Riga
I'm writing quite a few days behind as mobile internet connection has been intermitent and city visits are fun but exhausting. We are seeing and doing so much in a short time it is hard to process all the experiences and feelings.
After a day in between, stopping enroute for a short visit to Trakai to see the famous castle on an island and staying the night in the Latvian countryside just outside of Bauska, we arrived in Riga. This time we stayed in the city at Riverside Camping, the type of motorhome stop were vehicles are closely crammed together, but nether the less felt safe, had warm showers and was only a few euro for a Bolt taxi into Riga's old town.
Definitely the best day of the trip so far. The buildings in Riga's old town are stunning and there is a really relaxed vibe. The cafes and restaurants are definitely beer orientated and we several stag and hen parties, but still quite chilled. Our bolt driver gave us a good tip to get a great view from the top floor of the National Library, just over the river from the Old Town. It was an amazing building inside and out and we enjoyed great views from the top floor, despite all the windows being covered in dots for some reason which made it difficult to take good photos of the view.
We had first visited the Riga Central Market which was full of stalls displaying a fantastic array of beautifully presented foods - giant watermelons, piles of cherries, sausages, breads, fish and takeaway food stalls selling traditional food from Latvia. I chose to have the Cepelinai which are (very dense) potato dumplings made from grated potatoes with a meat (or cheese) filling inside and coated with bacon bits. Actually the national dish of Lithuania, this was the first place were I saw them named as Zeppelins, and it dawned on me that this is because they are shaped like airships. In fact it made sense that they were making a big thing of these here as Riga Central Market is in fact located in five airship hangars built in World War I.
Then more exploring the old town, drinks in a few bars and a meal at a fabulous bar/restaurant called 'Two More Beers'. It was an expensive meal (in terms of a three month travel budget) but well worth it!
I would definitely recommend Riga for a city break. Prices in the centre of Riga, as with Vilnius, are comparable with most European capital cities - i.e. the price in euros is probably the same as the price in pounds back home.
The next day before leaving Riga we visited a very plush out of town shopping centre with a huge Decathlon - we needed a new sleeping bag, an extra pan ... and a few other things we didn't know we needed until we saw them. Outside we were encouraged to try some local cured sausages by a guy who had lived a while in Dublin, so we got the crack and a lot of sausage.