pam on Nostr: Good luck and have fun to all heading to Nostriga! Latvia is an interesting country, ...

Good luck and have fun to all heading to Nostriga! Latvia is an interesting country, it is juggling between Russia and EU - like many countries in the soviet region. Maybe Bitcoin and Nostr can show the way of a country no longer needing to pick sides, and trade with all, friends with all. Latvia is also lagging in the innovation space especially compared to their next door neighbors - Estonia and Lithuania. Open source innovation is going to be a great opportunity to boost tech growth. Very excited to see what comes out of this ❤️

quoting
note10tz…7ez7

Saw this in a cookbook and I thought it was beautifully written

Latvia | Latvija

South of Estonia and north of Lithuania lies Latvia. Possessing a large coastline similar to Estonia’s (a fact reflected in the nation’s love of fresh and preserved fish), Latvia is also extremely wooded – no matter where you find yourself in the country you will always be within thirty minutes’ drive of a forest.

Latvia's cuisine possesses fewer of its northern neighbour's Nordic flourishes. The influences tend to be more Russian in origin, unsurprising given the country’s demographics (of the three Baltic countries, Latvia is where the most Russian families have remained post-independence; they make up a quarter of the population).

Like their neighbours, Latvians have both a very real respect for nature and hold close their time-honoured folk beliefs (for example, Latvians believe good fortune will come for the year ahead if they place the scales of an eaten fish in their wallet on New Year’s eve.)

Linguistically, along with Lithuanian, Latvian is one of the last spoken Indo-European languages. While not known to be the most gregarious of people, once Latvians get to know and trust you, they open up to be some of the warmest, most welcoming people you are likely to meet.

They are also known for their frankness, something that is reflected in the length of their constitution, the Satversme, which is one of the shortest in Europe.

Riga, the nation’s capital, is home to beautiful art nouveau architecture, a medieval old town and a stunning central market.

Like Tallinn, Riga has opened up to the outside world and its food while at the same time respecting its own traditions and culture. Yes, locals love to enjoy various dishes from around the world (sushi is particularly popular, for example) but they are just as likely to be found converging at the buffets of traditional Latvian restaurants to enjoy their own cuisine.

The wide range of food available can be seen at the capital’s central market, where five old zeppelin hangers now house a kaleidoscope of fresh and pickled vegetables, dried flowers as well as dairy producers, butchers and fishmongers. It’s a UNESCO heritage site and one of the largest markets in Europe.