2 Days in Latvia

14 April Having rented a Skoda Octavia in Lithuania, on 14 April we enter Latvia heading towards Rundale, to visit the famous Rastrelli Palace; the park is still bare, and no supplement is required on the entrance ticket to visit it. We finish the visit in less than 2 hours, and head towards Sigulda, at the entrance to the Guaja park, where we admire the new castle (only from the outside), and the old castle (we climb the original fortified walls and a tower from which we enjoy an excellent view of the park). 4 km away we stop to visit the Gutmana cave and reread in our guide the legend of Maja, the Rose of Turaida; the castle stands a short distance away. The last destination of the day is Cesis, a lovely medieval town (a pity that at 18:00 the castle is already closed and we have to content ourselves with looking at it from the outside).

At 20:00 we are already in Riga, where we will stay at the Tia Hotel. Dinner in a typical local restaurant, the Citi Laiki.

15 April A whole day dedicated to Riga. We start with the central market, 4 former hangars once used for the construction of Zeppelin airships; among the stalls we manage to find a few souvenirs to take home, wooden products at reasonable prices. We move to the centre to admire the House of the Blackheads and the nearby Church of St Peter, Cathedral Square and Riga Castle (unfortunately closed to the public for restoration works). At 17:00 we are the first to take a seat on the 26th floor of the Radisson hotel, at the Skyline bar, from which you enjoy the best view of the city. Dinner at the Lido Atputas Centrs, a place with a vast choice of typical local and other dishes, which externally looks like a windmill; it offers the chance to have fun thanks to a playground and an ice-skating rink.