While strolling around the windy streets of Old Riga, we stumbled upon the farmers market with many home-made goods. Check out these wonderful loafs of rye bread (my friend Daina is on the right). Mmm…it’s heavenly! Breads in Latvia are very earthy and dense, nothing like I tasted in the States.

And these gingerbread cookies—I smelled them a few yards away. They remind me of my trips to farmers market during my childhood and still taste the same…prices went up quite a bit though. Sigh. The prices in this picture are in lats, you have to double the number to figure out the approximate dollar amount (yes, it's surprising how strong Latvian currency is against the US dollar!).

Here is some traditional Latvian pottery—this particular style uses vibrant glazes; beautiful.

And these cute dolls are dressed in national Latvian costumes.

Beer is a prized beverage here in Latvia, produced in small breweries and available in ample amounts everywhere. Here is one of the many stands at the market.

Midsummer solstice celebration is coming up on June 23rd, which is a big holiday in Latvia. It signifies the longest day and the shortest night of the year; it only gets dark for a few hours. It is customary to make wreaths from field grasses as well as display bouquets from the same flowers in the house. We usually go in the field and gather our own, but city people usually buy from stands like these.

On the following day, my sister joined me on a short trip to a couple of small resort towns located on the Baltic sea, Dzinari and Majori, about a 30 minute train ride from Riga. It was too cold to swim, but we enjoyed walking along the shore and breathing the salty sea air. Ahh…it’s nice to be home.