FRIDAY, 27 JANUARY 2008
The arrival
11 am :The 16-hour ride had peen paid off with the arrival at this small, but magnificent city. As the Ecolines bus came to a complete halt, we stepped out of the bus, collected our luggages and walked into the bus terminal.
Inside the terminal, the first thing we tried to look for was a money changer. Fortunately one opened just as we arrived. While standing in the queue, an old lady approached me and begged for some coins. I told her that I hadn’t got any Lats (Latvian currency) yet in my hand, and she was convinced and left us.
Next was food. Throughout the journey I just ate some buns, and of course I needed to replenish my energy. Bought some pastries at a bakery inside the terminal using the money obtained by exchanging my Russian Rouble. The price was not that bad, even lower than its Moscow counterpart, I realised.
Friendly Fun Franks Hostel
Well well where do we go now? I asked myself. Of course to the hostel, which is according to the map printed from the Friendly Fun Franks Hostel website, is just a walking distance from the terminal building. However, we didn’t find the street we need, forcing us to visit the Information Kiosk and ask the young man in charge there. Brochures are, of course, my favourite, so I grabbed a few there before leaving. Thanks to that guy, each of us had a handy map then!
In no time we reached the hostel, located directly facing the majestic Daugava river. We pressed the doorbell, and a lady’s voice sweetly greeted us from upstairs.
- Zane : Hello, Friendly Fun Franks Hostel, how may I help you?
- Ilyas : Hi there, we are your new guests. We booked for a night at your place. Would you show us where to come in?
- Zane: Mr. Ilyas? Yes, we know that. You are the only guests this morning. Oh, just walk around the corner to your right, and come in from the back door.
We did as instructed, entered the building from the back door and climbed the stairs to the reception. Voila, Miss Zane, as she preferred to be called, was standing there at the reception desk, greeting us with such a warm smile. That’s the real cure to our tiredness!
Peter showed her the booking details, but she rejected, saying that she had it. It was lying there on the desk, as if they had been really expecting us that morning! The bar was just right next to the reception hall. We left our bags near the desk and sat at the bar stools. With a warm, friendly attitude, Zane exclaimed, “Welcome to Riga! And as promised, free drinks for all of you!”. Oh yeah! We felt even more comfortable by then, as she served us some soft drinks (others preferred beer) and gave a briefing, explaining everything about the hostel and the city. This young lady spoke English perfectly, and everything that she said was crystal clear and convincing. No wonder they’ve got international awards: including the Best Youth Hostel in the World!
We booked for beds in shared rooms, as they were the cheapest. Despite the room being so cold as a result of some heating inefficiency, I was satisfied. The toilets and bathrooms are also shared. Kitchen was very clean, tea, coffee and sugar are complementary. They also provided free internet access, 24 hrs, through their own computers or Wifi.
All right, that’s quite enough! After a refreshing shower and brief rest, it’s time to hit the streets and walk till we drop!
Wandering around Riga
2 pm: brrrrr it was freezing cold! 0 degree celcius shouldn’t be that cold, but the Baltic sea breeze that caressed our skin was killing us.
Because the old town was so small, we managed to cover a lot of places by foot within half a day. The map was definitely useful for navigation. Plus, the map that Zane gave indicates all of the important must-see attractions scattered all over the old town.
Below is a series of pictures, arranged in order from the first place visited that day to the last, with short descriptions about the places I’ve been to. Be aware that pictures below are selected as the most important and the best of all, however there are dozens of other candid and scenery pictures. To view them all, visit:
- My Myspace page (login is required)
- My Friendster page (login is not required, but unfortunately the Stockholm album is not complete)
- Для русскоязычных, посещайте мой сайт на вконтакте.ру (требуется регистрация). [only for Russian-speakers]
This was the nearest attraction site from our hostel.
The Museum was established in Rīga in 1993 by the Occupation Museum Association (before 2006 – Foundation) to:
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provide information about Latvia and its people under two occupying totalitarian regimes from 1940 to 1991;
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remind the world of the wrongdoings committed by
foreign powers against the state and the people of Latvia;
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remember those who perished, who suffered, and who fled the terror of the occupying regimes.
Just around 50 m away from the Occupation Museum. 300 years ago the 64.5 m high steeple was the highest wooden structure in the world. Now there is an elevator built in the tower, which takes visitors to tower’s second gallery located on 72 m height to enjoy the city panorama. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the top. Time was short.
Pēterbaznīcas iela ( St. Peter’s Church Street )
The street where the church can be found. An example of a typical Rigan architecture. Heavily influenced by the Gothic style, with a touch of modern refurbishment (the windows look new).
