We arrived in Riga early Friday morning and since we spent the night at the airport the first order of business after finding our hostel was to catch up on sleep. We ended up napping most of the day away but went for a nice wander just after dusk.
The weather was much nicer than it was in Copenhagen. It felt like home. It was cold, but comfortable, and snowing. It was nice. We wandered through the old town for about an hour using my favourite mode of navigation (using church spires as landmarks) before heading back to the hostel where Dom made us pasta for dinner. I wasn't feeling very well so I opted to stay in and rest while Dom went on pub crawl.
The weather the next day was not so inviting. It was freezing cold. I actually saw a birds poop freeze before hitting the ground. Something I have never seen happen before. I managed to brave the frigid temperatures and do a fair bit of sightseeing before retreating to the warmth of the hostel.
Dom had decided to go bobsledding with the Latvian bobsled team so I was flying solo and loving it. I enjoy not having to worry about what someone else wants to do and just doing my own thing.
The first order of business was to find the Christmas Markets. I had noticed a large looking outdoor market near the bus station when we arrived so I headed there first. It was not at all what I was looking for and probably the weirdest market I have ever been to. The first few rows of stalls were selling fresh produce and artisan goods like honeys and jams but as you progressed into the market things started to change. People were selling fur hats and other warm clothing which seemed appropriate but others were selling clothing you would wear on a night out, hardly fitting for the setting. It got weirder still as people were selling nicknacks and second-hand electronics. There were several stalls selling the most amazing combination of goods: reading glasses, shoelaces, and Christmas lights. I'm not really sure what the connection was between those three items and while it made me giggle it also baffled me.
I decided to put my hunt for Christmas Markets on hold because a large beautiful building had caught my eye and I wanted to check it out. I'm still not entirely sure what it was but it was beautiful. There didn't seem to be anything else noteworthy in that part of town so I headed back to the hostel then wandered off again in a new direction following a trail of buildings that caught my eye and through a beautiful snow covered park. The old town of Riga is quite small but there is a lot to see in the area. I was constantly taking pictures and in awe of my surroundings.
The trail of beautiful buildings finally lead me to targeted destination: the Christmas market. I have visited quite a few of these while travelling Europe and my favourite thing about them is generally the street meat. There is nothing quite like a bratwurst on a panini while you check out what the vendors have to offer. I was a little disappointed that all of the food on offer required utensils to eat but enjoyed myself nonetheless. Since there was no street meat the highlight would be the children's choir performing carols for the crowds. I have no idea what they were singing but they were pretty cute. I took a video so you can judge for yourself.
I was frozen solid by this point and had seen a good chunk of what the city has to offer so I started to make my way back to the hostel. I was about half way there when I started to hear loud singing. I decided to follow the music and ended up in yet another Christmas market but this was different than anyone I had been to before. Every other Christmas market I have been to has vendors selling products out of small rustic looking wooden cabins. This one was full of small purple and white cabins. I think they were trying to be hip. The music I heard was a group of Children's entertainers performing. I'm not sure if the girls were supposed to be elves or mushrooms or something else entirely but it was interesting to watch even though I didn't understand a word they were saying. For those of you from Muskoka they didn't hold a candle to Peanut-Butter and Jelly but again I will let you be the judge.
I watched Latvia's version of the Wiggles for a few minutes before my toes started to go numb so I made my way back to the hostel where I hung out in the lounge until Dom returned from his day trip. Upon his return we headed across the street to a pub for dinner. The food was a little disappointing but I've been in Latvia for almost three full days now and still haven't had any fast-food so I'm going to call it a win. After dinner it was back to the hostel to relax before bed.
I woke up today with plans to do a walking tour through the Russian part of the city known as Little Moscow but that plan was derailed after I walked outside and instantly felt like I was going to die of hypothermia. I still walked to the meeting point for the tour to try to suss things out but when no one else showed up I decided it would be best to make another plan. Dom and I headed to a coffee shop for some lunch and to reevaluate the day while we warmed up a little. We had already visited 'Europe's largest market' located in some old Zeppelin hangers on the way to the meeting point so the only thing I still needed to see was the castle.
