First Impressions of LATVIA (Not What I Expected)

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I was SO surprised by Latvian food and Riga, Latvia!
This tiny Baltic country is a hidden gem that you need to visit! I of course loved visiting the old town of Riga which is one of the top things to do in Latvia, as well as the central market (one of the biggest markets in the world) but my favorite thing has to be the atmosphere since I was there for the Riga birthday festival!
I also tried some delicious Latvian food for the first time, here is what I ate :
- Lido restaurant (one of the biggest buffets of Latvia): Latvian cold beet soup (Aukstā Zupa), bread soup (Maizes zupa), stewed cabbage, Latvian pancake and meatballs
- At Caffeine (Latvian coffee chain): Cottage cheese bread, aka the Latvian cheesecake (biezpienmaize)
- At the market: rye bread with fish
#latvia #firstimpressions #firstimpressionsofLatvia #riga #latvia #latvianfood #latvianfoodtour

[@LivingBobby]

SUCH AN AWESOME VIDEO LUCILE! Latvia seems beautiful and the food looks so delicious :D (I need that apple cake haha).

[@LucileHR]

Thank you, it was sooo good!!

[@request1468]

Hey Bobby! You should come to Riga too

[@reinistonijx697]

Bobby Thats my country! We have a lot off good food

[@ottodzelzkaejs]

Am from latvia 🇱🇻 Bauska

[@tenyoutube694]

OMG ITS LivingBobby

[@vanillith]

so glad you enjoyed my home country!! i was looking at you eating all those foods and drooling myself, because i could taste them in my mouth :D

[@LucileHR]

Oh thank you so much for your comment!! I really enjoyed Latvia :D

[@_Butterbly_]

Čau kā tev iet 😀

[@Meqp0]

@@LucileHR You should go to Lithuania next ;)

[@ainarsvecvagars2218]

Labdien visi čaļi

[@BrawlPeak031]

Čau

[@LukeVilent]

Every time I come to my relatives in Latvia from Germany, it is a visit into the delicacy paradise. I mean, it's not just what you can taste in the restaurants, but things that you just buy at the supermarket. Like Karums curd bars, or malt and rye bread ice cream, or the dumplings, or... how could I have forgotten: the sweet sour and Latvian rye bread. Or the Laima and Laci candies, that you buy at 8 to at most 18 euro per kilo, and that beat almost anything marked exquisite that you can buy in Germany for several times the price. Latvia is a true gourmet's heaven.

[@kraanz]

Get the brownies from the "Lielezers" bakery. And no, it's not in Rīga, it's in Limbaži, which is a small, wonderful town pretty close to the capital. They're (possibly) the best in the world.

[@christianwain7081]

It's really cool how you go to places that would usually not be featured in these type of videos! Really loving the content :)

[@LucileHR]

Thank you, that means a lot because I'm trying to learn about the world and go to less visited places! Latvia was really cool and I'm happy I went :) Thanks for watching!

[@martinskesteris8664]

Why would Riga be "not usually featured" etc.?! There are plenty of vlogs about it and lots of tourists. The sad fact is that many countries just have extremely bad geography teachers.

[@kraanz]

@@martinskesteris8664 Everyone visits Rīga and then thinks they've seen the entire country. Like, every single video is exactly like that.

[@nadze13]

Thank you for reviewing of our foods! You got courage (because other bloggers are not so much open minded) and tried our best everyday food. In few minutes you showed essence of Riga! Thank you!

[@LucileHR]

Thank you for watching!! I love to eat so trying these foods was a great part of the video haha :)

[@irinaspalve8356]

I love watching such videos. Living in Latvia sometimes I wonder if other nations know that we do exist. 😅 By the way, it was pretty interesting bread you ate. Never have tried it before. Pancakes in Latvia are just delicious. With various fillings. Lately I started to like spinach pancakes. We also have potato pancakes (both with filling and without), zucchini pancakes, pumpkin pancakes. Really good. And Lido is just an awesome place for relaxing and having a delicious meal. 😍 Though Riga is just one city. The real beauty is in small cities a bit further away. I'm glad sometimes that my country is small so that I can easily drive for a trip to a few other cities in a day.

