We decided to spend our final day in Riga staying close to Centrs and the Old Town, leisurely checking out one or two of the places Martīns had suggested we investigate. One thing Riga has no in short measure is churches, so we decided to have a closer look at a couple of the more illustrious ones. The two we visited were on either side of Ratslaukums. The 13th century Gothic-style Pēterbaznīca (St Peter's Cathedral) in Skārnu street boasts a spire that was once the highest in Medieval Europe. Unsurprisingly then, it offers the best views of Riga from its tower (€7 entry fee, 2015); Doma Baznīca (Riga Cathedral), a monster of a cathedral amongst Baltic churches, is one of the most recognisable landmarks in Riga with its charcoal-coloured spire and weathercock (undergoing a bit of a facelift at the time we were visiting). Doma Baznīca is also famous for its formidably proportioned organ which contains a staggering 6,768 pipes!
We looked around for a low-key place to have lunch, and found one that suitably qualified, the Queens Pub, just round the corner from St Peter's Church in Kalku street. The Pub (trying obviously to appeal to the growing hordes of English tourists) was decked out to try to recreate the vibe of a typical English working class inn - lots of football paraphernalia (club banners and shirts), dart boards, etc. To maintain the mood I selected the most Sasanach thing on the menu, the traditional pie and ale. The ladies in our lunch group, ignoring the faux "Anglo-ness" of the Pub, opted for a drop of Latvijan wine (fascinatingly I discovered on this trip that Latvia is the most northerly place that vintners can successfully make wine!).
When visiting Riga, one trip to the Central Markets (Centātirgus) is insufficent to take in the enormity of the Markets' scope, so we ventured back for a post-prandial exploration. Whilst walking to the locationI noticed something a little odd about the city trams frequently passing by. Many of these government trams were driven by women, but that wasn't what I found odd, rather it was that most of the female drivers didn't have uniforms, but were wearing light, summer floral-patterned dresses, the type that they might don for a leisurely trip into town to do the family shopping!
Later on back in Skārnu iela we happened upon a bar that you wouldn't expect to find in tiny Riga, deep in the north of the European continent. The Kiwi Bar was a surprise discovery, replete with a wide choice of Australian and New Zealand beers on tap. Run by an Aotearoan expat, there was the predictable cultural symbols and icons on display, rugby balls and jumpers and pictures on the walls referencing representatively NZ fauna (ruminant mammals and flightless birds). It's probably about the only place in Latvia where you can enjoy a Speight's or a James Squire whilst watching cricket on TV ... aside that is, from the Aussie Pub two blocks away in Vałnu street!
After drinks and an Antipodean catch-up in the Kiwi Bar we strolled round looking for a good, authentically Latvian place to eat, doing a spot of window-shopping on the way. To those in the know and interested enough to care about these things, Riga and the Rīdzinieki apparently have a growing reputation for hipness. I do not believe that this enhanced fashionability has any correlation with the fact that Riga has in recent years become the go-to destination for English lads looking for a cheap buck's party! Centring around the fashionably arty street Miera iela (Peace street) is Riga's version of 'Hipsterville', the young hipsters with fedoras, casual check shirts and skintight leggings are proudly there for all to see - typically, sipping an artisanal latte at DAD Café. In a shop window I think I spotted what might be the "next wave" of Rīdzinieki hipster men's fashions, a whole series of outlandish, faux "gangster-hip" safari suits, devoid of any restraint in either colour or design! My personal favourite was the "cocaine-boss" outfit, a garish number with a pattern of black background and green coca leaves which covers the unfortunate wearer from ankle to neck!
We had dinner in Arsenāla street in the Parliament district in a restorāns called appropriately enough Alus Arsenāls. This name in Latvijan means "beer arsenal" & the layout certainly had the appearance of a beer cellar. It was located in a basement with wall recesses with faux beer barrels protruding from them; an arched ceiling tapered on either side gave a slightly cramped feeling. An alternate perspective of this might call it 'cosy' (the restaurant's website describes it as having a 'democratic' atmosphere). It had a good selection of Latvian beers and we shared the alus plate starter (a bit over-salty for my taste). For the mains I opted for pork chops with mushroom sauce, Latvian-style which tasted OK. I thought I'd give a local dessert a go, choosing something called 'Ambrose', a doughy concoction consisting of rye bread & creamy berries (the Baltic staters are very keen on rye bread, the blacker the better for them!). Unfortunately this turned out to be quite bland and unappetising. Overall I thought the meal was a bit on the expensive side, but maybe in Riga it costs extra to get that "democratic' atmosphere" they were talking about!
