The old moat has been landscaped and made into a series of attractive parks. In one of the middle sections you can still see part of the old castle fortifications which now form part of a rockery garden.

If you are walking through the park on a Saturday you may see a number of young brides and grooms having their photographs taken. A tradition is to place an engraved padlock onto the railings of the bridges to show their love will be locked together forever.

The Latvians

Many tourist websites issue warnings at how unpleasant, rude and unsmiling the Latvians are. We did not found this to be true. A few older people did not thank you for holding the door open but that can happen in any big city. Nearly all the Latvians we came in contact with were very pleasant. It helps if you try to say a few words in Latvian like thank you. This is 'Paldies' pronounced 'Pall-dee-S'. You get a smile. It is really appreciated that you have made the effort to learn a bit of their language. Most tourists don't. they miss out because a little consideration can bring dividends. They are happier to talk to you and are more helpful.

Latvian Fashion

Even the local Latvian Tourist newspapers comment on how over dressed and fashion conscious the young women of Riga are compared with other cities. You will see them in the middle of the day wearing party dresses, lots of make up and high heels. They look very pretty but out of place amongst the more sensibly dressed tourists and office workers. The Riga streets are not high heel friendly. Many have cobbles. It is fun to watch these peacocks try to walk down the street without looking too wobbly.

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