Destination Riga

All About Riga

2012-08-31T06:07:00.000+03:00

Welcome to Destination Riga! This blog is about my experiences visiting Riga, Latvia for almost a month during the summer of 2012. Most of my posts are all about Riga and its unique culture. As an American, I found life to be very different in Latvia. Therefore, this blog contains both positive and negative points of view. I welcome any productive discussion in the comments sections.

Below you'll find links to all of my posts, in chronological order, along with some comments summarizing each one. I hope that my blog helps you learn more about Riga from an American point of view. Whether you are planning a trip to Riga, or are already in the city, perhaps you can find something useful here! For additional information on Riga from an actual Latvian, please visit my friend Christine's blog, Friend in Riga. Thanks for reading, and farewell!

The Decision to Travel to Riga

The wonders of traveling.
Amazing trips to Kuwait and Romania that I've been on.
Reasons to travel to Riga, Latvia.
Some helpful information from a local about traveling to Riga.

Travel Hell and Arriving in Riga

Has airline security gone too far?
Flight delay and missed connection!
Painless ride from Riga International Airport to Maritim Park Hotel.

Riga First Impressions and Old Town Adventure

Nice weather and clean air!
Beautiful women everywhere!
Maritim Park Hotel: Excellent choice!.
First adventure walking to Old Town!
Getting money in Riga from ATMs.
First beer and pizza in Riga.

The Beggars of Old Town

Late night adventuring around Old Town.
Poor decision after being approached by a beggar.
Learning more about Riga from the beggar.
LONG and potentially dangerous walk back to the hotel at 3am.

First Day Adventuring in Old Town

So many tourists!
St. Peter's Church and Golden Coffee.
Interesting culture differences emerge.
Almost scammed at night!
Another poor decision with a beggar.
Exchanging money.
Beer at a nice summer terrace!

Relaxing in Old Town

Almost hit by a car!
Meet a few pleasant Latvians to talk to!
Noticing a trend of hostile locals.
Discovering the excellent Kuuka Kafe.
First hard rain!
First time taking a tram!
Fascinating street performers

Amazing Coffee and CouchSurfing Meeting

Amazing Coffee at the Tea and Coffee Garden!
More rain.
Will I ever stop eating pizza?
Discover mall and grocery store in Old Town!
CouchSurfing meeting with many cultures at Rigas Skanu Fabrika!

Authentic Latvian Food in Old Town!

Street performers banned?
Excellent value at Kaļķu Vārti Bistro!
More rain.
Dark and cozy experience at LIDO Restaurant.
Excellent mocha at Costa Coffee!
Laid back police in Riga.

More Tasty Foods in Old Town

More rain. Reminds me of April back home!
Tasty and cheap filled pancakes at Sefpavars Vilhelms!
First taste of Riga Black Balsam, mixed with Cola.
Beautiful parks around the epic Freedom Monument.
Good fast food kebabs at TurKebab.
Latvia wins bronze medal in Men's Beach Volleyball!

Free Walking Tour and Unfriendly Locals

Very interesting and unique walking tour.
Unfriendly locals at LIDO restaurant outside of Old Town.
Relaxing at parks around Freedom Monument.
Back to Golden Coffee for crepes and tea!
Disappointment in my inability to meet locals.

Old Town Events on Saturday

Small hangover after drinking too much cheap vodka.
Not in a good mood due to lack of social contact.
Huge meal at Pizza Malibu.
Basketball event in Old Town.
Hang out with fellow tourist. Beggars swarm us!
Nighttime is starting to feel too rowdy for my taste.

Thoughts on Unfriendly Locals

Meals at LIDO and Sefpavars Vilhelms.
Locals are just not friendly here!
Hard to get help from locals about anything!
Always so many buses at Maritim Park Hotel!?
Latvian's Maris Strombergs wins Gold in BMX!

Feeling Bitter After Negative Experiences

List of 10 things for a tourist to avoid in Riga!
Avoid beggars! Don't pay them!
Avoid smiling in Riga, it gives you away as a tourist!
Don't visit unknown clubs or bars. Scam alert!
Be careful with your credit and bank cards!

Doing Laundry in Riga

Maritim Park Hotel's laundry service is majorly overpriced!
Do they have laundromats in Riga? Barely..
Somewhat challenging but I get my clothes cleaned!
Discover an amazing and cheap restaurant near the laundromat!
Miss the CouchSurfing meeting due to rain and getting lost.
Blogger in Latvia willing to meet me! Yay!

Finding a Friend in Riga!

Meet a wonderful Latvian lady named Kristine!
Learning many new things about Latvia.
Going to Double Coffee and "Festival for Stomach" restaurant.
Interesting conversation about Russians and Latvians co-existing.
Kristine going on a long trip around Europe soon.

Reflections Halfway Through Trip

Love the beautiful parks and architecture in Riga!
Quality of food and drink is generally high.
Prices are inflated due to the touristic nature of the city.
Riga has many beautiful women.
People are simply unfriendly in Riga..
Beggars, pickpockets, and scammers make life more difficult.

Riga City Festival: Big Crowds and Fun Times!

Riga City Festival 2012 starts!
Public transportation is free for the event, and PACKED!
Massive crowds and many stages for performances.
Street performers raking in cash!
24-hour long basketball game between Riga residents!

Festival Ends With Awesome Fireworks!

Crowds even bigger than yesterday!
Decent meal at Čili Pica, a giant pizza place with two levels.
Tons of unique street performers.
AWESOME panoramic fireworks on the Daugava river!
Thousands of people walking home from the festival late at night.

Riga Ticket Control Inspectors!

Decide that CanCan Pizza is my favorite restaurant.
Almost get busted by Ticket Control Inspectors!
Eat a full meal at Maritim Park Hotel's restaurant. Overpriced but good.
Explore beautiful parks near Maritim Park Hotel. Very tranquil near dusk.

Almost Visit Jūrmala

Angry with myself for not being adventurous enough..
Decide to go to the beach at Jūrmala!
Head to Riga Central Station, but it's closed!
Make an easy, lazy choice and go to CanCan Pizza.
Create a video tour of Old Town for my friends back home.

Simple Pleasures of Riga

Decide to go feed the ducks and relax!
Social experiment with locals while feeding ducks.
Conclude again that Latvians are not friendly.
Actually have my umbrella during a rain storm!
Fishy activities on the tram..

Tipping in Riga, Latvia

Unlike in the states, you don't tip 15-20%
Tipping is optional in Riga and not generally expected.
Sometimes there is a service charge. Do not tip!
I recommend tipping 5-10% in Riga if you decide to..

Observations About Latvian People

Why do Latvians seem so angry?
Even Latvians walking pets are unfriendly and cold!
Is life too difficult in Latvia to be friendly?
Differences between America and Latvia.
I failed to make many personal connections in Riga.

Humorous Observations About the Tram System

Are Latvians even more unfriendly on the tram?
People LOVE to talk loudly on their cell phones while on the tram.
Why are people getting up so long before their stop?
One Finnish man pokes fun at me when I try to act like a local!
What's the local secret to paying and not paying on the tram system?

Prieka Vests Invitation and More Duck Feeding

Having a phone is essential in Riga!
Duck feeding is the only thing that makes me smile now..
Amazingly while duck feeding a girl approaches.. to invite me to church!
I'm not religious, but this Prieka Vests church looks interesting.
Religious Fanatic Man causes a scene in Old Town.

Renting a Baltic Bike!

BalticBike is a very easy way to rent a bike.
Biking is fun! Far more fun than walking!
Locals are not happy with my clumsy bike riding!
This bike has a bell on it! *RING* *RING* Booyah!
Discover a popular romantic spot! Locals again not happy with me!

Currency in Latvia

Latvian currency consists of lats and santīms.
Lats are worth about $2 USD each. 1 lats contains 100 santīms.
Be careful using ATMs!
Cashiers in Riga are sticklers about what change they want to accept.
Silvers Coins = Good.
Copper Coins = Street Performer relief fund.

Latvians Don't Like To Answer Questions

Popular Latvian answers to your tourist questions: "No" and "I don't know".
Are Latvians programmed for only one task at a time?
Latvians hate when anything out of the ordinary takes place.
I'm not in a good mood, can you tell?

Poverty in Latvia

Are there only extreme upper and lower classes in Latvia?
People are either living in trash cans, or driving around Range Rovers.
The Latvian government doesn't seem to care?
Latvians are hardcore.. No weakness or empathy. It's survival of the fittest here.
Beggars will continue to harass obvious tourist targets.

Sick With a Cold in Riga

Feeling terrible on Sunday morning! It's a cold!
Instead of attending the Prieka Vests service, I stay in bed.
Don't try to use Skype for SMS in Latvia! It's broken!
Trip to Old Town to get medicine. Amazingly I get some Latvian help!
They have Pseudoephedrine in Latvia. Excellent!
I try the local remedy, Riga Black Balsam to help with my cold.

Dining in Riga

There are differences between dining in America and Latvia.
Service is far more professional, yet subtle in Latvia.
No they don't have refills here!
If you need service ask for it! They don't hassle you here.

Final Day in Riga!

I can't believe how fast this trip went!
Still feeling sick, and it's raining HARD outside!
Housekeeping thinks that I died...
Meet a charming girl at the gift shop. Too bad it's my last day!
Packing.. Yay this is fun.

Final Day in Riga!

2012-08-28T22:04:00.002+03:00

Incredibly, today was my last day in Riga! I can hardly believe how fast the time went! This brings both positive and negative emotions to mind. I'll surely miss the quiet charm of Old Town, the good weather (when we had it), and the chance to explore an interesting European city. I won't miss many of the negative experiences I've had, but I did learn from them. Life isn't always easy or fun, so you have to take the good with the bad.

Unfortunately, on my last day in Riga, I was still feeling ill with a cold. This was the first day during my trip when I didn't even manage to leave the hotel. Instead I packed and made some preparations for leaving. I did find a very charming young lady named Linda working at the gift shop, who I had some good conversation with. Fate always finds a way to give us something good when we don't have much time left, doesn't it! Linda wanted to make it clear to me that there were indeed friendly Latvians here.

After catching a cold in the last week, I hadn't really done much of anything, so housekeeping started getting worried. They constantly saw the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door, and finally sent a manager here today to see if I was still alive! Of course I told them that I had simply been feeling ill, and that there would be plenty of time to clean my room once I'd left! I spent the evening attempting to pack everything I'd brought to Riga, along with the souvenirs I'd bring back, into my small luggage case. Not an easy task, but finally completed!

Tomorrow morning I start the long and exhausting journey back to the states. This time hopefully my flights will not be delayed! I checked in early online, so that I could select my favorite aisle seats on the plane. Over the years I've decided that I like aisle seats the best. They have the most room and feel the least claustrophobic. Of course the disadvantage is that people in the aisles walk into you quite often, and you must get up when anyone in your row wants to use the restroom. Still, it's worth it to me! I will admit window seats are nice if you want a nice view, but I don't like the feeling of being trapped!

After my trip home, I plan to write a summary of my experiences in Riga. It will contain links to all the blog posts in a more organized fashion. That way people can easily locate the posts they are looking for. It will be the last post of this blog, although I may go back and update some topics from time to time.

Dining in Riga

2012-08-28T01:04:00.003+03:00

After spending nearly a month in Riga, I have some experience with dining at the various restaurants, cafes, and bars here. If you're from the United States or another similar country, there are differences that you should be aware of. At its core, the theme with customer service in Riga seems to be, "Leave the customers the hell alone, unless they want something." We'll explore deeper into this theme..

Unlike most restaurants in the states, you don't wait for a host to seat you when dining in Riga. Instead, you simply sit wherever you want. After a few minutes, a server will approach you with the menu. They usually give you a few minutes to decide on a drink and meal. I've noticed that they like to take your drink and meal order at the same time. However, you are still the customer. Order as you like! I often ask for a few extra minutes, since I take forever to decide on a meal!

