We took advantage of the lovely breakfast rooms to have coffee and brekky before starting our day.

Riga Central Markets are a massive undercover and outdoor operation. Areas are generally organised according to the goods sold.

It was an easy walk from our hotel and there were spatterings of icy snow around. We entered through the fish section first which offered all sorts of smoked, fresh and unusual seafoods …. and of course there is a distinct fishy smell.

The next hall focussed on fresh fruit and vegetables and other plant products. Lots of cabbage and pickled vegetables!

More stalls sold milk products, breads of every variety and all sorts of nuts.

Another hall was devoted to fresh meats and we remarked on how there was a lack of smell you might expect around this produce.

There were souvenir stalls throughout and then clothing, flowers, shoes, household goods and many more inside and outside.

We found a cafe called Cepelins, which we quickly realised was the ‘Lido’ type of canteen that we missed in Minsk. Heaven! Teresa chose the traditional Latvian meat and vegetable soup and Michele enjoyed a stuffed roast capsicum of meat and rice topped with white sauce and accompanied by grated cheesy potato and bacon. A couple of dark beers were also very refreshing. This all cost the equivalent of $20 AUD, which was a very economical choice for us, and a stark contrast to the $90 lunch that we enjoyed the day before!

After a recharge at the apartment we set out to explore some more of Riga Old Town.

We found a lovely little cafe called ‘Problem Solver’ where we had some refreshments while listening to some live music.

It was time then to get to the Christmas markets again so we could get some street food for dinner. We went back to the Georgian stall for more of their delicious food and hot drinks (which he spiked with rum upon special request).

Many families and individuals were enjoying the festive atmosphere as we wandered around and marvelled at how lovely it really was.

Riga is definitely a place we would recommend to visit. The people are friendly and the streets in the old town are relatively easy to navigate. Time for bed, up early tomorrow for our next countries. Ar labunakti!