19/09/2026
Riga has the highest concentration of art nouveau architecture in ALL of Europe. You could stare at every facade for days and still not absorb every detail. Some of these photos were justified vertically, so I had to choose the small section of the incredible facade to show you—so sad! Zoom in to see the details.
I stood in front of each one and just kept whispering, “Wow. Wowow. Wow.”
The city is also filled with pockets of large and small green spaces, with random sculptures, like this mirrored snail, and crafters’ markets.
Last photo: The unofficial national drink of Latvia is Black Balsam. It has a rich history (The story goes that it cured Catherine the Great when she became ill on a visit to Riga, where nothing else could.) and almost became extinct when the only people with the recipe fled the country during the N**i occupation. But former employees, who had memorized the ingredients and proportions, reconstructed the recipe so it exists today.
It’s a bitter digestif, and I was warned it would be gross, (even by the waitress!!) but since I love Ouzo and Campari and Schnapps (the real German/Austrian kind!), I had to try it. It’s finished with burnt sugar, so despite its bitterness, it was too sweet for me to buy any to bring home—I would never drink it. The ingredient list is too extensive to list here, but it’s worth looking up. It’s a collection of herbs, spices and plants that make you wonder who in their right mind would even think this was ok to do! Alcohol content is 45%.💥
Oh, and the tasting room was a dark, dark place lit by very low lighting and actual wax candles—such a cool vibe in which to drink this 18th century potion!