Service in general is slower than in the states, but far more professional. Your drink usually takes a few minutes, even if it's something simple like a soft drink or draft beer. I get the idea that Latvian servers don't want customers to feel rushed. Dining is more of a cultural activity here, not just eat and drink as fast as you can!

Before your meal comes, the server usually brings out your silverware. This is done with great care, as if surgery is about to be performed! The servers are also generally quiet, and will not make small talk or complain about their day. This is considered very poor form.

Once your meal finally comes, you are essentially on your own. The server will not come back to see if you need a drink refill, or to ask how your meal is. This is probably the most staggering difference between restaurants in the United States and Latvia. Here in Riga, the service is much more subtle. If you want a refill, you will have to get the server's attention by waving or making eye contact. This can sometimes be difficult!

After your meal is finished, the server will take your dishes away. They may ask if you want something else, but in many cases will say nothing at all. Again you will have to get the server's attention, in order to collect the bill. My impression again is that the Latvian servers don't want to rush the customers, and will not bring the bill unless asked.

Finally the bill will arrive! As an American you are probably not used to such a slow dining experience, and will probably be getting impatient! The bill will come in a special container where you can put your money. Do not expect to hand your money directly to the server, or return the container immediately! The server will walk away and then you can put your money into the container. After a minute they will return and take the container. Your change will be brought back in the same container. You can then leave a tip in the container if you wish.

Dining at restaurants in Riga is an interesting experience, but one that I imagine many Americans will find too slow for their taste. However, that's the point! Enjoy the cultural experience and appreciate the subtleties of dining in Latvia.

Sick With a Cold in Riga

2012-08-26T22:15:00.002+03:00

Although I had originally decided to attend the Prieka Vests service on Sunday (at the invitation of Elina), fate it seemed had different plans for me. Saturday night I started feeling really rather ill, and my attempts at going to sleep early failed. Next thing I knew it was 9am and my alarm was wailing. I woke up but had a full blown cold! Immediately I decided that I was in no condition to attend the Prieka Vests service. Also I definitely didn't want to make anyone else sick!

I sent Elina an SMS through Skype telling her I wouldn't be able to make it. Later I found out that she never got my message! Nice job, unreliable Skype! Last week I also tried to message somebody using Skype, and I don't believe it worked then either! Sigh.. I later emailed Elina to apologize, and she sent a nice response. I'm sure she thought I was faking my illness, but I really did want to attend the church service to see what it was all about.

I went to the breakfast buffet at my hotel, but was feeling so sick by this point that even my coordination was off. I dropped a glass of water at the buffet and it shattered. The hotel staff was NOT happy with my clumsiness. Feeling even worse, I headed back to my room and slept most of the day, although I wanted to get some cold medicine. As luck would have it, Sunday ended up being very rainy in Riga, and hardly anyone was outside. I traveled to Old Town only to get something to eat and cold medicine at around 6pm.

For once the citizens of Riga knew where to find something! I was amazed. I headed to the convenience store and both cashiers gladly gave me directions to the nearest pharmacy! I was so surprised to find somebody in Old Town who was happy to give me directions! The pharmacy was right outside the mall in Old Town, and supposedly open 24-hours a day. Inside the pharmacy, I again had a streak of luck as a friendly security guard helped me to find the medicine I was looking for! A friendly security guard in Riga? Was I dreaming or dead??

I decided that a nasal decongestant would be good enough for now, since I had brought a few medicines to Riga. The friendly security guard and cashier helped me find Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride, which is a good nasal decongestant. The cost was about 5 lats for 12 pills. I made my purchase and headed back to the convenience store. I had heard that the local favorite elixir, Riga Black Balsam could help with colds. I purchased a small bottle for around 3 lats. I put the Riga Black Balsam in some black tea with honey at a restaurant. It tasted pretty good with the tea! Later on I tried the Riga Black Balsam straight.. Of course it's a liqueur, so hard to swallow. However I actually liked the very strong "coffee" aftertaste.

I then headed back to my hotel via the tram. Perhaps I'm crazy, but the locals here seem happier during poor weather? I wonder if Latvians become even friendlier when it's snowing? Just a thought!

Poverty in Riga

2012-08-25T20:44:00.004+03:00

One quick walk around Old Town, and you are bound to notice the prevalent poverty which exists in Riga. Latvia doesn't seem overly concerned about the issue, and from what I've gathered takes the position of, "Not our problem!" This poverty is in extreme contrast to the also prevalent upper class of Riga.

During that same walk around Old Town, you'll also notice plenty of extremely expensive luxury vehicles, and well dressed locals frequenting expensive cafes, bars, and mall boutiques. It seems in Riga there are two classes: The rich and the poor! No middle class appears to exist here. The poor struggle to survive, while the rich ponder which Range Rover model they want to upgrade to!

The locals don't seem to disagree with the government, and the ones I've talked to find beggars and even street musicians annoying and lazy. They think these individuals should go looking for a job instead of acting helpless. The big prevailing theme in Riga seems to be, "Find a way to survive like the rest of us do!" Weakness is frowned upon. This isn't a society for the unfortunate and untalented. This is survival of the fittest!

There are different types of beggars in Old Town. The worst kind are the "wandering beggars", who walk around looking for tourist targets. After finding a target, the wandering beggar confronts them and usually has some kind of "sad story" to tell. Ignoring them sometimes works, but at other times you must tell the beggars to go away. Even then the most persistent beggars will stick around to curse or continue their act.

Other beggars are more passive, and simply sit around with a cup or bowl. They collect less than their active counterparts, but don't put out any kind of effort. I often notice old ladies standing in the same places every day. One lady stands at the end of a walking bridge. Another masquerades as a street musician near the Freedom Monument, but has absolutely no talent.

I suppose as long as there are rich and friendly tourists to feast upon, the beggar situation will continue in Riga and Old Town. I decided early in my trip that I wasn't going to encourage the beggars. Besides, I have a hard time feeling sorry for them, when so many of their fellow countrymen are driving around cars worth more than a flat!

Riga Population: Don't Ask Us!

2012-08-25T20:05:00.000+03:00

As I've pointed out various times on the blog, one thing you learn quickly in Latvia is to avoid asking the Riga population for help! There are exactly two answers you will get from the locals in Riga: "no" and "I don't know". I haven't seen this strange phenomenon back in my country, so I have to assume it's related to Latvia's culture and/or eastern European tendencies. You can ask some incredibly simple questions and get blown off consistently in Riga.

It's as if the Riga population is only programmed to complete one specific task at a time. Anything else is disregarded with prejudice. When I ask the waitress at a restaurant where a popular bar is in Riga, I get a look from her as if to say, "My job is to serve you drinks and food, why the hell are you asking me for directions?".

Similarly, the Riga population gets quite agitated when anything out of the ordinary takes place. Latvian cashiers throw a fit when you give them coins that they don't prefer. Latvian women huff and puff when you get into their path while walking. Rude Latvian servers roll their eyes and pout when you attempt to talk to them in English. Locals even seem annoyed when you feed ducks at the river!

After three weeks in Riga, it's clear to me that Latvians are not an accepting and embracing people. They have rigid expectations for how every process is supposed to operate, and anything different or out of the ordinary sets them off. For a country that depends so much on tourism, you'd think Latvia would learn to appreciate tourists and foreigners. Instead you get a sense that they dislike everyone from outside the country.

Currency in Riga

2012-08-25T19:19:00.002+03:00

Currency in Riga, Latvia is fairly easy to use. This is good news for tourists and travelers, who probably have enough to learn in Riga! The currency consists of Latvian lats and santīms.

Latvian Lats (also abbreviated as Ls) are currently worth almost 2 USD each. As you can see the Latvian currency is quite strong. There are 100 santīms in one lats. One of the best ways to get Latvian lats, is to pull them directly out of an ATM in Riga. Be sure to use common sense and find an ATM in a popular and safe area. I prefer the indoor ATMs. There are some pretty sophisticated scams run on ATMs in eastern Europe, so be careful!

I like to pull 50 lats out of the ATM at once, which is around $90 USD. This is a good balance between safety and convenience. With my preference for good bargains at restaurants, 50 lats has commonly lasted me around 4 or 5 days on my trip. The ATM typically spits out one 20 lats bill, and three 10 lats bills. In Latvia cashiers can be sticklers for what sort of bills they receive, so use your best judgement. Giving a 10 or 20 lats bill to a cashier for a 1 lats item is probably going to make them angry. You will notice change shortages all around Riga. Don't be surprised if you end up with tons of change from a cashier! The good news is, the cashiers are honest in Riga and give you the correct change!

After breaking the 10 and 20 lats bills, I typically receive a 5 lats bill or plenty of 1 and 2 lats coins. The 2 lats coins are a bit heavy, but remember they represent almost $4 USD! The 1 lats coins are perfect in size, and great for spending at convenience stores or cafes. Finally, my favorite coin is probably the 50 santīms coin. This is worth about 90 cents USD, and is great as a tip at restaurants, or enough to buy a bottle of water. Note that all of these coins are silver in color.

Finally we have the copper coins, which are less useful and will build a collection in your pocket! The 20 santīms coin is a must-have coin for using the public restrooms equipped with a coin slot. Keep at least one of these for emergencies! Many of the public restrooms do not take any other coin! There are then 10, 5, 2, and 1 santīms coins. I find most of these just take up space in my pocket. However they are good to give to talented street musicians who are trying to make a living.

Riga Bike Rental: BalticBike

2012-08-25T02:44:00.002+03:00

Tonight while I was watching hilarity ensue with the Religious Fanatic Man in Old Town, I came across a BalticBike rental station. Since arriving in Riga, I've witnessed many people riding around on bikes. For some reason I did not rent one myself, and I should have sooner! BalticBike is probably the easiest and most convenient way to rent a bike in Riga. You simply need to login to their website and register with your phone number (my USA number worked!), personal details, and credit card. The system will automatically debit your card by 5 lats, and use this as credit for your rentals. Then you just approach a BalticBike station, and put the number of the bike you want into the website. It will give you the code to the lock, and you now have the bike!

I rented my first BalticBike and noticed some interesting features. It had a white light on the front and a red light on the back for after dark. The BalticBike also had a bell that you could use to warn pedestrians ahead. It had three gears and a basket to put your items in. I found that it was a nice bike to cruise around on. Also, since you have the lock which comes with it, you can go to any bike station and lock the BalticBike while you are visiting a store or just resting!

Unfortunately the BalticBike website doesn't have much information. The rate is listed at the stations as 1 lat per hour. I suppose it's a flat rate, no matter how long you keep the bike? Essentially it seems that BalticBike has simplified their website, to the point where it's only a checkin/checkout system. There is no additional information. I found this a little annoying.

After renting my BalticBike, I had a blast riding around Riga! First I zoomed through Old Town. The cobblestone was definitely harder to ride on, and made me wonder how long the bike tires could possibly last! The area around Freedom Monument was very smooth and fun to ride on. I wanted to see more of Riga, and rode towards the city center. Although I rarely had a clue as to where I was, it was quite an experience. Sometimes many pedestrians would be on the sidewalk, and I would simply slow down, following them for a distance. However, the pedestrians were not fond of the bright white light on the front and became angry with me for following them! Getting onto the sidewalk is a challenge, because there's not always a dip where you can drive your bike. Sometimes you must "jump up" to get onto a curb, and this was hard for me to do.

Since I haven't ridden a bike in almost 10 years, and I'm not familiar with Riga traffic flow, I wanted to be cautious. The locals made it clear that they weren't happy with my lack of bike skills, and often gave me nasty looks. Ah, what would a day in Riga be like without some nasty locals? After some time I decided to head towards the river. I discovered a local "secret" which led to more fun..

