20 Hours in Riga: Part II

(This is a continuation from '20 Hours in Riga: Part I'- I would expect for you to figure that out).

View of Old Riga from the top of Doma Laukums' Tower

Old Riga feels like a little big village. As I made my way towards the plaza of Doma Laukums to meet up with the Couchsurfer that I had contacted the night before, I was amazed how clean this little part of town was. It was probably the high tourist traffic that caused such cleanliness. I noticed a lot of local tourism from the local Baltic countries, and many Germans. Many, many Germans. 

Oh, and the city of Riga is in a country called Latvia. Many people don't even know of such place unfortunately. At least many people in the western hemisphere don't. It is clearly overshadowed by more popular destinations. The Baltic countries are definitely beautiful small gems in northern Europe. Educate yourselves!

When I arrived to the plaza of Doma Laukums, I did exactly as I told the couchsurfer I was going to do: sit down and write in my small notebook, wearing a tan jacket, black skinny jeans, and tan shoes. Shortly after I sat down, I barely wrote three sentences when I heard my name. Katerina from Australia had found me without a hitch, and we hit it off. Like me, she had also arrived the day before and was looking for company, since her Couchsurfing host was at work. Her company was wonderful and it distracted me from missing Moscow. She knew a lot of little factoids about Riga, thanks to her host. Here are a couple:

- Fake windows are painted on buildings because (1) windows are desirable- it's human nature- and (2) during the Medieval Age it was believed that windows 'stole' sunlight from the city, making the days shorter.

- During soviet occupation, Latvians had to speak Russian when a Russian was in the same room. Today, about 30% of Latvians are Russian.

Highlights of the rest of the 5 hours I had in Old Riga:

Doma Laukums

This is worth the 3 Lats (~$6) that I paid for- this will admit you to the top of the tower, otherwise the cathedral is free. I got the student price, fortunately. The lady at the ticket office was snarky, though. I asked her if my student ID card was valid (since it is not an ISIC), and all she had to say was "well, you're a student right? and you are showing me card? you are student then!". 

The view from the top of the tower is beautiful, and you get the whole view of Old and Central Riga, even the over side of the River Daugava. Surprisingly the terrain is flat. The top of the church tower is a little claustrophobic, but you get to people watch as if you were a god high up above. 

Worth it? Yes. 

But there is another place with a view- and for free. Read on.

After walking around the city, admiring the quaint facades of the Old Town, we started to feel a bit hungry. She asked if I knew of a good place for lunch, and fortunately I had done some "cheap eats" research on my digital copy of my Lonely Planet guide of Riga:

Pelmeni XL

I think I was craving Russian food, so I led the way towards this wonderful little pelmeni establishment. Pelmeni is a Russian dumpling, often referred to as "Russian ravioli". Pelmeni XL is actually a small chain with only 2 locations withing Riga. After glancing at the menu, we deemed it worthy. Katerina wanted a little taste of Russia (or Latvian- pelmeni is also part of the Latvian cuisine now) since she had never been. The establishment is cafeteria style and you get to choose your pelmeni: pork, beef, chicken, veggie, fried; additional ingredients: sour cream, ketchup, carrots, pickles, parsley, dill. 

Paying for  my bowl- which they charge you by the weight- only came out to 1.65 Lats (~$3!)- with a drink. I should have piled on more pelmeni! And it was wonderful pelmeni. Katerina definitely agreed. 

Worth it? Yes. 

Pushpin recommended!

Rigensis

Since lunch was so cheap, Katerina wanted to get some dessert to make the most out of our short day together in Riga. After walking in circles for about an hour (and discovering Riga at the same time), we came across Rigensis, a small bakery. Judging by the amount of people in the patio basking in the sun and enjoying their beautiful tarts and pastries, we decided to check out what they had to offer. Immediately we knew this is were we wanted to spend dessert-time. I ordered Medus Kūka (which translates to Honey Cake) and a hot chocolate. My total was only 1.20 Lats (~$2!). I definitely felt a little rich being here. The Medus Kūka wasn't much sweet, but it was just perfect. My hot chocolate was one of the best I have ever had, tasting the sweetness of the milk, and the rich chocolate that was mixed in.

Worth it? Yes

Pushpin recommended!

Radisson Blue's Skyline Bar

After 4pm, the Skyline Bar in the hotel is open for guests and tourists alike. Katerina let me know of this because it is another beautiful view of Riga, both Central and Old. We took our fair amount of photos in the bar; I only had less than an hour left in Riga and with Katerina since my flight was at 19:30-ish. 

Worth it? Yes (it's free!), especially if you are on a budget and would rather spend it on souvenirs. ;]

It would have been lovely to spend another day in Riga, but I had to travel on. Thank you, Katerina, wherever your are now, for making my time in Riga oh-so-wonderful. You brightened my day. 

On the way to the airport, I ran into the same young man who asked me to exchange some coins at the bus stop the night before. As it turned out, he is an American from Boston currently living in Turkey (that explains his impeccable English) and was visiting Riga via Couchsurfing! We got to chat a bit while I waited for my flight. His sister was arriving that evening, so he went to pick her up. I passed on my bus pass that I bought the day before, since it was valid for 5 days- so that his sister could use it. (I should have bought the bus ticket ON the bus, I would have paid .50 Lats or something like that, not the 4 Lats for 5 days).

It's a wonderful feeling randomly meeting people with a common interest and participation like Coushsurfing. 

at the Riga airport, at the terminal about to depart.