Why I loved Riga (Latvia)
 

Here are my thoughts on a very snowy Riga, the Latvian capital. It was my first time visiting the Baltics, and its made me want to see much more. Very cold, but the snowy weather was magical.

http://www.adventuresofelis.com/2016...onderland.html

Let me know what you think! :-)
Elis

I think your photos are beautiful, but I would never ever spend money to go TO snow.
But you love for the place comes through.
Thanks for posting this.

Snow is such a novelty to me, I get so excited when I see it! But I always enjoy going to new places, so this way I could combine the two :-) I would recommend Riga to anyone, such a lovely city in such a lovely country.

Thank you for the lovely trip report and photos.. I agree Riga does look like an interesting place to visit.. My grandmother was born there.. in 1912.. but left for Canada in 1927 as sort of a mail order bride, her sister was already married and living here and sent for her sister as there was a nice single blacksmith in their settlement who needed a wife.. lol She never went back, obviously it was not a place to go through the wars etc.. I have often thought what it would be like to go back to the "old country"... my grandmother talked of it often. She came from a family with 13 children and she lost contact with all those left behind.. so sad.

I love Riga also and it was nice to see it in winter time via your pictures

Elis

In your first picture if you click to enlarge is that not

The City Hall ( Town Hall) on the left edge
The Statue of Roland in front.
St. Peter's Church
and

House of Blackheads on the right.!!

How long was your flight from Britain to Riga ?

I really enjoyed Riga and regretted only that I couldn't spend more time there. I especially enjoyed learning about Lativian history in WWII and the Cold War.

However, I'd never go there in the winter. It's cold enough at home that I wouldn't care to pay to go to Latvia.

Loved Riga, but we had a summer visit with friends.

Enjoyed the photos and what matters, is your thoughts visiting this time of the year.

We next visit Vilnius where my grandmother was born.

Loved all 3 Baltic countries.

I am another fan of Riga, but then I am a huge Art Nouveau fan. I hope to go back, but NOT in winter!

Thanks for the trip report and beautiful photos, Elis. I am looking forward to visiting Riga in a few months. The snow is beautiful and I wouldn't mind it, but it will likely be gone by then.

Loved your tale and pictures of Riga. I am planning a trip there for late this summer. The snow enhanced your pictures, but I wouldn't pay to go anywhere with snow today. It was 8 below, windchill 29 below (that's Fahrenheit).

I'm also considering a trip to the Baltics, this spring. Riga of course would be part of my itinerary. Also probably Vilnius and Tallinn but hoping to branch out from the capitol cities too. (And maybe add a side trip to Russia!)

Thanks for the trip report and the winter pictures, Elis. I don't think I'd want to be there in the dead of winter either, though!

Lovely photos. I visited Riga in October 2011. The weather was much more agreeable then though. It was not what I expected and I came away with a great love of Latvia in general. A friend and I took a day trip to the countryside, visiting Bauska Palace, Rundale Palace and Jelgava Palace, among other spots. Jelgava is now a university, but our tour guide had attended there and found an unlocked door so we could roam around the halls for a bit. Heading back to Riga, we stopped at the St. Trinity-Sergiev Nunnery, a Russian Orthodox monastery. It was amazing. If I were to visit again, I'd just rent a car and drive randomly around the country.

trsny - how did you do that day trip? Sounds like an organized day tour? How did you find it and could you report a little more on what you saw, etc. I'll be in Riga for 3 days in July. Not sure if I have time for a day trip but would like some options lined up and I'm not finding a lot in guidebooks or on line. Thanks

Hi isabel,

It was an organized tour with the Sacred Miles group. The name of the tour is called, "Hill of Crosses – a sign of spiritual resistance"

http://baltictravel.sacredmiles.com

Our tour guides were religious, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a religious tour. However, they have a deep knowledge of the religious history of the area and they incorporate that into the tour, so there's a spiritual lean to things. That's why they stop at the monastery, but that place was absolutely cool. It was apparently a battlefield so there are rows of WWI graves as you enter the gates.

Everything was at mine and my friend's pace and they made stops at our convenience. One of my many favorite memories from that tour was meandering around an apple orchard before going into Rundale Palace, and eating apples from the ground.

The reason I chose that tour was because I'm fascinated by Romanov history and I really wanted to visit Jelgava and Rundale Palaces, and the Hill of Crosses was a nice touch. I don't know how much the Latvian tourism industry has changed since I visited, but in 2011, I don't recall too many public transport options to get out to the countryside and palaces. That may have changed though.