What an amazing place. Riga has been racked by almost a century of Soviet rule and persecution but yet just 15 year later it looks like Paris. If this is what the rest of Latvia looks like then I'm not sure why people go to France and Italy and just not here. The capital of Latvia has been vigorously rebuilding ever since Perestroika, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and overall the downfall of the USSR. While I was there I went on a tour of Riga where the guide showed us different statues of heroes of Latvia ranging from fighting the Nazis and Soviets to the Napoleonic wars. Also I visited the museum of occupation a few blocks from my hotel and was really amazed at all that the people had endured. First it was a sovereign country then the Soviets took over after WWI, then the Nazis took in WW2 and killed most of the Jews. Finally the Soviets had occupation again and completely communized the area. However I have heard that the Soviets got Latvia involuntarily. The nightlife in Riga is colorful and exciting with young people walking and just chilling in the city. The hotel that the conference was in was the tallest building in Riga besides this amazing church that I climbed up where I got amazing pictures of the city. Overall Riga was a wonderful place.