Have you ever been in Latvia?

Question

How you can describe it?

Answer 1

A place where the East meets the West.  A lot of old USSR is still visible but the locals try hard to forget that horrid past and welcome westerners with open arms.  A very clean country and if it was not so cold then would make an ideal holiday resort.  Would recomend a visit their.

Answer 2

Here is a report I wrote about my trip to Riga a few years back.

My flight to Riga departed from Edinburgh and went via Amsterdam, arriving in Riga just over four hours later. KLM was my chosen airline and I managed to get a cheap return costing £165 with their European spring offer. I decided it was better paying a little extra to go with a more reliable airline rather than resort to using the budget ones.

When I arrived at Riga airport I heavily underestimated how cold it would be. Even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was out, it was still unbearably cold. The tourist information desk offered to book me a taxi to the centre for 6 Lats (£6) but I decided to wait 10 minutes for the number 22 bus which took me to Riga centre within half an hour.

Once arriving in the centre I needed to find my hostel. I asked many people for directions and realized that few people here speak English and if they do speak another language then it’s probably German (how I wish I had stayed awake during German lessons at school). Nevertheless I was able to point to the address on the map and even those that didn’t speak English were able to point me in the right direction. Another thing I realized early on is that the elderly people here seem to be a bit rude. One woman seemed to imply I was Russian just because I couldn’t speak Latvian. However I then made a habit of only asking young people for directions and found them more pleasant to speak to. Some would even burst into laughter when I started speaking English. I guess those young girls think it’s funny that a foreigner should want to come to their country. The cold was still getting to me a little. Many people were wearing fur coats while some of the younger local girls were wearing boots and short skirts (I guess it’s a vanity thing)

I eventually found the hostel and would recommend the place to anyone. I only paid 6 Lats (£6) per night for a clean dorm bed. The other people in my room were a group of German tourists and I found that many tourists here come from Germany. The hostel also offered free internet access. The Russian family running the hostel was friendly and was able to give me advice on sightseeing, nightclubs and restaurants. The hostel is only 10 minutes walk from the old city and is just 2 minutes from the train station making it a good base for your travels in Latvia.

The old city is pretty impressive. Walking across the park to the old city the thing that becomes most visible is the freedom moment. A huge statue of a woman holding three stars, this impressive monument is supposed to represent the freedom and independence of the Latvian nation. The old city also has countless churches and other historical buildings. Each time I visited the old city I had thought I had seen everything but you always end up bumping into some church you have never seen before. St Peters is one of the most awe inspiring churches in Latvia and you can go to the top for 2 Lats (£2). It also gives you an aerial view of Riga so you can take some cool pictures. The museum of occupation is also worth a visit. This charts Latvia’s history as part of the USSR as well as the occupation by Germany. The Russian family who ran my hostel was less impressed. They see they museum as heavily biased against Russia and say that the times of the Soviet Union were not all negative and there were a few positives (health care for the elderly). This small difference of opinion highlights the tension between Russians and Latvians which was clearly visible to me in my time in Riga.

A girl told me in a nightclub that she earns 200 Lats (£200) per month working in a shop. This is considered by many to be a good wage in Riga. However you wouldn’t think this was a poor country when observing the general population. The girls seem to take fashion and looking good very seriously and there are countless fashion stores in the centre which are always packed with locals buying pretty fur coats or branded jeans. Also the youth are pretty active when it comes to nightlife. Despite most clubs having an admission fee of 3 Lats (£3) or more, they are always full of people my age (23) dancing the night away to the latest European hits. I can only imagine that rent is low in Latvia so the population has more money to spend on clothes and leisure

Some things in Riga cost the same or more than back home. It’s hard to find a pair of jeans for under £30. A CD will cost between £10 and £15 (Unless you buy bootlegs from the Russian market). I also bought a sweater for £16 and a pair of gloves for £2. Some things in Latvia are very cheap. A McDonalds meal (drink, fries and burger) will cost you only £1.50. The Lido restaurant chain in Latvia does great buffet meals including chicken and pork for under £3. Dry cleaning costs you only £2 while developing digital photos (there are hundreds of places to do this in the Baltic States) costs only 10p per photo. Internet cafes operate throughout the city for 25p per half hour. Buses and trams are quick and reliable and cost only 20p regardless of journey duration.

