The capital of Latvia, Riga contains half of its population. A fairly concentrated old town, the city stumbles much further than these old boundaries - in fact, I would venture to say the real life of Riga is not to be found in the old town, unless all you are looking for is tourists.

Speaking of tourists, the word has certainly made it to Italy that 70% of the population of Latvia are women! I thought the ship made a mistake and moored in Italy, because everywhere I went I heard Italian. As a tourist destination, I am not convinced that it offers much for the eyes. It is a beautiful place, but also a distant one.

What is beautiful about this place are the people. I met several people here that were genuine, intelligent, and warm. There are a fair share of the contrary, but I felt like I got to see and know so much more than the average tourist thanks to friendships formed without national boundaries.

My only regret is that I didn't get to see Tallinn (Estonia's capital) and Vilnius (Lithuania's capital), both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Both were within two-three hours by car. That will be for another time, perhaps.