After my satisfying lunch at Mr. Biskvits, I went back up to Raiņa Park, although this time, I walked along the west side and got to see some of the mad landscaping skills of Siguldans.

Almost immediately after getting off the train from Riga, I saw another Laima Clock, except this one was much shinier than the one in Riga. It also had more landscaping around it. Laima has its sweet tendrils everywhere in Latvia, but they don’t actually have a shop in Sigulda, which makes me wonder about the placement of this clock.

Per Kaspars’s recommendation from yesterday’s Riga walking tour, I went to a tourist information center to look for details on how to get to and from Sigulda. The woman who helped me handed me these timetables, one for the bus and one for the train. She recommended taking the train since it would be more comfortable than the bus.

Before heading out to Sigulda for a day trip, I wandered around Riga to check out the architecture while the sun was still rubbing sleep from its eyes.

Asaya, one of my roommates at the hostel, is from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. She’s been teaching Japanese at Sofia University for the past two years and will return to Japan in September. So this excursion to Riga may very well be her last one before going home. She initially wanted to go to Indonesia or Malaysia to teach, but since it’s so easy to get to those countries from Japan, she feels really lucky to have had this opportunity in Bulgaria. I wished her safe travels and headed out into the Centrs neighborhood for breakfast. On the way to Terra, I noticed a good-looking building.

I liked Riga as soon as I stepped off the bus: the city canal was right next to the bus station, and there were people kayaking in it as I walked to my hostel. You have to take some pedestrian tunnels to cross the street in that part of the city, and I went up a couple of wrong staircases before I found the one I needed. Riga Hostel is in the same building as a McDonald’s; in fact, you have to walk through one of its entrances to get to a second door for the rest of the building. My hostel also shared a building with two other hostels and is situated on the fourth floor.

On the walk to the Tallinn Bus Station from my Airbnb, I saw a sign that had a double meaning in Japanese. I wonder if the proprietors know about it. I also passed through Keskturg (Tallinn’s Central Market) and admired their fresh fruits and chanterelles.

I noticed a book in a gift shop about the doors of Tallinn, but I opted to take my own photos and share them with you here. I hope you enjoy them! (Yes, I did see a car advertising door maintenance services in case you were wondering how they handle all these custom doors.)

I wanted to start my day with a 258-step climb up to the top of Oleviste Kogudus (St. Olaf’s Church, €2). On the way, I admired the view of some architecture in Old Town.

After the walking tour, I was ready for some fuel, so of course, I had to visit one of the top-rated restaurants in Tallinn. Rataskaevu 16 was recommended by friends who’ve visited Tallinn and Karin, my lovely local friend. It’s in Old Town, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good or expensive!