After approaching the Daugava River from Old Town, I found the nice walkway next to the river that Christine and I had walked on days earlier. I wanted to see how far this sidewalk went, towards the suspension bridge. It was completely dark at this point, and probably close to 11pm. As I drove down the sidewalk next to the river, I saw couples engaged in.. "romantic activities" at nearly every single park bench! It seemed that I had discovered a popular romantic destination in Riga! However, these couples were not thrilled with me disturbing the dark and romantic area with my BalticBike featuring a bright white light. Unfortunately there was no way to turn this light off either. One man cursed at me loudly in Russian as I passed.

At around 12pm, I finally decided it was time to return the bike. I had cruised for almost 3 hours across many miles. I returned to a BalticBike rental station and locked the bike up. After finding wifi I logged into the BalticBike website and checked the bike in. The total cost was 3 lats, which wasn't too bad. The website wanted to know which station I had returned the bike to, but I wasn't sure! At this point I was far from the station. I guessed the station name using a map, and hoped I wouldn't be charged extra!

Biking in Riga is an AWESOME experience, and I highly recommend it to any visitors. Biking after dark is a more unique experience, and you can see many parts of the nightlife in Riga. Either way, it's a refreshing change from walking around everywhere.

Prieka Vests Invitation and Duck Feeding in Riga

2012-08-25T02:20:00.000+03:00

When visiting Riga, one thing you will quickly notice is that the locals rely heavily on SMS to communicate. That's essentially THE way to communicate in Riga. Being the brilliant individual that I am, I decided to bring an old phone to Latvia, which isn't compatible with their networks. To make matters worse, there are about 50 different kinds of SIM cards you can buy, under various "nicknames" representing a few large telecom companies. It's all very confusing for a foreigner, and the not-so-helpful locals only make matters worse.

Today I had the opportunity to meet with another local, but thanks to my phone issues we never managed to connect. I wasn't very happy about the situation, so I headed to a pizza place and gorged out, as I've been doing frequently the last week or so. At this point many of the days just blend together, since my experiences have been limited. I really should have gone to the beach today, but I waited around to see if this meeting would pan out.

Not all was lost however. After lunch I headed to a small stream to feed the ducks! This has become a favorite activity of mine. Of course I spent more time feeding the few injured ducks who stray a bit from the main pack! While feeding the ducks, a miraculous thing happened: A Latvian person actually talked to me! She didn't appear to be a beggar or scammer either! What sort of scammer approaches somebody feeding ducks by a stream after all?!

The Latvian girl's name was Elina. She small talked with me for a bit, and even wanted to feed the ducks! Of course I knew there was something hidden behind the conversation, and there was.. Elina was representing a Christian church in Riga, called "Prieka Vests". She gave me a pamphlet in Latvian, but also directed me towards the church website, where I could find information in English. Elina and her friend wanted me to attend a service on Sunday at Prieka Vests. They were kind enough to offer to meet me first, so that I wouldn't get lost! After a few minutes of talking, they said bye and went on their way.

I later researched Prieka Vests online, and it looked completely legitimate to me. Nothing shady about it. After a month in Riga, I tend to view every situation with great caution! That's just how it is in this city. I'm thinking about attending the service, and why not? Although I'm not particularly religious, it could be an interesting experience. Also, I complain almost daily on this blog about how the locals are rude and completely ignore tourists. Well I think Elina and Prieka Vests deserve a chance, just as I wish Riga would give me a chance!

After my interesting encounter with Elina, I walked back to Old Town. I saw there was quite a scene going on with the "Religious Fanatic Man". I know I haven't previously brought this individual up in the blog, but he frequents the area around McDonalds in Old Town. The Religious Fanatic Man stands on top of a toolbox, and yells some kind of religious sermon out to the people of Old Town. It's very frantic and aggressive in nature. Sometimes this "sermon" is in English, and other times it's in a different language. As far as I can tell, it's an extreme brand of Christianity. You know, the whole, "Save yourself before you go to hell!" theme..

The Religious Fanatic Man makes quite a few enemies on the street, as people passing by often glare or even yell back at him! Clearly people do not appreciate his aggressive talks. Even the police seem wary of this individual, and keep an eye on him. Although it's annoying and offensive to many people walking Old Town, in a way it's nice to see that somebody can express their free speech in Riga. This is an important freedom in the United States. No, you don't have to like or agree with somebody's opinion, but they still have the right to express it! At least he stays away from the more tranquil parts of Old Town!

Riga Tram System: Observations

2012-08-23T22:26:00.001+03:00

After spending more time than I'd like to admit sitting on the Riga tram system, I've noticed some curious observations. First, Latvians seem even more depressed than usual while taking public transportation in Riga. Sometimes I'm not sure if the tram I'm on is going to Old Town, or descending into hell itself after seeing their faces!

On the Riga tram system, there is almost always a female talking loudly on her cell phone in Latvian or Russian. I find this interesting, because their conversations are easily audible. I do not know the Latvian or Russian languages, so I'm very curious as to what these conversations are about? Did Ieva and her boyfriend Vlad break up? Or has the washing machine exploded at Aunt Vera's house? Who knows! Whatever the conversation is about, I'm sure the entire tram is happy to hear about it!

Probably the strangest observation I've made on the Riga tram system is just how soon people seem to get up for their stop. I've seen people get up more than an entire stop ahead of their destination! What for? Do they enjoy standing for 5 minutes? Are they impatient? I'm not sure what the reason is, but almost everyone stands up and walks towards the exit long before their stop comes up. Why wouldn't they wait for the tram to stop before getting up? My only guess is that they're worried they will miss the stop, or want to get off the tram before people start loading on... Still, I've never had a problem and I usually wait until the tram stops to get up and depart.

After a week on the Riga tram system, I decided I wanted to be like the locals, so I too got up extra early for my stop! The first time I did this, I was on the tram with some people from the couchsurfing.com meeting I attended. One Finnish man poked fun at me and said, "Hey why are you getting up so early? The stop is far ahead!" Hah, just my luck! I said to the Finnish man, "Yes but this is what everyone does here!".

Of course there's also the whole phenomenon with paying or not paying on the tram. The locals seem to have some secret schedule that shows when the ticket control inspectors will come aboard! I swear they do, because half the tram routinely does not pay! Yet when the tram is checked by ticket control inspectors, magically everyone remembered to pay for the trip!

Latvian People: Conclusion

2012-08-23T21:19:00.002+03:00

Most people would probably think it's either crazy or impractical to take a 25-day trip to a remote and relatively unknown destination. On many counts I agree, but there are advantages to taking such a long trip. Take the people of Riga for example. When I first arrived here, I thought they were a cold and bitter people. Three weeks later, I think they are a very cold and bitter people.

I've had a lot of time to observe and interact with the Latvian people here. Of course three weeks isn't long enough for a comprehensive study, but it's long enough to get a feel for what's going on. Today I attempted yet another social experiment. If you recall, yesterday I fed ducks by a small river, and even though this could easily become a "bonding experience" back in the United States, it wasn't so in Latvia! Instead the locals reacted as if I was trying to trick them into a scam!

Today I thought hard about situations where people become friendly. Suddenly it came to my mind: Pets! You see, back where I come from- the coldest, iciest people are somehow transformed into warm and fuzzy individuals, when presented with a cute pet animal! Would the formidably gruff locals of Riga pass or fail this test?

Of course I do not have a pet here in Latvia, and I'm not about to go purchase one a week before leaving! Instead, I searched for people who already had pets. This method also works in the United States. People are almost always thrilled to talk about their pets, and will react warmly to any attention from strangers.

I first approached a man with a dog, smiled, and said hello to the dog. The man looked relatively friendly for a Latvian. However, he completely ignored me! The dog also didn't seem very fond of me. Is it possible that even Latvian pets are icy and bitter?

I next approached a woman with a very cute and small dog. The woman clearly had a superiority complex and attitude going on, so I knew this would be quite a challenge. The dog was very interested in "talking" to me and stopped to say hi. After talking to the dog however, the woman gave me a nasty glare and dragged the dog away by his leash! Amazing!

It was hard to believe, but again the people of Riga amazed me with just how cold they were. Even in the presence of cute pet animals, the locals simply persevered with their cold stares and arrogant attitudes. I realized after this test that the situation was hopeless. I was not going to get through to the Latvian people. Their condescension and icy cold demeanors were simply programmed into them at the core.

Around this time I had some kind of breakthrough in my thinking. Perhaps I simply could not comprehend reality in Riga. Was life so hard living in Latvia? Were people's lives so difficult, that they couldn't even afford the luxuries of kindness and curiosity? What this all started reminding me of was Russia or Ukraine, where there was just no room for weakness in life. No room for kindness. No room for wonder. Life was just a struggle to survive, and anything else was unimportant.

As an American in the middle class, I was born into a thriving society. I grew up around opportunity and possibilities. Survival was a given. We were taught values such as a good work ethic, kindness, and manners, simply because they were all "the right thing to do", and we would need these skills to get a good job someday. Growing up in a comfortable America is certainly far different than growing up in a country that struggled frequently just to maintain its independence. A country living in the shadow of its biggest enemy. A country where work is scarce.

In a way, my trip was about finding human qualities that I couldn't find back home. I was sick of running into the same people everyday. I was tired of everyone acting the same. I wanted to find a country where people would surprise me. Where I might find something special that I couldn't discover back home. Sadly, I never really found this in Riga. As a traveler and tourist, I simply didn't have the connections or means to really get to know the locals. I hit one brick wall after another. Yet I cannot blame Latvians, if it's simply a way of life for them to be cold and untrusting towards others. In fact the only person I can blame is myself, for not doing my homework on the culture before deciding on a destination.

Tipping in Riga, Latvia

2012-08-22T22:24:00.001+03:00

Tipping in Riga, Latvia is an interesting topic. Back where I'm from in the United States, tipping is considered a normal part of eating out. Servers at sit-down restaurants and bars are often paid a very small wage, and are expected to bring in most of their salary through tips. If you do not leave a tip in the United States, the server will be insulted and angry. It's considered a punishment for terrible service to leave no tip.

In Riga, Latvia tipping is a far different situation. The servers seem indifferent to tipping. I have gone out many dozens of times here, and have left various tips. Sometimes I leave no tip at all, sometimes I leave a 5-10% tip, and sometimes I leave a 25% tip. I have not generally noticed any kind of reaction to these various tips from servers.

Plenty of websites suggest leaving a 5-15% tip at sit-down restaurants in Riga, Latvia. I have found that the sweet spot is between 5-10%. If they do a great job, leave 10%. If they do an OK job, then leave 5%. 15-20% is simple too high in Latvia.

NOTE that many restaurants do have service charges here. If that is the case, then leaving no tip is standard. The service charge is essentially a mandatory tip, similar to the 18% imposed on large parties in the United States.

I have talked to various locals, and most of them don't even bother tipping. As a tourist, if you have the extra money and want to show your gratitude, a 5-10% tip seems reasonable in Riga, Latvia.

Simple Pleasures of Riga

2012-08-22T21:58:00.002+03:00

Today my beach trip was delayed yet again, thanks to poor weather this time. I decided to take part in some simple pleasures at Riga Old Town. Having earlier seen children feeding bread to ducks on the small river, I decided I wanted to try it! I headed to the grocery store inside of Old Town, and picked up the cheapest loaf of bread I could find. That ended up being around 25 santims (~45 cents), and the loaf was maybe 2/3 the size of a typical loaf back in the United States. I attempted to ask a local about whether the marked down price required a "special card" (similar to the ones grocery stores in America LOVE to use). She actually gave me a shy smile but said, "I don't know". Ah yes, the typical local response for everything.

