Riga

After yesterday's excitement concerning the launch of the Hong Count (now strategically placed on the sidebar for more practical viewing), life is pretty much back to normal. I suppose most readers were just too stunned by the counter to write a single comment! Martin at least got one comment, and ladies and gentlemen, he deserves the praise. Those dazzling milliseconds make him, in my opinion, the biggest genius on earth (after Bach). Take a bow!

But before I turn this blog into a forum of flattering friendships, let's turn to something else - like last weekend's escapade to Riga. Equipped with shawls, heavy winter coats, the notorious gran-daddies, boots, woolen socks and sweaters, we got a touch of what was to come already walking the short stretch from Tampere railway station to the bus stop near Keskustori. After a few steps, you can't feel your fingertips anymore, then your cheeks turn into stone, after which your legs feel like icicles and breathing becomes difficult. This pretty much summarises our weekend in Latvia!

Pinpointing Ryanair's favourite colour isn't too hard.

But don't get me wrong - even though walking more than five minutes outside was out of the question, we saw a lot of the city (and its cafes). A special touch to the trip was added by our excursion to Jurmala, a half hour train ride from Riga central train station. There, we met a friend with whom we saw the sea, the wooden mansions which obviously used to be much better taken care of in Soviet times, and ended up eating Armenian! (The second pork chop was a little too much).

The skyline of Old Riga.

Some things I learned in Riga:
1. It's bigger than Helsinki! I really did not know this.
2. There is no service culture. Waiters and shopkeepers treat you like they can't wait to get rid of you and you get some scary stares from the cashiers, too. Don't speak Latvian? Your problem!
3. The prices may seem low from the Finnish perspective, but viewed from the locals' point of view they quickly seem criminal.
4. Latvia was also occupied by Germany. (Okay, this wasn't such a big surprise, but I didn't realise the extent of the occupation - hundreds of thousands of people mysteriously "vanishing" from their homes in one night etc). This I found out in the very informative and excellent Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, a black ugly building (with no heating) in the middle of the Old Town.

We were lucky in the hostel - only two of the windows let the icy air in.

Here's a quote from Lonely Planet's online quickguide to Latvia:
Latvia is the small, flat and largely boggy meat in the sandwich between its Baltic neighbours. It packs a lot in though: start with Rīga, its vibrant coastal capital, and move on to photogenic castles, music festivals and scenic river valleys.

Vibrant is probably one of the favourite words of Lonely Planet authors, and why not. But BOGGY MEAT IN THE SANDWICH? Ouch!!

Only the beach towels are missing.