An unexpected getaway
Following a beautiful visit to Norway my friend had a surprise trip planned. It was kept a secret until I was in line at airBaltic and realized we were off to her old stomping grounds in Riga, Latvia. What an experience to visit a country, having done little to no research, nor possessing an understanding of the rich history, culture, and language. I was in for a treat that engaged all my senses!
We arrived late in the evening and with little time to spare, hit the ground running. We wandered the dimly lit streets where I gained a glimpse of a city that was founded in the early 13th century. Through arches, past old canons and city walls that lined alleys opening up into quaint town squares, we meandered through the old town in search of an establishment where we might procure an adult beverage. As we strolled down the cobblestone streets I was pretty stoked I had opted for easy to pack flat sandals vs ankle twisting heels.
Just after midnight, with no sense of time, we followed the sounds of what I can only describe as booming techno with an occasional folk music spin coming from the central town square. There was a huge disco likely gearing up for the solstice celebrations! People of all ages adorned with characteristic midsummer flower crowns enjoyed eating, drinking, dancing, and singing. I’m always struck by what an early curfew we seem to have in America compared to other countries!
Riga
The beautiful city of Riga invites you in with colorful gardens and parks amidst medieval buildings, denoting a rich history. The capital city boasts the largest market in Europe spread amongst five repurposed zeppelin hangars and filled with everything from exquisite caviar to strawberries (best in the world I hear). In addition to strawberry sampling, I had to try brandy that was filtered through Latvian forest moss – pretty sure I singed my eyebrows trying to sip it. It also has the highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture in the world dating back to the turn of the century. The city is filled with alluring parks surrounded by canals and the most perfectly arranged gardens. The beauty amidst this celebratory season is overshadowed at times with reminders of the great city’s tumultuous history – even in modern times. Walking along the canal we see large stone memorials to those killed during the Soviet attack on the Latvian Interior Ministry in 1991 as they declared their independence. But alas, this is the season of renewal and celebration. It was time to leave the city for the countryside to partake in the traditional festivities of the longest days of the year!
The endless celebration
While we had technically celebrated a rather subdued summer solstice in Norway, we were in Latvia during Līgo and Jāņi, the 23rd and 24th of June respectively; the midsummer’s celebration. The markets and the cities were stunning arrays of nature with even statues adorned with crowns of greenery. Flowers and foliage decorate every shop and wreaths are traditionally woven and worn on one’s head. Women traditionally wear flowers and men wear oak leaf wreaths, symbolizing the strength of an oak tree. Like many other celebrations, this involves its share of good traditional food and drink. A bright yellow caraway seed cheese symbolizing the sun is found in abundance at the markets – just pick your vendor. Fires burn throughout the night across the countryside where many Latvians go to celebrate. I was even advised to look for the many bonfires during my early flight home (no luck thanks to cloud cover). And don’t even think about going to sleep! I was informed that tradition states you stay up until the sun rises. Always up for a challenge, I wasn’t one to disappoint…especially with a 7am flight home the following morning.
Following a hopeless attempt at a power nap, I was most graciously invited by my new friends to spend the evening out in the country and celebrate with their family and friends. The spread of food was incredible, the joyous singing and dancing was gleeful, and to have not one, but two flower wreaths made for me left my heart filled with gratitude. “Paldies (thank you)” Zanda and Signe. We left the house well after midnight to join a large concert out in a field with more bonfires and traditional music while we awaited the sunrise. The full moon was a spectacular site to behold amidst the celebration and before I knew it, the sun was rising. These people knew how to party!
Riga is a beautiful historic city, and I was fortunate to visit during a most joyous season. The old and new city are beautiful places to meander for hours, and the people are kind and proud of their heritage. I came to this city completely unprepared and left with a heart full of joy. As I boarded a mostly empty flight to Copenhagen just before 7am, I wondered how my well-rested fellow travelers had come away unscathed from the prior night’s never-ending celebration. Unlike myself, they were likely not gearing up for a long overseas flight home where I had high hopes of finally catching up on some rest. Zero regrets! I highly recommend visiting this incredible city and if possible, time it for Līgo and Jāņi https://www.latvia.travel/en/summer-solstice-celebrations. Thank you Ali for sharing this beautiful country with me!
This last story about a summer trip to Norway and Latvia is a bit delayed because we took off soon after for a trip (with kids) to Japan for a little over a week. Much traveling was done on that trip too, we’ll be bringing you those posts as we go along. Weds on this website is traditionally the day the HelmsMistress writes about travel or anything else, from her point of view. Wanna read more of our stories? FOLLOW this blog site and we’ll continue to write as we go along.
Here are the other two posts in this series about a summer trip to Norway/Latvia:
Places We’ve Been: Adventures In The Lofoten Islands – Part I, By The HelmsMistress
Places We’ve Been: Lofoten Islands, Norway Part II, By The HelmsMistress
