Rīga, Latvia

Rīga is the capital of Latvia, a former Soviet republic but now a European Union member on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest city in the three Baltic states.

My memory of Rīga now is cloudy, except an excellent buffet restaurant on the main street near the monument, and a former Soviet soldier I had a conversation with on a bench in the park.

One thing I do know is, it is a beautiful city and I enjoyed my time there. Can't wait to see what EU membership has done to it. When I was there they were barely two or three years out of the USSR.

The freedom monument (Brīvības piemineklis) dominates the skyline in most of the city centre, and commemorates soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918 to 1920). It is 135ft high and was built in 1935. It managed to survive the Soviet regime despite many attempts to remove it.

Cornwall, England, UK | Helsinki, Finland | Kufstein, Austria | London, England, UK | Milano, Italy | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA | Praha, Czech Republic | Rīga, Latvia | InterRail |
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