The Diversity of Riga

One interesting thing about Riga is that less than half of its people are ethnic Latvians,(40%) while Russians make up 44%, the majority of whom are not citizens. This situation has created some tensions within the city but certainly is no threat to the traveller. I certainly felt very safe, even walking back to my hotel at 1 am in the morning.

Riga has an "Old City", which to me, was the most appealing part of being in Riga. Must see places include three churches: St. Peter's, the Dome Cathedral(must climb to the tower) and St. Jacobs.

The Central Market is a fascinating place, housed in five very large zeppelin hangers spread over many acres.

Hanging out at the many nightclub/pubs will give you some insight on how this city has changed since the Soviet days. You must taste "Black Magic"...read my journal entry on this alcohol drink produced only in Latvia.

Quick Tips:

I spent three days in Riga which, for my needs, was adequate. Since I was spending time in Lithuania AND Estonia, stopping in Riga was not a high priority but I was very grateful for the short visit.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking is my mode of transportation whle travelling...it's healthy, especially when your on a train/plane for hours/days plus the added benefit is that you discover places never mentioned in any tour guide book and meet interesting people with interesting stories to share.

There is a very efficient tram service in Riga which will get you around the city for under a dollar. A taxi is also cheap.

This place is right in the heart of the Old City...you look out your window and you experience, untouched, buildings going back hundreds of years.

This 45 bed hotel is occupied by clowns in the winter,yes, you heard right, clowns. The place is owned by a circus and opens up rooms during the summer.

This place has small rooms, a community shower, which was dirty, and a dreary atmosphere in the hallways. The lady manager keeps the front door locked so you need to ring the bell to re-enter the place.

The good news is that this place is dirt CHEAP. The room cost me $5 a night...yes, $5...in the heart of the historical district. If you don''t mind the above shortcomings and money is tight, this is a gem. You are within five minutes of just about everything.

I felt very safe there as well. Although it was crowded, there were no hassles, and the place was very quiet, unlike hotels near the train station.

This is a funky Soviet cafe with drab walls, plastic cups, and just o.k. sandwiches.

But the prices are dirt cheap, especially the vodka.

The attraction is that this place is so different...you can actually pretend that your back in the days of the old Soviet Union and the people who frequent this place are different, strange, interesting...of course, there are those tourists, like myself, who add to the international flavor.

Here I had my first drink of "black magic" which I write about in another journal entry.

This is one, perhaps, the most interesting central markets that I have visited in my many years of travelling.

This market is housed in five very large zeppelin hangers near the bus station. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of stands, selling fresh fruits and veggies, meats (along with flies..not a very clean place), clothing, alcohol,tobacco,...you name it, I think it's here.

It's fascinating just walking around this place, full of shoppers. You experience a flavor, an atmosphere of this culture and its people.

To get a good feel for this city, spend a morning or afternoon visiting the following places...you can do this in 3-4 hours, depending on your interests of course.

Take the lift up to the tower of St. Peter's Church which will give you a commanding view of Old Riga. Visit the Doma laukums with its interesting winding passageways. While walking you will see many old German buildings going back to the 17th century and earlier. Walk through the many parks and check out the monuments and statutes. Visit the Riga Castle on Pls laukums, which dates from 1330.

This interesting red-brick church was built in 1857 by a group of British traders on 30 feet of British soil brought over as ballast in the ships transporting the building material. During the Soviet years, this church was a disco.

Today there is a vibrant community of believers who belong to the Church of England. I visited here twice, found the members warm and friendly. I also attended a classical concert here (Bach) one evening which was a highlight of my visit to Riga.

For those of you interested in Jewish history, this is a must see experience.

About 5000 Jews were among the thousands of Latvians deported to Siberia by the Soviets from 1940-41. When the city fell to the Germans, new agressive atrocities began with hundreds of Jews being executed, being blamed on trumped up charges of killing some Germans. Many Jews wre forced to scrub the bloodstains from the site with toothbrushes. A few days later 300 Jews were taken from the streets and locked in their synagogue. Grenades were then thrown through the windows and the place caught on fire, killing everyone in the synagogue.

Black Magic is a very strong drink, produced in Latvia, and nowhere else in the world, since 1755.

At the Cafe, Marrutku Maizites, I was introduced to this drink, with a warning that I had better have a strong heart.

What's in this drink??? Who really knows...its recipe remains a closely guarded secret. Some of the ingredients include oak bark, orange peel,wormwood and linden blossoms and apparently around 25 other things unknown to the drinker of this concoction.

The claim is that this drink settles your stomach, and stops a cold in its tracks. I spoke to a number of old Latvians who all claimed that this drink has kept them alive. Stop at any stand in the city and you will see Latvians having a shot of black magic, often with their coffee.

According to historical tradition, black magic was served to Catherine the Geat when she came down with a mysterious sickness while visiting in Riga in the 18th century. Two sips later she made an instant recovery.

A Riga druggist by the name of Kunze apparently created this concoction. Its name originates from balsamon, the ancient greek word for a sweet-smelling medicinal balm.

This drink is 45% proof and is guaranteed to "knock the hind legs off a donkey".

I brought home to Connecticut two bottles of this "witches brew"..the bottles are opaque ceramic, labelled with a black and gold Riga skyline.

These bottles are still unopened. I'm not sure why...is it because the bottles are really unique or is it a fear that, since I have an irregular heart beat, that a shot of this stuff could put me into cardiac arrest???

It's worth a trip to Riga, just to try this drink, if you dare.