The interesting thing about Latvia is that it's only been its own independent country from 1918-1939 and again since 1991. Riga itself, has been an important trading post since medieval times, but for most of its history, it was ruled loosely by Russian and Germanic empires. Soviet Russia ruled with an iron hand until Hitler and the Nazis invaded and actually made things worse by persecuting the Jews and conscripting all the young men into the German army. After the war, England and America allowed the Soviet Union to take over and that lasted until Gorbachev's perestroika. That means pretty much everyone I met over the age of 22 was born in the USSR.
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| Freedom Statue |
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| Bridge of Love Locks - Each lock features the names of sweethearts |
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| Statue along the Daugavar River |
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| Still has a huge following over here |
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| Many buildings are made entirely of wood |
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