Latvia Among Top Destinations for Adventure Travel

I just couldn't ignore this and not to post it here as it includes two countries where I feel like home - Latvia and Romania. It seems that "adventure" is the correct word to describe my feeling of home. Strange... I always thought that the correct word for home is "peace". Anyway - this list is one more strong reason to visit Latvia:


The ten countries for adventure travel -  Israel, Slovakia, Chile, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Jordan, Romania and Latvia, were chosen from a pool of 160 candidates in the third annual survey conducted by the George Washington University in the United States. Ha! 

(Found it here via @BucharestUpdate on Twitter)

The Top 5 European Cities For Summer Travel

Ok, there is one more month of summer in Latvia and Riga is one of these top 5 cities in the list! So, here are 5 cities - Riga (Latvia), Faro (Portugal), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Crete (Greece), Barcelona (Spain).  And here is one more reason to come to Riga this August: Riga celebrates it 810 years! So, are you coming?

See the list or Top 5 cities for summer travel here: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-top-five-european-cities-for-summer-travel-2011

The next 2 weeks this blog will be silent, but I promise to be back soon

My dear friends! 

I'm glad to have you as readers & followers! I hope this blog can be usefull and/or entertaining! 

On 23rd of June I'm leaving Riga for some hitchhiking trip through the Eastern Europe. That's why the next 2 weeks I'll have no time, and not so much access to the internet. This is approximate plan (we are not going to stick to it if the road takes a little bit different way). The last destination has to be Romania (and we are going to stick to it). I'll definitely tell you as soon as I'm back in Latvia (it has to be around 8th of July). ~2300 km one way. Who knows, maybe we will meet on the road :)

Riga = Algier? Nature doesn't stop surprising

We are never bored here. Things are changing all the time. This summer the temperature in Riga is 10 degrees over normal. Look at this map: Algier and Riga look the same :) That means - water is nice & warm, beaches  crowded, cold beer & icecream is mandatory.

You might want to know:  What to do when it's too hot in Riga? & Beaches:The sea is within easy to reach

Where Do You Wanna Be Now?

Do you wanna see what’s happening in Riga now?
Check web-cams:

http://www.coolwebcams.net/latvia.html

Camera nr. 2 – Old Town, Blackheads House

Camera nr. 3  - Building The National Library

Cameras nr. 4 & nr. 7 – Salu bridge

Camera nr. 5 – The Left coast
 

But actually here you will find not only Latvia and Riga. Wanna see what’s happening in Osaka, Toba,  Puerto Vallarta, Riccione, Antalya, Cape Town and even Antarctica!!! Really a lot to see!

The Art in Stone: Mysterious Easter Island in Riga.

Pauls Jaunzems is Latvian sculptor who has made a lot of great works, he had participated at the exhibitions all over the world and his sculptures you can find not only here in different towns of Latvia, but also in Reykjavik (Iceland), Istanbul (Turkey), Scarborough, Toronto (Canada), Tokyo (Japan), Bramming (Denmark), Lithuania, South Corea, Finland & Egypt etc.

I wanna tell you about his workshop in Riga... It’s amazing place and not even Latvians/ Rigans know about this amazing place... Like a little Easter Island – near the river Buļļupe is located his workshop with great, really great stone masterpieces! Discovering this place is like discovering amazing secret! It’s beautiful, exciting and gives the feeling of sirreality....

Check his home-page to see some of his sculptures. And do not hesitate to contact him and visit his workshop when you are here! http://www.paulsjaunzems.lv/en/skulpturas

From UK to Riga: the cheapest destination this spring

The popular travel website Yahoo!Travel has named Riga as the best-value city break for its mainly UK-based readers this spring. Riga is top of the list, ahead of Tallinn, Warsaw and Budapest. Vilnius is not named – presumably because of its still poor number of connections by air with the UK and the rest of Europe. The UK’s Post Office has just released its new City Costs Barometer report, which puts Riga way ahead of the pack on cost-saving city-break destinations. The list was compiled by making a “basket” of typical holiday costs, such as hotel accommodation, meals, drinks, public transport and sightseeing. However, as cities like Riga recover strongly from the recent economic crisis, we can expect prices here to increase quickly in the coming year.

