Almost every week the municipal police of Riga reports happy news that yet another pisser has been court pissing near or on the Freedom monument in Riga. It almost sounds like there is some mafia or network of organized pissing crime. Yet no-one questions why so often people choose to urinate there? Some local nazies think that tourists do so to “shit into soul of Latvians”. Actually the answer is pretty simple. First, they do so to experience a little moment of fame – they are filmed on CCTV cameras, immediately being court by bored police guys and after that most likely they will make headlines in local media. The fine for urinating is much cheaper than if they would decide to buy air time on TV or in press. Also, having done that perhaps turns the pisshead into some sort of a hero in the eyes of greedy friends as besides the sight-viewing in relatively boring city they have done something adventurous to tell their friends back home. Secondly, and this hasn’t been brought up yet, is to look at it from psychoanalytic approach – to think how the Freedom monument works at unconscious level for passers-by. What does the photo from google remind you? Yes, you are right – an urinal or a toilet seat. We believe that there is some sort of way how architecture and its shape can influence behavior of people.
Archive for the 'Fucking faq' Category
To piss or not to piss
October 20, 2009How to have an entertaining week in Latvia?
July 2, 2008Someone nicknamed “comput1″ has asked us how to entertain his/her guests for a week in Latvia. Well, we are not a travel agency (maybe we should one day), but will try to give you a few tips. In Riga it’s cool to show something besides the Old Town, Central Market and Art Nouveau buildings – a typical tourist set-list. Bring them to Maskavas forštate to see some gypsies and poor people, or even to Latgale market with second-hand staff. Try different suburbs, even the ones that locals would consider ugly.
A view from TV tower on Riga
As for a good panoramic view point, try not St. Peters church, but also there are two other cool view points. One is from the TV tower – this is the highest (97m) you can get. It costs 2.60 Ls per person. Another option is from the Academy of Sciences – it’s that monumental Soviet era building behind the Central market. The ticket price used to be around 2.50 Ls. Of course, you can go to Sky Bar at the top of Hotel Latvija and don’t pay anything at all. Outside Riga try to go to Soviet bunker in Līgatne, but remember you need to be 10 people in a group (it costs 2 Ls per person), otherwise they will fuck you off. If you are looking for more Soviet legacy, go to Karosta (if you want a bit of exotic, stay one night in prison-hotel) in Liepāja or Zeltiņi in Alūksne. There are a lot of abandoned Soviet army military sites.
Double room in Karosta prison hotel costs 5 Ls per person
You can also visit a shooting gallery on Šarlotes street or at VEF, Līvu aqua park, a really amazing (and weird) emo’s music club Melnā Piektdiena, a local football game by Skonto or FC Rīga (it sucks, but it’s damn cheap), nudist beach in Vecāķi or regular beach in Bolderāja (hard to find the way to it, but it’s amazing and isn’t crowded), cruise around Daugava in a boat, go to museum of anatomy or nature, or go ice-skating in Piņķi ledus halle etc, etc. Have fun!
Why Riga isn’t good for stag parties anymore?
June 30, 2008If you google “Riga stag” you get get quite a few websites that offer stag holidays in Riga. We believe there are many reasons to argument why stag parties in Riga is a history.
First of all, Latvians hate stag party boys, so if you are one of them, don’t blame the country or their people if you have been robbed or beaten. So in that sense, as a stag party guest, you can’t feel welcomed here. You will probably fuck the most stupid girls in town and they won’t do it for free, you will also pay much more than they actually cost. Because you are not perceived as a civilized human, but as and asshole with no brains and a lot of money in the arse and they want to get the most out of your ass. One of a typical scenarios is to be ripped-off by barely dressed girls that appear to want to flirt with you, for instance, at Groks bar – it’s a cafe/club near Livu sq., next to Pepsi Forums dance club. According to Latvian daily Diena, some guy have paid 2000 Ls for a bottle of champagne. He was too drunk to notice for what amount his credit card was charged. Later he didn’t want to bother with police, cos he was leaving the country and also had family back home, so obviously his wife and kids wouldn’t be happy hearing their daddy was spraying liters of expensive champagne on some local Barbies. So let’s say the first reason is that stag parties are not welcome by locals and if you are ripped-off, Latvians won’t feel pity for you, they will rather call you a dickhead and be happy that you got what you deserved.
The second reason is that it’s not that cheap anymore. And Riga is famous for bad service in bars and restaurants, very often they have pumped up prices, but not service, attitude or content. In the last year overall inflation was 17 %, but some staff jumped up even 30 %. Cigarettes cost 1.50 Ls (which is around 1.55 in GBP; last year the price was 0.80 Ls), while beer is around 2-3 Ls per pint. A meal will start at around 5 quid and a bus ride cost 0.40 Ls (remember, there’s no day pass, so if you need 6 changes, you pay 2.40 Ls per day, which is almost what Londoners pay for a day travel card on bus). Prostitutes are still in last year’s prices, which means around 30-40 Ls for a normal chick, while expect to pay 60-100 Ls for a VIP type beauty queen. Average food prices in a shop are about 10-15% more than in Berlin, for instance, a liter of orange juice is around 0.80 Ls, a simple white bread – around 0.60 Ls. Knowing that stag parties take place in Old Riga mainly and that you won’t have time to see much else besides some stupid bars and boring dance clubs, you will drink the most expensive booze of Riga, eat most expensive food and visit most boring places. For instance, one of a stag travel companies offers an option to travel to Sigulda and ride down the bobsleigh track in a bob on wheels. This package costs 36 Ls (it includes two rides) and you must be 10 people in a group (it means that you might need to pay more if you are less). In the reality this could cost you much less – return trip to Sigulda costs 2 Ls on train, while the ride in the bob is 5 Ls. So if you take the ride twice (we can assure you that one time is enough, cos your head will ache from shaking) you end up paying 12 Ls instead of 36. As a stag boy, you have overpaid three times.
Where can you smoke indoors?
May 26, 2008Summer is approaching, so this post might not be that useful. Still, European Union try to make life hard to all smokers. In winter they have to go outside and breath freezing wind, so they get killed faster that way than by smoking cigarettes. Since Latvia is also part of European Union, smokers must be killed too. It might take just a couple more months until there won’t be a single cafe where you can smoke indoors. However, at this moment, we know at least three cafes in Riga that still have smoking areas with full service (you can sit, eat, drink and smoke). First one of them is All Capucino bar on Kr. Barona street 30 (the smoking area is downstairs). Ventilation is fine and it doesn’t smell bad, we have also eaten there. The second place is called Caramel Rouge on Antonijas street 13. Smoking area is on the ground level, just left from the entrance. If crowded, ventilation isn’t that good. The third one is a bar/restaurant Hedonia on Dzirnavu street 55. The smoking area is downstairs. And by the way, in the Sky Bar at the top floor of hotel Latvia is a special smoking room (without service), so you can go there and have a fag. As we all know, such “special rooms” smell pretty bad. If you know any more smoking places, please post in comments here.
Caramel Rouge