Skarnu (Butchers’) Street is one of the most beautiful streets in the old town. It was the central street in the German settlement in the beginning of the 13th century and the first market was also located here.
Well-painted building
Just love the decoration. Unique.
Latvian cat =)
Me playing with a stray cat on the street. Believe me, cats too like Riga. Many can be found here playing hide-and-seek =).
Riga Cathedral (Latvian: Rīgas Doms) is the Protestant Cathedral in Riga, Latvia. Built near the Daugava river in 1211 by Albrecht von Buxthoeven, it is considered the largest medieval church in the Baltic states.
Picturesque sunset scene with the Riga Suspension Bridge in the background.
Jēkaba Kazarmas ( Jacob’s Barracks )
Jacob’s Barracks is the longest building in Old Riga. The Barracks were built in the 18th century, these are the only preserved 18-19th century barracks in Riga.
Trokšņu iela (Noise Street) no doubt got its name from the market that was once held in the narrow confines of this street which runs on the inside of the old city walls (built between the 13th and 16th centuries) from Jēkaba iela to Smilšu iela.
In this picture we can see the entrance to the Swedish Gate, which was built in 1698 to celebrate the Scandinavian occupation of Riga. This is the oldest surviving portion of the old town walls.
And one of the last pictures of the day! Walking along the Jacob’s Barracks.
As soon as it got darker and colder, we hurriedly walked back towards the direction to the hostel. On the way we found the restaurant Zane recommended : Lido restaurant. There we had not only a nice dinner but observe the cooking process with our own eyes. As a rule, the interiors are made to the Latvian national style, and their main features are wooden benches, crocks, water-mills. Waiters and waitresses were also clad in Latvian traditional costumes. Excellent cuisine, reasonable prices and cosy atmosphere add to the popularity of this restaurant.
That night we were already packing for the next destination: Berlin.
SATURDAY, 28 JANUARY 2008
Leaving Riga
10 am: GOODNESS! We were late! Waiting at the wrong bus stop caused more delay, but thanks to a Russian passer-by who showed us the correct one, we wouldn’t be acting foolishly waiting for the bus that wouldn’t come. However, as time was running out, we decided to stop a taxi to the airport at 10.45 am. And the flight was scheduled to take-off at 12 pm!
11.15 am: Phew, we made it. Luckily the airport is not far from the town. The check-in counter personnel was questioning us, why were we late. However, we managed to get the boarding pass.
11.25 am: Ok, now we have the boarding passes in hand. But we were stuck at the passport control! Again, as usual, they looked at our Malaysian passports in doubt, whether they were genuine or not. The fuss ended for half-an-hour after we heard announcements calling our names.
12 pm : Made it to the boarding gate. We had to run all the way. But the ladies there wouldn’t let us in! She said we had to return to the main hall and change our flight. How ridiculous, the aerobridge to the plane was not detached yet, and the doors weren’t armed yet, but….
Without complaining, we returned to main hall through the arrival lanes, having our passports stamped again and baggage reclaimed . The officers were shocked after realising that we have just ‘exited’ the country 10 minutes ago.
Luckily enough, we were allowed to board the flight later in the evening at 6.35 pm (yes, we had to wait for another 6 hrs in the airport) without any charges. Such a relief! We calmed ourselves down at TGI Friday’s, having a decent lunch and some coffee. After spending too much time there, we rechecked-in and waited at the gate.
(Me posing outside a cute souvenir shop at the airport, with an attractive sign : Made in Latvia)
(My AirBaltic boarding pass)
6.35 pm : Take-off. Yes, I understand that I am actually a zealot of planes taking-off, but it was way to dark, that there was nothing to be captured with the camera. Otherwise I’d have requested the window seating and started pinching my camera at the window, recording the take-off scene and most importantly, the scenery outside. So I just didn’t bother about anything outside and dozed off,anxiously ‘dreaming’ about Berlin.
Conclusion
Well, there goes my whole second day in Riga, wasted at the airport alone. Sob sob ((. I’d still have the time to admire Riga once again, and cover the places I haven’t seen (like the Freedom Monument)! But still, this is what we call experience, I hadn’t missed a flight before! Mistakes are not bound to be repeated!
Overall, I never regret visiting Riga. Needless to repeat this again, Riga is a city unlike others. It has its own uniqueness within itself. Architecture, people, places…. are truly unique, although outside influences are rather obvious. It is convenient to explore the Old Town by foot, and should not exceed more than 2 days. For those architectural fanatics, couples on honeymoon, students on holiday and simply any kind of avid travellers out there, I strongly RECOMMEND you Riga, the capital of Latvia, the Land of Songs.
(to be continued. Next post: BERLIN, Germany)