With warm food in our bellies we headed towards the castle, which was more of a square building with a round tower on one of the corners. Dom wanted to see the Christmas markets I had visited yesterday so I lead him to them then headed back to the hostel. Not a very productive day but I am happy with the amount I have seen since arriving and the next few days are going to be quite hectic with 4 countries in 4 days so a lazy day today might even be a good thing.
Okay, I'm off to go make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I hop on an overnight ferry. Fingers crossed I don't get seasick.
The weather was much nicer than it was in Copenhagen. It felt like home. It was cold, but comfortable, and snowing. It was nice. We wandered through the old town for about an hour using my favourite mode of navigation (using church spires as landmarks) before heading back to the hostel where Dom made us pasta for dinner. I wasn't feeling very well so I opted to stay in and rest while Dom went on pub crawl.
The weather the next day was not so inviting. It was freezing cold. I actually saw a birds poop freeze before hitting the ground. Something I have never seen happen before. I managed to brave the frigid temperatures and do a fair bit of sightseeing before retreating to the warmth of the hostel.
Dom had decided to go bobsledding with the Latvian bobsled team so I was flying solo and loving it. I enjoy not having to worry about what someone else wants to do and just doing my own thing.
The first order of business was to find the Christmas Markets. I had noticed a large looking outdoor market near the bus station when we arrived so I headed there first. It was not at all what I was looking for and probably the weirdest market I have ever been to. The first few rows of stalls were selling fresh produce and artisan goods like honeys and jams but as you progressed into the market things started to change. People were selling fur hats and other warm clothing which seemed appropriate but others were selling clothing you would wear on a night out, hardly fitting for the setting. It got weirder still as people were selling nicknacks and second-hand electronics. There were several stalls selling the most amazing combination of goods: reading glasses, shoelaces, and Christmas lights. I'm not really sure what the connection was between those three items and while it made me giggle it also baffled me.
I decided to put my hunt for Christmas Markets on hold because a large beautiful building had caught my eye and I wanted to check it out. I'm still not entirely sure what it was but it was beautiful. There didn't seem to be anything else noteworthy in that part of town so I headed back to the hostel then wandered off again in a new direction following a trail of buildings that caught my eye and through a beautiful snow covered park. The old town of Riga is quite small but there is a lot to see in the area. I was constantly taking pictures and in awe of my surroundings.
The trail of beautiful buildings finally lead me to targeted destination: the Christmas market. I have visited quite a few of these while travelling Europe and my favourite thing about them is generally the street meat. There is nothing quite like a bratwurst on a panini while you check out what the vendors have to offer. I was a little disappointed that all of the food on offer required utensils to eat but enjoyed myself nonetheless. Since there was no street meat the highlight would be the children's choir performing carols for the crowds. I have no idea what they were singing but they were pretty cute. I took a video so you can judge for yourself.
I woke up today with plans to do a walking tour through the Russian part of the city known as Little Moscow but that plan was derailed after I walked outside and instantly felt like I was going to die of hypothermia. I still walked to the meeting point for the tour to try to suss things out but when no one else showed up I decided it would be best to make another plan. Dom and I headed to a coffee shop for some lunch and to reevaluate the day while we warmed up a little. We had already visited 'Europe's largest market' located in some old Zeppelin hangers on the way to the meeting point so the only thing I still needed to see was the castle.
With warm food in our bellies we headed towards the castle, which was more of a square building with a round tower on one of the corners. Dom wanted to see the Christmas markets I had visited yesterday so I lead him to them then headed back to the hostel. Not a very productive day but I am happy with the amount I have seen since arriving and the next few days are going to be quite hectic with 4 countries in 4 days so a lazy day today might even be a good thing.
Okay, I'm off to go make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I hop on an overnight ferry. Fingers crossed I don't get seasick.
Jenna! Thanks for keeping the new blog updated! I'm always wondering what you're getting up to next! So jealous! Good luck on the next part of your journey, it's going to be totally exhausting but worth it! :)
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Leanne xx