A Baltic Break

There are countries you think of a lot and then those that rarely enter your consciousness. Latvia is probably a good example of the latter. I have only ever met one Latvian - a civil servant visiting Japan on a study tour in 2007. But when considering a mini-break from UK last year, and with the criteria of 'less touristy country with direct flight from London', for some reason Latvia came up as an option. After a bit of 'what on earth goes on in Latvia?' research, it was a done deal and we were on an Air Baltic flight with frighteningly tall stewardesses marching up and down the aisle.

Old Riga 

It really was an unexpected treat. The countryside was lush and green (it’s what I imagine Scandinavia to look like), within which you could find quaint towns and villages nestled among the hills. There was Rundale Palace – a dramatic piece of 18th century architecture that rivals anything else I have seen in Europe. The food was some German-Russian hybrid cuisine, which would not get the approval of Weight-Watchers, but was actually quite delicious, with lots of fish (salmon especially), sausages, rye breads and pastries to die for. Much of the older architecture and customer service screamed ex-Soviet scariness and we certainly came across our fair share of gloomy officialdom, but that itself was an interesting aspect to experience. And there were a fair few tourists - especially giggling Italian aunties, for some reason. In a few years’, Latvia could well experience a tourist boom, which is all the more reason to go now. 

Pastries to die for

Rundale Palace

Flowers at Rundale

The old town in Riga is the main draw. A UNESCO world heritage site, it's a magical maze of streets and squares, full of cobbled streets and pastel-coloured facades and perfect pavement cafes. You could imagine the Pied Piper of Hamelin appearing at any moment from behind a wall. Some of the establishments were clearly marketed towards the stag-party crowd from Britain (with copious beer and cottage pie being advertised) but for the most part, old Riga was a place of elegant restaurants and cafes, narrow streets and beautiful plays of light and shade in the afternoon.

Twilight in Riga

A little outside the centre, there was the art-nouveau district with its amazing statues and sculptures adorning the decadent facades. We took a barge trip along the canals and river, enjoyed several of the cafes and their products containing ‘bienspiens’ (cheesecake, I think) and visited the central market. This was the most Soviet-like atmosphere of all, with aunties shopping for sausages and cheeses wearing fashion crimes that were indescribable. A true gem was an old cinema hall that had so much atmosphere and panache it was hard to believe that it was used to show films. I also managed to meet Mara, the civil servant mentioned above, who seemed to be absolutely delighted that I had chosen to come to her country. She showed us the Ministry of Education where she works, housed in an old building right in the centre of the old city.

Old Riga streets

It just shows it pays to take a risk now and again. Both Latvia and the Baltic states are now places I want to return to soon. Tallinn is meant to be even more beautiful...

River Daugava seen from the barge trip