The Latvian capital city of Riga is home to a lot of beautiful things, and I'm not just talking about their stunning blonde women. Sadly, a lot of that beauty is being spoiled by British tourists who don't understand how to behave when abroad. The mayor of Riga complains ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Latvia
Latvia fed up with "English pigs" - creates anti-Brit police force
The Latvian capital city of Riga is home to a lot of beautiful things, and I'm not just talking about their stunning blonde women. Sadly, a lot of that beauty is being spoiled by British tourists who don't understand how to behave when abroad. The mayor of Riga complains ...The Latvian way to fix the economy? Hot blondes!
The world is in a global economic meltdown, but Latvia is suffering a bit more than most other nations - their economy is expected to shrink by 16% this year. Some countries have introduced financial measures to get things back on track, others have been forced to simply sit ...Riga, Latvia: the best place you've never been
A lot has changed since the Cold War ended. If this is news to you, please stop reading immediately. You don't want to drink water from a fire hose. But, if you are in fact aware that the Berlin Wall fell (and that David Hasselhoff provided the soundtrack, to the joy of ...OK, in Latvia, do not speak Russian
Language is a funny thing: When you say something wrong, even in a foreign tongue, you don't have to be told you made a mistake. The reaction says it all. It comes in the form of a stony face, a pause, and an answer that in itself is a correction. At least that's what I was ...Hospital-themed restaurant in Latvia. Check in like a patient and order up a meal
Here's another unsual restaurant that joins the ranks of off beat eateries like the Toilet Restaurant in Taiwan.
In Riga, Latvia, folks who head to the restaurant Hospitalis check in as if they are patients in a hospital. Once seated in the midst of operating tables, ...Independence days and elephants
I've whipped out my International Calendar to see what might be left to tell about November before it slips away from Eastern Standard Time in a few hours. What I see is a whole lot of independence days and a slew of other politically geared occasions.
Nov. ...Jail Hotels: bunking like an inmate
Call me weird, but there is something sickly exciting about living in a hotel that used to be a jail. I prefer hostels, bed and breakfast inns and motels to hotels -- with a special dislike towards 5-star luxury -- but should I have the opportunity to stay at the new Boston ...Europe's Red Asphalt: The Most Dangerous Roads in the EU
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Thinking of renting a car and driving through Europe this summer? Want to come back alive? Well then, there are a couple of countries you should probably avoid--mainly those located in the Baltics.
According to a recent EU report, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia had the ...Word for the Travel Wise (12/17/06)
After going through some of the language archives I just realized I forgot to include a very useful link in the Latvian lessons that can help not only with the exploration of Latvian, but many other langs as well. BBC Languages Quick Fix has a section for Latvian with audio ...Word for the Travel Wise (10/17/06)
It's been a while since I had a Latvian word and with winter right around the corner I'd like to suggest travel to the town of Sigulda. Known as a minor health resort and winter sports center it sounds as if you can get a very good back massage which should be much after ...Word for the Travel Wise (04/09/06)
Earlier today I took a little time
to polish my silver jewelry (a chore I truly dislike doing) and couldn't help admiring an old piece of amber I'd gotten
in San Francisco's China Town. It was my first real piece of amber and who would have guessed that piece would ...Red Corner: Vilnius, Tallinn, and Riga
The Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were the last to be incorporated into the Soviet Union, and boy do they show it. The extra 20 years of European influence can still be seen today as these three countries, now independent, are rapidly becoming hot tourist ...Red Corner: Baltic Summer
Summer is still a little ways off but not so far that you can't start thinking about where to go. And if Europe is on your mind, but the crowds that plague the Mediterranean make you cringe, then consider vacationing a bit further north in the Baltics.
The weather is a tad ...Red Corner: Baltic Spas
I'm not sure how I got on the theme of bathhouses and saunas this week, but the fact is that such methods of relaxation have a long history in the former communist lands and today remain extraordinarily popular throughout this part of the world.
The sanatorium (more ...Word for the Travel Wise (02/24/06)
Before Neil joined our team here I never gave much thought to these distant, far eastern lands mentioned in his thorough and ongoing Red Corner series. Sure I've been to Budapest, checked out some of those old dusty (and rather interesting) Communist statues that once stood ...Red Corner: Bunking Down in Latvian Prison
Rather low on my list of things to do before I die is to spend a night in jail.
Good news, however, for adventure tourists hopped up on doing so; they can now avoid the social stigma of a public trial, and simply pay a few bucks for the experience. For just $8, the very ...Red Corner: Baltic States vs. United States
What are the differences between the Baltic States and the United States?
Well, there are quite a few-beginning with the fact that most any Baltic citizen over the age of ten can find America on a map, while most Americans can't even identify the three Baltic States ...
