There once were three men in Riga

Much attached as I am to places with Mediterranean and tropical climates, I agree with two of my most trusted friends, Russell, and Alan, to go north this time. July is one of the best months to go, not just because the weather is at least as good as in Blighty but also with the massive hours of daylight. Who would go in January when the sun hardly rises above the horizon?

The best flights to the three Baltic states are to Riga, a 2-and-a-half-hour flight from Stansted. The language of this small country is unlike that of anywhere else apart from its neighbour Lithuania but fortunately most people are friendly and many speak English. We're staying in what's known as the Moscow District, a quiet area that was established by Russian settlers and retains their legacy. Indeed, Latvia, in common with Estonia and Lithuania, has had a turbulent history. It suffered waves of occupations by Russians, the Germans and the Russians again before finally freeing itself in 1991. But Riga is now a vibrant city well on the tourist map. The first image, of the Academy of Sciences, is a Stalinist structure that reminds me of a similar building in Warsaw where they said the best place to be was in it because you couldn't see it!

To go back in time---as you do---it's a 15 minute walk into the old town. Having suffered little war damage, it's a museum piece of 17th to 19th century streets. The upward-looking image is of St. Peter's church, followed by the House of Black Heads. Nothing to do with skin blemishes, it was the home of a medieval guild of merchants named after St. Maurice, said to be a Moor and hence darker than the local population. The old town hosts a plethora of excellent bars and restaurants---but that's another story.

The 1920s clock tower stands in line with the Freedom Monument, an Art Deco creation from the interwar, independent period. A walk across the park---with its attendant canal---takes us to a wonderful network of Art Nouveau streets unlike anywhere else I have seen. The three days we spend in Riga are really not enough to absorb its special character.Read more