This monument was built in 1935 to commemorate the Latvian War of Independence against Russia that ended in 1920. Interestingly, the monument was not torn down after the Soviets retook control of Latvia in 1940. Besides being a significant historical monument, it is a nice site along the canal. As you walk along the park contiguous to the canal, you will also discover some contemporary sculptures that are quite nice.

Miera Street - known as the Republic of Miera by the trendy arty sorts who frequent it - is a glorious bed of bohemianism in a bit of Riga most tourists won't easily find. But it's worth the hunt, not least for its relaxed and slightly eccentric cafes and bars. Taka is a place for drinking coffee and playing board games during the day - and at night, it's a funky little venue with live bands in the corner of the room and a decent line-up of spirits behind the bar. They include a home made apple cider that's well worth a couple of lats. And when you're done here, you can just move on down the road to the next party.

I liked Hotel Neiburgs because you don't just get a room, you get a studio-style apartment, complete with kitchenette so you can cook up some Latvian dishes of your own. The space is large, luxurious and modern... and extremely artful, being housed in a beautiful Art Nouveau building. Wait, it gets better. The hotel is not only in Riga's beautiful old town, within walking distance of most tourist attractions, but it is also on one of the quieter streets, reducing the chances of being kept awake by the more boisterous elements of the late-night Rigan revellers (and believe me, there are some). Oh, and then there's the price - really not as high as you'd expect for a fairly luxury hotel, I paid 108 Euros. It felt like an absolute bargain - and compared to what other hotels are charging in that area, it really is. Breakfast was pretty nice too!

I found this fascinating. It's dark and a bit dreary, but appropriate, since it recounts the history of occupation in Latvia starting with the Soviets, then the Nazis and then back to the Russians.

For a 360 degree birds-eye view of Riga, head to the Academy of Sciences in the former Russian quarter, Maskavas. A 1956 gift from the Soviets, for 2 lats (approx. € 3) you can take a series of elevators and stairs to the 17th floor. Looking out towards the old town, both the spires of St. Peter's Church and the Dome Cathedral can be seen. Leading from the spires across the river is Vanšu Tilts, a 1981 bridge by a trio of Soviet architects, ending next to the first post-1991 skyscraper, the Swedbank headquarters. Directly in front is the active Central Market, featuring five Zepplin hangars from the 1930s.

Riga seems to be pretty good at recycling historical venues - the 400 year old buildings of the old town, for instance, are now pizza joints and nightclubs. The pavilions housing the central market, opposite the train station, were actually built to house zeppelins during WWI; today they host literally hundreds upon hundreds of market traders. There's a fish market, a meat market, any amount of honey on sale (it's quite the delicacy in Latvia) and, best of all, an entire hall full of baked goods. At the stall above I was offered pastries that cost mere cents, filled with apricots, chocolate, honey, cranberry and custard. I chose custard, and have never once regretted my decision.

Opposite Riga's rather grand Hotel Neiburgs is the Hotel Justus. It's not a lot cheaper, but it does have a rather more informal and relaxed feel and it's not a bad place to base yourself if you want to stay in reasonable comfort and meet some nice people. There's a definite wit and irony about the place - the first thing I heard playing through the speakers in reception was "Springtime For Hitler", and it's safe to say you wouldn't get that in many eastern European hotels. The rooms aren't large, but they're decently decorated and the folk on reception are really, properly helpful - when I mentioned I was thinking about hiring a car, they'd practically got it to the door for me before I changed my mind. Nice bar too. And very good location.

Riga's city centre is beautifully designed, with a gorgeous park at its centre. The first evening I arrived I was, naturally, a little cautious about walking through a large open area on my own at night but as the days progressed I realised that ultimately the quickest way to get anywhere in Riga is through the park - and it's a very pleasant walk. With its meandering canal, its open air stage, its many sculptural tributes to Latvia's history of independence and resistance - not least the powerful Freedom monument at its centre - this is not so much a park as a living community, and a vital part of the Latvian psyche. Wander through it at leisure, enjoy the flowers and the many quirks (I found what looked like a duck house, but only if the ducks were a royal family with an entourage of servants). And make sure to read the plaques on the memorials. Even if you can't translate the Latvian, I promise they'll leave you moved.

This was my first visit to a Russian Orthodox church and it was every bit as trippy as I could have hoped. I've long enjoyed visiting the sumptuous Catholic cathedrals of France, Spain and Italy, but nothing quite prepared me for the sheer onslaught of images that overpower you at the Nativity Cathedral. Every inch of wall is covered in iconography, including some truly mind bending murals of saints riding mythical beasts, and they've not gone easy with the gold leaf either. Sit, appreciate, contemplate, meditate. Close your eyes and have a pray, or keep the open and try to absorb the rich, rich palette of this particular form of worship.

At Buteljons, Kristine Menke recycles glass. But she does it by hand, turning wine bottles into all sorts of designer homeware, from glasses and vases to ashtrays and salad bowls. She does it all in the little workshop out the back of her shop, and her designs have become pretty sought after in Riga - she recently teamed up with three different charities to produce fundraising jam jars for them. It's just another quirky, ecofriendly outpost of the Miera Republic, where the folk are all about learning to live in harmony. I highly recommend it.

This is an odd one: a surrealism-themed Mongolian barbecue in a bland shopping mall in the Baltics. Doesn't sound like it should work - but it does. I popped in here for dinner on my first night in Latvia, purely because it was the only place that was open and actually had other customers (it was Monday night, and all the tourist traps were empty). It took me a little while to find the right door - it's in the middle of a big old glass fronted shopping centre - and even longer to realise, as the Latvian hostess attempted to explain, that you had to fill a bowl with your chosen ingredients before handing them to the chef. But once I'd got the hang of it, and once I'd tasted the result, I knew I'd be going back. It was clearly a regular hangout for locals both old and young - and the service was extremely friendly, even if my request for tap water seemed to come as a surprise.