[@LucileHR]

Thank you so much for your comment, I love to read long and thoughtful comments like yours :) and haha I've always knew you guys existed!! But one thing I've learned is that I need to come back for all those pancakes :)

[@dreamthedream8929]

Russia knows for sure plus the other baltic countries and the nordic and scandinavian ones. Germans should know too as they were the rulers and the founders of the cities in latvia for a long time. Now i think ukranians know pretty well too about it

[@gorkemgezen9487]

That’s soo true and a bitter fact that other nations do not know much or at all about this cool country… well I lived in Riga for almost 2 years and enjoyed a lot. I remember what I answered to the border police at the airport on my way of moving to the Netherlands, he looked at my ID and asked which country is that!! I said “It’s Latvia, not everyone knows there” 😅

[@dreamthedream8929]

@@gorkemgezen9487 Russia for sure knows much about latvia and so does Germany as most if not all latvian cities and towns were founded by Germans

[@sergeibuff9175]

I would just add that Latvia is beautiful outside Riga, too - do not miss this when visiting the country.

[@rainersjatnieks]

Ty for the good coments/reviews for latvia. Im from latvia

[@LucileHR]

You're welcome, I really enjoyed Latvia and hope to discover more of it!!

[@FloridaFlipFlops]

Hello from Naples, Florida. An awesome tour of Latvia. We enjoyed. Thank you so much for sharing this part of the world with us. 👍

[@artursorba1465]

*Watching with a big smile on my face* partially because I'm a Latvian and, obviously, I love hearing good things about the country I'm from, and also because I enjoyed the content. Peace !

[@EsmuArtis]

Fun fact about the metallic structures in the big Riga market. They were built for the purpose of keeping blimps. They were hangars for hiding blimps in the WW2 so that is why they are so big.

[@normundsbaltais5855]

Wrong, it1s from WW1 deuch zeppelin structures, who rebuild in market.. Arti saņemies

[@linro._4760]

I’m from Latvia. I have never seen any KZbinr go to Latvia. Very glad you enjoyed the food as it’s delicious. Glad you enjoyed the city of Riga. There are other beautiful Cities and places to go such as Sigulda, Cesis, Jurmala (I highly recommend) and Saulkrasti. ❤️

[@LucileHR]

Thank you so much for your comments and tips!! All these places seem so cool and I hope I'll get to explore more soon :)

[@martinskesteris8664]

Liepāja has the best beaches. Like the best of the best. In summer that is. And Karosta, of course.

[@---fh6em]

And Kuldiga!

[@dreamthedream8929]

@@martinskesteris8664 Rundales pils, highly recommended, more so now when the gardens have flowers blooming. Unfortunately Jelgavas pils is for a school now and only some parts of it are open to visitors like a museum. Plus the city where it is in was bombed a lot during the war and was not rebuilt and preserved

[@martinskesteris8664]

@@dreamthedream8929 yes, at least Jelgava has renovated some bits and buildings of the center, but Liepāja has more heritage still there - less destroyed in war, more historical buildings, wooden, Art nouveau, other styles. Karosta palace is not open for visitors unfortunately, because it's a military base. Many buildings in Karosta lost forever, but still lots to see.

[@Xfqirryy]

Finally some content from Latvia most of our country . Its amazing I would say no natural disaster nice food 😋

[@scottbradley3744]

Love Latvia, Love Riga. I Loved it so much I found a nice Latvian girl back in the UK and married her, now I eat this food every night.

[@thisisourworld9544]

Really enjoyed this Riga guide. Cant wait to visit one day. Thank you for sharing, much appreciated 🙌

[@Enoxix.]

Kefir is great! One of my favorite drinks! Must be really cold though!

[@LucileHR]

Yes!! A very cold glass of kefir is so refreshing!

[@stellagrimes3485]

Its nice to see people visit my home country! Every time I see one of these videos I miss it so much, but its so nice to see people appreciate it.

