Riga - The Bad Boy of the Baltics

Riga, the largest city in the Baltic States, is now firmly on the tourist map. This bustling metropolis has an attitude that I found lacking in pretty Tallinn or schizophrenic Vilnius. It is a town which marries the enchanting streets of its old town (Vecrīga), the Jugenstil (Art Nouveau) architecture of independence (seen best in Doma Lauk and the Freedom Monument), and a plethora of pubs, bars and nightclubs to enchanting effect. It may not have the sheer historical glamour of Prague or Krakow, but for its manageable size I honestly believe it compares favourably to, say, Budapest or Warsaw.

There is a lack of 'must-see' sites. The joy is in wandering the winding streets and relaxing with a glass of Lāčplēsis. There are some outstanding buildings to see, from the seventeenth-century 'Three Brothers' on Pils Iela, to the ornate Great Guild on Meistaru Iela, to the restored technicolour House of the Blackheads on Ratslaukums. Nor are the Art Deco curves of the Freedom Monument on Brivibas Bulvaris to be missed. There are a couple of other impressive statues worth seeing along the banks of the Daugava. The Latvian Riflemen is a blocky reddish piece of stone commemorating the Bolsheviks' crack troops. With their chiselled cheeks the figures have a resemblance to Transformers, but I think the socialist realist stylings here are gorgeous. Further south along the Daugava there is a charging flag-waving commoration of the 1905 revoulution. From here you also get a good view of the Thunderbird-esque TV tower.

Other than that, I would really recommend a visit to the Occupation Museum to get perspective on the horrors this tiny state has been abandoned to in the past. However, membership of the EU and NATO, and visits from major dignitories of the calibre of President Clinton and Queen Elizabeth II add to the confidence that the city now expresses.

Finally, don't miss a taste of the famous Riga Black Balsam, the town's historic (1752) tipple. It's like a dark alcoholic cough medicine, if that's recommendation.

Quick Tips:

For a glimpse of Riga at work and play I would recommend a stroll through the prettily landscaped park around Brivibas Bulvaris, or a wander under the railway tracks to the Central Market, housed in former zeppelin hangers.

There are a vast range of bars and restaurants to sample. Favourites that I would certainly recommend include the trendy yet very reasonably priced Shot Cafe on Torna Iela (which comes complete with the most incredible toilet I have ever seen!), and la Belle Epoque, a cellar hidden in the heart of the old town, and with some of the cheapest drinks in town. Or, if you atre missing home comforts, the Dickens Pub and Restaurant on Grecineka (currently swathed in green netting) is a worrying-convincing British boozer, complete with UK beers, hefty barsnacks, and Premier League football on the telly. For a light snack (salad, fresh baguettes, fruit juice or coffee) I would direct you to Index Cafe, just north of the Freedom Monument in the New Town. I noticed that many restaurants seem deserted on Sunday nights however, and the Fashion Cafe at the casino complex on Brivibas Iela is only open on Friday and Saturday nights.

Rows have broken out in the European Parliament between Latvian MEPs criticising British MEPs for the 'sex tourism' that is colonising Riga, fuelled by budget flights. For myself, I found the everpresent touts attempting to cajole me into one of their 'nightclubs' every fifty paces or so an irritation. I found it much worse in 2007 than in 2005. Then again, I was with a female friend in 2005, and a group of male mates in 2007, so that might explain some of it. If you really want to go to a lapdancing establishment, I believe that Dolls Nightclub in the basement of the Hotel Riga is glitzy, kosher, and presumably expensive. Still, at least you'll be leaving with your wallet and passport eh?

For good clean manly fun I can recommend an afternoon's playing with guns at Regro S, located in an underground Cold War era bunker on Daugavrigas Iela. After firing off Glocks, Uzis, pump-action shotguns, and the world famous AK-47 I felt like an action hero. I found we got a better deal by turning up on spec in person, than if we had booked via a tourist agency.

