Latvia

Riga is a much larger city than we had anticipated. The suburbs began 10 miles outside the city centre. The city has many fine buildings, those in the old town being best maintained, but continuing well outside there are many classical buildings – give it a few more years and no doubt the whole city will be covered with fresh paint.

The freedom monument

Erected not in the 1990s, but in 1935, following freedom from the Russians after their 1917 revolution. They came back as the USSR in 1940, followed by the Nazis in 1941, then stayed after WWII until 1991.

Some of the gloomy history - a memorial at the site of one of the mass murders committed by the Nazis

Each represents a city from which Jews were deported. The memorial was largely funded by German cities.

We are curently in a campsite catching up with our domesic chores, emailing and blogging.  It is 25 deg and vey quite and peaceful - a good day to relax with a cool beer.

Good things about Latvia - prices are 2/3 of what we are used to in UK, diesel is £1.08 a litre, autogas is £0.375 - half the price at home (that one would be more benefit if we needed the heating on, which we certainly don't!)

Not such good things - while the shops are stocked with food of all varieties, we have never been so challenged in trying to work out what it is we are buying; we failed entirely to find creme fraishe, and what we thought was milk turned out to be yoghurt.  Never mind, it goes well with the rasberries on the farm campsite which we are staying on - there is a glut, and we were invited to help ourselves to 'all we can eat', an  offer which we have not refused!  Nobody smiles much - it's a job to get anyone to pass the time of day, and little courtesies, like holding a door open for someone, are met with a blank expression.  We presume it is due to years of literally 'keeping your head down' and minding your own business?  The exception has been the nice lady at the campsite where we are now