Riga day 1

Even though I just got back from Dubai, I left Kiev because of the tragic political events going on in Ukraine. Driving to the airport, I could see the flames and smoke that is being broadcasted on every news outlet in what seems like the world.

 So for the next few days, I will be in Riga, Latvia!    

I took a history course which focused on small countries in the European Union last semester. This was my first introduction to Riga, as Latvia was one of the countries we studied; I even ended up writing my end of the semester mini-thesis on sex tourism in Latvia (a very awkward topic to research in public settings.) However, that was not the reason I wanted to come here. Riga, as it turns out, has the largest collection of art nouveau style architecture in the world.  As soon as my professor spoke those words, I knew I had to come here.

"Art Nouveau" style architecture

I'm here with my aunt, uncle, and two younger cousins from Kiev. The hotel we are staying at is located right in the art nouveau district. I can admire the architecture right from our balcony! Nearby, is the center of the old city, which is very charming! I found myself walking in the town center I had envisioned all European town centers to look like! In between churches are underground restaurants and bars, as the city streets were built up over time to bury layers of accumulated trash and debris.

For dinner, we went to Vincent's. This was probably the best and definitely fanciest restaurant I have ever been to. Not only was the restaurant decorated beautifully, and was full of beautiful people, but the food was phenomenal.  Vincent's is known for its organic, yet gourmet food and exquisite presentations. There was even a wall full of photographs of famous patrons, which included the British Royal family, Elton John, and George Bush! My favorite part of dinner was the various freeze dried foods that were served in between courses to cleanse our pallets.

Freeze-dried tea

Ice cream served on ice

Mussels