Starting to crack through the capital cities as we come to the end of the year.
Following hard on the heels of Ljubljana and Zagreb we have the European Capital of Culture for 2014 - Latvia's capital, Riga. Accompanied by my brother-in-law and our friend we had this one planned from a good 10 months out!
Wedged in between the might of Russia to the East and the Baltic Sea to the West, Latvia has technically been an independent country since 1918. Like so many of the other former Soviet states however it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR and spent the vast majority of the second half of the 20th Century fighting for independence and freedom.
Since achieving independence in mid-1990, Latvia has gradually been growing in influence in Europe, culminating in EU membership in 2004 and Eurozone membership at the turn of the year.
Riga's history is certainly captured in its cosmopolitan style, particular its architecture. There is an imposing 13th Century Church (St. Peter's) which incorporates Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles as well as evidence of Russian influence in the orthodox cathedral situated just outside the Old Town.
The Old Town itself is a UNESCO heritage site and it is your typical arrangement of tight cobbled streets, wide open meeting points and quaint little shops and stalls. I have to be honest though and say that it is missing the charm of Tallinn or the maturity of Budapest, other cities which have a similar feel to them.
Riga feels exactly what it is, a city in transition. Only 11 months have elapsed since the Euro was adopted as the currency and the city still feels like it is feeling its way in. The days of 50p a pint are long gone and the additional influx of EU money is starting to bear fruit, certainly on the North side of the river.
Construction is continuing apace, though the Old Town is careful to try and retain its charms against the onslaught of change. This is still essentially a poor country, with poor people - but gradually (very gradually) the money is starting to permeate down.
As a tourist destination Riga is a strange one, certainly not what I was expecting. There is not really that much to do outside of look at nice architecture and have a few beers (which might be all you are after). Comparing again with Tallinn, Riga seems empty. There are few museums or sights to really grab your imagination and there isn't much to hold you in the Old Town past a day or so. We found ourselves exploring deeper into the "working city" than I think we expected.
One of these explorations did find us an excellent microbrewery (called, I think, Alus Muiza) located on Gertrudes Iela. Well worth a trip up there, shame I can't remember exactly where it is!! Closer to the centre of town you will not struggle for drinking establishments, though the proliferation of Irish and English "pubs" probably tells you the client base being aimed at. Kiwi Bar is well worth a trip if you are a sports fan, though the beer isn't great.
However the 14 taster beers for €10 at the Australian Backpackers Pub (near the Wellton Centrum Hotel) is absolutely worth making the trip for, just be careful with the last few as they are a touch sweet!
Outside of bars and pubs there are plenty of restaurants to take your fancy. The food is not cheap, but neither is it ridicuolously expensive - provided you pick your eating spots well. With the possible exception of Street Burger, I'd stay away from any "chain" type eateries, we had a pretty average pizza in Charlie's and didn't make the same mistsake twice. Try to keep an eye out for local restaurants and always go for the Latvia specialities, everyone is better at making their local food!
So overall Riga wasn't quite what I expected. It wasn't bad at all, the food and drink were still pretty good and there was enough to see. We were here for four days though and that was probably double the length of time we needed. Maybe if I was travelling on my own I would have sought out more of the cultural aspects but for the three of us, beer and food was the order of the day.
I'm not sure I'd return here again, there are plenty of places to get to first and while I enjoyed myseld immensely (the company was fantastic) it didn't inspire in the way other cities have done.
Verdict: 4 stars out of 5
Till next time,
DT
