A Real Great Time in Riga

We had overnights in Riga, Latvia on Cara's 14-day Baltic cruises. Last week, we left Riga for the final time and I was a bit crestfallen that Cara would not be returning. I had found my favorite little pastry shop that had just the right amount of decent wifi, and the Old City was a fantastic wander. Want some more details on Riga? Read on!

Latvia, along with Estonia and Lithuania, are three countries that I never, ever thought I would see in my life.

This is, in part, due to the fact that I was acutely unaware of their existences, which I realize is super ignorant of me. However, thanks to George's expertise, I can tell you now that Latvia was virtually untouched for the majority of the 20th century due to the Iron Curtain. When the Curtain fell in the 1990s, the rest of the world was able to discover these places and, along with some choice technology investments and a push for tourism, welcome these countries to the rest of Europe.

Cara maneuvered down the main river and docked next to a four-lane road that followed the curve of the shore. The green of many trees and spires of many churches peeped out from the heights of other buildings. The river bank opposite to us was extremely opposite; hotels plated with reflective blue glass, huge convention centers, and innovative architectural landmarks screamed, “WE WERE BUILT RECENTLY,” from across the water. I, for one, decided to stay on my respective side of the river and explore the Old City.

Upon weaving through the cobblestoned streets, Kirsty, Agnes, Adam, and I came to the main square and met a man giving out free advice.

Adam, unabashedly outgoing, asked the guy what he should do with his summer. The man was honest, proposing Adam lay out all of his options, make money doing what he enjoys, and also leave time to do something he has been wanting to do for a while. Solid advice. Please excuse me while I jot that down.

After a brief wifi search, I went for a solo wander because your girl had been stuck on the ship for a w h i l e. There is church after church after church in Riga! I can count five off the top of my head that I saw in the first two hours of exploring. I also found the self-proclaimed “Most Romantic Café” in Riga, as well as a cute market square. By then, it was time to return to the ship for rehearsal, but I was excited to set off early the next morning.

The Freedom Monument

The next day, I walked along the river in the fresh, Latvian spring air until I hit a bridge, then turned left up into the outskirts of the Old City. The winding streets soon made way for wide boulevards lined with trees. The buildings reminded me of the Flatiron District, if they were all white. I found a large park featuring a small river/pond teeming with ducks.

The huge Freedom Monument stood in the middle of the park, erected to commemorate Latvians who had died fighting for independence.

Right behind the park was the Orthodox Nativity of Christ Cathedral, topped with golden domes. The exterior of the church was awe-inspiring as the sun shone upon it. However, the inside was covered in gaudy, painted facades and glowing neon signs. I also had to cover my head as I entered, since I am a woman….? I was less impressed by how they had decided to decorate the interior.

At this point, I was hungry, and there was a fantastic smell of baked goods coming from somewhere. I soon located the source: a small, white hut of a building on the sidewalk next to BLANK. I walked in and saw that a woman was rolling pastries on the counter behind the register. I also clocked that most of the pastries cost under a euro.

I seriously had a cup of tea and a 6-inch pastry filled with honey and cottage cheese for less than 2 euros.

This was now my “Riga spot.”

On our second 14-day Baltic cruise, I had IPM on our first Riga day, which turned out to be a blessing because we did not port until around 4 pm anyway. I only missed an evening! The second day, I was out and about bright and early with Luisa and Davin. We walked along the river, fielding brief thunderstorm showers by taking cover under trees with absurdly dense leaf-counts. The temperamental weather reminded me of Florida; I was glad to have brought an umbrella.

Our destination was the huge Riga Market, located in four abandoned airplane hangers. After backtracking a couple times because we could not find a crosswalk on that four-lane road, we made it. Each hanger was filled with a type of product; the first was all fish, the second produce, the third bread, cheese, spices, and the fourth meat. The market was connected by little passageways filled with permanent vendors. They were selling all kinds of goods, from tourist souvenirs to pastries and lottery tickets. Outside, additional stands were filled with even more fresh produce, plus flowers.

The Riga Market area was clearly a bustling shopping experience for Latvians on a normal Wednesday.

I noticed around this time that it was rare to see anyone under the age of 60. When I mentioned it to George, he nodded and explained that most of the younger generations tended to move to larger cities in the rest of Europe.

I then led Dav and Luisa back to my Riga spot, where I enjoyed some kind of cinnamon roll, but without cinnamon and covered in a glaze and sesame seeds. A sesame roll? This, washed down with a green tea, was the perfect morning snack (€ 1.28!). I caught up on social media stuffs, wrote in my diary, and chatted with my friends. Then, Dav went to call his girlfriend and George joined us! After he enjoyed his fruit tart (I also got him to appreciate this place.), we said goodbye to Luisa and walked in the streaming sunlight back into the Old City. We were headed to a medieval banquet!

It was a perfect day when the thunderclouds broke!

Kirsty, her cousin Tracey, Agnes, Dean, George, and I were the first ones outside of this Medieval-themed restaurant.

As you can see from the photos below, it was super original in décor. It turns out that the interior tunnels and chambers are all preserved from was back when, with authentic design! At exactly noon, the door creaked open and we were greeted by a fully costumed man with a deep, booming voice. How Medieval. We walked downstairs into the darkness and were seated around a roughly cut table that had been worn smooth by guests. After our eyes adjusted, it became clear that the only sources of light were the candles lit all around the food hall. The ceilings were high, but there were no windows. I wonder how they were able to keep these subterranean establishments ventilated way back when.

After ordering, we were given hot biscuits with flaxseeds, which were incredible. Then, our food arrived! Some of the dishes we ate include: honeyed beet and goat cheese salad, corn grit pie with tomato and cheese, sea bass stuffed with horseradish and cheese, duck with garlic, lentils, and rice, calf-cheeks, honey beer, and pumpkin pie. Everyone enjoyed the food, minus the pumpkin pie. It was not the classic, holiday dessert you and I are accustomed to. If I bounced my spoon on the top of this pie, it bounced right back, no mark left. Plastic pumpkin pie. Nicht gut.

Ah, but Riga was lovely in all other aspects! If you were to visit, I would highly recommend exploring the Old City, trying all of the interesting pastries, seeing the churches, and partaking in a Medieval meal. You won’t be disappointed!