Why visit Latvia (it’s a country in Europe)?

I bet most of you have no idea where Latvia is. That’s alright, just google it. Because it is well worth a visit. Whether you decide to go there in winter time when it’s covered in white snow, smells of mulled wine inviting you to have some and warm your frozen body up, and wood crackling in the fire at Christmas markets. Or visit it in summer when it’s nice and hot, maybe around the Midsummer’s Eve (23 June) when the whole country rejoice in pagan celebration of the longest day of the year. You can expect lots of wildflowers, singing, bonfires, eating (the food is sooo good) and drinking (lots of drinking), especially if you manage to join the locals in the countryside revelling through the night while awaiting the sun to come back up again (you are not allowed to sleep until the first rays of sunshine appear at the horizon). If you go there in May than a drive around the countryside is a must as all meadows are covered in yellow dandelions, so much so you can’t see the green grass underneath them. Or March when the meltwater brings huge blocks of ice down the large rivers creating ice blocks many meters in height. Or autumn when its' vast forests turn to fiery red and orange. Or in a July once every five years when 30,000 people come together for the Song and Dance Festival - a spectacle which can only be described as spellbinding.

 

Whatever time of the year you do visit, the capital – Riga is a must. Michael Palin, comedian and traveller, called it ‘a very walkable city’ and he was right. You can spend days walking around and enjoying it’s lovely green spaces, canals and architecture that includes modern, medieval and also the largest selection of Art Nouveau buildings. If your legs are getting a bit tired from all the walking, you can stop at one of the many excellent cafés, my favourite is a chain called Double Coffée. For dinner I advise to go to a place called Lido, it’s built and decorated in a traditional style and serves fabulous (and cheap) traditional food and drinks. It’s also great for kids with play areas both inside and outside.

 

If you have enough of the city, then a good idea is to go the seaside which is only about half an hours’ drive away. It might not be the Mediterranean but it has its’ own appeal with beige sandy beaches backed with dark pine forests and weathered logs dotted around.

You could also head out into the country to see it’s many small historical towns characterized by the traditional log houses, castles and palaces, the most famous being Turaida and Rundale, accordingly. Or visit the lovely Gaujas National Park where you can take a hike around Gaujas rivers’ canyon and its’ sandstone caves, or kayak in the river itself just beware of whirlpools that do occur there.

In a morning, have a walk in one of the bogs in Teici National Park or Kemeri National Park and listen to the birds whilst the mist rises slowly from the lakes creating a magical feeling that you are likely to never forget.

No matter what you like to do, you will enjoy Latvia and you will find it very relaxing – life moves a lot slower there. And you can boast to your friends and family that you have been to a country that they haven’t heard of.