Returning to Riga

What better way to enjoy the autumn days of September than to make a tour across the Baltic states. First stop is Riga and it feels good to be back, a decade later.

Even though I found a few new things, most things are still the same. The Art Nouveau architecture is gorgeous as ever, the cobblestones are all over the place and the cat remains on top of the tower.

Skyline of Riga.

And of course, the locals are just as grumpy as usual. One day, I will succeed in my mission to make at least one of them smile.

Urban shortcut.

The Depeche Mode Bar was a highlight and the nearby Republika turned out to be fun with three livebands doing their worst Lavian growl metal.

But even more interesting was the hipster area located in a long walk north of the old town. We roamed through the brewpub Labietis, devoured the Laima chocolate museum and found other strange stuff. As usual, the gems are hidden outside the main tourist trail.