Today I went into the city of Riga. I went early and the traffic was quite busy. One thing I’ve noticed is that the Latvian drivers are quite competitive when it comes to driving, especially in the city. Basically, its fast and its every man for himself… I managed to get as close into the city centre as I could but was moved on twice by policemen as apparently it was permit-parking only. At one point I was looking at a parking sign and a policeman walked over and told me to park on the pavement. So I did, and it was great as it was an easy walk into the centre.
Riga is a really big city. It has a modern outskirts and is fortunate to have an old and original city centre. There is a large river running through the centre of the city, with the old city on the east bank and the more modern residential part on the west bank. The old city is full of very big and very grand old buildings, with many small streets and a few squares. St Peters Church has the largest spire in Riga, and towers above the city. There is also an elevator to the top so for 9eu I went to the top to get a splendid view over the city – from the tripod shaped communications tower to the west of the city and to the golden domes of the nearby orthodox church to the east, it was a spectacular view.
I spent the rest of the day just meandering around the city centre, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells from the many eateries. There were tourists around, but unlike some other destinations, it wasn’t overrun with tourists. I didn’t know what to expect from Riga, but I was pleasantly surprised how charming and regal the city is. Its lovely and I’m definitely coming back for more.