I then headed to the small river near the Freedom Monument, and looked for all the ducks. They weren't hard to find! Of course the trick is to feed the ducks while avoiding the pigeons that inevitably show up! I started throwing small pieces of bread to the ducks, and when the pigeon "gang" showed up, I would just walk away until they lost interest and left. Eventually the pigeons went away for good! Feeding the ducks was really satisfying and mindless, especially trying to throw pieces of bread to one particular duck. For example, one duck had a broken foot. Poor guy. I made sure he got extra. Some of the ducks were actually fast enough to catch the bread in their mouth before it hit the ground! My point in all of this is that we're always looking for something complicated in life, but the simple pleasures can make us perhaps even happier.

While feeding the ducks, it turned into an interesting social experiment. I was standing on a frequented walking path, and every minute or two people would walk by. Sometimes they showed interest in the ducks. Along came a trio of teenage girls, who wanted to take pictures of the ducks with their camera. I saw that one girl was trying to get attention from the ducks, but she had no way to do this. I offered her a piece of bread (in english of course). She looked at me as if I was about to walk over and stab her with a knife! I found this very interesting. A random act of kindness was seen as practically hostile. I threw a piece of bread to her and she picked it up, without saying a word or making eye contact. The girls then quickly returned to their fun.

Now you probably can't picture me, but I'm a very easygoing and approachable guy. I do not at all look or act threatening. I'm the kind of guy that most people approach to ask for help with directions. Yet here were these three girls who seemed almost frightened to make eye contact or say a word.

My experiment wasn't over yet. Along came a Russian family, and their little boy sat on his father's shoulders. I offered them a piece of bread. At first they looked at me like I was crazy. The man gave me a strange look, then looked away without saying anything. I offered a second time, and he hesitated before finally taking it and giving the bread to the boy. They both then said "thank you" in Russian. Of course my Russian is terrible so I simply said "no problem" in english. The boy then happily fed the ducks.

These experiences were probably the most revealing yet about the people here. A completely harmless and random act of kindness was met with fear, uncertainty, and near hostility. It was as if I was baiting them into a scam! People certainly are not trusting here. They are also not social with outsiders. That was my observation today. Along with all my other experiences here, it adds up to the same conclusion. The funny part is, in my own country I'm not considered the most friendly person. I'm probably somewhere in the middle between friendly and indifferent.

After feeding the ducks I walked back to Old Town, and watched a few songs by the band who dresses up in old lady clothes. They are quite talented, and today expanded their song list! It's about time! I'm still not quite understanding the theme behind this band, but they are popular among both tourists and locals. Around this time it suddenly started pouring, and the rain drove everyone to cover. Luckily I actually had both my jacket and umbrella for once! Fate finally smiled on me! I headed for the tram and went back to the hotel. No ticket control inspectors were out today on my route. In fact half the tram wasn't paying! The locals definitely know something about these inspectors that I don't. They always seem to know when they will get away with not paying.

Riga Central Station: Closed

2012-08-22T01:11:00.003+03:00

Only one week left on my trip, and wow has the time passed quickly! I attribute this mostly towards my habit of sleeping in too much, as well as falling into various habits such as frequenting the same restaurants and touring the same sights. On one hand I blame myself for not being adventurous enough; On the other hand I blame the locals for being so hostile. You have to be in the mood to go exploring, and I just didn't have that good feeling most of the time. Instead I was constantly looking over my shoulder for trouble. Of course I am again, alone in the country. I have to be more careful than a group would, and nobody is going to help me if I get into a bad situation.

Today I actually wanted to go to the beach. This is one thing I'm determined to do before leaving Latvia. I've seen Old Town 100 times, and although it's very charming, I really wanted to see something different on my trip. Jūrmala seemed like the perfect place to visit.

Jūrmala is a popular beach here, and not very far from Riga! It's actually laughably close. You can get there by train in 30 minutes for 1 lat. People even ride their bikes to the beach! I hear there is a special trail just for biking to Jurmala. I decided when I woke up (at 1pm) that I would head to Jurmala by taking the train. Of course this meant that I would need to figure out which train to take.. I studied maps and websites for a few minutes, before determining that I was going to have a lot of fun at the train station (talking to clerks). I was positive that it would be yet another negative and grueling experience attempting to communicate with the locals. Wow, have I gotten bitter or what?

I overcame my hesitations and headed to the Riga Centrla Station. This is a bit of challenge for a foreigner. There are some underground tunnels you must go through, and they aren't all clearly labeled. So you basically have to keep trying tunnels until you find the right one. Luckily, thanks to the free walking tour I took a few weeks ago, I recognized the Riga Central Station. Unfortunately, as fate would have it the central station was closed, and some kind of emergency was taking place! I heard an alarm going off in the background. Police blocked the entrances and would not allow access to the station. Many people were angrily trying to figure out what was going on outside. Due to the situation, I called off my trip to Jurmala and instead went back to my favorite restaurant in Old Town, CanCan Pizza! Well, I have to have fun somehow right?

I actually had a craving for the excellent festival for stomach restaurant towards the city center, but I wasn't in the mood to walk across so many streets. CanCan was an easy, lazy choice to make instead. I decided that I would try to go to Jurmala again on Wednesday. I really want to see the pine trees and the sandy beach! It's a crime that I have waited this long to visit!

While walking through Old Town during the pleasant day, I decided to make a video tour for my friends and family at home. I showed them around Old Town with my camcorder, and talked about Latvia. I ended up at the river, and decided that I would just walk back to my hotel instead of taking the tram. On the way back I again saw the ticket control inspectors! They were in the same location, near my hotel! This time I saw six of them. Four boarded each tram and checked tickets. I only saw a few people being escorted off the trams. Perhaps they were collecting the fines inside the tram? Or had the locals smarted up and decided to stop riding for free?

Riga Ticket Control Inspectors

2012-08-21T00:23:00.001+03:00

Another day in Riga, and Old Town quickly returned to its former, charming self after a long weekend of massive crowds. I certainly wasn't complaining.. Well OK I was actually sleeping well into the afternoon, as usual. After heading to Riga Old Town, I decided to check out my favorite pizza place, CanCan Pizza.

I know I'm a broken record about all these pizza places, but I still think CanCan is the best. The servers are all very nice, the pizza is consistent and good, the drinks are actually cold, and the price is excellent. On top of all that it's in a great location, right inside Town Hall Square. Today I decided to order the ground beef pizza with sweet chili sauce, onion, and tomato. Very good. I also ordered black tea for the first time at CanCan. They used free tea leaves and it was excellent with honey. I'm sure the Latvians would disagree and say, "Where's the Riga Black Balsam?"

I cruised around Old Town and it was another beautiful day, but windier and a bit cooler than yesterday. Since I've been waking up so damn late, I end up eating my first meal at 5pm! Yeah it's getting pretty ridiculous. This was actually one of my shortest days in Old Town. I decided I wanted to try the hotel restaurant at least once during my trip, even though I'm terrified of one of the waitresses there. She seems angry enough to stab you with your dinner knife on the wrong day... Well OK I also have to admit she fascinates me.

Back to my hotel I headed, but wait! An interesting experience developed on the tram. While I was in Old Town, I was about 50% sure that I had one more "trip" left on my tram card. This is the electronic card which you use to pay on the trams and buses. If I was wrong, well it would be easy enough to just stay on the tram for free! After weeks in the city, I still hadn't seen any of these so called "ticket control inspectors" that I kept hearing about. In fact half of the locals didn't even bother to pay on the trams!

Of course I've lived long enough to know that crazy and ridiculous coincidences can and will happen at the worst possible times. With this in mind I purchased a new ticket with 10 trips before leaving Riga Old Town. After getting on the tram my first card was indeed exhausted, so I used the new one. We were about halfway to my hotel, when a special announcement was made on the tram speaker in Latvian. Suddenly the tram stopped between regular stations and two ticket control inspectors boarded! Haha! Life is so funny sometimes, eh?

The two ticket control inspectors boarded the tram, while another two stood outside. They looked similar to the police here, with uniforms and fluorescent green jackets on. The inspectors had a special handheld device which they held in proximity to the card readers on the tram. I assume this "transferred" the ticket information over. They then scanned everyone's card on the tram... Well everyone who actually paid! About six unlucky "stowaways" were escorted off the bus to be fined. I have heard that the fine is about 8 lats, or $15. That's the equivalent of paying for 16 trips.

I find that the "volunteer" tram/bus ticketing system is very clever. It gives one an opportunity to play the odds, but in the end I'm sure the house (Latvia) wins. They will certainly collect enough in fines to cover the stowaways. In any case, I was very close to not purchasing the new ticket today, and I would have been charged the fine! This is similar to my umbrella situation- Guaranteed it will rain if I forget my umbrella and jacket. Guaranteed to not rain if I bring it along! That's just how life is, eh?

After the fun tram experience, I headed to the hotel restaurant. At this point I really wished that I had brought a bullet proof vest and helmet, for I was about to face: The scariest Russian waitress ever to exist. However, to both my disappointment and relief, she was not around. Perhaps my favorite nightmare waitress was off terrorizing another western patron? In her place was the first polite waitress I had ever seen at my hotel restaurant.. Amazing, and she was fairly fluent in english as well. I decided to order the club sandwich and a black tea. Excellent presentation and taste, especially for a hotel. The price was a little high, but for a hotel I wasn't surprised.

I explored a large park near my hotel, and found it serene and beautiful, especially during dusk. The trees provide some really nice atmosphere. The parks have a good amount of people walking through them, until dark when lighting is scarce or non-existent. At that point they start feeling shady and sometimes even downright dangerous. I attempted to explore the city near the hotel after dark, but started seeing shady groups of men walking around, looking for trouble. This wasn't the well policed Old Town, so I decided to call it a night and not get myself into trouble.

Fireworks in a Very Crowded Riga Old Town

2012-08-20T01:14:00.002+03:00

Another extremely lazy day for me in Riga, at least at the beginning! I've managed to get onto some ridiculous night schedule, going to sleep at 5am and waking up at 4pm! Housekeeping at the hotel is probably ready to throw me off the balcony at this point. I was actually woken up by a very strange sound which I'd never heard before.. A stunt plane! To my wonder a stunt plane was flying around Riga and doing some very fancy maneuvers. Of course I was getting very nervous watching this display, as it looked quite dangerous.

Off to Old Town I traveled as always, catching my usual tram. Yes the trams were still packed full of people due to the Riga City Festival 2012, not to mention the two days of free transportation! Upon reaching Old Town I couldn't believe my eyes, as there were even MORE people out than yesterday! The entire road next to the river was packed with people, vendors, and a giant stage at the end. I walked through to take a look and the vendors were mostly serving up tasty looking kabobs and potatoes. What an interesting dish to serve up at a public event? I saw that one of the vendors was the popular restaurant, LIDO.

Like yesterday, restaurants and shops were so packed full of people that you could barely walk into them. I had to admit that the hoards of people were starting to annoy me. I simply preferred the peaceful Old Town, and this was a giant festival. Well I never was big on crowds. I searched around for a restaurant that wasn't full of people. This wasn't such an easy task. I finally discovered one pizza place that I had never been to yet: Čili Pica, or Chili Pizza as I believe it translates to.

Čili Pica was probably the most fascinating pizza place yet. I visited the location near the Freedom Monument, on the other side of the road. It had two floors, and LOTS of space for people to sit. Like most restaurants it was packed, but it just had so many damn tables that they weren't all filled. I liked how there was an outdoor terrace on both levels, as well as an indoor restaurant on both levels. I chose the lower level indoors, which was cooler and darker. The service was pretty slow since it was so busy, but I finally ordered chili and a 4-cheeses kind of pizza. The chili was pretty good, and came with garlic bread. The 4-cheeses pizza was also good, but I regretted not getting something with meat on it. For some reason I keep ordering Coke in Latvia, even though I rarely drink it at home. I guess I have to show that I'm American somehow! Finally, I ordered an interesting pitcher of water, with fruit flavoring. They actually put grapefruit into the pitcher, which gives the water some flavor.. Fascinating.

