So since the last post we have made our way from semi-sunny Tallinn to semi-sunny Riga in Latvia. Managed to be the most under-dressed people in an otherwise classy bar in Tallinn on our last night, some pretty awesome views of Tallinn at night...
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| Finally... a decent glass of red! |
After a very short 4 hour bus ride, highlights including Tom falling down the stairs of the bus due to being overexcited about his pack of Cheetos, we arrived in Riga. Riga is quite similar to Tallinn, with a lovely little Old Town, but it has much more to see outside of the Old Town. There is a Soviet area, a street art area, Art Nouveau area and the old Jewish ghetto. One of the main highlights has been the amazing food and drink - and how cheap it is! A particular favourite was 'Shots Cafe', which had over 120 shots on the menu and most were less than a dollar. Tom has taken a liking to Latvia's national drink, Black Balsam, which tastes like Jager but twice as bitter. It's as gross as it sounds, but apparently a shot a day keeps the doctor away so who are we to argue? Tom should be as fit as a fiddle for the next 6 months (at least).
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| Latvian garlic bread - deep fried, covered in garlic and served with aoili... hello heart disease! |
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| Tom having a moment with his first Chicken McNugget meal of the trip |
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| Tom having another moment... this time with fried potato pancakes, bacon and sour cream. Perfect hangover cure! |
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| The culprit of said hangover... Black Balsam |
I have had a fantastic time exploring Riga's Central Market - huge zeppelin pavilions full of fruit, veg, cheese, bread and meat. Managed to buy enough rump steak and veg for 7 meals (feeding us, an Irishman and a Chilean) for about $9! The men were having withdrawals from lack of red meat so an emergency steak was required.
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| Feeding the meat-eaters, with some veg thrown in for good measure |
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| Central Market fruit and veg stalls |
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| The meat pavilion... fun trying to buy things without speaking a word of Latvian. May explain why I bought enough meat to feed an army. |
Yesterday we ventured out on a day trip to Sigulda, which is a lovely town about an hour out of Riga in the middle of a national park. We caught a rather small cable car across the river then wandered through the forest up to a 13th century fortress with Eddie (a.k.a. The Disappearing Irishman - has a habit of wandering off but can always be found eventually!). Amazing views all round.
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| The Disappearing Irishman and Tom in a cave near Sigulda |
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| Perhaps too much Latvian garlic bread for Tom? |
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| View from Turiada Fortress in Sigulda |
Today we are off to Vilnius in Lithuania. Farewell Latvia, the land of giant food portions and dirt cheap alcohol, you will be sorely missed!
