we had dinner reservations! However, the allure of fine Mexican food was too great…

Mexican in Riga

Yes, four Americans in the beautiful Riga on a chilly, lovely Saturday night chose Mexican food. El Santos is a local spot with only 2-3 folks working in the restaurant. When we entered, we were the only people in there. In America, this would be the definition of a great Mexican hole in the wall!

Obviously, we immediately ordered a pitcher of tequila as the bartender looked impressed how quickly we ordered that! We watched him hand squeeze the limes and pour loads of tequila and margarita mix into a wonderful blender! See for yourself, the marg surpassed all of our expectations and was absolutely delicious.

Even though we weren’t that hungry, we ordered delicious beef and chicken tacos that tasted as authentic straight from the Tex-Mex. We were the rowdiest Americans in the place! Just kidding, we were too much in heaven to realize anything else!

Hindsight News: Sadly, El Santos has closed according to Google Maps...

Sunday

In our last day in Riga, we wanted to see the top 10 things according to Trip Advisor.

Cold and Hungry

Because of the cold and general weariness, we decided to sleep in or perhaps stay underneath the twin bed covers a bit longer! Our apartment, while extremely spacious, does not offer much heating in the twin bedroom! Thankfully, we were allowed to keep our luggage in the room, otherwise the train station offers luggage storage for a simple fee!

Rather than walk in and out of Old Town, we chose the bagel place again. We sat down inside and enjoyed our warm bagel. Since I picked a clear winner, Mary Frances and Lauren also chose the Bacon from Canada and it was just as good as yesterday! I am so glad we found this joint about 5 minutes from our apartment. It is not the perfect breakfast, but it is nearly there!

Holocaust

Similar to other Eastern European countries, Riga has a haunted past that extended past WW2. In this small city, there are at least three WW2 and Holocaust museums in this city. One of the best Tripadvisor ones is closed due to renovations and on Sundays! Instead, we went to the former Jewish Ghetto museum that is next to our bagel shop.

 Unlike other countries, Riga was a ‘base’ for these atrocities in WW2 as the Nazis shipped more people to Riga only to have them executed. Sadly, they had killed most of the Latvian people so the others from several countries had to come here only to perish shortly upon arrival. They had a great exhibit of lanterns commemorating everyone and there were a few success stories! After reading nearly every lantern, we could sadly only find a few… At the end of the museum, there was the original train platform transformed into an art exhibit. Very tranquil and provoked moments of silence.

On Top of Riga

After the Holocaust visit, we had to lift our spirits and went to the Life Sciences Tower, which is the highest viewpoint in Riga. There are other more historical or perhaps old viewpoints in Old Town, but this tower gives a perfect view of Old Town, the river, and the surrounding countryside. For only 5 euros, we went to the 15th floor and were the only people there!

The pictures were amazing! Thankfully, we did not do this on Saturday as the weather remarkably improved in the past two days so we had a clear, still cloudy, view of Riga! Although we loved the view, we forgot where we were in November and were freezing cold! Plus, pictures speak louder than words!

Three Brothers

One of the more popular architectural significant buildings in Riga is the famous Three Brothers. Although none of the houses are the famous Art Nouveau, the buildings represent three distinct architectural periods dating back to the 15th century! These buildings are seriously old!

Moving onto the 18th century, these buildings also represent the changing of times in Riga. Despite the Soviet era, the people found an unique way to express themselves! Thankfully, the Soviets didn’t tear down any of these architectural masterpieces! Other than that brief thought, we weren’t really sure what else to do other than take a picture!

Romantic Cafe

Sticking to our tried and true method of exploring the cold and ducking into a cafe for warmth, we went to “the most romantic cafe in Riga.” Still trying to impress the new wife! The Love Cafe is really cute and hidden from the road next to the Three Brothers. The decor is extremely hipster and romantic.

To impress the wife, I deviated from my standard chocolate cake and opted for hot chocolate and red velvet cake! Both were very tasty! At this point, we reevaluated the TripAdvisor Top 10 list and decided to go see several of the top 10 all on one street!

Hindsight News: The Love Cafe is now closed according to Google Maps!

Art Nouveau

From the most romantic cafe, we took a very cheap taxi to the Art Nouveau street. While we could have taken a walking tour, we opted for a google research and the sound of my voice! In hindsight, if we were warmer and perhaps more interested, we should have done the tour as the descriptions ended very quickly!

Art Nouveau is one of Riga’s only claim to fame as it is littered across all recommendations and the TripAdvisor top 10 list. In the 1930s, following a period of financial success, the city revamped over a third of the city! Now, what is Art Nouveau?! This style was deemed ‘new’ and represented an form of expression on the facade of buildings. If “faced with elaborate, flamboyant naked maidens, floral motifs, and funky gargoyles, it’s most likely art nouveau!”

While the buildings are abosolutely beautiful, a self-guided tour ends very quickly! Our vote on “best art nouveau” happened to be the Irish Embassy of all places! Very fitting for Blake and Lauren!

Goodbye

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Mary Frances and I had to say goodbye to our favorite Irish-Americans. Sadly, we were going to just miss the famous Riga sunset (yes, it is on the list!) from the Radisson rooftop. Another great quick weekend to Riga!

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