What I love about Riga

I enjoy the spaciousness of the streets, the canal running through the park in the centre of the city and the liberation monument from the 1920s. The older streets of the medieval city and the ninenteenth century blocks surrounding it with large and varied five to six storey facades combine to give a sense of permanence; and it suggests that the 45 years under Soviet control was a minor disturbance to this ancient kingdom. The architecture has some significant Italian and Art Nouveau influences and the pedestrianization of most of the oldest parts of town gives a sense of tranquility which I cannot recall in any other capital.

I also appreciate the tram network, with the simple single decker cars bought in the from the Czech Republic, permanently tagged into pairs: they take precedence, running across cobbled carpets, laid down the centre of the wider streets. Spring comes late here, and the greenness of the trees is still on the way to reaching its fullness. It can feel as cold as Scotland when the sun disappears, though the air pollution is much lower than in Glasgow; helped not only by the trams and trolley buses (20p anywhere), but also by the reliance on rail for freight and minimal congestion from private cars.