Riga

Xabier Osteikoetxea
Oct 5, 2019
4 min read

After Tallinn the next destination was Riga. This would be an interesting portion of the trip because a friend from Manchester who is originally from Latvia decided to join me there and show me around. Before arriving to Riga we first met with Ieva in the house she grew up in Svētciems which is close to the Estonian border and right on the road to Riga. It was really great to see the Latvian countryside and a typical house as well as having a chance to do some maintenance on the motorbike with her dad in his garage. Interestingly she told me that the house was originally bought in Soviet times with some proceedings from the sale of a used VHS player that they got from relatives living in the United Kingdom. In the garage I also saw a soviet motorbike project that apparently used to cost something like $13.

Motorbike servicing with Ieva's dad in Svētciems.

Next we traveled to Riga to visit the country's capital and the biggest city in the Baltics. In Riga we stopped in a Motorbike garage to finish some maintenance work we couldn't complete in Svētciems due to lacking some specialist tools. I was please to meet the guys in the shop who spoke excellent English and did an amazing job with a chain and sprocket change that with our earlier work in Svētciems left the motorbike running like a dream.

Completing the sprocket and chain change in Riga.

After taking care of the last motorbike maintenance we ventured into the city center to see some of the sights. There is the Daugava river going through town and the historical part of town is mostly found on the east side but there is a very modern looking library on the west side. This building houses the National Library of Latvia and to me the design looks from some futuristic space sci fi, almost as if you could place the library on a Star Wars destroyer ship. From the west side it is also great to look at the modern Vanšu bridge with a huge flag of Latvia across the river. This was one of my favourite sights in town.

My favourite view, the Vanšu bridge with a huge Latvian flag.

National Library of Latvia.

In the town center there are quite a few things to see and do. There is the Town Hall Square, called Rātslaukums, with the nearby House of the Black Heads and Saint Peter's Church in the background. Although less opulent, there is also a house of the black heads in Tallinn. The Brotherhood of Blackheads was a powerful guild for unmarried merchants, shipowners, and foreigners which sounds like an amazing guild to join.

Town Hall Square, called Rātslaukums.

Town Hall.

House of the Black Heads brotherhood.

From the town hall square one can walk towards the Latvian National Opera and nearby Freedom Monument located in the Bastejkalna park. Along the way a really cool sight is a "Cat Hostel" on the street. The Latvian National Opera is built in classic style and completed in 1863. We went to see Bolero Ballet and in addition to the actual performance the interior was majestic and transported me back to an earlier time in the turn of the 19th century.

Cat hostel.

Latvian National Opera.

Enjoying Bolero Ballet at the Latvian National Opera.

Another interesting walk is around Jacob's Barracks with the Powder tower and the coats of arms of Latvia's municipalities. Continuing towards the river there is the Riga Castle and an amazing modern art museum called Arsenāls. I was really impressed by the exhibits and would highly recommend it for modern art.

Powder tower and the coats of arms of Latvia's municipalities.

Arsenāls Modern Art Museum.

One last area of town that is worth visiting is around the Central Market with lots of different foods and fresh fish as well as food stalls with nice street food. Nearby there is also the Latvian Academy of Sciences built between 1951 and 1961 in Stalinist Architecture style. It is almost the same as the the main building of Moscow State University or the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.

Central Market.

Latvian Academy of Sciences.

Besides the sights and museums Riga also had nice nightlife. We went out and met with fellow Mexicans which is always great. Taken together Riga has lots to offer and it was especially nice to have met and seen the city with Ieva.