[@LucileHR]

Oh totally understand! I hope you'll get to go back soon :)

[@hamesh3474]

What beautiful old buildings ❣️.. the food looks 👌 excellent

[@LucileHR]

yes the food was really delicious !!

[@jurisauzins9266]

Really appreciated Your Review of my home country! Very interesting to watch.

[@kristianaleskevica9141]

I'm so glad to see people enjoying latvia and trying latvian food. Tnx for the video i really enjoyed it! 🥰

[@LucileHR]

Thank you so much for watching :))

[@MrsAngle_]

After living in NZ for a bit I have seen some of the videos from tourists in Latvia talking about how beautiful it is and how amazing the food is. Makes me really want to visit home 🫠

[@rozediana24]

Thank you for visiting Latvia! It’s my dear home country 🇱🇻🥰

[@Crimson19977]

Thank you for visiting my country Lucile! I'm really glad you enjoyed it, you're welcome back any time! 😊👍🏻

[@LucileHR]

Aww thank you :) Thanks for watching my video!!

[@roberts4208]

This made me feel better living in latvia.really nice video nice to see that you had a good time here.

[@LucileHR]

I had such a great time :) Thank you for your nice comment!!

[@janisberzins2703]

It is nice to see that you enjoyed Latvian food! 👍🙂 The cold soup, we usually start to cook at the start of the summer! 🙂

[@timectrl]

I am an Estonian who has watched your and bobby's channel for quite some time. I was utterly shocked that you are visiting my home region!

[@christinebondoc409]

I always watch your videos and they're all awesome!!

[@LucileHR]

Thank you :D

[@---fh6em]

I am from Latvia. I went to various countries in Europe (from Greece to Sweden) and I SWEAR - we have the tastiest food😂

[@dizzylv_]

I'm from Latvia, hope you enjoyed your time in here... It's definitely not a bad country Novēlu jums jauku dienu!

[@LucileHR]

It was so fun :) Paldies!!

[@dizzylv_]

@@LucileHR 😄🙌🏼

[@SlitBoi]

Thank you for visiting my country , I can’t imagine living there again,I’m adopted by an American family now and live in the U.S ,thank you for the video I really enjoyed it 😊

[@reinistonijx697]

MY COUNTRY! Im so proud your the one off those people who went to Latvia

[@Canadian_Monke]

Also in Riga at the moment, currently traveling Europe :) You and Bobby inspired me to travel :D

[@LucileHR]

Ohhh so happy for you enjoy your travels :)

[@Andrew-ki5ug]

You and Bobby are the best Lucile! Much love from Illinois! ❤️

[@LucileHR]

Aww thank you :))

[@psihius]

Traveling around Latvia by car for food is actually something I do a lot (I am Latvian) and can highly recommend, but that requires renting a car and time. But damn the food is worth it, and the country side is really beautiful here, especially the west part and north-east parts of the country.

[@MrSkylineGTST]

Nice to see you enjoyed your time and our food :)

[@brett3732]

So good to see new video. I had watched all that had been posted and loved them all. However, I was concern that maybe you had stopped doing them. Please post as much as you can. They are greatly appreciated. Love and safe travels!

[@LucileHR]

Thank you so much for watching :) I'm trying to post twice a month!!

[@ironl0l]

omg tysm for visiting our country! I appreciate it!

[@richardbaker8393]

Always awesome to watch the travel experiences and cultural styles of food, really great variety, its my dream to travel around the world one day! You and bobby are amazing:)

[@madaraliepina9898]

As a Latvian living in Netherlands - this was actually both : - very fun for me to watch and hear how other people perceive our country - the little things we latvians consider normal day to day and take for granted :) - as well as bittersweet for me personally since I have been away for 2years now... Thank you for sharing was lovely to reminise of my country and glad to hear you enjoyed your expierances while there! :)

[@LucileHR]

Ohhh I get you! It's hard to be away from home! I'm happy you enjoyed this video :))

[@original4046]

I didn't know Latvia had such good food I gotta visit some day

[@LucileHR]

Yes!! it's such a hidden gem :))

[@nugget127]

Seeing you go to places that ive been so mnay times just makes me wanna cry!! 😭

[@shinigami_edits7966]

Great journey!

