Riga - 'Gateway to Latvia'

Quick Tips:

You may be conscious of Latvians staring at you - it appears to be a national pastime but don't be inhibited......just stare back.

Compared to other Baltic countries, Latvians do appear to drink a lot and you will see many people walking the streets drinking as they go. There are also higher numbers of beggars here than in the other Baltic Capitals so be careful of your valuables. Despite this, we felt safe, even when exploring dark streets in the evenings.

A word of caution - we found it very difficult to change US Travellers Cheques - most Bureau de Change don't accept travellers cheques and the banks had serious problems changing them - you may need to rely on your credit card or cash here.

Best Way To Get Around:

The restaurant itself is very small and not much to look at (in my experience, though, this is often a good sign when seeking out Oriental cuisine). Despite the plastic tablecloths, the food was fantastically flavorful and spiced with extremely fresh-tasting ingredients . . . sigh of relief . . . Korean food has a somewhat dubious reputation in the Western world, but this was a good introduction to the cuisine.

Our wonderful meal was followed by some rather intriguing herbal 'his and her's' tea--my wife's tea purportedly relieved 'women's problems' while mine was apparently meant to have a stimulating effect! Yee-ha!

The Baltic states are a carnivore's haven, but Kirbis allowed us some respite from the daily meat lashings that seem to be the staple of the local cuisine.

The restaurant/cafe is self service and, curiously, you pay for the food by weight--a common practice in Latvia-- and the fare is excellent value for money; it won't break the bank if you're holidaying on a tight budget. There's a choice of many salds, vegetables, and rice dishes, and both hot and cold meals with tasty-looking fruit desserts and yogurt-style puddings.

This really is an outdoors kind of place and we found the best way to get there was via a direct train from Riga (about a 1 hour journey costing next to nothing). Once there, the distances are small, as are the hills, so cycling is a good option allowing you to see all of the sights comfortably in 4 or 5 hours and still squeezing in plenty of stops to eat and relax.

The river valley is dotted with curiously named caves and there are a couple of castles worth nosing around if you're interested in medieval history. Otherwise, the main aim of the day is to enjoy the great outdoors. We were surprised at how warm it was in July - afternoon temperatures hovered around the 30+ Celcius mark!!

Most of the wooden beach houses have seen better days but this adds to the old world charm of the location which is surrounded by shady pine forest and beautiful white sand.

The official advice recommends that you don''t swim in the sea here although the water appears to be very clean and the beach is absolutely spotless.

The journey to/from Jurmala is best done by train from Riga. However, be warned - on warm days, locals flock in their hundreds and very few seem to have an understanding of the purpose of a queue and stampede past women, children and the elderly!

If you are looking for relaxation and clean sand, get off the train at Dubulti - if you want to gaze at bronze bodies, pose in your swim wear or flout your physique whilst playing volleyball then Majori is the stop for you.