There were also local elections taking place during my trip and I was stopped by many people trying to sell me their candidate. I had to politely tell them that I wasn’t a citizen so I couldn’t vote anyway. Latvians seem to care a lot about their nation and their future. I was told by one girl in a nightclub that the conservative candidate was a liar. I told this to their campaign team who responded by saying “yeah but he is a changed man now”. The passion of the Latvian people inspires me. One nightclub I was in started to play some patriotic Latvian music and all the young people were on their feet clapping their hands. I think it goes to show that years of war or oppression cannot crush the spirit and identity of a nation.

The nightlife is very active in Riga and you will find lots of great clubs here. I went to one called Roxy. Little did I know that this club is considered by many self respecting Latvians to be very down market. I guess that is why some Ukrainian girl sat down next to me and told me how handsome I was before offering to let me sleep with her (I refused). This incident aside you will find many girls here to be very polite and friendly (and I don’t mean cheap or easy) and they will like you if you show an interest in their country. I would spend hours talking to locals even though their English wasn’t too good. I think it shows that language barriers can be overcome when you have a real desire to get to know someone. Among my nightlife highlights were seeing some Latvian 80s band called Opus Pro perform a small show at a small pub. Also I visited a Karaoke bar and found it funny to watch drunken Latvian girls trying to sing English songs. The Irish pubs in Riga were also pretty full esp. during St Patrick’s Day when it was packed with expats.

Latvia is a very safe country. I have been to London and felt safer in Riga than in London. I found myself walking back to my hostel at 4am without any problems. I wouldn’t advise anyone to walk home on their own at that time (esp. females) but I personally didn’t feel threatened at all. There are virtually no touts in Riga and the only incident I really had was some guy trying to sell me a watch. The original price he gave was £300 but it came down to £3. When I told him I didn’t want it he stormed off. You will find most Latvians are pretty reserved and will not really speak to you or bother you unless you talk to them first.

Because I spent so long in Riga I only had a day to spend in Estonia. I took an Eco-Lines bus to Tallinn which took 5 hours. The journey was comfortable and 2 movies were shown for those that didn’t want to sleep. Tallinn is also an impressive city but much smaller than Riga. My hostel was pretty far from the centre so I ended up asking some guy for directions. He turned out to be a Jew who served in the Russian army. He kindly offered to show me around Tallinn for an hour. He took me to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. This building is amazing both inside and out and it’s hard not to feel spiritual while standing inside. My guide then showed me around the rest of the old city which seemed to be full of small cafes and souvenir shops. His insight also proved invaluable. He joked that Russia wanted to control all of Europe but thanks to the Germans they only got half. After taking a few photos we parted company and I went off to explore the centre of Tallinn.

I must say that Tallinn comes across as more of a European city than Riga. In Riga it’s quite obvious you are in a former communist country. However in Tallinn it feels like you are in Western Europe. Clothes are expensive (probably catering to the huge influx of Finnish tourists). The hairstyles and clothes of the locals seem to be more modern than in Riga. Also people here seem to have a better grasp of English. Another thing which happened to me several times in Tallinn is that when someone doesn’t know English they will phone someone on their cell phone who does and let me speak to them. This happened several times when asking for directions. This never happened to me in Riga. I seem to notice those subtle differences.

Another distinct thing I noticed in both cities is the lack of ethnic minorities. I didn’t encounter anyone from Asia during my travels. I remember visiting the only Indian restaurant in Riga only to find a couple of blonde Latvian girls dressed in Saris. Quite a bizarre sight and a culture shock for someone who is used to living in a multi cultured environment.

The remaining time in Tallinn was spent in the bizarre Depeche Mode bar. A pub created by a devoted Depeche Mode fan, this club has Depeche Mode carpets, Depeche Mode videos playing non stop and cocktails named after Depe