Our last day in Riga. Greg had been angling to visit the old Spilve airport, which was the airport built by the Soviets after World War II as the hub for Aeroflot. The terminal building still remains as a notable example of Stalin's neoclassical architecture, which was the main reason for our visit. The airfield was closed for regular flights in the late 1980s and is now used for general aviation. We weren't sure if we could see the terminal but thought it was w...

Riga is on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Daugava River. On our penultimate day in Riga we decided to travel to the seaside resort of Jurmala by ferry down the Daugava River which takes about two and a half hours. Joan arrived at the appointed time and we made our way by tram to the old town and then walked to the statue of Great Kristaps opposite Riga Castle where we would meet the ferry. Tickets bought it was time for a coffee to kick start the day and ou...

Another beautifully in Riga and we were off to explore the Moscow district with Joan. The Moscow district is behind the central market area and was as an area of Russian, Belarusian and Jewish migration for hundreds of years. Housing in the area is predominately made of wood. Up until the mid 19th century wooden houses were mandated by the rulers of Riga. In times of invasion the occupants had to burn down their houses and seek shelter behind the city walls. Thi...

I had booked another tour before arriving in Riga, the "Best of Riga Food and Culture Walking Tour". After our tour the previous day I had trepidations about this one, but I'd already paid, so off we went. The tour promised an exploration of three of Riga's most essential districts, combined with food tasting and cultural walking tour. We met our guide, Liga, in the Old Town on Vecpilsetas Street, from there we walked to one of the many 17th century store hou...

I've already shared with you how knowledgeable our friend Joan is about Riga and what to see and do. When we were planning this trip Joan suggested that we should visit Rundale Palace, which is about 70 kilometres outside of Riga. I found a tour company that would pick us up and take us to the palace, so the tour was booked. Our driver arrived at 10:00 for the day's tour. And now to the name of this entry "Everything is Illuminated". You might not have read th...