{"id":11582,"date":"2016-05-11T22:45:20","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T19:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/?p=11582"},"modified":"2016-05-17T23:06:33","modified_gmt":"2016-05-17T20:06:33","slug":"ostoksilla-riikassa-shopping-in-riga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/?p=11582","title":{"rendered":"Ostoksilla Riikassa \/ Shopping in Riga"},"content":{"rendered":"

Viimeinen osa Riika-postauksia tulee t\u00e4ss\u00e4. Blogin pidempiaikaiset lukijat jo tiet\u00e4v\u00e4tkin ett\u00e4\u00a0en hirve\u00e4sti harrasta nyky\u00e4\u00e4n shoppailua. Yleens\u00e4 ostan matkoilta vintagea tai kirjoja, mutta koska latvian kieli ei kovin hyvin meik\u00e4l\u00e4iselt\u00e4 taitu, ei t\u00e4ll\u00e4 kertaa tullut yht\u00e4\u00e4n\u00a0kirjoja kotiin. Vintagekauppoihin en ehtinyt edes perehty\u00e4. Vaikka Latvia onkin monessa suhteessa edullinen maa matkustaa niin ostoksien tekeminen siell\u00e4 ei kuitenkaan ole hirve\u00e4n halpaa. Sen verran mit\u00e4 nyt v\u00e4h\u00e4n ostoskeskuksessa vilkuilin niin vaatteet ja keng\u00e4t ovat aikalailla samoissa hinnoissa kuin Suomessa, osin ehk\u00e4 turismin vuoksi.<\/p>\n

Poikkesimme koko matkaporukan voimin yhdell\u00e4 romutorilla miss\u00e4 myytiin p\u00e4\u00e4asiassa metalliromua ja k\u00e4ytetty\u00e4 elektroniikkaa. Osuimme kojulle miss\u00e4 oli myynniss\u00e4 gramofoneja, hinnat olivat kutakuinkin\u00a0Suomen luokkaa. Sama juttu muutaman muun kiinnostavan esineen kohdalla. Ja myyj\u00e4t toki erottavat suomalaiset turistit, joten hinta saattaa olla meille toinen kuin paikallisille. Tinki\u00e4 toreilla tietysti voi ja kannattaakin.<\/p>\n

Jos ihmettelette miksi Riikassa ja Latviassa on niin paljon kukkatoreja, syy on hyvin yksinkertainen. Latviassa ei kuulemma ole soveliasta menn\u00e4 vierailulle viem\u00e4tt\u00e4 is\u00e4nt\u00e4perheelle kukkia. Vuodenajasta huolimatta toreilla n\u00e4kyi jo runsaita kukkakojuja jotka houkuttelivat v\u00e4rikkyydell\u00e4\u00e4n. Harmi vain ett\u00e4 leikkokukat eiv\u00e4t olisi selvinneet pitk\u00e4st\u00e4 kotimatkasta hengiss\u00e4. Kukat olisivat olleet eritt\u00e4in edullisia, l\u00e4hes ilmaisia suomalaiseen hintatasoon verrattuna.<\/p>\n