Best Way To Get Around:

Budget airlines have certainly opened up Riga to the wider Europe. Air Baltic run a good service; the last time I visited I flew with Ryanair from Liverpool for around £55 return. There are also good land links with neighbouring countries, as you would expect. In 2005 I cought one Eurolines coach into Riga from Tallinn via Parnu, and another out to Klaipeda in Lithuania via Liepaja ("The place where wind is born" according to the tourist brochure!). The coach station is sandwiched between the train line and the Central market, with the train station just a bit further north. Basically, head for the Stockmann Centre and they are behind there. Trams and trolley buses also drop off outside Stockmann.

The centre of Riga is easily manageable on foot - indeed, large areas of Vecrīga are closed to traffic. You need not be scared of using the trams for trips out into the suburbs. I travelled across the river in Pardaugava to find a shooting range, and other fiends of mine went up to Mezaparks to visit the zoo. However far you travel you need to pay the conductor onboard a flat fee of 0.30 Lats, then authenticate your ticket in a machine. It also costs the same fare on the trolley bus from the airport - a huge saving on getting a taxi. This assumes that you have change however - fortunately after my last visit I still did.

Hungry from our flight, Alus Sēta was the first place we stumbled upon. To the left off Šķūņu iela, half way between St Peter's Church and the Dom we found this pub.

I'm not sure whether anyone is seriously going to be convinced at the authenticity of this place. Owned by the Lido chain it makes a stab for 'traditionalism' with its dark wood pannelling, stuffed game, besmocked staff, and terrible Latvian soft-rock soundtrack. What it actually achieves is a semi-plastic 'repro' feel. Still, while it is cheesy, it is as cheap as chips!

There is no menu as such here. Instead there is a serve-yourself buffet. Upon entering, the intoxicating scent of chargrilled meat caught our nostrils. We joined the queue. First up is a salad bar, with salad, coleslaw, smoked fish and king prawns among other treats. Whatever you buy, anything from the salad bar is weighed, and it costs 6.90 Lats per kilo. I'll fill up on the smoked salmon then please!

Next is the hot grill. Here they have sauce-bsed dishes, potatoes, joints of meat, and the source of the heavenly smell - skewers of kebabs over a grill. Then we have an enormous display of desserts, from cakes to pastries, to fruit salads. And there you pay. I have to say I wasn't really sure how much my meal would come to, so I was impressed that a selection of smoked fish, a cutlet of meat, and some spuds amounted to a mere 3.94 Lats.

You buy your drinks separately, from the antique bar. They have a range of Latvian beers on tap, from Aldaris (probably the commonest brew in Riga) to the mahogany coloured Tumšais, a dunkel or dark beer, that was more more similar to a stout in taste than a lager. Needless to say, this was what I opted for.

For price, Alus Sēta cannot be faulted. It also has some decking outside in the street so that you can sit in the sun with your grub (though you have to pull the door open from the inside - difficult when you are trying to balance a tray piled high with food and beer). Certainly the view out here is superior to the dark interior. However the food wasn't that brilliant. The kebabs were nice, but did not live up to their aroma. The other meat was a bit fatty too. An additional caveat - the food is labelled only in Latvian, so you need to be able to read that to know what precisely you are pointing to. Finally, it can get busy at lunchtimes. We turned up just after a German coach party which hence held up the queue. However, considering the location and the cost these are at best minor gripes. It may not be as 'authentic' as it would like, but Alus Sēta gets my recommedation for value and location.

Whilst Riga is good for filling you up with hearty filling dishes and cheap booze, the cuisine can rarely be described as healthy. Index Cafe is a god-send then.

Located on the right-hand side of the main Brivibas Bulvari as it stretches north-east into the New Town from the Freedom Monument, Index Cafe is a bright and modern place. Light pours through the large windows, and some of the inbuilt nooks containing table and benches are very funky. I found this the best place to come for more metropolitan fare. They do a range of coffees if that is what takes your fancy. Myself, I opted to try to get some of my '5-a-day' with a large orange juice. They had a complicated orange-squashing juicer-machine behind the counter, but the barista instead sqeezed the fruit by hand. If oranges are not to your fancy, they also stock a range of chilled fruit juices and smoothies (at 1.50 Lats)alongside the usual range of colas, sodas and water.

