View Latvia in a larger map
Country number 2 is one that most Americans don't even know exists: Latvia. Why are we going to Latvia? Well, as it turns out, we are trying to make our way westward into Europe and the visa through Belarus is VERY expensive, and you need one even if you are just passing through by train. Because of this, (and the fact that the visa is hard to obtain anyways), we are taking a different route around through the Baltic States.
We will board an overnight train from Moscow headed for Riga, the capital of Latvia. Latvia, along with the two other border states Lithuania and Estonia, has been occupied by throughout history by both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, but claimed independence in 1989 after the peaceful "singing revolution". It is one of the least populated countries in the European Union and that attracts us. We'd like to visit a few places off of the well trodden map and we think we'll enjoy our short stay in Latvia a lot.
After a few days in Riga, we will board a train for Daugavpis, a smaller city near the Latvian/Lithuanian border. We will hang out there for another day or so before traveling onward.
Here are a few pictures of Latvia:
While we won't have a lot of time to explore Latvia, we're hoping to taste a bit of culture!
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