Tuliaiset<\/strong><\/span>
\nOppaan mukaan Riikasta kannattaa ostaa tuliaiseksi kahta asiaa: meripihkaa ja Riikan balsamia. Meripihka lienee kaikille tuttu ainakin nimelt\u00e4, mutta Riikan balsami saattaa olla lukijoille outo. Itsek\u00e4\u00e4n en ollut siit\u00e4 kuullut aiemmin. Se on eritt\u00e4in vahvaa yrteist\u00e4 valmistettua alkoholia jota saa Riikassa (ja luultavasti ymp\u00e4ri Latviaa)<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0l\u00e4hes mist\u00e4 tahansa. Siell\u00e4 kun myyd\u00e4\u00e4n alkoholia ruokakaupoissa. Riikasta l\u00f6ytyy my\u00f6s erityinen Black Magic-kahvila<\/a>\u00a0jossa sit\u00e4 voi nauttia vieh\u00e4tt\u00e4v\u00e4ss\u00e4 ymp\u00e4rist\u00f6ss\u00e4 sellaisenaan tai erilaisiksi herkuiksi valmistettuna. Kahvila on entinen apteekki ja sen sisustus on s\u00e4ilytetty pitk\u00e4lti alkuper\u00e4isen\u00e4. K\u00e4velimme kahvilan ohi, mutta emme ehtineet poikkeamaan sis\u00e4\u00e4n kun opas jo johdatti meid\u00e4t seuraavaan kohteeseen. Meripihkaa taas voi ostaa lukemattomista meripihka-puodeista joita l\u00f6ytyy mm. vanhasta kaupungista useita. Valikoimaa on moderneista koruista perinteisempiin malleihin. Erityisen henke\u00e4salpaavia ovat camee-korujen tapaan kaiverretut meripihkamedaljongit ja rannekorut. Erikoisimmat meripihkakorut taas olivat valkoisiin koristeellisiin nahkapohjiin ja nauhoihin istutettuja.<\/p>\n

Ruoka<\/strong><\/span>
\nSy\u00f6minen on Latviassa edullista. Ruokapaikkoja l\u00f6ytyy monenlaisia ja niiss\u00e4kin hintataso vaihtelee, mutta p\u00e4\u00e4asiassa kaikki on varsin edullista. Aikamoinen n\u00e4ht\u00e4vyys on j\u00e4ttikokoinen ravintola Lido (joita muuten l\u00f6ytyy my\u00f6s Tallinnasta)<\/strong><\/span>. Ruokatiskej\u00e4 riitt\u00e4\u00e4 silm\u00e4nkantamattomiin. Itse en p\u00e4\u00e4ssyt edes tiskilinjaston loppuun kun tarjotin oli jo t\u00e4ynn\u00e4. Tiskilt\u00e4 valitaan oman maun mukaan kaikkea mahdollista liha-, kala- ja kanaruuista kasvislis\u00e4kkeisiin, salaatteihin ja j\u00e4lkiruokiin. Kahden ihmisen eritt\u00e4in t\u00e4ytt\u00e4v\u00e4t ruoka-annokset ja tuopillinen olutta maksoivat 17 \u20ac. L\u00e4mpim\u00e4t ruuat annostellaan tiskist\u00e4 lautasille (kuten Ikean ravintolassa)<\/strong><\/span> joten kannattaa varautua siihen ett\u00e4 jos ei erikseen sano ett\u00e4 haluaa vain v\u00e4h\u00e4n saattaa saada koko lautasellisen. Esim min\u00e4 sain vahingossa koko lautasellisen paistettuja perunasuikaleita vaikka halusin vain v\u00e4h\u00e4n pihvini kylkeen. No, annos oli ainakin riitt\u00e4v\u00e4, eik\u00e4 lautasellisesta perunaa mielest\u00e4ni veloitettu sen enemp\u00e4\u00e4 kuin pienemm\u00e4st\u00e4 annoksesta. T\u00e4llainen tarjoilutapa n\u00e4ytt\u00e4\u00e4 muutenkin olevan suosittu etenkin lounasruokapaikoissa, se voi tuntua hassulta jos oppilaitosruokailu ei ole ihan tuoreessa muistissa. Suomessa kun on niin totuttu tuohon noutop\u00f6yt\u00e4tyyppiseen lounasruokailuun. Mit\u00e4 tulee erityisruokavalioihin niin Latviassa taitaa sellaiset olla viel\u00e4 aika lapsenkengiss\u00e4\u00e4n.<\/p>\n

Meripihka<\/strong><\/span>
\nKivettynytt\u00e4 havupuun pihkaa. Yleisimm\u00e4t v\u00e4rit ovat keltaisen s\u00e4vyt, ruskea ja punainen, mutta my\u00f6s mustaa, vihre\u00e4\u00e4 ja harvinaista sinist\u00e4 meripihkaa on olemassa. Meripihkan erikoiset ominaisuudet ovat ett\u00e4 se kelluu suolavedess\u00e4, siksi sit\u00e4 voi joskus l\u00f6yt\u00e4\u00e4 huuhtoutuneena merenrantaan, ja ett\u00e4 se s\u00e4hk\u00f6istyy hangattaessa. Meripihkan kreikan kielinen nimi on elektron, josta johtuukin monien kielten s\u00e4hk\u00f6\u00e4 tarkoittava sana.<\/p>\n