After lunch, it was time to meander around Old Town to see what was going on with the festival on Sunday. The day was pretty hot, so I'm glad I wasn't out earlier when the sun was beating down. The street performers were really active again today. One man rode around on a 10-foot high bicycle. A group of trick bicyclists had a massive crowd watching their daredevil maneuvers near the Freedom Monument. Finally, my favorite street performer, Opera Singing Man, was doing his act near the busy McDonalds. I still feel that he has been the most talented and appropriate street performer around. I wonder what the Latvians think?

It is always hilarious to me, watching the other tourists. It seems that they are entertained by anything a street performer does. They only ignore the old beggars who put minimal effort into acts, such as an old lady simply banging a tambourine, or another old lady singing in a harsh voice. However, if it's a young street performer the tourists just gobble the act right up! On a day like today you could probably run in a circle and have a crowd watching you..

At about 9pm I was getting restless and wanted to head back to my hotel. The night crowd was starting to come out, and I didn't really feel like getting walked into by every rowdy stag party in the Old Town. However, I was compelled to stick around for some reason. Lucky for me, because I got to see the fireworks!

I started noticing that people were all heading towards Town Hall Square and beyond, to the bridge on the river. I suddenly remembered that fireworks would end the Riga City Festival at around 11pm! I followed the crowd and found an excellent vantage point in the middle of the bridge. I wasn't sure what kind of fireworks show to expect in Latvia, but it ended up being excellent. The choreography was very good, the length was pretty long, and the finale very impressive. The entire sky lit up. I really liked how they shot the fireworks off from both sides of the bridge, and even from boats on the bridge! This made for a panoramic fireworks show which extended all the way across the river.

After the fireworks ended the public gave a nice round of applause, and suddenly the entire city turned into a giant pedestrian walkway. It was past 11pm and thousands of people walked towards tram stations or home. I decided to walk all the way to the hotel. The trams and buses were absolutely loaded with people, to the point where their faces were plastered onto the glass! I wasn't eager to experience this, so instead I happily walked 2km back to the hotel. Well at least I'm getting my exercise here!

I'm happy that I was able to experience Riga City Festival 2012 during my trip here. The city put on quite a show, and it seems that the turnout was excellent. Although I prefer Old Town during the quieter times, the festival was still a sight to see.

Riga City Festival: Big Crowds and Fun Times!

2012-08-18T22:46:00.004+03:00

It's a very interesting time here in Riga, as the Riga City Festival 2012 kicks off! In the last week I started noticing announcements around the city, with various events that would take place this weekend. Yesterday (August 17th), I saw that large stages were being assembled around Old City, in all of the squares. Technically the Riga City Festival started yesterday, but it was FAR more crowded today, on Saturday.

Back to last night, when I was lucky enough to see Christine (writer of Friend in Riga) one last time before her big trip around Europe. We walked through the Old Town and near the Daugava River. She showed me a rooftop bar and terrace near the river, which had the history of Riga in drawings. Riga has a very rich history, over many hundreds of years. Christine joked that it seemed every country had a war in Riga!

Although it was starting to get busy last night with the festival starting, we had a nice, peaceful time sitting at the Golden Coffee terrace and drinking tea. Wow, that was exactly what I envisioned doing in Europe. Sitting at a serene terrace with wonderful architecture in the background (St. Peter's Church!) and drinking tea with a friend while having some good conversation. How can it get any better?

Today I woke up late as usual (3:30pm) and headed to Old Town. However, the trams were PACKED. Public transportation is free around the city during the Riga City Festival, and everyone is clearly taking advantage. I saw huge lines at some tram stations that looked downright ridiculous. I was happy that my stations weren't so bad! One thing I've learned in Riga is that you have to be fairly aggressive in lines. Leave one inch of space and people will jump right in front of you. This is certainly not a "hold the door open" and be polite kind of place. At the same time I kind of like it.. It's a no bullshit system. Sometimes in the United States it gets ridiculous with people holding open doors or being polite in lines.. To the point where nobody is going anywhere!

As I arrived in Old Town on Saturday, the crowd was HUGE. Easily the biggest crowd I've seen in Old Town since arriving in Riga several weeks ago. The restaurants were crammed, bands and acts were playing on the stages, and vendors were selling crafted souvenirs in the various squares. The crowd was a diverse mixture of tourists and locals. The locals really seemed to like the event and even looked a bit happier than usual.

My favorite event was an archery contest. For a little money you could shoot arrows at a target. I watched with great amusement as a woman with giant high heels awkwardly attempted to shoot an arrow at the target, and instead almost shot the arrow over the safety wall and into the next square! Oops! Luckily in Riga pedestrians are so used to dodging cars that I don't believe an arrow would present much of a challenge..

The street performers were raking in more cash than Wall Street, and even the Opera Singing Man was beaming while singing his Latvian folk music. Best of all, the crowds were so large that that taxi carts could barely move from their "home bases". I certainly wasn't complaining.. For once I didn't have to look back to see if a taxi cart was about to hit me in the face! Amazingly, I haven't been pestered by even one beggar the last two days! Christine told me yesterday that beggars were recently banned from Old Town. She said it was a very new law, so perhaps it's just now taking effect? Or maybe there are just far more tourists around, so I am not as big of a target?

I wandered around Old Town and checked out the various events. A 24-hour long basketball tournament was taking place near the National Opera. Apparently it consists of local players from both sides of the river playing against each other. They play for an entire day straight, and both teams have won once in the last two years. This was taking place on a large stage, with music and a DJ.

At the Town Hall Square, I wasn't sure what the heck was going on. It looked like some kind of cultural play. A man who resembled a pilgrim was on the stage yelling for quite a while. I was around the Town Hall Square for a long time, since I decided to visit CanCan Pizza. This is a great pizza place that I decided to try several days ago. They have excellent deals on pizzas, as well as reasonable prices for drinks (including Coke!) This is one of the few restaurants I have found that serves fountain Coke and in larger quantities than 250ml! That's right, you can get a 500ml Coke for 1 lat! I also managed to run into an incredibly friendly waitress there who's half Russian and half Latvian. The friendly people are hard to find in Riga, but they are here. It makes me smile every time I see a friendly person here, because they're so rare.

CanCan Pizza had such a busy day that they ran out of pizza ingredients, and were only serving drinks for several hours. I arrived during this period and asked for my favorite waitress, Katya. She explained the situation to me, so I decided to get a Coke and an ice cream sundae. The sundae was just OK. After an hour pizzas were again available, and I ordered a large pizza with beef, tomato, sweet chili sauce, cheese, and pizza sauce. Yummy. The total cost of a Coke, sundae, and large pizza at CanCan pizza was only 5 lats. As I was leaving, poor Katya suddenly had a large crowd to serve and was running all over the place. Again I was impressed at the excellent work ethic of the Latvians. If I was running a business and needed hard workers, I would not hesitate to hire people from this country, that's for sure.

I wandered around the Freedom Monument, which was well protected as usual. Police frequently patrol this area, as well as Latvian soldiers from time to time. They stand at attention in front of the statue. This is also the busiest pedestrian area around, from near Freedom Monument to the entrance of Old Town. The McDonalds on the corner there does a LOT of business. Today the "walk through" was a line going all the way to the street! Most fast food restaurants in Old Town had lines going to at least the front door.

Although I find the large crowds interesting, they also drain my energy quickly, so I decided at 9pm to head back to my hotel. I'm sure the festival became even more interesting after dark. I have found that if I have company, I like to stay out later. If I'm alone, I want to go back to the hotel and relax.

Riga, Latvia: Halftime Reflections on Trip

2012-08-17T00:02:00.002+03:00

Well it's about halfway through my trip to Riga, and perhaps time for some reflection. First, I'll say that the trip has been going by pretty fast! It's been almost two weeks since I arrived. The weather has been close to what I expected, although it's very humid in August here. Even with the humidity, the temperature has been a perfect drop from a blazing summer back in the states.

Admittedly my blog has been quiet shallow, and I simply stopped exploring Riga after the first week. I've fallen into a routine and this has kept the topics in the blog shallow. At this time I simply don't feel compelled to visit a club, or the beach, or travel anywhere else outside the city. I'm relatively content just seeing the Old Town, parks, cafes, and restaurants. Additionally, a growing number of negative experiences with locals has unfortunately led to my spending more time at the hotel instead of exploring. So I apologize to any readers who are expecting more.

First I'll talk about the positive experiences I've had in Riga. As I've said many times before, I really enjoy the quiet and beautiful parks in Riga. With some shade it's really comfortable and you can just chill out at one of the many park benches. The city really seems to value these parks and keeps them clean. The plants and flowers are well taken care of as well. The architecture in the city is constantly being repaired and renovated. The city understands that they are a popular tourist destination, and are trying to improve the experience.

Speaking of the architecture, it is beautiful and worth coming to see if you're into that sort of thing. I'm not particularly an architecture buff, but it's hard to cross the bridge heading into Old Town without looking at the buildings in awe.

The food has gone from good to amazing, depending on the cafe or restaurant. I haven't had a bad meal yet in the city. Presentation at restaurants and cafes is always top notch. Customer service is always fast and professional. The prices on food varies greatly depending on the restaurant or cafe. However, I do believe prices are generally inflated due to the presence of tourists. You can find the occasional great deal, but for the most part you'll pay a higher price.

Coffee and tea have been a mixed experience. The independent places are the best, with incredible coffee and espresso. The chains are OK but nothing special. I have found iced coffee is very watered down here.. They do not appear to double brew the coffee or do anything to prevent ice from watering the coffee down. Tea has been very good at most places.

I'm not particularly a beer drinker but I've found that they have a wide variety of beer at decent prices in the city. There are many outdoor terraces and bars to visit. Latvia has a number of local beers here that are quite good.

If you're looking for beautiful women, Riga is a city that would be hard to beat. The women are amazing everywhere you go. I created a challenge for myself: To find a tram or bus without one beautiful woman on it. This has been almost impossible! The population of beautiful women in Riga is very high! They like to dress up and wear high heels, so you won't be disappointed if you're looking for them. As for talking to them, well that's a different story.

The prices on airfare and hotels in Riga are extremely competitive. You simply won't find many places with better deals than Riga in Europe. The backpacker index lists Riga as one of the top affordable cities in Europe.

Now, for the negative experiences I've had in Riga. First and most obvious, the unfriendly people of Riga. Upon arriving to the city, I wanted to talk to everyone and learn about the culture here. I learned very fast that the locals were not fond of small talk, didn't seem to like tourists, and were in general very cold. I've heard many reasons why this is the case.. That the Soviet Occupation muted the population, that Latvians just plain don't like tourists, or that women don't trust western men because of sex tourism. Whatever the case, it has made for a very frustrating trip.

Getting directions or help in Riga is also extremely difficult. The locals like to say, "I don't know" to every question you ask. Getting lost means you have a serious problem. Luckily, Riga isn't so big and I have a decent map!

The beggars, pickpockets, and scammers make a visit to Riga less pleasant. I don't like having to constantly look over my shoulder, but Riga makes me feel like this is necessary. When somebody does talk to you, it seems to always be some kind of scam. The beggars in Old Town are extremely prevalent, and they are quick to identify and harass unsuspecting tourists. It took me a few days to get adjusted.

Traffic in Riga is dangerous, and drivers do not have much regard for pedestrians. You certainly need to be very careful when crossing streets in Riga, because the occasional race car driver wants to fly through the intersection!

