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Well, now I'm off for dinner. Following a recommendation from WSM I booked a place called Tails. It's out of town, but I like a walk and getting lost, so off we go.
A couple of parks are on the way. Via the freedom park and freedom monument, up to the Esplanāde. I spent a little time here absorbing the atmosphere, having a cup of tea and watching people visit the statue of the poet Raina. Got to Tails ealier than my reservation. They were super cool about it and very attentive to me once there. Good food enjoyed, oysters, mackerel pate and then aged cod. Rather than a desert I had a small glass of Sauterne, why not. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f70938802.jpg Freedom Monument https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cac43e3aab.jpg Nativity of Christ https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b879685d4f.jpg No shortage of bird boxes in Riga https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cd08c76936.jpg Statue to the Poet Raina https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...389602af6b.jpg Bread https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...57148a97f4.jpg Oysters https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bdcb0e3b4c.jpg Mackerel Pate (with red onion caviar) https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...417f4fb8a8.jpg Aged Cod https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bd27bdb114.jpg Bill |
On the way back I went past the Paula Stadiņa museum and took a photo of the Putin skit mural outside. It was only when I got home that I realised that where I was taking the photo from was the entrance to the Russian Embassy to Lativa (eek).
Lots of other interesting sights on the way back to the hotel. (Did I mention I like getting lost?) https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...90b6f93c62.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5195cf54c1.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4412c05b88.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a963099404.jpg |
Next morning was another lazy breakfast and planning my way home. This didn't go so well. A Bolt cab tried to get to me, but I could see it re-routing a few times and it eventually just gave up. This is because the marathon has closed bridges and other roads all over the city. Another driver took up the baton and came in. But the closest he could get to the hotel was the National Ballet theatre which is about a mile away. I set off to meet him. The comms through the app worked well, we got together and I made it to the airport. NB The first driver still charged me and also charged me for waiting, so I had to claim that back from Amex afterwards. It seems to be Bolt Estonia not Bolt Latvia, but they gave me my money back with no quibbles.
At the airport I have plenty of time, where's the lounge? We got access to the Primeclass Business Lounge. There is a weird capsule hotel you can also get with Priority Pass, but I only took a photo of the door. Lounge was normal fare for a 3rd party lounge. One highlight was a rather unusual book they had: Poker Face 2. This is a book of photos of poker players, all of whom span the era I used to play in (and some a little before). Stu Ungar, Phil Ivey, Phil Helmuth, Amarillo Slim, Doyle Brunson etc as well as photos of people like Benny and Jack Binion. It really was a delight to read this while in the lounge and it filled in the time brilliantly. It's out of print otherwise I would buy a copy. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3a84c59178.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...75e125a0e7.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e4808b1e50.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...03f16076fd.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...06c28cb1e7.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...909740a7b0.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...779640e0d3.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3b3c394a3b.jpg |
At the gate I asked for boarding passes to be printed for the RIX-HEL and HEL-MAN flights as I knew I had a short connection in HEL. Good move, the connection in HEL was a lot shorter than I expected...
Easy loading on to the same turbo prop that took me here. Arrived on time and then transit through HEL. Made it through passport control and to the departure gate. A couple of ladies are there at the desk but no-one else, and no plane. The ladies look glad to see me and greet me in a lovely friendly manner. A little banter about the short connection and a bus is provided for me (just me) to get from the gate to the plane. I am the last on. CC also glad I'm there. But there is someone sat in my 1A seat. He's covered head to toe in a blanket. CC lady questions him and he moves to 1B. I settle in. CC asks a bit more. Other pax is actually in 27A so off you go bud. (she is super polite no drama). Bonus for me is that I have an empty seat next to me now on the way back to MAN. Anna is my CC. She is a superstar. Cannot do enough for me and for everyone else in the Premium cabin. Truly one of the best you will get (if she was BA a golden ticket would be on the way). I do have to refuse some drinks as I want to be conscious when I return to UK, but it's not just a drink thing, she is super nice. Back in the UK, MAN T1, through to the train station. Pretty slick and there quickly. Picadilly not much later then on to Stoke, but wait. The train I boarded was cancelled, so I had to exit the CrassCountry bus and jump on a Avanti (which is why I always book a tranferrable ticket). Train was relatively early in the day so it wasn't as full of football nutters as some of my previous charriots,back to Stoke. Here endeth the trip report. This will be the last of the trip reports for six months or so as I will be saving my pennies and enjoying my gardening in the UK over the summer. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...635e71508f.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eec351793a.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...57550fcd47.jpg |
Addendum:
The book "Flesh Coloured Dominos" that you see in one of the first pictures is a novel set in Riga by one of the most famous Latvian authors, it was a good choice for reading on the trip. One of the staff in the hotel saw I was reading it and mentioned that he had met the author, he thinks he was mean to his (Sigmund's) father so I don't think he liked him much. It was also recognised in other places. I also learnt from the book that Tobago in the Carribbean had once been a Latvian colony, and indeed the place where I stayed last year, Courland Bay, was named after those colonial masters. The book also gave a good idea of Latvian-ness and the relationship of the country and the people to Germany and Russia. It's a complicated but interesting story. |
A lovely report thanks DeathSlam
I’ll be hitting Riga on the train (from Tallinn) and hoping no delay repay! Although I already know it’s a part bus service the day we travel. Looks like it will be a hectic three days for me too. |
Aye, I think Tevocis Vanya is a little less enjoyed by the locals the last few years… but I still liked it last year, if not as much as back in 2018. Either way, Riga is a good city to dine in. And stay in, though I would not have picked the same hotel.
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As bizzare as it seems I have dined in a couple of Russian themed restaurants in Russia too :) E.g. https://restaurantguru.com/Rassolnik-Irkutsk. The food was usually very good (as it was in Vanya to be fair) with the kitsch decor and deliberately? surly atitude of staff. The locals there lapped it up, but maybe Russia is not as popular in Latvia now as it was. I wasn't locked in to that restaurant choice enough to bother booking it in advance. I would definitely agree that Riga is a great city to dine in, there are many fantastic options, you are spoilt for choice. If I lived here it would be a problem as I would eat way too much. There was a party of Germans in Uncle Vanya while I was there (a multi-generational family not a stag party). They put the lounges in LHR to shame by playing football videos on their phones at full volume and generally behaving like they owned the place. At least due to my travel haitus I won't have to deal with people like that for a while. |
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Thank you DeathSlam for an interesting TR. We got back from a long weekend in Riga just yesterday afternoon, so some of the pictures that you took are still very fresh in my mind. Of course, we didn't travel in such style opting for Mr. O'Leary's blue and yellow bus direct from STN, no lounge access. We had previously arranged private transfer for the total cost of €56 which worked flawlessly. We stayed in the Wellton Spa Riverside but chose not to dine there instead opting for some of the more quieter restaurants which was overall more enjoyable especially as I don't eat caviar (or anything that has swum in a previous existence).
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