Riikan balsami<\/strong><\/span>
\n24 erilaisesta yrtist\u00e4 valmistettu vahva lik\u00f6\u00f6ri. Sen resepti on s\u00e4ilynyt samana jo yli 250 vuotta. Paikalliset nauttivat sit\u00e4 mielell\u00e4\u00e4n kuumissa juomissa, kuten mustaherukkamehun kanssa. Sit\u00e4 voi k\u00e4ytt\u00e4\u00e4 my\u00f6s ruuanvalmistukseen kuten suklaaj\u00e4lkiruokien mausteena tai kastikkeessa.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"inenglish\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Last part of my Riga posts is here. My longterm readers already know that I don’t really do much shopping these days. Usually I bring back vintage or books, but because my Latvian language is far from fluent, this time I didn’t buy any books. I didn’t even have time to investigate vintage shops. Even though Latvia is more than affordable country to travel, shopping is not necessarily very cheap. The little I had a look in the shopping center, clothes and shoes are not very cheap. They are pretty much the same price range than in Finland, partially probably because tourism.<\/p>\n

Our whole travel group\u00a0dropped by at one junk market where they mainly sell metal scarps and used electronics. We found a stall selling old gramophones. Prices for them were pretty much the same than in Finland. Same thing with couple other items we looked at. And sellers do recognize Finnish tourists, so prices are probably higher for us than locals. Of course it’s possible to bargain on markets, and you should aswell.<\/p>\n

If you wonder why in Riga and Latvia there is so many flower markets and stalls, the reason is very simple. Apparently in Latvia it’s not appropriate to go for a visit without flower bouquet. Despite of early season, there was already flower stalls, luring people with all the colours. Too bad flowers would not handle the long journey home very well. Flowers would have been very cheap, almost free compared to Finnish prices.<\/p>\n

Souvenirs and gifts<\/strong><\/span>
\nAccording to our tour guide, there’s two things you should buy from Riga: amber and Riga balsam. I assume amber is familiar to most readers, but Riga balsam might be unknown to most. I haven’t heard of it before myself. It is very strong liquer made of herbs. It’s easily available all round\u00a0Riga (and probably whole Latvia too)<\/strong><\/span>. They do sell strong alcohol in food shops, unlike here in Finland. There’s also special Black Magic cafe<\/a> in Riga, where you can drink balsam in authentic environment. Cafe is old pharmacy, and interior is mostly original. We walked past the cafe, but we didn’t have time to pop in because guide was already taking us to the next location. Amber you can buy from most souvenir shops and there are several special amber shops around old town. There’s wide range of jewellery, from modern to more traditional style. Most breathtaking amber jewellery were cameo-style carved pendants and bracelets. Most unusual ones were pieces of amber set on white leather base and braids.<\/p>\n

Food<\/strong><\/span>
\nEating is very affordable in Latvia. There’s many types of food places and prices vary of course, but mainly everything is quite cheap. Quite a sight is massive restaurant called Lido. There are food counters\u00a0as far as you can see. I didn’t even got to the end of the counters when I already had my tray full. You can choose anything from meat, fish, poultry, vegetable, sallads, puddings etc. Meal for two people plus one beer was 17 \u20ac. Warm meals are portioned on your plate (like in Ikea restaurants)<\/strong><\/span> so prepare yourself for letting them know how much you want. Otherwise you might end up with full plate of one stuff. Like I did because I wasn’t prepared so I got one full plate of fried potato slices, when I just wanted little bit as a side dish with my burger. Well, atleast it was really filling meal, and they didn’t charge extra for the amount (atleast I don’t think so)<\/strong><\/span>. This way of serving food is a bit odd to us Finns, we are so used to the buffet style lunch restaurants these days. When it comes to special diets, I think they are not very much taking under consideration in Latvia.<\/p>\n