It is also the place to come for plain fresh food. A staircase leads up from behind the counter to a bakery which overlooks the cafe, and they sell fresh baguettes and pastries, as well as pre-made baguette sandwiches (sendviču) - ham salad (1.39L), smoked salmon and cream cheese (1.29L), turkey and cheese etc. There are also a few ready-to-eat salad bowls to be bought.

On my visits (I came twice) the rest of the customers were locals - often carrying sunflowers for some reason. However, it does hold a small tourist information kiosk, fully-stocked with maps and leaflets by the door, and our barista understood English. For breakfast, a detox, or just a healthier alternative to dingy backstreet boozers, Index Cafe is just the ticket.

Hidden (and I do mean hidden!) in the heart of the old town is one of Riga's best kept secrets. I actually feel that I shouldn't be telling you about this place...

Down a flight of steps is a long narrow cellar. This is Belle Epoque - home to some of the cheapest drinks in Riga. The decoration is minimal - some Matisse and Moulin Rouge prints on the walls, and images of fin de siecle Montmartre. Dominating the room is the long bar stretching the length of the cellar. Here friendly bartenders will sort you out with whatever you require - Lāčplēsis beer, vodka, flaming sambucas, absinthe cocktails, bottles of Riga sparkling wine. The house speciality is a cocktail called 'Pirags' - literally 'apple pie'. This is a shot of vodka topped up with apple juice and sprinkled with cinnamon. It's tasty, but it has a heck of a kick to it! Rather than make the drinks for you themselves, the barstaff are happy to provide a row of shot glasses in a holder, a carton of apple juice, a tub of powdered cinnamon, and a bottle of vodka for you to take away to your table. And the LB vodka bought from behind the bar is not vastly more expensive than it would have been if you had bought it in an old town store.

Belle Epoque is a lively place. It's infamy seems to have spread out into the wider traveller community, and there is always something going on here. Snapshots of two nights spent in here:
- being invited over by a pair of Australians to do shots (they had bought a couple of bottles of vodka)
- a mohawked Latvian soldier with the biggest hands in the world explaining over flaming sambucas in halting English how he guards the Freedom Monument and how the Latvians "no like Russia"
- a local banging away on the battered piano beneath the stairs like we were in an East End pub
- climbing on chairs to sing along to Sade with a collection of touchy-feely Spaniards
- buying bottles of sparkling 'champagne' to share with the bar.

On a Saturday night the place gets packed solid until you feel like a sardine in a tin. Everyone comes there - backpackers, tour groups, locals. Monday nights are more subdued. The bar stays open until 5am, but if you can last that long good luck to you!

After a hard day's firing off semi-automatic weaponry, there is really only one place to go - Shot Cafe. It is located on Torna Iela in the Jekabu Kuzarmas (St James's Barracks), a 200m long block built by the Swedes in the 17th Century against the northern wall of the old town. Shiny tables and chairs spill out onto the plaza outside the Powder Tower (now home to the Latvian War Museum). So really, where better?

Sitting outside in the sun on a pedestrianised street of boutiques is a good place to loaf and people-watch. Table service was provided by a wry and pretty waitress, who we convinced ourselves was warming to us. The beer on tap here is a very drinkable lager called Lāčplēsis ("Bear-killer"), named after the mythical Latvian folk-hero. To mix it up a little I also ordered a round of Riga Black Balsam, the local herbal spirit, still made according to an 18th century recipe. At 45% it is a potent brew, bitter, sharp, and somewhat 'medicinal' in taste.

