20th July 2015: At last we are off and away towards the unknown! New discoveries, encounters and adventures, whether unfortunate or brilliant, there's always much to share and learn from those experiences. A promise made two years ago becoming true, the moment we fly out from Brussels with sparkly eyes of excitement and sadness (yes our loved ones will be missed dearly BUT will hopefully meet us on our way around 'el mundo!) ;)
We arrive Riga airport and make a near perfect bus journey to our dirt cheap hostel located in the industrial area 121 on the outskirts of the city.. Little we knew the address encompassed all of the shops, apartments and pump stations of the area where we walked around for 1h30 trying to find that hotel.. Unfortunately with the few words of Russian (1/3 speaks Russian) and no knowledge whatsoever of Latvian, asking directions were useless. Especially when the name of a bus stop is not the name of the road you're in but of the one crossing at the next junction.. Being given directions at a gas station we finally understood our hotel was the only one in that industrial area 121.. We walk in a dark road, where a sign showed 'Hotel' without further details.. We follow it desperately for 20mins until we see a lonely house, looking slightly like the one in 'Psycho' where Norman Bates lived, in the middle of nowhere with a sign written 'Viesnica' (meaning 'hotel' in Russian..!) but not the name of our hotel being Bi 121.. A Russian couple walks by and we ask them whether this was the place. At last mission accomplished.. My shoulders loosened up as we were welcomed in this stranded hotel by a Russian blonde woman in her early 50s with heavy white make up and red lipstick. The interior reminded us of Christmas decorations mixed with those blinding red lights from brothels.. Not such a bad start! With our spirits high in the morning and eager to discover the meaty part of the Baltic sandwich we catch a marchroutka (mini bus with wifi!) to the center. We make our way to the local market filled with a variety of cheap berries, nearly 30 types of rye bread, dill,beetroot salads and gherkins, which is all we needed to make our daily picnics in Riga!
With our spirits high in the morning and eager to discover the meaty part of the Baltic sandwich we catch a marchroutka (mini bus with wifi!) to the center. We make our way to the local market filled with a variety of cheap berries, nearly 30 types of rye bread, dill,beetroot salads and gerkins, which is all we needed to make our daily picnics in Riga!
After strawling through the streets of old Riga, what summarizes the beauty of the old town would be it's most impressive showing of art nouveau architecture in Europe with nightmarish gargoyles and praying goddesses, winding wobbly lanes with live musical artists at every corner, lush colorful gardens with canals making their way through the heart of the city and casinos everywhere (even in the underground pedestrian alleys..?). Latvia still feels like the Russian culture makes a majority of the country's image. Being originally a pagan region to which Germans (like Estonia!) imposed their catholic ways, and also used Riga as an important trading junction between Russia and the West. Sweden snagged it in the 17th (the biggest part of their empire back then!) for a golden period of a century, then Russians under Alexandre Nevsky in the Northern war. Nazis came obviously and back in the hands of Russians until the collapse of the USSR and the country finally gaining its independence in '91. The capital city was nevertheless always known for its forward thinking and thriving cultural life.
Few kilometers from Riga, the Baltic sea which reminds us a little bit of the North sea with their grey colors.. but the coast is much better preserved than the Belgian riviera...of course is not difficult you would say! The quite and charming atmosphere of Jurmalaa gave us some fresh air to continue our discovery! Following this was Sigulda and its surroundings: stunning green forests along the valleys with rivers passing through and castles lurking from the hills as far as the eye can see is the first hilly part we encounter on our trip.. Belgium is a flat country but the Baltic region is impressive in those natural criterias. Walking through this area makes you feel as though you are taking part of a medieval fairy tale..
We arrive Riga airport and make a near perfect bus journey to our dirt cheap hostel located in the industrial area 121 on the outskirts of the city.. Little we knew the address encompassed all of the shops, apartments and pump stations of the area where we walked around for 1h30 trying to find that hotel.. Unfortunately with the few words of Russian (1/3 speaks Russian) and no knowledge whatsoever of Latvian, asking directions were useless. Especially when the name of a bus stop is not the name of the road you're in but of the one crossing at the next junction.. Being given directions at a gas station we finally understood our hotel was the only one in that industrial area 121.. We walk in a dark road, where a sign showed 'Hotel' without further details.. We follow it desperately for 20mins until we see a lonely house, looking slightly like the one in 'Psycho' where Norman Bates lived, in the middle of nowhere with a sign written 'Viesnica' (meaning 'hotel' in Russian..!) but not the name of our hotel being Bi 121.. A Russian couple walks by and we ask them whether this was the place. At last mission accomplished.. My shoulders loosened up as we were welcomed in this stranded hotel by a Russian blonde woman in her early 50s with heavy white make up and red lipstick. The interior reminded us of Christmas decorations mixed with those blinding red lights from brothels.. Not such a bad start! With our spirits high in the morning and eager to discover the meaty part of the Baltic sandwich we catch a marchroutka (mini bus with wifi!) to the center. We make our way to the local market filled with a variety of cheap berries, nearly 30 types of rye bread, dill,beetroot salads and gherkins, which is all we needed to make our daily picnics in Riga!
With our spirits high in the morning and eager to discover the meaty part of the Baltic sandwich we catch a marchroutka (mini bus with wifi!) to the center. We make our way to the local market filled with a variety of cheap berries, nearly 30 types of rye bread, dill,beetroot salads and gerkins, which is all we needed to make our daily picnics in Riga!
After strawling through the streets of old Riga, what summarizes the beauty of the old town would be it's most impressive showing of art nouveau architecture in Europe with nightmarish gargoyles and praying goddesses, winding wobbly lanes with live musical artists at every corner, lush colorful gardens with canals making their way through the heart of the city and casinos everywhere (even in the underground pedestrian alleys..?). Latvia still feels like the Russian culture makes a majority of the country's image. Being originally a pagan region to which Germans (like Estonia!) imposed their catholic ways, and also used Riga as an important trading junction between Russia and the West. Sweden snagged it in the 17th (the biggest part of their empire back then!) for a golden period of a century, then Russians under Alexandre Nevsky in the Northern war. Nazis came obviously and back in the hands of Russians until the collapse of the USSR and the country finally gaining its independence in '91. The capital city was nevertheless always known for its forward thinking and thriving cultural life.
Few kilometers from Riga, the Baltic sea which reminds us a little bit of the North sea with their grey colors.. but the coast is much better preserved than the Belgian riviera...of course is not difficult you would say! The quite and charming atmosphere of Jurmalaa gave us some fresh air to continue our discovery! Following this was Sigulda and its surroundings: stunning green forests along the valleys with rivers passing through and castles lurking from the hills as far as the eye can see is the first hilly part we encounter on our trip.. Belgium is a flat country but the Baltic region is impressive in those natural criterias. Walking through this area makes you feel as though you are taking part of a medieval fairy tale..