Overall, Riga has been a mixed experience for me. I feel that it was worth a visit, but it would be far better with a traveling companion. Being alone here is quite depressing and challenging, because finding good company is almost impossible. It's also more dangerous being alone for obvious reasons. I wish that I had done more research on the culture of Latvia before coming here and finding out that most people are not friendly. As Christine said yesterday, "It's all about the people for me". She's right- all the pretty architecture, parks, and restaurants in the world cannot add up to having somebody to talk to.

Finding a Friend in Riga

2012-08-15T23:25:00.002+03:00

After so many negative experiences with locals lately, I had the great pleasure today of meeting Kristīne, a native Latvian who writes the blog, "Your Friend in Riga". Kristine has written this excellent and comprehensive blog for almost two years now and provides useful, free information about Riga to any curious tourist. After reading Kristine's blog I decided to message her, and she kindly agreed to meet with me in the city!

Kristine arrived at our meeting location in Old Town and she was a beautiful young lady with a friendly and casual demeanor. She was a few minutes late, so I spent the free time asking every dark-haired girl in the Old City if her name was "Kristine". As usual the locals greeted me with a cold stare. After meeting Kristine and I decided to walk towards the city center and explore some parks. I was very happy to have a knowledgeable guide in the city for once! I paid attention only to our many conversations as Kristine navigated the city. As usual I was impressed with the serenity and beauty of the numerous parks in Riga. We also saw some architecture and museums.

We decided to stop at a Double Coffee and have some drinks while we talked about many topics. Naturally I was curious about the Latvian culture and wanted to know more about regular life in Riga. Kristine told me that most Latvian's do not travel to restaurants often and prefer to cook at home. Some typical dishes consist of potatoes, salads, and meats. She joked that women preferred to boil dishes while men liked to fry dishes.

Kristine told me that she was a freelance and ghost writer, and that blogging was simply a side hobby. I was impressed with how much work she had put into her blogs. It was clear that she had quite a passion for writing. She had also worked several jobs recently, such as at a call center. Many American companies apparently outsource their call centers to Latvia.

I was extremely curious about the situation with Russians and Latvians in the country. This is certainly a complex topic and is not easily explained. There are many Russian who immigranted to Latvia while it was under Soviet control. Today these Russians and their descendents continue to live in the country, without too much trouble. However the Latvians view the country of Russia as a threat. Additionally, Latvia is part of the European Union, so it only complicates the issue.

I asked Kristine if it was possible to tell the difference between Latvians and Russians, and she laughed, saying that it was difficult. Some Russian women like to wear lots of makeup while Latvian women want a plainer look.. but it's just a stereotype and varies. Kristine actually lives in "Little Russia", which is a district of Riga. It has a reputation for being dangerous, but she thought that this was an exaggeration of the truth.

I wanted to show Kristine the excellent restaurant which I had discovered yesterday on Lacplesa road. We traveled there under her guidance, and I was again very happy to know where I was going for once! Once we got to the restaurant, I learned that the name translated to "Festival for Stomach" or something similar. Hilarious, but accurate! We ordered some meat salads and main courses, and like yesterday received very large portions with an excellent presentation. A nice private restaurant such as this one has very reasonable prices, and you can get a very high quality meal for under $10.

During our meal Kristine and I talked about politics, marriage, and life in our countries. She was very fluent in English, so communication was never a problem. I learned that "ciao" was the primary greeting in Latvia. I heard this many times last week as well at the couchsurfing.com meeting. Kristine has also done some traveling, and spent almost a year in Romania! This was very fascinating to me, since I also visited Romania for a few weeks. We both agreed that the country was very interesting. She knows the Romanian language as well. It seems like everyone here knows 4+ languages!

Although I spent plenty of time complaining about the attitudes of locals, Kristine gave me a different point of view. Many of the locals were struggling to survive, and seeing wealthy tourists running all over the place simply aggravated them. She certainly had a good point, and life is simply taken more serious in such a situation. Jobs are hard to find here and the people that hold them are overqualified in general.

Kristine told me that she was planning to take a 3 week trip to central Europe. It sounded like quite an adventure, and she would be going with group members from other European countries. They would be making a documentary on the differences between Eastern and Western Europe.

After our dinner Kristine and I headed back to Old Town, where we saw an interesting music act consisting of several men dressed in women's clothes and playing band instruments! She told me that the act had been around for quite a while. In fact, Kristine was a street musician herself several years ago, playing a violin in a duo with a guitar player! She said they were one of the first acts of their kind in Old Town.

The night was now coming and after an excellent day with Kristine I said "ciao" and headed back through Old Town to catch the tram. I was very happy to have finally met a local from Riga and somebody who could answer my 500 questions about the city. As a bonus Kristine and I had a lot in common, and I certainly hope to meet her again. Back to the hotel I wandered, and I finally felt good at the end of a day in Riga. Wow, not a single negative event to talk about today!

Laundry in Riga, Latvia

2012-08-15T00:04:00.001+03:00

Today I attempted my boldest adventure yet in Riga, Latvia: Doing Laundry! In a city of half a million people, you'd expect numerous laundromats and laundry facilities throughout the town. However, not so in Riga. In fact, I could only locate two laundry facilities in the entire city! There's no apparent explanation for the lack of laundromats here.. Only that most people have their own washing machines and dryers. Either that or people must be washing their clothes in the river!

I first checked to see if my hotel had a laundry service, and indeed they did. However, it was incredibly overpriced. I estimated that washing my one weeks worth of clothes would cost almost $100! No thank you hotel! So my only other option was to search for laundromats or laundry services in the city. Only thanks to the website inyourpocket.com was I able to locate a few laundromats. I selected the one which seemed larger, called "Nivala". The address was Lacplesa 21. Of course with my terrible sense of direction I also wasn't looking forward to finding this place.

Off I headed on the 5 tram towards Old Town. Eventually the 5 tram goes around Old Town and has a stop on the Freedom Monument side (which faces towards the city center). I exited there and started walking towards the laundromat. Then I remembered that I had no detergent or softener! Would I need it?? Who knows, this is Latvia! I assumed yes, so a visit to the grocery store was in order. There is a grocery store in Old Town, kind of in the center. If you can't find it, no worries.. Simply follow any fashionable woman walking briskly and she will probably end up there!

At the grocery store I quickly navigated to the aisle which apparently had detergent and softener. In Latvia they use detergent powder which comes in a rectangular cardboard box. There is a separate detergent for colors and whites. I have no idea what the difference is, so I selected the detergent for colors to do all my clothes with. The fabric softener is similar to back home and comes in a plastic bottle. I picked both these items up for around 3 lats.

I left Old Town on the Freedom Monument side and headed into the city center, past the giant Radisson Blu hotel. The laundromat was on a side street. It took me a few minutes to locate it, but they had a logo above the door with their name Nevala. I entered the laundromat, which consisted of about 3-4 washing machines and 2 dryers. Wow, is that it?!

The lady working at Nevala was slightly helpful but older, so she spoke almost no english. They had their own laundry detergent and softener, so apparently I just wasted money buying it myself.. Figures. The best part was the washer buttons were all in Latvian or German so I couldn't figure any of the settings out. The lady chose some settings for me which I hope were OK! The cost was 4 lats for a washing machine run, and 2 lats for a dryer run. Together around $11. I managed to fit all of my clothes in the washer, although I'm not sure if that was a good thing. The washer was a side style and you can usually stack clothes pretty high in those (so I've heard). The lady seemed to think it was fine.

The washing machine took one hour so I headed next door to an unknown but well marked cafe. I was in for a nice surprise! This restaurant and cafe had very good prices and even better food! I finally felt like I was in eastern Europe after going to this place. First I ordered a "meat salad", which had chicken, peas, onions, tomatoes, etc.. The dressing was mustard and mayonnaise.. Yummy! Only about $2 and you could consider it a lunch. However I got greedy and decided to also order a "chicken filet with cheese". It came with boiled potatoes and an interesting carrot/onion salad as well. This was a main entree and it only costed $3! I stayed at this cafe for two hours while my clothes were being cleaned. The dryer also took about an hour. Finally my clothes were done, and I picked them up. Nothing like clean clothes in a foreign country, even if the fabric softener smelled like a girl's perfume.

Today things were looking a little brighter since I had a few events planned. There was a couchsurfing.com meeting in the evening, and one guy invited me go to roller skating in a park. Unfortunately it rained, and I ended up missing both events. I got lost trying to find the meeting in the city.. Yeah I have a terrible sense of direction, so what can I say? However I messaged the writer of the blog, "friendinriga", and she agreed to meet and show me around Riga tomorrow! I'm excited since I haven't had the opportunity to meet a local yet, aside from the group events where I couldn't get much talking in.

10 Things For Tourists to Avoid in Riga, Latvia

2012-08-14T00:57:00.001+03:00

Today we'll examine 10 things for a tourist not to do in Riga. I learned the hard way so you don't have to. Avoid the following list and your adventure to Riga will be less painful and less expensive.

1. Hail a Taxi

The worst thing you can do in Riga is hail a taxi on the side of the road. Especially if they are not from a reputable taxi company. As with many countries in eastern Europe, there are plenty of shady taxis roaming around, charging ridiculous rates to tourists. What you should do is call a reputable taxi company and have them send a taxi to your location! Currently, a few good choices are Lady Taxi, and Baltic Taxi.

2. Give Money to Beggars

This may sound cruel, but giving money to beggars in Riga just sets a bad precedent. The experience of trying to enjoy a tranquil Riga Old Town is quickly nullified by having beggars constantly haggle you for change. My suggestion? Give your spare change to the tasteful street performers instead. There are many talented street performers and they deserve your change more than a beggar. The best way to avoid beggars I've found is to not make eye contact and ignore them. If you need practice just watch the locals in Riga.. They are extremely skilled at ignoring other people and avoiding eye contact!

3. Talk to Strangers

Riga is simply not a friendly place. The locals do not like tourists, and they certainly do not start conversations with tourists. With this in mind, people who DO start conversations with you most likely are either scammers or beggars. If a pretty girl approaches you and wants you to visit her favorite bar, beware! It's a scam! If you see a strange person go out of their way to walk towards you, beware! It's probably a beggar. If you truly want to start conversations with strangers, at least wait a few days to acclimate yourself to Riga and Riga Old Town. If you're skilled enough in the verbal arts, perhaps you can even get the attention of the icy locals! Just don't say I didn't warn you about talking to strangers.

4. Smile and be Friendly

I learned very quickly that smiling and being friendly are not commonly accepted in Riga and Riga Old Town. Latvians and Russians are very serious people, and find friendliness stupid to the core (as they do western humor). Being friendly in Riga basically identifies you as a tourist, and somebody to be taken advantage of. The beggars and scammers immediately notice anyone with a friendly demeanor and select them as easy targets. After a few days in Riga I learned to act more serious than usual, and to only smile if the situation truly warranted it. Be especially wary of the working Russian population in Riga, who can be extremely icy and bitter. If you do manage to find friendly folks in Riga, then consider yourself lucky!

5. Visit Unknown Clubs or Bars

One great way to get scammed in Riga and Riga Old Town is to visit an unknown club or bar. There are a number of scams here revolving around attracting you to these shady establishments. This is done through pretty women or friendly people who convince you to go to an unknown bar. Once inside your "friends" will order cheap drinks that are actually priced at hundreds of euros! Guess who gets the bill at the end? If you try to escape the bar or club large mafia bouncers will block the exit. They will force you to pay for the bill, and even withdrawal money out of an on-site ATM if necessary! The worst part is, the police will not get involved! This is organized crime and the Latvian government turns a blind eye. The US Embassy in Riga has banned American citizens from going to many of these shady clubs and bars. Beware..

