With a delayed arrival in Riga, capital of Latvia, we had no time to lose – there were so many places to eat and wine bars and breweries to sample! In recent years Latvia and in particular Riga has been the centre of some serious tourism attention having joined the European Union in 2014 (after a 10 year application process) and simultaneously being named the European Capital of Culture in the same year. It’s not hard to see why, the city is gorgeous.
The old town is a perfect collection of coloured buildings, beautiful spires and large open plazas filled with sunshine and surrounded by yet more cafes and bars. It is also swarming with beautiful Eastern European women leaving Andrew wandering around like a kid in a candy store.
Making our way to the local food markets we collected a stash of cheese, meat, fresh bread baked by Uzbeks and patisserie treats that were out of this world and cost less than 50c a piece! All up our lunch feast cost us just under 6 euros and fed us both for most of the day. Gotta love Eastern Europe – it’s a food lovers dream.
From one Baltic state to another, we rook a 4 hour bus ride into Lithuania (the third state that makes up the Baltics group is Estonia with the lovely capital of Tallin that we visited a few years ago). The capital city of Vilnius is a curious place. The Soviet history is evident in the dreary architecture and lack of colour on the outskirts of town right up to the city centre walls. Step inside though through the Gate of Dawn, the last remaining city gate, and you will find a modern little metropolis with gorgeous boutiques, wine bars and restaurants the equivalent of any other city in Europe.
Doing a full lap of the small city on foot gives you access to beautiful churches, the remnants of the old palace perched atop a hill, and laneways of galleries and shops. The Vilnius University grounds are worth a peek too where the architecture and stunning ceiling frescoes create a magical campus environment.
Given the history of the country and its long struggle for independence it would be remiss to come to this city and not visit The Museum of Genocide Victims. The museum is sensitively curated and is located within the very building that housed the KGB during the almost 50 years of Soviet rule which ended in 1991, complete with prison cells in the basement that were haunting to step into.
The story of Lithuania’s history is told through the individual stories of the people who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of their country. Challenging as it is to read and survey the original artefacts it is a powerful experience and left us both contemplating the depths of evil humans are capable of.
And then there is the food of course. One of our first experiences was ordering coffee in town which came to the table with what looked like a piece of white chocolate on the saucer. Of course it was a chunk of parmesan cheese…..served with a cappucino. This pretty much sums up the quirkiness of this place!
It is potato heaven in this city with the national dish of cepelinai (or zeppelins) featured on every menu. Taking our fill of dumplings, pancakes, cold beetroot soup (a summer specialty) and local wine we gorged ourselves silly in town before returning to our hostel.
For the price of $60 a night for a private room/shared bathroom we also had access to a happy hour which consisted of free wine, a buffet of cold meats, sandwiches and bread, and sweets too. And a cooked breakfast. It is probably not a city we will rush back to, but it’s safe to say we have taken away some great memories and full stomachs!
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