Riga, Latvia: day 1

We arrived at our apartment by taxi and were met by Anastasia.  The apartment block is pretty grim seen from the outside with a rutted courtyard, but the stairways are well lit and clean and the apartment is also clean, spacious and reasonably equipped...apart from the minute towels!  People must think they are very lucky when they stay with us and are given huge bath sheets.

The apartment block

The entrance.  We are in the block behind. 

First lunch!  They get through
 a lot of eggs

We are on the second floor

We set off for a late lunch (Riga is two hours ahead of Norwich) and, ignoring Anastasia's recommendation to eat at Lido (the Latvian equivalent of Lyon's Corner House), we found a nice little restaurant a few doors away with a charming and helpful waiter.  We had excellent salads and draft beer and will probably go back there for dinner one night.   The food is described as modern Latvian. Turns out to be well reviewed on Trip Advisor.  http://restoransriits.lv/lv

We walked up the road further and bought a few essentials at a supermarket and then went into a wine shop for further essentials!  We returned to find a moustachioed man in the courtyard waving his phone and trying to tell us something.  He was assisted by a woman and a young man who translated for us.  The water is off!  Shock horror!  There goes our cup of tea!

The Opera House

We also discovered when we rifled through our paperwork at the flat that our tickets to the opera were for that evening.  Thank goodness Peter remembered and checked.  A trickle of water came through and we made tea and researched restaurants for the evening.  As we were leaving the man with the moustache was carefully walking in a straight line with blue bags on his feet and something bleeping in his hand.  We reckoned it was some form of water divining...he was looking for the leak.  Reassured that something was being done to restore the water, we set off for the Latvian National Opera, a fine building with an incomprehensible layout inside.   I never did find the ladies!   But a wonderful atmosphere.   We were in the stalls about 5 rows from the front and it was a great experience.   We saw La Traviata and Peter shed a little tear!

We realised pretty quickly after the opera (we got out at nearly 10.00) that eating options were limited and we had to settle for 'Argentinian Goucho' but the food was fine and the staff very good.   The water was on when we got back but I filled the kettle for the morning as a precaution!  And so to bed.