6. Engage in Sex Tourism or Prostitution

Nobody will deny that Latvia has a LOT of incredibly beautiful women. Although Riga has been known as a popular sex tourism destination, this is no longer the case. Prostitution has been cracked down on big time and has been nearly wiped out. Although prostitution is technically legal in Latvia, the many restrictions effectively nullify it. What is far more prevalent are scams based around prostitution. Online prostitution sites are full of phony profiles and fake pictures. Latvia is simply not a good choice for sex tourism. Additionally Latvian people are not friendly, so your chances of meeting women in a club or bar are less than that of a friendlier country. Overall, unless you are an astute local or expert pick-up artist, I would not recommend engaging in sex tourism in Riga. The Netherlands and Germany are far better choices.

7. Walk Around Late at Night

Like in many cities, I would not recommend walking around late at night in Riga. Even the touristy Riga Old Town gets shady later into the evening. There are more scams and crime around. Remember that the police do not like to get involved, so you may find yourself out of luck if something nasty happens to you. Latvia is still a relatively poor country, so muggers and pick-pockets are about. Stag parties are also popular in Riga, so you may run into drunk and rowdy groups of young males from western Europe. You will notice in Old Town that the tourists thin out in the evening, and the shadier characters begin coming out. Use your common sense and do not walk down any dark alleys without people. Stick around the masses for safety.

8. Make Yourself an Obvious Target

While touring Riga and Riga Old Town, do not make yourself an obvious target tourist.. Try to dress in plain colors and avoid any extravagant jewelry or hats. Also be wary when carrying around expensive items (tablets, laptops, cameras). I have noticed that beggars and scammers target those who look like they have money. It's common sense but I've seen many tourists just making themselves obvious targets. Walking around while looking at a large map is also a great way to make yourself a target. As I said in a previous point do not smile excessively or make eye contact with strangers. Walk around with a brisker pace and look like you have a destination. Wandering around leisurely is another great way to make yourself a target. Obviously you won't be able to avoid all of these actions, but in a crowded area it would be wise to follow these rules. Remember the scammers and beggars are watching you..

9. Small Talk with Russians and Latvians

One thing I quickly learned in Latvia is that the locals hate small talk. They are extremely direct and find it very strange when you try to make small talk. I've had many awkward experiences trying to start a conversation with locals in Riga and Riga Old Town. Russians in particular seem to find your small talk incredibly stupid, and they will roll their eyes or get irritated before walking away. When visiting a restaurant, cafe, or bar, be extremely direct with the servers. They will only get confused and angry if you try to ask how their day is, or how often it rains in Riga, etc.. If a Latvian or Russian happens to be friendly with you (and doesn't appear to be scamming you), then by all means have a nice conversation with them. However, you will find this is extremely rare.

10. Ask the Locals for Help

This is similar to the last topic. Russians and Latvians are not friendly, and do not want to help you with your tourist questions. I have found that even when they know the answer to the question (something incredibly obvious), that they will still pretend they don't know the answer. I asked 5 locals the difference between a tram and a trolleybus in Latvia. Only one answered my question. The other four pretended that they didn't know the answer! Hilarious! They all spoke English as well! I think that the locals are too lazy to answer your questions, or perhaps just hate tourists and don't wish to help. Honestly, the best way to get help is to ask another tourist! Or use the internet!

11. Use a Credit Card or Bank Card

10 things? Nope, sorry I can't count. Now it's 11. How could I forget this one! This is a common sense tip to follow when visiting eastern Europe. DON'T use your credit cards or bank cards. ONLY use them to pull money out of reputable ATMs. Find the ATMs inside of banks or in a very public area, and be wary of your surroundings. Using a credit card or bank card anywhere else puts you at risk. In a best case scam your card number and details will be stolen, and later on you will find unknown credit charges on your bill. As long as you notice within a reasonable amount of time, the credit card company will credit you and change your card number. Worse case scam, your bank card details AND pin number will be stolen, and criminals will empty your bank account using a cloned card! The bank will probably say "tough luck" if this happens and your money will be gone! Be careful! Eastern Europe is renowned for credit card scams and your best option is to use cash everywhere.

This concludes the article about 10 things for a tourist not to do in Riga. I hope it has been educational, and that you will have a safe and enjoyable trip!

Thoughts on the Unfriendly People of Riga

2012-08-12T20:48:00.001+03:00

Another leisurely day spent in Riga. During my second Sunday here, it was warming up a bit and sunny outside. After taking my usual tram down to Riga Old Town, I noticed that they were disassembling the basketball courts near Freedom Monument. I wasn't complaining since I wanted the real Old Town back! I decided I didn't feel like spending a lot of money on an overpriced tourist trap restaurant, so I headed for the LIDO inside of Old Town. Hopefully in the near future I will meet a Latvian who can show me some other restaurants in Riga..

The smaller LIDO inside of Old Town is a perfect little spot. It's not too small or too big, and there are usually tables open. I like the dark interior as well. Inside the LIDO I ran into a local man who was complaining about the hard life in Riga. He was waiting for smaller salad bar plates, which have a flat rate of around 1 lat (put as much as you can fit onto the plate). He piled all kinds of food onto this tiny plate.. Smart idea to get a lot of food for a cheap price. I'm sure he was glaring at my .25 liter Coke which cost almost as much as his entire meal.

As for my meal, it came out to 2.50 lats for the food and .70 for my small Coke. A far better deal than so many tourist trap restaurants around the area. I had a chicken filet with cheese and tomato, and fried potatoes. As usual I watched the poor tray collecting girl running all over the place trying to keep up with the customers.

I decided to head to Sefpavars Vilhelms to get a large crepe with raspberry jelly. I also bought a fresh squeezed orange juice which was a little over 1 lat. This is a great little place to hang out with interesting decor. It resembles a polar bear's cave with the white artistic walls.

I'm still trying pretty hard to meet some locals so I can discover more in Riga besides just Old Town. Unfortunately this has been an uphill battle. The locals simply are not polite or helpful here. One trend I've noticed is that the locals never seem to know the answer to any questions. For example, Latvians and Russians working in Old Town never seem to know where another restaurant or hotel is. I find it hard to believe, and think they are just being lazy or don't like tourists. It's simply easier to pretend they don't know the answer instead of helping somebody.

Yesterday while I was spending time with Whitehat, we must have asked three different locals working at bars where his hostel was. None of them even tried to help, and just immediately said, "I don't know" and went about their business. At my hotel it's the same way. I have asked the workers at the convenience shop a few questions and they never have an answer. Best case scenario they say, "I don't know" politely.. Worst case scenario they blow you off like my favorite Russian waitress here. I have simply learned to stop asking any questions, and to figure everything out myself, whether through experience or internet research.

Honestly, when I came over to Riga, Latvia, I had an open mind, and I certainly didn't want the blog to take on a negative vibe. However, that's just reality. The locals are not friendly here, and the only people you will meet easily are beggars and scammers. As an American, it's a different experience for me. Sure back home we have some icy people, but it's far more prevalent here. You know something is wrong when people in public recognize you as foreign, only because you're smiling! I will continue to have an open mind, as I meet new people (if that happens). Hopefully at some point I can meet a local who will explain the Latvian attitudes to me.

I do want to make something clear however.. I'm not a flashy kind of guy. I don't throw money around or dress like a wealthy businessman. I am also not an alpha-male or aggressive in nature. I'm sure if you come to Latvia and you have some of these qualities, you will have better luck meeting locals, especially women. Spend some time in an expensive club throwing money around, and I'm certain you will find some company. That's not my style, and I am not a sex tourist or a wealthy showoff. I'm simply a guy trying to experience life in a different and unique way.. To find something fresh in the world. It does make you a bit sad when you travel so far, only to find more of the same negative qualities in people. But as my friend says, "people are people".

Since it was Sunday, some shops were closed in Old Town, and the crowds were less populated. I also noticed less street performers than usual. I decided to head back to the hotel to see what was going on. I saw a lot of tourist buses arriving and leaving the hotel. They appeared to be from western Europe, from places such as Germany. I wonder what all these buses were about? Tours of eastern Europe? Most of the tourists were older, from 40-60 years of age. In fact most of the tourists in Riga Old Town appear older as well. Well, another day finished in Riga, and I decided to watch the Olympics on TV as usual. Latvia won a gold medal in BMX, good for them!

Riga Old City on Saturday

2012-08-12T01:32:00.001+03:00

Drinking a cheap variety of vodka can cause quite a hangover if you're not careful, so let's just say I wasn't very careful last night. After my first week in Riga I wasn't in such a great mood and I decided to drink myself into a stupor before going to sleep. This isn't typical behavior for me, but I also wanted to try the local varieties of vodka. Of course since I still haven't met any locals who are willing to talk to me for more than 5 seconds, who knows if the variety of vodka I selected was popular. It was cheap I can tell you that much! In any case, I felt terrible upon waking up today, and decided to sit around eating chips and drinking water for a few hours. Housekeeping came-a-knocking since I had forgotten to put the privacy sign up. Amazingly the lady from housekeeping was actually polite and nice when I answered half asleep. Wow, I wonder what country she is from? Could she be Latvian or Russian? Is it possible?

After a few hours of watching Olympic reruns on TV, I finally decided to head out to Riga Old City to see what was going on during this fine Saturday afternoon. To my surprise it was even colder out today! Below 60f, and even with my jacket on I was cold. It was cloudy and looked a little like rain. I'm not at all complaining, since back home it's probably 100f. It's still humid here at 80% though, which I'm not a big fan of. Well you can't have everything..

I decided that today I was going to just have a huge meal, and not think about anything else. I wasn't in the mood to try to strike up a conversation with the bitter and icy locals. So I headed to Pizza Malibu, where I ordered a large pizza which comes with a free .5 liter Coke. The waitress didn't speak very good english this time, and she kept jumping ahead of me in the conversation, which was really annoying. I couldn't finish a sentence without her trying to "guess" what I was saying, and it was never close to what I was trying to say. Finally I got my order in and she brought out a .25 liter Coke. Hmmmm, what was this about? I asked why I had not gotten a .5 liter Coke, and she told me they did not have any left. I felt a little ripped off, but her english was so poor I eventually gave up trying to work something out.

The pizza was decent but nothing spectacular, as it had been on previous visits. I was really thirsty but didn't want to get ripped off ordering small .25 liter Cokes or the even more expensive bottled water! I have found that the best way to get a large drink at a decent price is to order tea. They usually make a good amount in a pot, for multiple servings. The price is about the same as a Coke so you get a lot more to drink. The tea is also decent here, especially if you can get a herbal tea. My check came to 9.5 lats with the huge pizza and extra tea, so I left 10 lats. At about $18, this isn't a steal, but it's not a terrible price for a city either.

Riga Old Town is certainly a tourist trap, and the prices are higher than you would expect for a country like Latvia. You can get incredibly cheap airfare and hotel stays, but when it comes to restaurants it seems like you're paying the same amount or more than you would back home! However there are exceptions, such as some of the bistros around Riga Old City. By now I should really know better than to go to the obvious tourist trap restaurants. Sometimes though, you just want what's familiar and I've been to Pizza Malibu several times already.

With the weather being about as chilly as the Latvian people themselves, Old Town was less busy than last Saturday. The basketball event was finally going on, so the area around Freedom Monument was active with a basketball tournament, DJ, and a loud announcer doing play-by-play for all of it. I personally found the event annoying. Old Town has a certain quiet charm, and the event ruined the atmosphere. Opera Singing Man intelligently picked out a location on the other side of Old Town, near the holocaust museum. As usual I gave him my donation for the day.

Since I'd arrived so late in Riga Old Town today, I decided to stay later into the evening, until almost the last tram traveled back to my hotel. While walking up and down the busiest walking street, I saw a tourist who had been tricked into taking one of the annoying "taxi carts". Although this is a legit business, the rates are very high and many unsuspecting tourists are tricked into paying high amounts as they are carted around Old Town. This tourist was speaking fluent english without a foreign accent, so I assumed he was American. He had an eccentric look going on, with a large white safari hat and a diamond earring. Later on I saw him walking by the Double Coffee by St. Peter's Church, where I was enjoying a cappuccino. I asked if he had been ripped off by the taxi cart service. He smiled and sheepishly told me that they'd charged him 6 lats. Yep not exactly a small price for being carted around for 2 minutes.

