Riga, Latvia
it's all about the honey
I spent a total of a week in Riga. I became well-acquainted with the charming streets, central park and Latvian honey.
It’s been an interesting transition for me, coming back into Europe. I have been experiencing a bit of a cultural shock, believe it or not. Being exposed to such systems, organization and structure in the daily life has been a bit overwhelming. Even the expected mannerisms while in public and the subtle pressures of appearance and conversations. These are topics that I could go a lot more in depth but I’ll leave that for an in person conversation :)
In Riga, I stayed at a total of 3 different hostels! This was due to some last minute decisions and poor planning. I ended up taking a last minute, week trip to Istanbul but needed to come back here for a flight that was already purchased. I quickly felt like I had too much time in Riga. It’s surprisingly a really small city. Both Estonia and Latvia are such small countries. I didn’t even think about that when coming from Russia. Previously, I had been traveling with the notion of spending more time in one place… but quickly learned that my travel style was going to change slightly in these parts of the world.
My days were spent traveling to the morning market, walking the streets and lounging in the central park. It’s a beautiful city with amazing architecture. The Art Nouveau district is absolutely incredible. I was in awe of the all of the details and overwhelmed by the European charm. I loved the food markets and to my surprise there were a lot of Russians there. I was able to keep with the few phrases I learned while in Russia. I consumed an absurd amount of honey while in Latvia. I tried all the different types and ended up buying some to take with me. Unfortunately, it only sustained me for a couple weeks after I left. I also discovered birch juice, which is a water sap collected from the trees. It sits for a few days, undergoing a light fermentation. Reading up on it, it sounds like its a magical drink, a cure for all.
I met a few other travelers while at my hostels but I think overall, I was in a strange mood and felt like keeping to myself, experiencing this transition and observing the world around me. Seeing these strong western influences and trying to understand how I felt. I remember sitting at a place, sipping a beer with a friend I met at one of the places that I was staying. Next door, there was a bachelorette party going on inside. The girls were enjoying themselves, laughing, talking loudly and phallic balloons floating all around them. This has been something that I have had my own opinions about before, now entering this world again after being gone for almost a year, it was a lot for me to take in. I couldn’t help but think of where I had been over the last year and something like this would never happen in those places. Like I said, it was an adjustment.
My second time around in Riga, I traveled to Jurmala (just north at the sea) and met with a Couchsurfing host, Renate. I am really happy that I connected with her. This was the highlight of my time while in Latvia. I only made the trip there because she was willing to host me. She lived amidst the forest right along the Baltic Sea. She had a charming little flat. We spent the first day just chatting and getting to know each other. We walked through the forest and out to the sea. Spent hours walking the beach to the city center, Majori. Back at the house, she had made a delicious cake and we spent the rest of the evening on the balcony over-looking the river and enjoying more conversations.
The next day consisted of more conversations, more walks in the forest and trips to the beach. We met with her friend and young daughter. They were so sweet. After another nice, relaxing day - I headed back to the city for my last and final days before heading to Denmark.
Overall, Riga was a nice place.
