The European Capital of Culture

The Central Market in Zeppelin hangers

We continued the journey north through the Baltic States into Latvia to spend some time exploring its capital, Riga.  Sitting at the crossroads of former great European powers and strategically situated for trade, Riga has been invaded by numerous rulers over the centuries.  Unsurprisingly, Latvia has a very dark history with the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact initially seeing their fledgling independence (post WW1) signed away and the nation swallowed up by the Soviet Union.   Latvia then initially welcomed the Nazi’s with some believing they would restore independence before the Red Army finally retook the Baltic lands.  The Occupation Museum was a moving tribute to those that lost their lives under the regimes with harrowing videos of interviews from survivors describing their time in the gulags when the region underwent mass deportations during the Russification of the Baltic States. The guide on the walking tour commented that joining NATO and gaining the Euro were very important to Latvia’s future security with an unpredictable neighbour putting pressure on the region and with 25% of the total population remaining Russian.  Despite all this, two decades of independence seemed to have been well spent and the nation seemed intent on promoting Latvian culture and heritage.

The Old Town, Riga

When we arrived in Riga Hannah (at least I remember it this way) was disappointed to discover that we had just missed Baltic Beauty 2015 so we set out to find James Bond as a replacement. As well as finding a showing in English the cinema was also handing out free champagne, bonus!  After this success we were ready to explore the narrow cobbled streets of the city’s old town.  Although not as impressive as Prague or Krakow the small old town has been well restored following the Soviet destruction of the city in retaliation for resisting the Red Army following the Nazi retreat.   It won the 2014 European Capital of Culture and optimism from locals under a coalition led by the leftist Green Party gave the city a positive atmosphere despite the plunging temperatures.  Just outside the centre was a huge market set in five gigantic Zeppelin Hangers that sold everything from local handicrafts to smoked eel and herring and was a great way to spend a few hours in the afternoon.

The Baltic Riviera

The following day we headed out of the city towards the Baltic's equivalent of the French Riviera and the town of Jūrmala, a short train journey away.  We arrived at the station with 3 minutes to run the length of the platform and our initial euphoria at getting on in time was quickly replaced by concern when a passenger informed us we were on the wrong train.  At that very moment the doors shut without warning and we set off in to the unknown.  Wearing a face akin to somebody that has just shit themselves in public Hannah began to panic but with detective work Sherlock Holmes would be proud of I looked at the other passenger’s attire and luggage and deduced we were on a local train rather than a long journey out of the city and sat down.     As it turned out the passenger had not understood our pronunciation of Latvian towns correctly (Jūrmala = yoor-muh-lah).   Jūrmala, is full of Russian oligarchs and subsequently it is full of shops selling the most garish fur coats. Huge new properties are sat back from the beach and so the waterfront is relatively unspoilt despite the investment.  Mixed in with the modern buildings are traditional wooden houses that look like something out of a fairy tale with bright colours and high spires adorning the individual designs.  After a long walk along the pristine beach in the sunshine we headed back to the city for our last night in Latvia before continuing our Baltic adventure in Estonia.