RIGA - LATVIA

Riga was bigger, more touristy and more expensive than Vilnius but then again I did know that before I arrived. I had the usual walk around town where I bumped into someone I met at the previous hostel. A lot of people had the same travel itinerary as I did........

The hostel was more homely and less party oriented than the one in Vilnius, however I was very tired after the previous night so wouldn’t have gone out even if the offer was there.

 

The following day was the walking tour around the old town with people from the hostel. It was not the best or worst that I had done in it’s content. What I didn’t like was the way we seemed to be pushed into an overpriced tourist restaurant at the end of it all.

 

I continued alone around an area known as “little Moscow” it was the only place on the trip where I wouldn’t want to walk around alone at night. After walking around all day and getting a bit too much sun it was time to head back.

One of the highlights of the hostel was an absolutely insane Swedish man called Martin. He was a borderline alcoholic who drank several cans of beer with his breakfast at 8:30 am. He kept everyone entertained with some of the crazy things he said or did. The hostel owner seemed to alternate between finding him highly amusing and wanting to to throw him out on a regular basis. At one point he set up a tent he had just got for a music festival right in the middle of the common room.

With all 9 nights of the trip spent in capital cities I needed to get out and have at least 1 day in the countryside. So I got a bus to nearby Sigulda and spent most of the day walking around. I took the cable car across the river. Explored the forests, seen the cave and the castle on the far side before walking back.

 

This was taken in the forest not long before I got lost and my G.P.S couldn’t get a signal!!!!!

The final night in the hostel was the same as the previous 2, this time I was more than ready for a night out but nobody else seemed to be bothered. At 36 years old I wasn’t asking to party every night of the trip but it was a slight disappointment not to sample some of Rigas nightlife. It was at least a good social hostel I had to meet other people.

The following morning I headed to Tallinn.....................................