Aelfgifu Travels

Hi Aelf Crew,

As promised, below is part 2 of 3 in my series on my time in the Baltic states. This time: Latvia.

One point to note is my trip to the Baltic States was a few months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and so I did feel a semi-tense atmosphere in the air, given their proximity to Russia. 

For example, there was a man kicked out of the karaoke bar I was in after being overheard speaking Russian. There was some pushing and shoving involved to remove him from the bar – a clear reflection of the tension and uncomfortable atmosphere at the time.

On a lighter note, I went on a trip organised by Viator to Ogre, just outside of Riga, to go husky sledding. This was an absolutely incredible experience, but not to mention absolutely terrifying! I was stood on the wooden sled holding onto the bar for dear life whilst being pulled by 6 huskies, who could actually pick up quite a pace. They were beautiful and clearly well-looked after dogs. This was a real privilege in my life and a memory I cherish fondly.

I stayed in a hostel that had a good choice of social events and there was an organised beer tasting evening, where we tried 14 different beers of varying ingredients and alcohol content. I insert a picture of my tasting slip below for those who are curious:

Hostels with social events are ideal for solo travellers like me, as after the beer tasting we then went on to a karaoke bar for some terrible renditions of Wonderwall and other classics.

I did notice that Riga itself seemed to have streets and streets of karaoke bars with many stag and hen dos walking around – seemed to be a popular party destination which I had never considered before. 

The Baltic States were not as cheap as I would have expected, perhaps because they all use the Euro as their currency, but they did feel incredibly safe, clean and (mostly) welcoming.

Top Tips to Learn from Aelfgifu:

• As I have always said throughout this blog: if travelling solo, book a hostel with organised social events. This can be gauged by the reviews, the hostel description and on HostelWorld they even have a rating for ‘atmosphere’.
• Be aware of world politics. You don’t need to be an expert in the news, but a basic understanding can at least help you understand any local tensions and keep you safe.
• This may seem obvious, but as my avid readers will know I too am still learning this one – check the weather forecast. My winter coat may be suitable for the 8°C London winter, but not for the 0°C snow, so hats, gloves and scarves are now needed.

Have you ever tried a cranberry beer? Let me know the weirdest drink you’ve had abroad below!

From the karaoke stage,
Aelfgifu