Cobblestone Whiplash in Old Town Riga

Helsinki to Riga was a short flight--50 minutes--though it felt longer, since Elowen had the mother of all meltdowns before we took off. The rumble of the plane soothed her to sleep, though, and by the time we landed she'd had a nice nap. Since she'd gotten some rest, we immediately set off toward the Old Town. 

I was a little worried, since when we landed the cab driver said, "You are from America? Then why do you come here!" And laughed uproariously. But my fears were unfounded, because Riga is gorgeous and has so much to do! Riga was first established in 1201, and it's developed into a mix of architectural styles since, from Romanticism to Baroque to Modernism. It was misting rain the first night, so we just wandered around and took in the mishmash of buildings and narrow cobblestone streets (not stroller friendly--poor Elowen may have whiplash from the jouncing.) 


For dinner, we ate at a Georgian/Armenian restaurant so that I could have my beloved khachupuri and khinkali, but the real highlight turned out to be a spicy barley soup. Elowen ate chicken pelmeni, and also was very grumpy.


We also stopped in at Black Magic, a black balsam bar and chocolate shop that felt like something Harry Potter's older, darker cousin might have opened. Black balsam is the national drink of Latvia, created by a Rigan apothecary in 1752, and it's supposed to have restorative medicinal properties (and allegedly once cured Catherine the Great of an illness). It has an herbal taste that's mostly bitter with a hint of sweet, and you can find it in everything from chocolate cake to drinks to creme brulees. 

I had a hot blackcurrant drink with black balsam, and a few chocolates--the caramel one had Pop Rocks in it, so that was a surprise. They told us inside that they'd recently opened after a year, and that many shops and restaurants had shuttered permanently after COVID--and the Old Town does seem strangely empty of shops.


I really liked the feet on the tables at Black Magic.

The following day was sunny and perfect, and we crushed the city--post to come! 







Comments

  1. MomMay 26, 2022 at 8:13 PM

    The chocolates look amazing, how can you choose just one? Elowen looks in awe, wondering how they could bring such beauty to the buildings! The colors of the tulips were beyond beautiful and I am sure seeing them in person was amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EricaJune 10, 2022 at 7:42 PM

      We ate six! They were all delicious and Elowen had a great time!

      Delete

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