The Tourist Edit
After writing Part 1: The Shopping Edit, I am feeling content about my holiday to Latvia. I do have a YouTube video relating to this Part 2 blog post, however, this is where I put my pictures and all the bits I forgot to say on camera.
I thought it would be useful to share my experience of holidaying to Latvia, as it is not a common holiday destination for people in the UK. I am still undecided, but by the end of this article I shall conclude whether I will be going back to Latvia.
I’ll be answering the thoughts you don’t have to admit to, such as cleanliness and safety.
Below is my favourite picture I took on my travels: I think I will get it framed. Nothing fancy, a woman walks past and the Latvian flag floats in the pretty alleyway. The lady wears a blue cloche hat. Lots of women wore a beret or cloche hat.
Why Latvia?
I pretty much pick my holidays wherever Ryan Air will fly to from Manchester. I had briefly discovered from books and YouTube videos that Latvia had it’s own colour work style. Ever since the Arne and Carlos knitting cruise in Norway, I have been interested in colour work projects; making something that is practically warm and will last.
And that’s about as much thought as I put into picking my destination. I got the vibe that it’s a city, but small enough that I won’t have to do lots of transport planning and can’t go too wrong if I do get lost.
The flight was about 2 hr 40 and honestly I’d say there were about 10 people with Manchester accents on the plane, the rest spoke in what I presume is Latvian. Already not giving me Brit holiday vibes…but that isn’t always a bad thing!
First impressions
We flew over Denmark and Southern Sweden…so lots of little islands with sparse houses and wondering how does one get a pint of milk. As we flew lower in preparation to land in Riga, the view was very pastoral and large farmhouses, somewhat run down.
The airport bus stop was easy enough to find and I would recommend this over random men approaching me saying ‘Taxi’-not nice at all to experience solo. Oh yes, I should mention this was a solo adventure, because I needed space for me and to indulge in going in whatever shops I wanted.
The airport bus stop was easy enough to find and I spoke to my first Latvian person to confirm. She was very smiley and chatty; happy to help. The bus journey cost 1 euro 50, which I still can’t quite believe. I had written down the stop I was to get off at, but then Google Maps had different ideas. Also the screen on the bus was small and the sound too quiet. So, I got off at the wrong stop which was a good 30 minute walk at Rachel speed, but this was no bother and I had a lovely walk across the bridge over the river.
This side of the river felt a little intimidating as a solo traveller and I was glad it was still light. A bit of a ‘roll em up‘ moment, with dilapidated and graffitied buildings. So, I was quite cautious following my phone, but I eventually got there.
I have to say that the Old Town is very clean – on par with Norway. I don’t think this is something people from the West expect from Eastern Europe, however, I have nothing but praise. I would certainly recommend for female solo travellers in terms of safety. I go to bed early anyway, so can’t really comment on night life safety, but when I did go to the corner shop it was dark and I felt safe. No dodgy alleyways or anything like that. There are certainly a few in Manchester I’d avoid in the daytime!
The architecture is stunning and reminded me of my dolls house when I was younger. If you just want a wander, I would suggest going to the art nouveau part (type in Alberta street on your map).
It was difficult to tell what the socio-economics are like in Riga. I didn’t see anyone begging and people were dressed nicely, but as I said to my mum, no one was overweight either! I stayed at a spa hotel for 50 euros night – bargain – but the spa treatments were similar to UK prices, so quite costly.
Coffee/hot chocolate were the price you’d expect to pay in any European city, such as Dublin or Vienna; around 4-4.50 euro, which is a trifle expensive. This may just be me being a plonker, but I struggled to find food. Let me explain before I sound silly.
I think it’s a European thing where people are content with a pastry and a hot drink for breakfast, which is lovely but I need substantial sausage or bacon to set me up for a day of shopping. I had breakfast in a chocolate shop one day and had a shortbread chocolate biscuit. Me and the barista laughed it was not healthy, but indeed very delicious.
For lunch (dinner, where I’m from, but I do have to be understood by an international audience now) I found a cheese croissant and herbal tea, but struggled the other days to just find a café that wasn’t pastries again. Riga, where are your hearty cafes!? So, another lunch I had chips with an amazing cheese sauce. But even I don’t want chips every day.
For dinner (again, I’d call it tea) I went to a nice Italian restaurant the first evening. Being me, I did drop a knife and almost took the table with me standing up, so there is no way I could go there again. Next night was Burger King, but I really did crave proper cooked food. There are quite a few oriental food places, but that’s not really to my taste. There are burger places, but I didn’t want that again either. So, again, I struggled to find food, which sounds utterly mad. My experience of other European places has been cafe’s and restaurants every couple of metres, but not the case in Riga. The third night I had an awful vending machine pizza. An honourable mention should go to McDonalds Café, where I had a lovely thick cheesecake.
