In February I visited Riga for the first time. The capital of the tiny Baltic country, Latvia, is also my boyfriend’s, Karlis’ birth place. I was excited to see where he grew up and curious about everything Latvian, because I noticed he’s much prouder of his nationality than me (Slovaks just don’t have patriotism in their blood, I think). Riga is beautiful, but the difference between the city centre and the rest of the city was quite tangible – the centre is very shiny and touristy and the other parts not so much. Many houses have wooden facades and are quite run down, so they reminded me of american horror movies. As a post-soviet country Latvia’s capital has more than a few concrete block building areas (we call them paneláky in Slovakia). It was nice to experience and realize that we have this in common with K – growing up in one of these (me in Petržalka, K in Ziepniekkalns – the soap mountain). And that we share some of our nicest childhood memories connected to these places. The second time I went to Riga just recently too, at the end of August. The summer Riga is way more inviting and fun, but the winter one is charming too, and certainly worth visiting. As in Bucharest so in Riga I was living for the post-soviet vibe <3 Here’s my photo diary from both winter and summer.
We stayed in a Soviet concrete block paradise, Ziepniekkalns (the soap mountain), where my bf, Karlis, grew up.
- Ezītis Miglā – A cool bar in the centre with food as well. I recommend the cocktail called ‘The Burning Minka House’ and the garlic bread Latvian style – ķiploku grauzdiņi.
- MiiT – Also a very hipster place with a cool vibe and really nice lunch menu.
- Taka – Here’s where I had the Sweet Tramp beer (brewed in Riga). Very cosy interior.
- Sefpavars Vilhelms – Pancake heaven!
- Humana Vintage – Whoever runs this store has a great eye! I couldn’t believe how carefully handpicked and up to date with the trends the pieces in this shop were. Relatively low prices – must visit!
- Abakhan Fabrics – I was living for the cheap sewing accessories, utensils and scrap. I finally got to replace broken needles, lost bobbins and get some more clasps and webbing straps.
- Centrāltirgus – A big marketplace in the city center with a huge choice of fresh produce and very Latvian food.
- The beach – !!! It’s quite beautiful. Sandy and it stretches soooo far along the coast, the walk on the beach one way is endless. Lining the beach there are deserted and destroyed military bunkers and bases. It’s really interesting to see and quite eerie.
- Alberta iela – This street is known for its Art Nouveau buildings. There’s a café at one end of it, which is super nice, but a bit pricey – Art Café Sienna.
- Andrejosta – This is an old port. Go there at sunset, it’s very serene and romantic.
- Skrundas Militārā Pilsētiņa – If you have the chance (you have a car at your disposal), visit this Latvian ghost town and former Soviet radar station. A ghost town such as this one is so fascinating and scary at the same time. We got to see the dilapidated buildings, including a dining hall, gym, hospital, prison and regular residential blocks. All the signs were in Russian and there were still pieces of people’s lives who once lived there everywhere on the walls, on the floor and in the air. I forgot to take my camera there. Kill me now. Check some of my phone pics HERE.
I'm wearing a sweat combo I made from scraps from KK's combo. See us together in this partner look *CLICK*
I’ve met his family a few times in Luxembourg (where they moved when K was still small) and K being a great teacher I knew a couple of important words and phrases to be fully confident that I wouldn’t get lost in Riga (and I’ll definitely impress some Latvian friends). Here’s a little dictionary for you to get you started (I was off to a very very good start with these): Čau – hi & bye, Minka – kitten, dejojam – let’s dance, ved mani mājās – take me home, mans vīrietis – my man, cūciņa – piglet, stulbais idiots – stupid idiot, Breds Pits – Brad Pitt, es gribu tevi tagad – I want you now 😀 Have fun!
PS: Most people speak English anyway.
I’m wearing a grey sweat combo which I made from scraps after I made one for K, which he commissioned himself 😀 I’m not the type to dress my boyfriend in a matching outfit, but this one just happened somehow and people really love it. Check out how we look together in these combos HERE. The dark grey shorts he’s wearing I made from a seriously hideous dress I bought in Genesis for 1 euro. It was 100% silk!!! I cut it up and sewed the shorts and one pair for myself as well.