As dusk fell, we moved inside - we liked the place, so why head elsewhere for food? Downstairs the walls are covered with a rich russet and gold flock paper. A DJ in the corner played a selection of (good) funky '60s tunes - the Johnny Cash was particularly appreciated. A local youngish clientele began to filter in, to dance to the music, and vanish off to the toilet in groups. I can see why. Shot Cafe has the best toilet EVER. It seems a big boast to make, but the loo here has to be seen to be believed. Mood lighting turned the bathroom from a deep blood red, to a vibrant green, to a shadowy blue, to a piercing white. The toilet seat was clear prespex inset with gilded barbed wire and razor blades. And it has a magical automatic paper-towel dispenser that produces towels based on your proximity without you having to do anything. We fell in love with that toilet.

The menu was very reasonably priced. I opted for goulash at 3.50 Lats. I got a big bowl of meat-and-potato filled broth for less than the price of a box of Chicken McNuggets. Others went for burritos - again the size of the meals produced was impressive. We almost regretted ordering some bowls of squid rings and a meat plate to share. The total bill came to around 100 Lats - and that is for meals, side plates, and numerous rounds of beer and spirits for eight. So that equates to 12.50 Lats (roughly £12.50) each. We honestly thought they had got our bill wrong. We never expected somewhere so smart and trendy could be so reasonable. I fully intend to return next time I am in Riga!

Riga has one of the most instantly-recognisable markets in Europe. Just to the south-east of the old town, under the railway line and beyond the bus depot you cannot fail to see five large glass-fronted buildings, each the shape of a Roses caramel keg. This is the central market. It's very appearance is historic. The domed halls were originally hangars for zeppelins, built during the first world war near Liepaja on the coast by the Germans. They were relocated to Riga following independence, given a bit of a spritz, and have held the main market through liberty, war, Cold War, and liberty once more.

The market is interesting on a purely touristic basis. Here you can see the entire spectrum of Rigan life as they go about their shopping. Butchers hang animal carcasses, fishmongers display their glistening catch, bakers sell a full range of bread from baguettes to Russian-style black bread, from floury batches to pastries and cakes. There are confectioners, minimarts (and a larger Maxima supermarket) and clothing stalls, all crammed into this heaving space. Obviously, it is busier in the morning, with the crowds and stalls packing up in the afternoon.

It is a convenient place to pick up cheap essentials if travelling, from toothpaste to a new watch, from a box of tea to some fresh fruit. You can also eat extremely cheaply here. Don't expect English signs or conversation, but if you are feeling brave playing 'point and eat' can have real rewards. I ended up having a piping hot chicken and potato pastry for a fraction of a Lat, followed with a slice of oozing gateau from a neighbouring stand. The cheapest meal in Riga? Quite possibly. You can also buy presents for those back home - beers or spirits, or maybe Laima chocolate. My bet though would be to go for the ladies selling jars of fresh golden honey, often with a chunk of honeycomb suspended within. If you pay any attention at all they will generally wave you over for a taster. This honey is sweet and gloopy, and better than anything i have ever bought from a supermarket. Moreover it is so cheap compared to British prices it seems insulting not to buy any.

The symbol of Latvian independence, the Freedom Monument is now 72 years old. Sadly, it has only known freedom for 21 of those years - 1935-40, and 1991 to the present day.

A soaring fluted column 50m tall supports the copper-green figure of 'Milda'. Milda was the most popular female first name during the interwar period, and the moniker has somehow stuck. Clad in a flowing belted smock, and looking curvaceously gravid, the proudly benevolent figure holds aloft three stars. The stars represent the three regions of Latgale, Kurzeme, and Vidzeme. Around its base are carvings symbolizing the path to liberty. For me however, the images of brawny men, shirts torn open, snapping their fetters with muscular exertion, were unintentionally camp, as though Tom of Finland had been let loose.

Through the era of Soviet occupation the monument stood forlornly. Frankly, I'm amazed the Politburo never attempted to tear it down. Maybe they knew that touching it would result in a massive popular backlash - who knows? Instead they merely set secret police to watch those who came and went around it. As Moscow's power waned on the '80s Milda became the focus for opposition to Soviet rule. Now the guards are much more open, and - according to a soldier we met in Belle Epoque bar - the privilege of standing at attention before the Freedom Monument is a great honour. Watching the changing of the guard, when new faces in olive uniforms and shiny boots goose-step into position is well worthwhile.