[@sabrinabeardmore730]

Lucille such amazing places and the food looks so delicious. Be safe and continue making beautiful video's .thank you for the good content.

[@LucileHR]

Hi Sabrina :) Happy to see you there too haha thank you so much for watching!!

[@sabrinabeardmore730]

@@LucileHR watching you and Bobby are my favorite ❤ youtuber .you 2 always take me on a journey and then my stress level goes down.and the food is on a different level in which I could cook.but never looks the same.funny right.

[@danydany7693]

Coucou Lucile, J'adore quand tu dis "humm" en mangeant de la nourriture :) ! Gros bisous

[@LucileHR]

haha c'est vrai c'est bon!!

[@Meqp0]

As a Latvian sister (Lithuanian), this is awesome

[@u1zha]

Yess you really did your research and avoided boring food!

[@LucileHR]

thank you!! :)

[@dimaskarabas9608]

Always welcome to our country, i leave in uk but always happy to spend my holidays in Latvia.

[@LucileHR]

Thank you :))

[@jackmackakaheavyguyhaiku545]

So delicious. The food looks amazing..and different. My biggest interest was the thing you described as a pancake with meat in it. The only thing I worry about with the rye bread topped with fish, egg and tomatoes is that I only have bad experiences with anchovies.

[@LucileHR]

yes that pancake was so good! The anchovies are different there since they are fresh, not like the ones that you find sometimes on pizzas haha

[@Beton4iks]

@@LucileHR they are marinated at vine vinegar and lot of pepper and salt

[@alisonsoifer4191]

Looks like you had a lot of fun!

[@LucileHR]

It was super fun :)

[@thrashboi]

Gotta say you came during perfect week, surprised by positivity about the food but i hope you had a great trip :)

[@LucileHR]

I didn't know it was going to be this festival, so I was happily surprised! I love eating and discovering new foods and that cold soup was just what I needed for summer haha

[@firedogslite]

Ty for the good words from my country

[@sandrisjansons1515]

Great work ! Nice video ! Makes everybody hungry :)

[@LucileHR]

haha so true, it's hard to edit the eating parts of my videos for me without eating

[@ezitisarm]

Thank you for visiting Latvia! ;)

[@LucileHR]

Thank you for watching this video :D

[@ralfsg9053]

This was unexpected that you came to my home country! :D

[@LucileHR]

Yesss, I'm so happy I was there!! Thanks for watching :))

[@Callum_Callum]

Just wow 😍

[@LucileHR]

:D

[@vytaute5294]

This an amazing video! Now I want to come back to Latvia once more since the country is Lithuania's brother (braliukai). I hope you'll visit Lithuania as well

[@mirunam.3081]

gonna visit Riga next month

[@awesomeadamfrom2099]

Awesome job Lucia thumb up

[@LucileHR]

thank you :)

[@awesomeadamfrom2099]

No problem

[@mushr0om.1nnit74]

i have been to almost all the places where you were. im gad u like it!!!!!

[@crytex5618]

This was really an awesome video, im so happy to hear from other countries that they also like our food :)) We do have the top best dishes in the world imo, but the living is not so great, sallaries are low low low.

[@tatedesmet]

One of my favorite cities 🎃

[@elansbrazis9189]

When you ask in "Lido" a little bit, it means little bit more than you can eat

[@danydany7693]

J'aime bien regarder tes anciennes videos, petit à petit je fais des progrès en anglais ❤

[@overlordnews4075]

I loved LIDO!

[@kristeltin3534]

Lucille, wow so great video and places☺️Where did you buy the cake on 3.38 with apples and almond flower? It looks so delicious😋

[@LucileHR]

It's called Better Bread, I've left you the address in the Pinboard I made! really yummy :)

[@dj_latvietis6245]

As a Latvian, I REALLY REALLY enjoy people doing videos on visiting Latvia. I'm not gonna lie, but us Latvians always complain about life. The roads are bad, the teachers don't get paid enough and other stuff... It's really cool to see that people visiting Latvia like it. Also what's crazy, you visited places and ate foods that, I have never. Great video and keep up the good work.