From Bestriga.com. Check the whole article with the whole top of cheap destinations this spring here: http://www.bestriga.com/en/page/expanded/article/555

The World’s Best Ethical Destinations 2011

Every year Ethical Traveller conducts a study of developing nations, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, to identify the best tourism destinations among them. They base research by focusing on three general categories: Environmental Protection, Social Welfare, and Human Rights. These destinations may not always be as glamorous as Paris, or as modern as Singapore. But they’re rich in natural wonders, and alive with fascinating culture. They’re also committed to conserving their natural treasures, while building economies that sustain and empower local communities. Ethical Traveler urge travelers to step off the beaten path whenever possible. Each year, after extensive research, their team chooses the 10 best countries to visit in the developing world.

 

Ethical Traveler congratulates the countries on their 2010/2011 list of The Developing World’s 10 Best Ethical Destinations. The winners, in alphabetical order (not in order of merit), are:

• Argentina
• Barbados
• Chile
• Costa Rica
• Dominica
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Palau
• Poland
• Uruguay

WHERE WILL YOU GO ON YOUR VACATION THIS YEAR?

More about Ethical Traveler: www.ethicaltraveler.org.

Pictures: Riga, The Capital of Latvia

Top 10 Hostels in Europe

Here are two tops of 10 best hostels in Europe - subjective tops made by travellers. After the top you will also find the link. I’m glad Riga is in these tops with Frendly Fun Frenks hostel. We start from 10th and go up...

 

10 ) Cardiff Backpackers Hostel - Cardiff
9 ) Flying Pig Hostel - Amsterdam

8 ) The Kabul Hostel - Barcelona

7) Ducks Hostel, Paris

6) Balmer's Herberge - Interlaken Switzerland

5) Kismet Dao Brasov - Romania

4) St. Christophers Inn - London
3) The Pink Palace - Corfu Island

2) Friendly Fun Frank’s Hostel – Riga, Latvia
1) Kadirs Tree Houses - Olympos, Turkey

 

And here it comes: Riga with Friendly Fun FranksHostel  is number 2! Author’s comments about Frenadly Fun Franks Hostel: „It is located in Riga, Latvia. People looking for an all rounder vacation, should definitely go to Latvia.  The place includes reduced prices, fantastic location and amazing social tours. One can truly enjoy themselves here. A fun fact, about this hostel, is that the hostel only employs winners of the Miss Latvia beauty pageant. The beds in the hostel are also not too expensive. The beds, in the hostel, are for about 9 Euros.”

Material from http://www.traveltowork.net/2010/12/top-10-best-european-hostels/

Another top 10 tells:

10. Foresteria Valdese – Venice, Italy

9. Cardiff Backpacker’s Hostel – Cardiff, Wales
8. Flying Pig Hostel – Amsterdam, Netherlands

7. Kabul Hostel - Barcelona, Spain

6. 3 Ducks Hostel – Paris, France

5. Balmer’s Herberge – Interlaken, Switzerland

4. Kismet Dao – Brasov, Romania

3. St. Christopher’s Inn - London, United Kingdom

2. The Pink Palace - Corfu, Greece

1) Friendly Fun Frank’s Hostel – Riga, Latvia

Author's comment: „If I was ever going to open a hostel somewhere in the world I would want to make it just like Friendly Fun Frank’s. This place has everything: great location, cheap prices, excellent local knowledge, social tours that drag you from one great nightclub to the next every night, and all in a place that is set into the walls of Old Riga’s medieval castle. Maybe it’s the 9 Euro dorm beds or maybe it’s the fact that Frank (an Australian ex-pat) only seems to employ ex-winners of the Miss Latvia beauty pageant but Frank’s is easily the best hostel in one of the best cities of the world.”

Material from http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/top-10-lists/the-top-10-hostels-in-europe/

Friendly Fun Franks Hostel voted and awarded by Hostel Customers: Number 1 for the Year 2005 + Number 6 for the Year 2006 + Top Ten Monthly Award 30 times. Picture: Friedly Fun Franks Hostel, Riga.