Amber<\/strong><\/span>
\nIt’s fossilized tree resin. Most common colours are different shades of yellow, brown and red, but there is also black, green and rare blue amber. Special properties of amber are that it floats in salty water, that’s why it can sometimes be found on beaches, and that it gets static when rubbing it. The Greek name for amber is electron, where many languages get the word for electricity.<\/p>\n

Riga balzam<\/strong><\/span>
\nStrong liquer made of 24 different herbs. Recipe has been the same over 250 years. Locals like to drink it hot, like with hot black currant juice. You can also use it in cooking, like for chocolate puddings or sauces.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"riga31\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"riga32\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"rigashopping\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Riikan tuliaiset: meripihka-korvakorut ja Riikan balsamia. Perinteisesti balsami<\/strong><\/span>
\nmyyd\u00e4\u00e4n savipulloissa joita saa montaa eri kokoa, t\u00e4ss\u00e4 minikokoinen. Ostimme<\/strong><\/span>
\nisomman pullon mustaherukanmakuista ja muutaman n\u00e4it\u00e4 pieni\u00e4 perinteist\u00e4 makua. \/<\/strong><\/span>
\nRiga souvenirs: amber earrings and Riga balzam. Traditionally balsam is sold in<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\nclay bottles and you can get many different sizes, this is mini-size. We bought big<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\nbottle of black currant flavour and couple of these mini ones with original flavour.
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/em>\u00a0\"rigasouvenir\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Pit\u00e4k\u00e4\u00e4 vaikka p\u00f6hk\u00f6n\u00e4, mutta minusta on hauska tuoda matkoilta my\u00f6s esitteit\u00e4,<\/strong><\/span>
\np\u00e4\u00e4sylippuja ja muuta ilmaista s\u00e4l\u00e4\u00e4. Alkuper\u00e4inen tarkoitukseni on ollut koota niist\u00e4<\/strong><\/span>
\nvalokuva-matkap\u00e4iv\u00e4kirjoja, mutta koska nyky\u00e4\u00e4n tuo valokuvien printtaus on v\u00e4h\u00e4n<\/strong><\/span>
\nniin ja n\u00e4in niin toistaiseksi suurin osa n\u00e4ist\u00e4 makoilee mukavasti rasiassa toisten<\/strong><\/span>
\nkaltaistensa seurassa. \/<\/strong><\/span>
\nYou might think I’m a nutcase, but I think it’s fun to bring also all sorts of leaflets,<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\ntickets and other freebies from our travels. My original idea was to put these together<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\nwith photos as a travel journal, but because printing photos these days is not very<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\ncommon\/popular in general, these have just ended up piling comfortably in a box<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\nwith other similar items.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Viimeinen osa Riika-postauksia tulee t\u00e4ss\u00e4. Blogin pidempiaikaiset lukijat jo tiet\u00e4v\u00e4tkin ett\u00e4\u00a0en hirve\u00e4sti harrasta nyky\u00e4\u00e4n shoppailua. Yleens\u00e4 ostan matkoilta vintagea tai kirjoja, mutta koska latvian kieli ei kovin hyvin meik\u00e4l\u00e4iselt\u00e4 taitu, ei t\u00e4ll\u00e4 kertaa tullut yht\u00e4\u00e4n\u00a0kirjoja kotiin. Vintagekauppoihin en ehtinyt edes perehty\u00e4. Vaikka Latvia onkin monessa suhteessa edullinen maa matkustaa niin ostoksien tekeminen siell\u00e4 ei kuitenkaan… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[44,21,41,149],"tags":[79,259,59],"class_list":["post-11582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jotainihanmuuta","category-muutaajankulua","category-ontheroad","category-ostoksilla","tag-on-the-road","tag-riga","tag-shopping","has-post-thumbnail","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2H8as-30O","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11582"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11644,"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11582\/revisions\/11644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evildressmaker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}