To either side a narrow strip of parkland spreads out, following the path of the City Canal, the remains of the city's former moat. Pedalos can be rented to cruise the canal. But for me, the pleasure is more in strolling the undulating, tree-shaded pathways, accompanied by the burblings of tinkling water features. There are numerous benches for the weary traveller to stop for a read, and a watch of the cross-section of the population who promenade through.

One final landmark is at the junction where Brivibas Bulvaris meets Aspazijas Bulvaris. Opposite McDonald's stands the 'Laima Clock' - an interwar brown clock set up by the Laima chocolate company. This is one of the busiest places in town, as the citizens of Riga seem to use this landmark as the place to meet.

The harrowing Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (Latvijas okupacijas muzejs) leaves the tourist with no excuse not to visit. It is prominently situated on Ratslaukums. It is highly noticeable (a raised oblong grenade-like building). And it is free to enter. However, it is very absorbing, and a visit will take 60-90 minutes of your day. Yet a tour will shed a new perspective on the bustling party city that is Riga today.

The museum starts with the Molotov-Ribbentrop 'Pact of Devils' signed on 23rd August 1939. The 'secret protocols' of this treaty divided eastern Europe up into 'spheres of influence' for Hitler and Stalin as every schoolchild knows. What the museum then proceeds to do is expand on these bare facts, and show what this piece of paper meant for the Latvian people. The results were not pretty. In June 1940 the USSR occupied Latvia under the malevolent eye of Andrei Vyshinsky, who had made his name as State Prosecutor in Stalin's show trials of the 1930s. One-sided elections saw the packed parliament 'request' overwhelmingly for incorporation into the USSR. This was the 'Year of Horror' as the independent-minded were rounded up and killed or transported to workcamps in Russia. On the night of 13-14 June 1941 alone around 15,500 people (around 0.8% of the Latvian population, and including 2,400 under-tens) were deported.

Tragedy followed tragedy, and when Nazi Germany on 22 June 1941, Latvia treated the new invaders as liberators. Certainly, the new regime was more low-key, and made a point of advertising the full scale of the Soviet atrocities. This tacit acceptance made the anti-Jewish activities of the SS possible. 70,000 Latvian Jews were murdered by 1945.

1945 saw the world stand by as Latvia was handed back by the victorious allies into Stalin's tender embrace. The museum documents some of Churchill's later regrets, but at Yalta the Baltic States were forsaken for the sake of 'good relations' with Moscow. The Soviet apparatus that was constructed to enforce compliance is then documented in detail, up until the struggle for freedom in the '80s.

The exhibits are good - a recreation of a gulag cabin, handicrafts made by exiled captives, wiretap apparatus from the switchboard of the Hotel Riga. There are some omissions however. President Ulmanis had been following a dictatorial path in the '30s and this unquestionably eased the path to totalitarianism later, but this is barely remarked upon. Likewise, while it acknowledges that Latvians aided the SS in their activities I felt it skirted the issue somewhat - 12,000 local auxiliaries took part in the 'final solution'. These were not just the isolated acts of individuals. Presumably there was a skein of anti-semitism in Latvia prior to 1941. If so, we are not shown it. I also found the Cold-War-era material less engaging than the 1940s displays.

However, this should not detract from a genuinely absorbing and informative collection. Everyone I know who has visited has been impressed. You can download more info from www.occupationmuseum.lv.

John Lennon was right. Happiness truly is a warm gun.

In Riga with a group of lads, it was maybe inevitable that we would end up gravitating towards an afternoon playing with guns. There are numerous tours available in the city advertising shooting excursions, usually emblazoned with a picture of the world's most famous rifle, the Soviet-made AK-47 ("The very best there is. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherf**ker in the room. Accept no substitutes" to quote Samuel L. Jackson).

