The rain in Riga

Falls mostly on your summer shoes soaking you straight to the bone. It is nothing like its Spanish cousin. But it is a little bit romantic--particularly when the man-boy behind the counter at Kuuka Kafe in Old Town Riga quips, in broken but still good English, 'without the rain we would have never met'. Indeed.

Now I'm one hot chocolate into my day surrounded by cushions sitting on a bay window seat in an admittedly beautiful city. A quirky one that prides itself on indie art, its Freedom Monument and pastries of every shape, size, colour and taste.

This isn't my first time in Riga. But last time, it took Rosa and myself three days to thaw upon our return to London. Rain beats -25 degree temperatures. And now Rosa's moved here to work at The International School of Riga, with all its perks like free housing and like minded colleagues. I'll definitely be exploring my international teaching options in the next few years.

That aside, we've discovered quite a bit more of Riga than last time--mostly food and shopping related. We also took a little trip on the train to Jurmala, the Latvian seaside with its very calm waters, white sand and myriad wooden houses, wool sock vendors and beach bars (selling lots of hot drinks).

Extensive pictures are, of course, forthcoming. As are the rest of my musings on the rest of Ghana and a little ten-day stint on the Island of Santorini. It seems this has been a summer of visiting my favourite places.

Until then...