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A week later I’m still in Riga. The main thing keeping me busy here apart from the beautiful architecture has been a very active Couchsurfing community. I’ve only just started getting in to Couchsurfing lately and initially I thought of it mostly as a way to save money on accommodation. It’s so much more than that: you can meet some really cool people. The community here meets once a week but I’ve spent many nights hanging out with people I’ve met: locals, expats or just other people passing through who’ve made contact through the Couchsurfing website. I’m sure there must be bad apples in the Couchsurfing community just the same way there is anywhere but the people I’ve met so far have been quality.

I’ve also come to appreciate the local beverage, Riga Black Balzams. Made from a mysterious concoction of herbs it’s quite a strong liqueur (45%) if you drink it straight (and apparently pretty nasty tasting) but I’ve only had it mixed with something else, usually hot. In coffee it was good and I always feel like I’m truly on holidays when I have alcoholic coffee because, as someone sensitive to caffeine, it usually means I’m drinking in the morning or early afternoon. Ooo! I’m so naughty! Balzam is also good with warm blackcurrant juice and this has become a favourite first drink after I walk in off the cold, windy street and slowly defrost in a warm bar.

The weather here hasn’t been fantastic but there have been short bursts of sunlight, mostly in the mornings, when I grab my camera and head out and try vainly to somehow “capture” this beautiful city. There are some amazing Art Nouveau buildings around and even without knowing much about the style it’s hard not to be impressed by the flourishes and decorativeness of their facades. Art Nouveau was popular from about 1890 to 1905 and used a lot of curved lines, sun motifs and plant designs. The buildings here also use a lot of masks or faces and for someone who knows a little more about the style you can apparently see the transition between early and late Art Nouveau as it transitions into more of an Art Deco style. In 1997 the old town of Riga was UNESCO listed for the “quality and quantity” of Art Nouveau architecture, though one of the best streets I’ve seen is actually not in the old town.

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Tags: Eastern Europe, Latvia, Riga