More features:

• Ayurdeva invasion!

  
  Only time will tell if it’s a fad or a genuine movement, but for now we’ll call it an Ayurveda invasion! Find out why so many Latvians are attempting to open their chakras with exercise, study and spicy food....

• Canal & Riverboat cruises

  A leisurely boat tour of the River Daugava or Riga canal is a must when in town, but unfortunately this is only possible from April - October as both waterways usually freeze over in winter....

• Latvian saunas

  
  People have been using some form of a sauna since ancient times. Steam baths were the cornerstone of Greco-Roman civilisation and for centuries the Native Americans purged their bodies of sickness in sweathouses across North America....

• Moscow District

  
  Riga is divided into four sections or suburbs, each named after the traditional region of Latvia it is closest to – Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Zemgale or Latgale....

• Record Rothko sale

  In May 2012 artist Mark Rothko’s painting Orange, Red, Yellow sold for a whopping US$86.9 million at Christie’s in New York....

• Scams: tales from the trenches

  The growth of the local tourism industry has created countless new jobs for Latvians, but it has also spawned another lucrative trade, which seems to be inevitable in Eastern Europe – scams and rip-offs....

• Riga calendar of events

  
  Here's what's going on in Riga in April and May. Guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel will impress ...

• Midsummer's Eve

  
  What began as an important religious fertility festival has slowly evolved into a secular beer bash. To ancient Latvians Midsummer’s Eve, or Līgo & Jāņi, marked the longest day of the year when light both symbolic and literal was at its most potent....

• What to buy in Latvia

  
  Whether it’s potent alcohol and sweet chocolate that you’re after or perhaps an antique map or a trinket from Latvia’s Soviet past, the list we’ve compiled for you should help you find the perfect souvenir....

• Here be monsters

  
  Although Latvian-born physicians and engineers have invented everything from viral therapies for cancer to the famous Minox spy camera, a recent study carried out by the SKDS research centre suggests that Latvians aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed when it comes to science....

• Embassy warning

  The American Embassy in Latvia has posted the following warning: The American Embassy continues to be concerned about the number of reported instances of crimes perpetrated against foreign clientele at local bars, clubs and lounges in Riga....

• Say nē to drugs

  Despite what you may have heard, drugs, without exception, are illegal in Latvia. If someone offers you any type of drug, whether it’s weed, ecstasy or coke, you aren’t allowed to buy it and you’re definitely not permitted to carry it, even in small amounts for personal use....

• Road trip to Rundāle and Bauska

  
  It may surprise you to know that after visiting Riga in December of 1991, the editor of this publication swore he would never return to the place where the military police robbed tourists at gunpoint, street thugs jumped foreigners for no apparent reason and real toilet paper was incredibly scarce....