Latvia was the second country that I visited on my Baltic tour that I took during my semester in Berlin, Germany. 

 

On September 21, at 3:00, I had a 4 hour bus ride from Tallinn, Estonia to Riga, Latvia. I was pleasantly surprised with the bus. I had a ton of leg room, there was no one sitting next to me, and the bus had amazing Wifi. I got a lot done on my phone during this time (sending emails, planning travel, and chatting with friends back home). Before I knew it, the four hours were up. I got off the bus at an earlier stop than what my ticket was for and then only had a four minute walk to my Airbnb. It was actually very hard to find the entrance to the building. I walked past it twice. The inside of the building was very sketchy but the apartment was very tidy and modern. I settled in, went grocery shopping, and made some chicken quesadillas for dinner.

 

The next morning (Sunday), I woke up and had some eggs for breakfast, showered, and then went exploring in Riga. Of course, it was raining. But I did not let this stop me. My first stop was to the Riga Nativity of Christ Cathedral.

 

 

 

 

 

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Riga Nativity of Christ Cathedral

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Riga feels very city like. There are cars, buses, and trams buzzing down the streets. However, once you enter the Old Town, it is all winding streets with cobblestones. Even in the city part though, it does not feel as modern as Tallinn. My second stop was the House of the Blackheads. One of the highlights of this entire trip was finding a Buddy Bear in the plaza right in front of the House of the Blackheads. The 2018 World Buddy Bear exhibition was held in Riga. 148 bears were represented and the Riga bear remained in Riga while the other 147 bears are traveling around the world. Since this was also early in the morning, I could get great pictures with no people in them. I then walked to the opera, the art museum, and through a beautiful park.

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Buddy Bear in front of the House of Blackheads 

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At lunch time, I went to the train station and took a train to Sigulda where the Gauja National Park is. There are many castles scattered throughout the park and I was very excited to see some of the natural scenery of Lithuania. Honestly, I was very disappointed in this park. The castle that I most wanted to see was encased entirely in scaffolding. The ground was all wet and muddy from all the rain that day. I could not find a proper path into the woods. There were a lot of families out which was nice to see. I only spent about two hours at the park and then took the train back to Riga. During my time in Riga, I did not hear any English. I guess that not many English-speaking tourists visit Latvia.

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Sigulda National Park

 

On Monday morning, I woke up at 5:30 so that I had enough time to catch my 7:00 bus to Vilnius, Lithuania. I ate breakfast and left the Airbnb at 6:15 to walk to the bus station. I guess my legs were still asleep during the walk because I tripped over a tram rail line in the middle of the street, belly flopped, and busted my hand open. There was no one around and it was still dark out. I did not want to miss my bus so I got up and kept walking. My hand was bleeding a lot so I got a tissue and just held it on the wound until I got to the bus station. I quickly went to the restroom, washed the cut, and put a Bandaid on it. Thankfully, I carry a little medical kit in my backpack. I still have the cut on my hand that will probably take a while to heal. My knees are a bit bruised and my pants now have a permanent scuff mark on them. My toes hurt a bit as well from the initial contact with the rail line. Overall, I am perfectly fine and this did not interrupt my journey.

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What a wonderful way to end my time in Latvia. Latvia was definitely more city-like than Estonia. I noticed that Latvia was a bit friendlier and cheaper than Estonia as well. I do not think I would go back to Latvia purposefully but I would not be angry if I somehow ended up there again.