Latvia

The 'Piano' is a World class restaurant located in Promenade hotel in Liepāja Enjoy delicious meals and a romantic, relaxed atmosphere at "Piano" restaurant located in "Promenade Hotel".  I first discovered and tried Piano restaurant back in September 2017. Restaurant Piano in Liepāja   On the extensive restaurant menu, you will find exquisite and diverse dishes specially prepared from local Latvian products - gourmets will enjoy the fresh bread baked in the restaurant and fresh fish…

Hotel “Talsi” is located in a picturesque place, next to Vilkumuiza lake. Hotel "TALSI" offers 53 different standard Single, Double rooms and comfortable Suites.  I booked Hotel Talsi, for a couple of days (nights) in August 2017. As there are not many hotels located in Talsi, Hotel Talsi seemed like a logical choice, which actually was quite true. As I traveled without a car, I managed to organize a taxi service from the hotel during my short stay in Talsi town. Hotel Talsi offers…

Bīne restaurant is located in Talsi, on Krišjāņa Valdemāra street 13, close to the Hotel Talsi. That's how I actually discovered this place back in 2017, while I stayed for a couple of nights at Hotel Talsi this restaurant/cafeteria was the closest dining place from the hotel. Restaurant Bīne serves typical Latvian cuisine for very affordable prices. Actually, this place is more a bistro than a restaurant (food is heated in the micro oven). Cafe / Restaurant/ Bistro Bīne in Talsi…

Cinevilla is a backlot in the Tukums Municipality in Slampe parish, Latvia, and was created for the outdoor shootings of the feature film Defenders of Riga. It is the only backlot in Latvia, and consists of replicas of historical buildings and constructions of Riga, the capital of Latvia. The backlot has a small canal to resemble the Daugava river quays of the Riga old town. The Stone Bridge is also there as well as the historical Lübeck and Pontoon bridges. I first visited lovely Cinevilla …

Jūrmala Airport (ICAO: EVJA) is an airport located 5 km (3 mi) in the Engure parish, Latvia, southeast of Tukums. The airport is located in the territory of the former army airfield. All of the airport's technical infrastructure, runway and buildings are what was left of the former Soviet military Tukums air base, which was a spartan military airfield with a single long ramp and revetted area. The base was completely abandoned, but in 2010 the conversion of the base to a civil airport with…

The Pokaini Forest, located 80 km south-west of Riga, Latvia near the small town of Dobele is a place where myths, superstition and mysterious events co-exist. The Pokaini Forest is a picturesque location and an ancient holy site famous for the wondrous legends told about it. Take a walk along the path and find out more about this energetic place. I first visited Pokaini forest back in 2008 or 2009. A lot has changed (developed) since then. During my latest trip here in May 2018, I did find…

The 107-meter tall building is considered the first high-rise in Latvia. It has been a prominent fixture of the Riga cityscape since the 1950s. There are a total of 766 rooms on the 23 floors, occupied by scientists, researchers, historians, and various companies.  It was in May 2018, when I first visited the observation deck located in Latvian Academy of Sciences building) and I was really impressed. So impressed that I would call this place actually the Empire State Building of Riga.…

Bird watching tower on Sloka lake actually is a floating platform which is a very popular tourist attraction among the locals and bird watchers. Discovered in the early May 2018, during our "living in Jūrmala" series.  Bird watching tower on Sloka Lake The bird watching tower actually is just one point from Sloka lake walking trail: The trail winds through diverse forest settings along the coastline of the lake populated by numerous waterfowl. It starts and ends next to Sloka Lake, where…

The Mangalsala Dam or the Eastern Mole has been built between 1850 and 1861 and rumor has the Russian Empire's Tsar actively followed the developments (back in those days there were two tsars ruling the Empire, Nicholas I and Alexander II). Mangalsala is the first part of the Riga city which is crossed by all ships entering the Daugava river. The length of the mole is 2240 meters. The sea part of the eastern mole was formed by pile constructions, which were later laid out and covered with…

Baltvilla is a 4-star hotel located some 15 km from the city center of Riga, on the shore of a lake with a private beach area and on the Via Baltica highway (E67). Baltvilla is located 4 km from Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum. Free WiFi is provided throughout the hotel and wide private parking is available for guests free of charge. We opted for Baltvilla hotel during our latest trip to Latvia at the end of 2018 (pre-New Year) - surprisingly but we paid less than EUR 40 for a stay here…