Riga--part one

After I managed to work my logistical magic and procure us three tickets on the 2pm bus from tallinn to riga, derryn, rosa and I had a fourish hour ride punctuated by beautiful country scenery, great naps and bad foreign snack foods. We arrived, in the dark, to riga at roughly 7:30pm with no clue as to where we were.

The good news though, temperatures were going up: -19c!

We called the day mostly a write off, hit up the cash machine, ate dinner and promptly fell asleep in our hostel room made for 15. The next morning, Rosa and I layered Derryn under a pile of blankets and hit the town. And what a town it was.

Statue of Roland, though i'm not 100% certain who Roland really is
The House of Blackheads in Riga's central square--once home to all the merchants' guild
i am beginning to notice a theme of largescale vast emptiness in all of these photos...

bad hair aside, this fish head served us the final bill
brunch--pumpkin tartlets and beer. it's never too early for beer on holiday, right?

lots of colourful buildings

hat! snood! ice!
The inside is as dark and depressing as the outside, really a metaphoric victory to aesthetics. However, the museum was free and outlined the history of Latvian occupation from WW1 to present. Rosa and I spent the best part of two hours learning about Latvia's role in the USSR's powerstruggle. It was informative, interesting and really very sad.
The Three Brothers--(though you can only see two) are the oldest houses in Riga

More to come!