[@dreamthedream8929]

but its really safe, even maskavas forsete which is the most dangerous part in the entire country is nothing compared to many other parts of the world. Safety is an important factor for deciding to visit and live in a certain place

[@annavk7672]

My top two cafes to visit in Riga are Rigensis and Cadets de Gascogne! 😆 I just wanted to proclaim that!

[@bepowerification]

I really hope you have the chance to visit Kraków and Wrocław some day..

[@tinyhousetips]

Beautiful! Next time you are welcome to stay at Serenity Coast ;)

[@iaintaylor5585]

I spent a week in Rīga in June, so share your impressions 100%.

[@maska4ka1]

Welcome to Latvia

[@muhammadsalman5644]

U are so nice and soft spoken

[@LucileHR]

Thanks!

[@nigelcrouch4767]

Hi, Is it easy to walk around Riga and what about going further around the country? What would you recommend?

[@adelevitola6930]

I am latvian I'm glad you like the country 😁

[@vldza]

now i want bread soup

[@urla3333]

Actually u put together a good combination of foods, the cold soup is made in Kefirs same u was drinking, but I perfer it in Paniņas u can look it up its like Kefirs but little bit different🔥 And when u were in the small wooden building area thats where I grew up nice to see people enjoy my country Latvia😇

[@LucileHR]

Oh yum, Paninas seems so good, I haven't tried it yet! And so cool that I was in the area where you grew up, it was such a nice place!

[@foxliasgriffinYT]

cant go to latvia without visitong the sea personally i love the sea, esp during sunsets, very pretty

[@randomperson3450]

Fun fact - those big metal structures actually used to be garages for war blimps/zeppelins. The tops can actually open up!

[@lolerkas]

glad u enjoyed our food

[@LucileHR]

Thank you :D I need to come back, there's so much I haven't experienced yet!!

[@Jklstvr]

Im from Latvia Cēsīs and your always welcome

[@cuba317]

I love my country ( except politics lol), it was so pleasing to see you enjoy it !

[@pompom.crossing]

Im in jūrmala right now, very beautiful

[@user-bf8gt4cp3v]

I'm love Latvijā🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻

[@user-bf8gt4cp3v]

And I'm from Latvia

[@xxDrain]

Very happy to see someone appreciate our capital :)

[@MasterKeef_]

nice i live in latvia

[@Kosinuss]

6:47 The "Large metallic structures" are actually old German Zeppelin hangars, built sometime between 1920 and 1930 and then repurposed as market halls. Supposedly, it's the biggest market in Europe.

[@tco1256]

its so good in the old town. go further south, it a different Riga.

[@GPALL100]

The central market was a blimp hanger for Germany during WW1. Explains the shape and high ceiling.

[@LucileHR]

Oh very cool!!

[@wizinjsh]

Would suggest potatoes with onions made on open oven with sour cream. Latvian standart and every student casual day :) It`s super cheap and SUPER tasty.

[@ward7576]

You should've also gone for potato dishes (pretty much, our daily food) along with tenderized meat ("karbonāde").

[@sprynzy8998]

You should try Jūrmala central street

[@limitededition3295]

Thanks for visiting my home country ofc its beatifull at center but when you leave and go away from center its old ussr buildings

[@purchiks1]

just today ate at good old Lido

[@LucileHR]

lucky you haha

[@sofiacarter6411]

You should visit Tallinn

[@visisuni11]

yeah,latvian food is so underrated

[@lvguy4918]

Yea LV is nice Place

[@1Eleven_]

Super super super super super

[@banna1439]

Beautiful place. You guys should visit Bangladesh!

[@LucileHR]

Thank you for watching, I'd love to go to Bangladesh, I haven't been yet!!

[@piavsd8316]

Where did you get the apple cake

[@Epic_brawler_Gaming]

1:53 hey i know that place, thats where i go past every day from shcool XD. (also Latvia isnt really known for its food (like seriously ive nevver had any of the "food" they advertise online except Beetroot Soup and potato pancakes))