Things to do
The wool shops I had planned in the morning were not open until 10 and half 10. This is the case for the majority of shops in Riga, so do have a lie in if you can, as there won’t be anything else to do for a while. Whilst wandering to pass the time, I stumbled upon a lovely museum which was only 6 euros to get in. What attracted me was their sign for a special exhibition on Uzbekistan embroidery.
The Art Museum, Riga
On your map, it may be called Mākslas muzejs RĪGAS BIRŽA. This is located right near Hobbywool and I really enjoyed myself in here because they had a lot of textile exhibits as well as art. The museum had a lot to see, but not so big to be overwhelmed and have achy feet. Their ehibits are from around the world, so I guess the one thing I didn’t get to see was Latvian art culture. I did spot some English Wedgewood pottery. Enjoy the pictures below; my favourite was the Asian textiles with luscious gold thread woven through. I also liked the chintzy German and Austrian ceramics.
The special exhibition was at no extra cost and is called Suzani: A Story of an Embroiderer. This is a lady who is teaching others the dying art of Uzbek style embroidery. The exhibition had step by step models, as well as a massive large scale textile. If I were to be picky, on the large piece, some of the designs did not match up because of the seams. I would like to know if this is intentional and within the traditional design, or is an oopsy. Have a see what you think!
Latvia museum of Decorative Arts and Design
This is a lovely little museum, however, it did not meet my expectations for a couple of reasons. Entry was 6 euros, but there were not as many exhibits as the previous museum I paid the same to visit.
I loved seeing a variety of crafts, such as stain glass and beautiful woodwork. My uncle is into woodwork, so I really appreciated and enjoyed what I saw. There was a section of modern textiles and silversmithing, but for me I wanted to see traditional Latvian folk costume and to learn about the designs and techniques for making. There wasn’t anything on Latvian clothing, which I found disappointing as that’s what I wanted to learn about.
I’d recommend this museum on a rainy day.
Riga Orthodox Cathedral
This is a beautiful building and free to enter, which never happens at cathedrals. Women have to cover their hair and there are headscarves to borrow, or you can wear a hat/hood. I picked a leopard print scarf which I thought looked a bit saucy for church and defeated the purpose.
I really loved the specific orthodox icon style of painting with gold in abundance. I purchased a long candle to light for only 45 cents, except the signs were in Latvian so I have no idea which saint I prayed to.
People were very respectful in the building and the cathedral is a nice free place to go. I would recommend females consider if they would be happy to cover their head and both genders to dress respectfully in the summer. There were signs for no strappy tops or shorts. I did not take any pictures inside out of respect.
In conclusion
I would like to particularly highlight Latvian people. Most were super friendly, which really made my holiday. Signs are in English, Latvian and Russian, so it’s a good destination for English speakers. Latvians also speak English very well and there were no mistakes in communication. Despite there being hardly any British people there, the friendliness of Latvians meant I never felt the odd one out.
Riga in particular is a beautiful and very clean city. Be prepared that Latvia is a smaller country than you may be used to visiting. I recon I could have done one more day and travelled further out, to the Open Air Ethnographic Museum and chocolate museum. My only let down was being hungry!
If you like to drink, then your holiday will be expensive. Alcohol seemed priced like other European capitals – I paid 5 euros for half a lager. ‘Ow much!?
A final mention, like any good Brit, should go to the weather. It was cold but beautifully. The fresh sort of cold that refreshes your lungs. I really like this type of weather for my health. In the UK, the air is cold and wet, but Latvia was cold and dry air. In March it was about 1 degree Celsius in the daytime and I had a big coat and thin hand knitted jumper. I actually stopped wearing my thermals as I got too hot.
Would I go again?
Yes, but maybe in about 10 years. Like I say, it is a small place, but for me who specifically likes crafts, then I would be tempted back sooner, especially to Hobbywool. I would really recommend Latvia for people wanting to holiday somewhere nice, safe and a change of scenery. The drivers were also safe and not wacky races like other European destinations (Italy, I’m looking at you especially!).
Another proud moment for me and I feel this has been my best navigating so far. Let me know if you have ever been to Latvia, or are inspired to go. A special thank you goes out to a viewer who emailed in with lots of tips for visiting Latvia.
Take care,
Rachel G x
Little Miss Drop Stitch 