I will refer to my new friend as "Whitehat", since I cannot recall his name. I learned that Whitehat was Cantonese, and from Hong Kong! Amazingly he spoke perfect english with an accent that seemed American to me. He was traveling around Europe a bit, and was previously adventuring in Sweden and Finland. Whitehat didn't seem particularly impressed with any of these countries, and agreed with me about the locals being cold and distant. We talked about the various negative experiences we both had with Latvians and Russians. I was starting to feel much better, having met somebody else who felt the same way I did! Whitehat told me that Sweden and Finland were similar, and that the locals there were polite but generally not interesting to talk to. I wasn't happy to hear that, since I had previously heard that Sweden was a great place to talk to people.

Whitehat decided to order a hot chocolate, but in Latvia this is a far different drink! I don't even know if you can call it a drink. They essentially bring you melted chocolate, as if they put a chocolate bar into a microwave! It was hilarious to me watching whitehat attempt to drink his hot chocolate. He needed a spoon to eat it instead. While whitehat and I sat together, multiple beggars approached us. Unlike most beggars, they were very persistent. One man was apparently deaf and gave us a card asking for money. Following my new rules of Riga, I ignored both beggars until they finally went away. The deaf man was very unhappy and cursed at us as he walked away. Beggars are just a reality in Riga, but they become annoying very quickly if you stick around the city. I now choose to donate my money to the street performers instead. There were some very interesting girls today who were swinging around ropes of fire. It looked dangerous!

After our good conversation at the cafe, Whitehat decided to head back to his hotel. He was interested in the nightclubs, but I warned him about all the scams here. I was having a decent evening and didn't want to ruin it by getting scammed for $200 at a nightclub. I would still like to meet a local before attempting to visit any clubs in Riga. Head into the wrong club here, and you'll be mugged by bouncers for hundreds of dollars! They will even force you to take money out of an ATM! The police don't care or pay attention, since the scams are run by the local mafia. In other words, if you get scammed here you're screwed!

Before the night was over, I walked around Old Town for a while and did some people watching. One interesting thing you notice is the bachelor party groups, or stag parties. You will see a bunch of rowdy and drunk men with matching t-shirts looking for trouble. I'm sure the local are not amused by it, but Riga has become a popular destination for such groups. Late at night in general you will notice some shady characters around. Who knows what they're up to, or what scam they might be involved in? With all the tourists around it's just expected I guess. Personally, I feel safer leaving Old Town before it gets too late at night.

Riga Walking Tour and More Icy Locals

2012-08-10T23:43:00.001+03:00

Today's fun began with the "Riga Free Tour" which explores areas of the city outside of Old Town. This excellent tour is free, and today the tour guide was Eņģelis (pronounced like Los "Angelos"). Eņģelis did an excellent job, despite having an extremely large group of 30+ people. He said that the tour is intended to be more intimate, and that they usually have multiple tour guides for such a large group. The tour began at 12pm in front of St. Peter's Church. These tours take place everyday and you can find them by looking for a yellow suitcase.

I was excited about the tour because until that point I had mostly stayed within the confines of Riga Old Town, and I wanted to do some more exploring. We were taken to sites such as the central market, train station, and a large city park. Eņģelis poked fun at the more typical and boring Old Town tours. There were people from many different countries attending the tour, including Germany, Ireland, China, Japan, Australia, United States, and even Latvia! The tour lasted about 2 hours, after which point I decided to head to LIDO for lunch. I went to the larger LIDO outside of Old Town, near the park where the tour ended.

This larger LIDO had far more choices than the smaller one I had visited inside of Old Town. However it was extremely crowded, hectic, and finding a seat was a serious challenge. Strangers were sitting with each other at the tables, and usually asked for permission first. In the buffet line I poured myself a beer, which ended up being some kind of strange tasting apple juice. Apparently a girl working at LIDO had the job of pouring drinks, and she was not at all happy with my actions of pouring myself a drink. She started ranting at me in Russian or Latvian, and when I said "english" she just looked angry and walked away. Another fun experience with a local..

I sat down at a table by myself and soon a middle aged lady joined me. I attempted to ask her what the strange drink I inadvertently poured myself was, but she just gave me a half-smile and looked away. I'm pretty sure she knew english, so I assumed I was being blown off. Situation normal.. As for the meal itself, I had some kind of chicken filet and a long sausage with hot tomato sauce. The chicken filet was pretty good, but I wasn't a huge fan of the sausage. I also had some kind of salad with cucumbers and mayo.. At least I thought it was mayo until I tasted it. The dressing ended up being more like some kind of yogurt. As for the strange apple juice drink, well I bought a Coke instead. During the earlier tour, Eņģelis pointed out that he didn't believe LIDO served "authentic Latvian food". He called LIDO more of a modern day fad.

After lunch I headed back to Old Town, which took me about an hour to find since I have a terrible sense of direction. Although the day was very cloudy, it never did rain. Therefore it was a cool 60f and I was happy with that! The parks were serene and peaceful, and aside from noticing the ridiculously beautiful women walking around, I didn't have a thought on my mind. The parks near Freedom Monument are really nice for people watching, but relaxing as well. I watched a little boy and his mom giving food to various ducks swimming around near the river.

Today was Friday, so they were setting up a bunch of basketball courts in Old Town, near Freedom Monument. One of them even looked like it was for a dunking contest. There were more police than usual around, and I saw some kind of bust go down in the park. There was a lot of yelling and what looked like plain clothes police started dragging a man and woman towards the street. It almost looked like a setup but I'm not sure what the crime was..

I decided I wasn't going to stay out late-night in Old Town. Instead, I went to "Golden Coffee" for some refreshments before heading back to my hotel. I ordered a fruit crepe with creme which was very good. Also an Americano which I found to be just OK. I haven't been particularly impressed with the coffee at Golden Coffee, compared to other places. After the coffee I decided to try the tea. I ordered a vanilla and lemongrass based tea. It was excellent, and came in a large teapot for multiple servings. While sitting in the terrace, I witnessed a just-married couple coming through in a limo. They had pictures taken in front of St. Peter's Church for a very long time.

I headed back to the hotel, where the dinner buffet was extremely busy as usual. My favorite hyper-focused Russian waitress was working, and I wondered how many days a week she worked? I have seen her at the restaurant every night since arriving (except perhaps Sunday when I did not walk by).

My trip has now reached about a week, and I'm starting to feel a little bored and restless. I'm particularly disappointed in how difficult it has been trying to meet any locals here. Most people are cold and uninterested in conversation. It seems to be a closed society, and you get a sense that tourists are not particularly liked here. Since I'm from the states and haven't extensively traveled in Europe, I don't have much to compare this trip to.

Riga Rainy Weather, Filled Pancakes, and Turkish Kebabs

2012-08-09T22:34:00.002+03:00

This week Latvia's weather is starting to remind me of a very wet April back in the northeast states. However the sun makes a BIG difference here since it's August. The difference between being in the shade and out in the sun is significant. This makes dressing a challenge.. Put on long pants and a windbreaker on a day like today, and you'll feel great in the shade. In the sun you'll wonder why you don't have a bathing suit on!

Today I decided to continue my restaurant exploration in Riga Old Town. I chose "Sefpavars Vilhelms", which serves interesting and exotic filled pancakes. It's self-service and pay at the end at a register, similar to the two Latvian restaurants from yesterday. I selected one meat filled, one cheese, and one caramel pancake. They had sour creme for the meat/cheese pancakes, and a variety of james for the dessert pancakes. I also bought a Coke, although this particular restaurant did not have ice or cold Cokes. It was room temperature. Afterwards I noticed that they were serving fresh squeezed orange juice, and this would have been a far better choice.

The decor in Sefpavars Vilhelms is very interesting. I sat near a vase of colorful wheat. The walls were all white and resembled some kind of "ice cave". The pancakes were very good, especially the caramel dessert variety. I found that the pancakes were closer in style to crepes, but they were quite thick.

I decided that today would be good day to try this Riga Black Balsam I kept seeing everywhere, so I headed to the extremely busy supermarket in the middle of Old Town. I went to the alcohol aisle and stared at the large variety of choices, while frantic locals swarmed around me. I'm not sure what the deal is with locals in Riga, but they are always running around as if they have a 10-minute lunch break. You're always in somebody's way. I can understand they're probably sick and tired of tourists, but that's the primary industry here after all..

At the supermarket I finally selected a Coke mixed drink with Black Balsam in it, for around 1 lat. I also decided to try some Vodka, and selected a popular looking brand for around 4 lats. At the register I caused quite a hold-up as I attempted to ask for a bag for my drinks. In Riga they charge you for plastic bags, and you have to ask for them specifically. I asked the lady for a plastic bag and she wanted 5 santīms or cents. Talk about nickel and diming! That's just the way it is here however. They also charge extra for cream and sugar if you order a coffee.

It started raining heavily again, and I traveled to the holocaust museum which has good cover from such weather. I decided to go to my favorite coffee place, Tea and Coffee Garden! There I actually ran into a pleasant barista, and she was happy to answer my many silly questions. She was from outside of Riga. I have noticed that Latvians from outside of the city are generally nicer than those from the city. Perhaps it's too early to make such a generalization though. The barista explained in detail about the differences between coffee and espresso, at least at her cafe. Coffee is just a larger quantity, but it is also weaker. Espresso is a small quantity, but stronger. This is similar to back home. I can hardly imagine how strong espresso must be here though. The coffee tastes like espresso from back home it's so strong!

Many Latvians don't consider Riga a city, but something closer to "the country inside a city" if that makes any sense. They say that everyone knows everyone around here. I've started to notice some "regulars" around Old Town so I can believe that. The opera singing man was out again today near McDonalds, and he's always fun to listen to. He has been the most consistent street performer that I've seen so far.

I ventured around on both sides of the Freedom Monument. The entire area is essentially a large park with some streams and even flower gardens. There are plenty of park benches and paths to walk down. The water seems pretty dirty in this area for some reason. The ducks don't seem to mind but I certainly wouldn't want to touch it. I wonder what that's all about? The area around the Freedom Monument is by far the best people watching area. There are tons of locals and tourists crossing the road going into and out of Old Town. The traffic here actually stops for pedestrians! Amazing!

While walking towards the tram station, I walked by the restaurant "TurKebab". This is a self-proclaimed authentic Turkish kebab restaurant which has a fast-food feel. I decided I really wanted to try one of the kebabs. They offered me some different choices, such as chicken or beef, or both. I chose both. I also selected hot sauce. The kebab was large and very tasty. The price was a great value at somewhere around 2.5 lats. Like most restaurants, they had an outdoor terrace and free wifi. The password for the wifi was on the receipt.

During the last few days, I haven't had quite the endurance as before, so I went home a bit earlier than usual. I've been doing SO much walking here and I'm not used to it. After getting back to the hotel I went to check out the first floor restaurant. The waitresses there always seem very jumpy, as if they could be fired at any moment for not providing the best service. My favorite not so friendly yet incredibly beautiful (Russian?) waitress came to ask if I needed help before I could even read the menu at the entrance. I asked what time the buffet closed but she didn't have time for my questions and ran off someplace. Another waitress came over to give me the hours. I wasn't particularly hungry so I headed to my room to try the Black Balsam Coke! It was similar to a Jack Daniels and Coke, with some additional strange flavors.

While writing this post, I watched Latvia win a bronze medal in Men's Beach Volleyball! Congratulations to Latvia on their first medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games!