Riga, Latvia

After having a great time in Tallinn, we were eager to move onto our second Baltic country, Latvia. The excitement was based not only on seeing a new city, but also on our second guest appearance: Sadia!

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Coming from Tallinn with the very contained Old Town (and largely tourist-centric, or "touristic," which is apparently a word that all young European tour guides have added to the English language), we were impressed with the multiple large squares...and very relieved to find the beers were still cheap.

Though initially a bit nervous about our neighborhood after the first map we saw described it as the "sketchiest neighborhood in Riga," we came around to its charm. While our tour guide confirmed its reputation, we also learned a bit more about its origins as a largely-Russian, working class neighborhood. Mike was also comforted by the fact all of the neighbors in our apartment building looked like his great-grandmother.

Our humble abode:

The Soviet influence is still very visible in the neighborhood, particularly in the architecture. This building, described as "Stalin's birthday cake" was a block from our apartment and conveniently served as a navigational beacon after a few (too many?) drinks in the Old Town.

Between our apartment and the Old Town was Riga Central Market, one of Europe's largest markets. Housed within and between 5 zeppelin hangers from WWI, the place was packed at all hours of the day and night. The selection and quantity of produce was incredible. The faux fur and whitewash denim stalls mixed in? Slightly less impressive. Sadly, while we could have sworn we took some pictures, we can't seem to locate them, so you'll just have to use your imagination on this one.

Most of the top sights are within the walls of the Old Town, where we stumbled across one of the smartest salesmen we've seen yet. A postcard salesman, he essentially planted himself in front of the site so no one could take an unobstructed picture. Want one? Buy a postcard.

Here he is in front of the Three Brothers, the oldest complex of houses in Riga, representing three styles of architecture.

For good measure, we'll throw in another Old Town site - the only remaining original gate in the city wall:

Outside the Old Town walls are a series of beautifully landscaped parks and canals. Riga is a very flat city, so the slight inclines (about 50 ft) in these parks provide the best "aerial views" of the city.

We also had one of our biggest nights out to date at a Folkklub that represented everything you'd expect in a medieval tavern (or straight out of Game of Thrones). Located in a cavernous basement, we ate huge plates of meat and potatoes, drank local beer, and listened to live folk music.

The morning after the Folkklub was a little rough for some (ahem, Mike, who swears it was only because the beer was unfiltered), but being optimistic, we packed our flip flops and ventured out of the city to Jurmala Beach. Jurmala is a resort town with 20+ miles of white sand beach, lined with beach clubs and bars. As luck would have it, we were there the last day of the season, so most places were closing, but there were still a lot of people on the beach (especially for a rainy day), the beach was beautiful, and it was easy to see how it transforms into a popular destination during the peak season.

And with that, it was time to get back on the bus for the short trip to Vilnius, Lithuania!