As the Nazis capitulated and signed the surrender in late evening of 8th of May in 1945, it was already 9th of May in Moscow – so in Soviet Union the victory was announced early in the morning of 9th of May.

Riga Free Bike Tour - 1st May - 2012

We had 8 exclusive bikes ready for action and they were quickly booked ahead. We followed the official Velo Parade up to Mežaparks – then had some coffee and some snacks at a local Eco Shop near the Zoo.

We explored Mežaparks a bit and then went home through Sarkandaugava and Valdemāra Iela down the bicycle path.

And sure we have some photos to share:

Also there is a bit more in Riga Bike Tours Facebook page.

I was rather surprised – never before I have seen so many snakes together – not even in a zoo.

Grass Snakes usually have a yellow collar behind the head, shaped like two half moons – this way you can easily distinguish non-venomous Grass Snake from Vipers which are venomous.

You are visiting Riga – you are looking for a great coffee, well, Kafka cafe is probably where you should be heading! It can be found at Vaļņu 26, Old Town (2nd floor in a book-shop Globuss).

The first thing I remember about this place was the smell. This was a real cafe I thought to myself and sure enough when I actually tasted a cup of their fine black caffeine soup I knew that I could easily recommend it to others. I was also struck by the design inside their space. Wood covers everything and it is clearly a place to sit back relax, pick up a book and forget all of the troubles that Old Riga tends to throw at us.

Good for the general public, the staff here are extremely welcoming, coffee lovers and very warm. Now that is a rariety for Old Riga Cafes! Make sure to ask about the Travel Nights on Tuesdays that they are running.

Have fun! Take a coffee, flick through your Hemingway and chew on a cookie!

Teahouse KAMA Tea hub has vide selection of herbal teas from all over the world, good music and home made snacks.

Occasionally they have movie nights and small acoustic bands playing. There is also free Wi-Fi, incense, and cushions! Check out their own network radio station here and follow their facebook page.

Adress: Riga Old Town, at Jēkaba iela 26/28

A healthy breakfast from Martin

If you’re in central Riga and are looking for a good place to get a coffee and a couple of pastries, then you could do a lot worse then pop into one of Martin’s bakeries. With six locations around the city, you’re probably not to far from one. Inside you’ll find a line of people waiting to choose from the big selection of pastries on the shelves behind the counter. Join the line and see if you can hit the jackpot, having arrived at the moment when a fresh batch appears from the kitchen, hot from the oven.

Whilst Martina Bekerija has good coffee and some nice cakes, most people come to the bakery for its pastries. You can choose from many different fillings, ranging from savoury to sweet. Traditional favourites include cheese, meat, ham, cabbage and potato as well as cinnamon or biezpiens (curd cheese) pastries. However, you can also try something a little more obscure such as egg, crab or rhubarb. The bakery offers take away if you’re in a hurry, otherwise grab a seat, relax and watch the locals.

I have no idea if it’s healthy, I’m guessing it’s not, but for a good cheap place to eat in Riga, consider Martin’s Bakery. Tasty pastries at a nice price. I recommend the mushroom.

Despite cold weather we walked around the streets of Moscow District after visiting Central Market, took tram to Pārdaugava and walked around Āgenskalns too.

Eindhoven Carnaval 2012

You can read more about our experience in Netherlands in previous post by James, for now just check out the gallery:

Imanta Station is located at the Riga-Tukums railway line, which was opened still back in the Russian Empire times in 1877. The station building itself comes from 1894 and with only minor additions has preserved its unique historical look.

Technical surveyors have come to conclusion that the building is no more being safe to use and that it is too close to the railway lines. Strange, through out the years the buildings location caused no problems and just a year ago there were some art projects exhibited. Also Valsts kultūras pieminekļu aizsardzības inspekcija (The State Inspection for Heritage Protection) has no objections against the demolition.

I think the building should be relocated to the Brīvadabas Muzejs (Open air Museum) which has buildings and houses from 18th and 19th centuries or to the Railway Museum as an example of the Russian Empire period rural railway station architecture.

While the new station is being build, there is a temporary structure for ticket offices and a shelter from rain.

There we have some pictures of the old station which we made just as we got the news about demolition.

Kalnciema Iela Street Market and Art Fair

Kalnciema Street is located in Pārdaugava – that’s on the other side of the Daugava river.  Every now and then, creative local entrepreneurs organise street markets, art fairs, events and band concerts there. We visited one in 03.03.2012 and got some pictures to share.

Next upcoming events will be happening in 17th and 31th of March. See more details in Kalnciema iela webpage or better at their Facebook page to get all the news and dates for the next upcoming markets, events and activities.