Night location: Riga, Latvia

Staying three nights in a city like Riga has been brilliant as it has allowed us to see more than just the main sights in the old town. This morning we set off on one of the Latvian buses to the Central Market District and the domineering soviet era building Akademijas Laukums or the Academy of Science. Opened in 1955 and partially funded by 'voluntary donations' deducted from the salaries of Latvian workers, this edifice is a testament to the not so distant soviet past.

We went up to the 15th floor via the elevator and then the final two floors via Orwellian boiled cabbage smelling stairwells, to the panorama on the 17th floor. The weather in Riga seems quite temperamental as one minute the sun will be out and the next it will be lightly raining. Everything seems permanently damp and yet we haven't been impeded at all and the sun even shone brightly for us while we were taking in the views across the city.

Returning to ground level we walked back towards the Old Town through the Central Market. Opened in 1930, the market is made up of five pavilions, four side by side and one perpendicular to the rest, that are actually recycled German Zeppelin hangars constructed during WWI. It was the largest and most technologically advanced market in Europe making it somewhat of a tourist attraction in its day, and to locals it was seen as a symbol for the prosperous future of the then independent state of Latvia. They were really well organised inside and the many different stall holders sold an incredible array of fresh produce, meat, cheeses, and of course some Amber jewellery.

We walked through the old town again and saw the small Christmas tree that stands on an octagonal plaque that marks the spot of the first recorded mention of decorating a pine tree on Christmas Eve in 1510, before returning to the excellent bakery we visited yesterday for some honey cake and a hot drink. While enjoying our morning tea we decided that we should catch a tram out to the Laima chocolate factory. To do so, we walked out of the Old Town past the small footprint memorial to the 'Baltic Way', and boarded what David described as a soviet era barge on wheels.

The Laima chocolate factory dates back to 1870 and is the main confectionary company in Latvia. There was a small museum but we chose to spend our Euros on hot chocolates instead. David had what Althea would call a 'zuppa' of pure chocolate 'deliciousness' served in a piccolo cup, while Amber enjoyed hers with frothed milk.

It wasn't raining so we decided to walk back and stop in at the KGB Corner House building. Locals used to say that from the balconies of this grand building there were views of Siberia and the simple display inside outlined the soviet reign of terror clearly to us. The cellars were converted into holding cells and torture chambers for those deemed as radicals or who showed any sign of disloyalty to the regime.

By mid afternoon the rain seemed to be on its way so we returned to our hotel pool, spa and various saunas for another relax. We then ventured out into the heavy rain for a delicious early dinner at a modern Latvian restaurant. They proudly informed us that we were the very first guests to dine in their newly refurbished restaurant as they had been closed for a few months while renovating. Interestingly, over the last three nights in Riga we have eaten some of the best food of the trip which has come as a pleasant surprise! Our restaurant last night was easily in our list of top 10 restaurants ever and tonight's meal was right up there too.

On Wednesday we bought tickets for a concert being held in the Dome Cathedral tonight. The pride and joy of the cathedral is a magnificent pipe organ that dates back to 1884. At the time of its unveiling it was the largest organ in the world with 6718 pipes that are distributed on 26 windchests. Franz Liszt composed the Chorale setting 'Now thank we all our God' for the inauguration of the organ, and tonight we listened to seven pieces, three of which were composed by J.S Bach. This was a brilliant way to conclude our stay in Riga.