Riga

If you can’t stand American tourists, the Baltic Air flight from Oslo to Riga is a step in the right direction. It’s not that they don’t exist here, or that English isn’t spoken, it’s that here in Riga, English is people’s third language behind Latvian and Russian (though not necessarily in that order).

From a sightseeing perspective, Riga has about everything you could want from a European capital. Old Riga with its winding cobblestone streets feels much like the medieval metropolis that it once was, though I’m relatively certain the modern version has tackier restaurants. In addition, the city is home to a fine collection of architecture in the Art Deco style and a number of iconic modern structures..
This is Riga’s St. Peter’s Cathedral. If you click on the following pictures, you can see the burned out version following its bombing during World War II. Yes, these lenses can actually look back in time.

Statues of the medieval hero Roland are not uncommon in Northern and Central Europe. This one guards the town square in front of St. Peter’s.
This is the unfortunately named “House of the Blackheads,” rebuilt from scratch in 1995 after it was bombed by the Germans and demolished by the Soviets. Rather than a medieval acne treatment center, imagine a sort of fortified Elks Lodge available to the merchant class of the time.
This is Jurmala Beach. Once, this was the health spa destination for Russia’s elite. The infrastructure remains, though the beach is now a destination for locals, tourists, and Russian grape smugglers alike.

This is Olga. She is a Russian spy. This is obvious to me for a few reasons. First, her name is Olga. Can any of you think of someone named Olga who is not a Russian spy? No. Second, note the posture of her diminutive bodyguard: waiting for her command as to whether or not he should dispatch me. Fear not, patriots. She didn’t glean any useful information out of me.