the three oldest stone houses in Riga. Just outside the old walls awaits the Freedom Monument: built to commemorate Latvia’s independence in the 1930s. Ironically, just a few years later ...

Named after the figure atop the Freedom Monument, this unassuming address in Riga’s Old Town elevates traditional, typically hearty and humble peasant dishes to elegant restaurant plates.

Riga is also that increasing rarity in Europe ... as another world awaits across Bastejkalns Park (en route, check out the Freedom Monument, with its tightly-drilled guards).

“There was a special event at the monument of freedom in the center of Riga to welcome [us],” Kaza said. “Thousands gathered despite the late hour. A couple of days later, the entire team ...

Afterwards, he was given a police escort to the Freedom Monument in Riga’s city center for a late-night rally, where hundreds of people braved near-freezing temperatures to hear various speeches ...