Surprise in Latvia
I'm Stunned!!I’m stunned!! It’s a good bet that 99% of the American population has no idea where Riga is, or Latvia for that matter, and yet it is one of the coolest places I’ve been. Its old center has quite a few structures dating from the 13th century; its streets are entirely cobblestone; and it is full of life at all hours. Another nice feature is that even at the beginning of mid-summer, there are very few tourists.
A Few Liters with the Swedes
I got here Monday around noon, and after walking around a bit I caught some dinner. There are at least 3 different squares where restaurants line the street, and I found probably the busiest one. At dinner, I met a bunch of Swedes, and after dinner we drank a few liters of beer in a beer-tent in the middle of the square. From there it was a bar crawl ‘til 6am. Good times.
I wanted to shoot the city the next morning, but I couldn’t get out of bed until after noon. So instead I resolved myself to get up early Wednesday. On the bright side, I did find a way to get to Helsinki from here. When I left Parnu, I knew that I had two options: one was to be on a bus for 5 or 6 hours to Talinn and a ferry for 2 or 3 hours to Helsinki; the other was to catch a jet directly from Riga to Helsinki. The second was my preference, but I didn’t really feel like going to the airport to purchase a ticket.
Beer & the Travel Agent
Luckily, I saw a travel agent from my bench while eating lunch. With beer in hand I walked into the agent’s office. In my best Russian I asked for a ticket to Helsinki. She looked at me, annoyed at the fact I brought a half-liter glass of beer into her store, and told me they didn’t sell those kinds of tickets, but she did give me directions to an agent that sells airfare. And after crossing the square, I purchased a one-way ticket to Helsinki on Thursday.
Shoot Riga
Tuesday ended early – I was pretty tired from the night before, and spending the whole day drinking beer in the sun didn’t help much. Wednesday I kept my word to myself. I woke up at 9:30am, and shot the city. By following my cartoon-like map from a local tourist guide, I managed to shoot all the historic buildings in the town. I had to shoot most of the buildings at close angles – the narrow streets weren’t designed with photography in mind. But I think these turned out ok.
Helsinki Tomorrow
Tomorrow I have a 11:20am flight, and I supposed to text Anders when I get to town. I’ll fill you in on the debauchery from there. This is the home stretch; after Helsinki, I’ll be on my way home.
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