Post conference Riga

Tuesday, May 5.

The conference is over. We can ease off a little but Peter is still in demand for more interviews. Thus, L and I take a stroll by ourselves into the old town again.

Yesterday was the 25^th anniversary of Latvia’s second declaration of independence and there were various public functions in the city which regrettably we were not able to attend. However, the most notable mark of the day is a large floral arrangement at the base of the Freedom Monument. 

It is in the shape of the map of Latvia. Among no doubt personal tributes, there are a large number of colours of different nations which made representations on this important anniversary. Today, as the weather is fine, there are groups of tourists everywhere. Perhaps the fact that there are two large cruise boats in the harbour may have something to do with it. Riga is very fortunate that large ships can tie up within easy walking distance of the old town. 

We also happen to be at the monument when the guard is changing. A local tells me that it happens every hour but every 15 minutes, the two guards go for a short march, no doubt to maintain circulation in their limbs.

As midday is approaching, we make our way back to the hotel. We have to meet up with Peter as we are all being picked up from there to have lunch with the Latvian Ambassador for the UK and, would you believe, also Australia! Ambassador Andris Teikmanis is taking us to a harbourside eaterie, established in a reclaimed building that served some role to do with the former maritime activities. 

Peter had met the ambassador in London. There is no other than a social purpose for our meeting although we cannot help touch upon the events of the recent past as well as Peter’s strategies to get himself and his colleagues cleared by the Egyptian court. Without dwelling overmuch on the food again, my veal cheek with vegetables is quite exceptional. 

Very obligingly we are driven back to the Radisson again in the ambassador’s car.

By the time we are back at our lodgings, we need to start packing as we are transferring to another hotel. After our very solid lunch, all we need for the evening is a soup in the hotel restaurant. We get set up to watch Peter’s live 45min. interview for one the national broadcaster’s flagship programs One on One  http://ltv.lsm.lv/lv/raksts/06.05.2015-11-inga-springe--peteris-greste-eng.id48807/ . To us there is nothing especially revealing but Peter did do another excellent job. Peter speaks in English of course but there is continuous translation in Latvian. It is rather annoying that the translator, while very good at his job, speaks in an expressionless monotone. It might also have been good to have had the interviewer’s questions translated by a female voice.

Wednesday, May 6.

We move out of our Radisson address and pack into a taxi to check into our longer term place. Peter comes with us. It is a smaller hotel, the PK Riga, still not far from the old town but in the area the locals call The Centre. 

Our new home.

It is adjacent to the park which has been developed along the ancient moat surrounding old Riga. It is a very interesting 18^th century part of town. 

The famous Vincent restaurant is just around the corner. And it seems that there is something wrong if a taxi fare in Riga costs more than about 5 or 6 Euro.

Our ground floor room is a little more compact but still well appointed and more affordable. In fact, the public amenities are much more intimate and friendly than the Radisson. The PK could be described as a boutique hotel.

After settling in, the three of us go for another walk. Peter regrettably has been so busy that he really has seen almost nothing of Riga this time around. Walking through the park is a true spring joy as the temperature is rising and the colour transformation is very obvious day by day.

Pushkin is very highly regarded by the Russians as well as the Latvians.

The above are some of the oldest physical parts of Riga - sections of the town wall.

From our previous experiences, the market is an attraction that never disappoints. Even though it is getting late in the day, there is still lots of activity.

However, it is all the smoked and cured goods that excite us. Peter also needs to buy a few special presents for his London friends. With the world so integrated, it is getting difficult to buy uniquely local items. In the end Peter buys some smoked ham, black caviar and Riga Sprats which you probably cannot get in most supermarkets. However, it is the fish hall which once again sends us around the bend. 

There is smoked and fresh fish of every kind. We buy some eel but are presented with a problem whether we want it cold or hot smoked; do we want a piece from the head or the tail. Either way, it is delicious. For a more formal snack, we try a mixed fish platter which we finish off with a local draft beer and Kvass – an old non-alcoholic brewed drink.

The weather has changed to a very misty rain. It is however not wet enough to deter us from walking back to the hotel. Peter departs. A little later we arrange a cab to collect Peter from his place and we all go to Sandy Semjonov’s house where we have been invited to dinner. 

By Riga standards, he lives on the edge of town but yet in a very urban street of mainly apartment buildings. Sandy is one of Latvia’s few foreign journalists, a freelancer, if not THE only one. He has even done stories from Afghanistan when the Latvians had a small military contingent. He has done some excellent work around Peter and us – at http://ltv.lsm.lv/lv/raksts/29.04.2015-jaunums-dokumentala-filma-400-dienas-kas-mainija-dzivi.-tv-pirmi.id47972/. He has three children and his wife is also a media executive.  

A distraction is an international ice hockey game between Switzerland and Latvia. The locals are ice hockey mad. The game is a tie but Latvia wins in extra time. There is great rejoicing. 

Once that is over, we enjoy some traditional Latvian food with lots of potato bakes, sour kraut, smoked meats and local beer. Our contribution to the evening is a Spanish red wine with a Catalan cheese made of a mix of cow’s and goat’s milk – really good, all purchased at the markets.

It has been a very sociable evening. We hope we meet them again. Sandy orders a taxi which first drops Peter off. We take our farewells for the time being as he is catching a flight to London tomorrow. We continue on to our place – all for what seems to be a ridiculously low fare.