having a latvia time!

yes i think if you looked up 'latvia' in the dictionary (or maybe a thesaurus) then the word 'happy' would be right there next to it. well maybe in a very sarcastic dictionary. To explain lisa, jonny and I have just got back from a ryanair enabled quick jaunt to riga, the capital of latvia where we had a great time but weren't convinced the same could be said for teh indigenous latvian population. never before have we seen such a stoney faced non-reactive bunch. I shouldnt be too harsh, they were nice people, maybe they didnt have much to be happy about or maybe they didn't want to show it. but it was strange.

so generally we just milled about the city eating latvian food (potatoes, cabbage and meat), drinking cheap latvian beer (40p ahalf litre) and seeing the sights. one of the highlights for me was eating in a medieval restaurant. The cellar which it was in was first mentioned in 1293 as the most ancient wine-vault and festival place of the Riga City Council! it was all candle lit and they served only medieval meals (so no potatoes as they were only brought over in the 16th century). it could have been a bit over the top like a theme park but i think they got it just right.

oh and after many days of looking i finally found a latvian flag in the airport gift shop. can you belive nowhere in riga sells flags!
probably more riga photos to follow. oh and matt we tried our best not to whistle indoors and on the occasions a peep did slip out we did get some stern (and stoney faced ) looks.