Latvia (12/05/2017 - 12/08/2017)

The drive to Riga from Tartu was uneventful, however it was quite difficult actually finding our hotel after dark with a surprisingly large amount of traffic - not so surprising as Riga is the largest city in the Baltics.

Riga itself is a very flat city divided by the Daugava River. Tourism is a key driver of revenue for the city, especially with the influx resulting from numerous budget airlines.  We did not see as much Soviet architecture as we had expected, and many of the old buildings and churches were very well preserved considering the city's tumultuous history.

One thing of note was the strong medieval theme - you could see it in restaurants, the Christmas markets and in the souvenirs. The other big theme is the Riga Black Balsam - a bitter herbal alcohol made from 24 ingredients.

Following Riga we went to the Russian resort town of Jūrmala, which sat on the largest beach (as I was told) in Northern Europe.  It was pretty desolate in the winter, although we were lucky that some restaurants were open, and that we were able to enjoy a proper banya.

Riga

Jūrmala