mlchad147
- Aug 1
- 5 min read

August 1, 2024–Riga, Latvia

Greetings from Riga, the capital of Latvia, one of the three Baltic republics that regained their independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. As members of the European Union and NATO, the Latvians will have a lot of friends if the Russians try to come back, but enough about that. Let’s talk about Riga.

With a population of roughly 700,000, Riga is Latvia’s largest city and home to one third of the country’s residents. It’s an important port, and its city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Speaking of the port, Riga and its port lie several miles up the Daugava River, and it was fun to watch us sail in this morning. Still, it’s the old town that I most wanted to see, and the primary reason we chose an excursion that would take us there.

So, what did we see? Our walking tour took us through a charming old town that was largely spared from the ravages of fighting in World War II, though we started a bit away at the Riga Central Market. The Riga Central Market is Europe’s largest food market and bazaar, and that’s saying something. It’s housed in five former German World War I zeppelin hangars, and its 3000 stalls are spread across a combined 780,000 square feet of space. We walked through a few of the enormous, high ceilinged buildings, past seemingly endless rows of meat stands, fish, stands, fruit and vegetable stands, fresh flower stands, and even souvenir stands. At one stand our excursion had arranged for us to sample foods, including smoked chicken, cheeses, quail eggs, cucumbers, rye bread, and several other delicacies. They were all delicious.

Leaving the Central Market we bused over to the old town, where we alit to continue the tour on foot. Riga’s old town manages to offer the charm of others we’ve visited without the narrow, winding streets and alleyways we’ve come to expect. Many of the city’s flagship structures date back to the 1300s, but are remarkably well preserved.

There are several great old churches, including the Riga Cathedral, St.Peter’s Church (both Lutheran), and St. Mary Magdalene’s Church (Roman Catholic), and other beautiful buildings, including the colorfully named House of Black Heads and House of Cats. The Opera House, Freedom Statue, and Livonia Square are also impressive. I’ll include photos of many of them below.

One interesting feature of the tour was a stop at a local bar and restaurant, where we sampled Riga Black Balsam, considered to be the national drink of Latvia. Black Balsam is a potent, 90 proof, herbal liqueur with a secret recipe known only to the head liquor master and two apprentices. It’s as black as black coffee and is sold in clay bottles to avoid exposure to the sun. Back in the 1700s it was sold as a medicine that could treat everything from gunshot wounds to scurvy to bites from rabid dogs. Today no one makes those claims, though I have to admit that I felt better after I tried some.

We enjoyed Riga so much that we stayed in town after the tour was over to continue walking around, shopping, and taking more photos. Michele bought and mailed a postcard home, I bought a hat, and some friends successfully located a small geocache tube, which they try to do in every country where one is to be found. Happily, we were within easy walking distance of the pier, so returning to the ship was no problem. Bright sunshine mixed with fluffy, white clouds, cool temperatures, and a nice breeze made our day all the more pleasant, and Latvia is officially on our list of countries we’d come back to, at least in the summer when the days are long and the nights are short.

Tomorrow we’re in Estonia, the second of the three Baltic states, and its capital, Tallinn, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ve scheduled another walking tour there, and I’m looking forward to seeing it. Stick around, because I’ll be back with a full report.

The Riga Central Market is housed in five former World War I zeppelin hangars built by the Germans, who occupied Latvia at the time.

That’s a long meat counter.

There were fruits and vegetables both inside and outside the hangars.

Nativity Cathedral.

Riga has a lovely opera house.

This is a really pretty spot. Opera House in the background.

And this is the House of Cats. Note the cat on the peak of the roof with its tail up and pointed across the street at what was at the time the Riga Stock Exchange. The owner of the House of Cats was Latvian, and wasn’t welcome in the Stock Exchange, which was run by Germans, so he built this building across the street and put the angry cat on the roof to express his displeasure. Or so the story goes, anyway.

Riga’s Freedom Statue, built to celebrate the country’s independence after it successfully broke away from Russia in 1918. Unfortunately they were reoccupied during World War II, first by the Germans and then by the Soviets, who stayed after the war. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought independence again, hopefully this time for good.

On August 23, 1989, two million people in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania joined hands and created a human chain 600 kilometers long, demanding their freedom from the Soviet Union. This plaque in one of the public squares commemorates that event.

Latvia’s national drink, Riga Black Balsam. The original, on the left, is 90 proof, while the one on the right, made with currant, is only 60 proof.

As a service to my readers I felt it was important for me to try it. I do believe in its medicinal properties, because I felt quite a bit better after I tried it.

I’m not sure if you can get it in the US, but it’s exported to 30 countries, so look for it. Believe it or not, those bottles are made of clay to protect the liqueur from the sunlight.