Rather than booking a tour, we decided to make our own way to find Regro S shooting. This necessitated a tram ride across the river into Pardaugava, and then a period of wandering trying to find the place (it is on the main Daugavrigas Iela, sandwiched between two petrol stations). If it is hard to find, there is a reason. The shooting range is located in Cold War era underground bunker. A set of blast doors leads to a stairway of sweating grey concrete. So far, so James Bond.

Downstairs there is a combination armoury / weaponry shop. You will have to provide ID and sign to state that you have read the safety instructions. Then you can peruse the menu. You pay for the bullets, not the gun. So for example each shot with a Glock 9mm handgun costs 0.80 Lats, the AK-47 rifle 1 Lat a shot, the Uzi machine pistol or Winchester pump-action shot gun 2 Lats each. They also offered the Magnum revolver ("Do you feel lucky punk?"), the SPAS assault rifle, and Marlin rifle. We opted for five shots each on Glock, Uzi and shotgun. And of course 5 more shots on the Kalashnikov. Having attended a exhibition on 'Kalashnikov - the Man, the Arm, the Legend' at the Artillery Museum in St Petersburg I was keen to experience the world famous AK-47 for myself. In total this added up to 29 Lats, but the man rounded it down to 25 per person. A good deal - the organized shooting activities we had seen advertised offered 10 shots on Glock, and ten on AK-47 for the same price. Extra weaponry cost extra on top.

The safety precautions were, I have to admit, minimal. A short talk from the main guy before he handed us over to the non-English-speaking Vladimir Putin lookalike who demonstrated with gestures and grunts what we should or should not do with each weapon. We were supplied earmuffs - vital as the movies do not show just how loud these guns are, particularly in the close quarters of the underground chamber we were based in. This did limit the audience for our movie-based jokes however. We got no goggles. This disturbed me, especially when shotgun cartridges eject before your eyes and flashes of flame spurt from the muzzle of the AK-47.

We were each allocated a man-shaped target to aim for. First was the handgun. Thankfully I was not as bad as I feared - seems that those evenings at Scouts with an air pistol were not wasted. Then came the Uzi, made famous by the Terminator films. I was disappointed here - I found it hard to aim and there was very little recoil. The Kalashnikov found more favour. The kick of the recoil and the muzzle-flash let you know you were firing a gun. They let 11-year-old Afghanistani kids use these? I'd have been knocked flat on my back at that age! Finally the Winchester pump action shot gun, which I think I preferred even to the AK. Pumping the stock as cartridges were ejected before your eyes, the muzzle heating up... frankly there was something all too phallic about it!

We were able to inspect our targets between each round of five shots. Chris and Ian quickly marked themselves out as the men to watch out for. Chris peppered the target's vitals with bullet holes, whereas Ian had concentrated on tearing out the paper man's guts. My target was most noticeable for a neat round shotgun hole right between the eyes - something that produced an approving nod and handshake from Vladimir. Ed's target had emerged completely unscathed, something he attributed to his being a pacifist.

Now I consider myself a civilised, sensitive individual. I read the Guardian. I have Casablanca on DVD. I cried when I heard that Joe Strummer was dead. However, there is something about shooting guns that made me feel like such an alpha male. The other guys (apart from Ed maybe) also felt this. Pumped up on adrenalin and testosterone we did not regret travelling all the way out here. In fact, I found myself wishing that we'd plumped for more shots, and more guns. Certainly, I regretted that the presence of targets had introduced a level of competitiveness. Instead of carefully aiming for each shot I would have liked the chance to let loose on full-auto and mow down my paper enemies.

All together, an excellent and enjoyable afternoon. It was a shame that we were not allowed to take photos, not even of us posing with unloaded weaponry, but the fact that we were allowed to take our targets home partially compensated. I would certainly recommend Regro S for a couple of hours of fun with guns!

Details:
Regro Sautave
Daugavrigas Iela 31
Pardaugava
(+371) 760 17 05