Riga was a great place to start our trip. It is unassuming, the weather is cool, the people are friendly, and they speak English (mostly). There was enough to do to keep us occupied, but not so much that we felt overwhelmed. We also got to stay in Old Town, which is a really charming part of the city with lots of restaurants and cobblestone streets. By the way, riding electric scooters on cobblestone is a great way to get a massage and your body will be buzzing afterwards. We made this mistake returning from shopping.
On a street outside our hotel in Old Town Riga. Absolutely charming.
Exploring the Streets of Old Town Riga.
Jimmy was speaking at a conference (Baltic Honey Badger 2022) for most of our time here in Riga, so the kids and I got to explore.
We found our requisite Boba. Boba in Latvian is “Burbulu Teja”. This store sells Boba with alcohol and Red Bull (don’t worry, we didn’t order those).
Museum of Occupation
The most impactful place that we visited was The Museum of Occupation of Latvia. It was right behind our hotel, so we decided to give it a try. This is the sign that is posted at the entrance:
This museum was a sobering reminder of the horrors of war, and depravity of communism and fascism. These poor people have been occupied by one country or another for most of its short existence (they gained independence in 1918). At one point during WWII, they were occupied by the USSR, so many of the young men were drafted into the Soviet army. Soon after, they were occupied by the Nazis so more young men were drafted into the Nazi army. Many Latvian men fought each other during WWII. Pretty horrible if you think about it.
Still, the country has been reviving since the end of communist rule in 1991. The place is quickly becoming a tourist destination and has much of the feel of the Scandanavian countries, just much cheaper. The people here have a resilience and joy that only comes through suffering. God bless this beautiful country.
The Opera
Something I have been looking forward to is seeing some good opera, and going to the symphony while we are in Europe. Luckily, T. also loves the opera and symphony, and Lois is willing to come along for the ride. So last night, T,. Lois, and I got dressed up and went to the Latvian National Opera to see Don Giovanni.
This is the food that they serve during intermission:
Unbeknownst to me, the opera was actually a modern interpretation. The Don Giovanni that Mozart wrote is somewhat racy, but this modern version was over-the-top and strange, so we left early. Too bad because the cast was incredibly talented, and music was unadulterated and beautiful.
The next opera we will see is The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) in Vienna, which is our next stop. Hopefully it will be more… orthodox.
Conclusion
The food is great, the people friendly, the weather nice and cool (at least this time of year) and the city has that historical European classical flair which makes walking around so enjoyable. The cafes serve coffees the size of espressos, espressos the size of thimbles and hot chocolate is literally melted chocolate. Like most big cities, you can find boba, American-style BBQ, and Korean-fried chicken.
We’re now off to Vienna where we’ll spend the next 5 days exploring the 6th largest city in Europe. We’re excited to be taking in the city and finding good food.
Eeeps on the unorthodox Don Giovanni, I can imagine, they do some crazy things that detract from the music. I'm sure Flute was better - I much prefer it.