Riga in June

Air Baltic flies you direct from Billund to Riga. We flew out on Friday night and back home on Tuesday morning. My birthday was to be celebrated "over there". The tickets were surprisingly cheap as we are not talking Ryanair - only around 550,- kr per head. Riga is an old city with a long history. The center is incredibly charming, many outdoor restaurants, bars and cafes. Flower arrangements and music/bands are seen in many places and help to liven up the city center. Sushi is cheap and the local chefs are skilled. Lunch menu consisting of 16 delicious pieces of sushi at a trendy sushi restaurant costs only about 36 kr. We found delicious and cheap sushi restaurants outside the old town - where the locals go. The place is close to Hotel Bergs. Every day at noon in front of St. Peter's Basilica, a person with a yellow suitcase offers a free city tour. The old town attracts the tourists, but there is much more of the city worth exploring. The tour is free, but the guide presents himself as a "professional beggar", so you tip at the end of the tour - the amount is entirely up to you. On your way out of the old town, the tour takes you past St. John's Church. St. John's Church, where 2 monks had themselves walled in to get closer to God. Through a small hole in the wall, the two monks were served food and drink. However, they had forgotten to account for toilet visits, so they literally died in their own shit. Next, the guide took us to the city's Central Market, which is housed in old zeppelin hangars. We were also introduced to the city's architecture. Many older buildings were made of wood. In the old days, the country had the philosophy that if the enemy came, everything outside the city walls should be burned down so that the enemy could not besiege the city and bring it to its knees by freezing out supplies. The enemy would also not be able to use buildings for protection and fire on the city inside the city walls. Unfortunately, scouts looked wrong sometimes, so the city has suffered unnecessary burning. There were memorials from World War II. The country has had a large Jewish population. An outdoor museum commemorates the many victims. Another monument commemorates all the minorities who suffered greatly during World War II. Besides the Jews, the disabled, gypsies and homosexuals were also persecuted. If the city gets too hot, the beach is not far away. The train runs frequently and only takes about 30 minutes. Jurmala is a real little beach gem that lives and breathes for visitors, which means the pedestrian street is packed with shops, restaurants and bars. The beach is wide and nice and long. The city is also known for its many spa resorts. Make up your mind whether you want to stay close to the beach or the city. The beach is long, so some resorts are further away from the city activities. We chose Amber Sea Hotel, Dzintaru 68, LV-2015, Latvia, which is about 3 km from the city center. We stayed close to the beach, but further away from the city's restaurants, bars and shops. Our booking was for 1 night including evening buffet, breakfast buffet, 1 spa treatment and access to the spa facilities. The room was great, the spa treatment was great and the breakfast buffet was great. Unfortunately, the evening buffet was a disappointment. The selection was small and the food was nothing special. Riga is a little gem that can easily be experienced on a weekend, so pack your bags and get going :o)