24th July 2019
Today we made the decision fairly late in the day to head over the border into Latvia. We have stopped at Zanzibāra, Kempings. Strangely, on check in we were asked if we were ‘travellers’ – not something you get asked everyday. Apparently there are some Irish travellers who come to this area every year and make a nuisance of themselves…
The site is small with space for about six vans and is a bit ‘rustica’ but with a lovely relaxed feel about it. We arrive we are delighted to see free roaming rabbits sunbathing on the lawn. There is a small river at the side of the site which has three floating huts very nicely laid out each with their own small veranda.
We spend our first day just chilling out, catching up on our domestics and making plans for our trip into Riga the following day.
Riga is in easy reach from our site. There is a bus from Kekava, the local town. The campsite owner kindly dropped us to the bus stop in his car [about a 20 minute walk as we found on the way back]. The short bus journey of about 30 mins costs €1.10 and a much better option we thought than driving in the camper and trying to find a parking space big enough to take us.
The old centre of Riga is interspersed with lovely old and some new not so lovely buildings – Many of the famous Art Nouveau apartment buildings have been restored. Riga is the largest city in the three Baltic States and home to one third of Latvia’s population. It has some pretty cobbled streets, littered with cafes, bars and restaurants.
There are 34 churches of all denominations in Riga and we visited just a few. You can take a lift to the top of St Peter’s church tower to get an amazing view of the city and many of the surrounding landmarks.
We found the most amazing medieval restaurant Rozengrals. Situated in a wonderfully decorated and atmospheric cellar. Lighting is by candle, the menu is based on recipes of the time and serving staff dressed in magnificent costumes. Doode was in his element, taking notes for his own next venture.
On our return to our campsite we found these lovely little guys had eaten my Basil plant that I had left out in the sunshine !
You’ve been to some lovely sites. Do you plan them in advance Annie? What book are they in? Seem a bit more than an aire type place but not quite a campsite. quit
Campercontact. I told you about it Jill. It gives ratings, descriptions, photos and comments of each place. They cover all of Europe and it costs about a fiver a year membership. Well worth it. We don’t book any of the sites. Just turn up. Planning is usually the day before. Some sites are free, some ten euro, some more. All amenities are listed so you make your choice.