Day 8

Up, groggy. Down. Doze.

Get up later, find breakfast and book my ticket to Sigula. Go to the Riga History and Navigation museum, which is really good. There's a mummified hand which belonged to a money forger whose punishment was to have it removed. Seems slightly excessive but I bet he didn't do it again.

The Nav. museum is great, full of huge model ships, steam and sail. Remember I'd planned to spend time sailing this year. Mental note to check that when I get home. Lunch in a cheap soup kitchen and then to the Latvian Museum of War. Latvia has been passed between different states so much it should be on elastic.

Consider going to the Genocide museum, but I've been to two museums today already and I'm still recovering from the Vilnius one, so I give it a pass. To the hostel pub where I meet an Essex entrepreneur called James running guided tours in Riga. We begin what becomes an epic conversation covering, amongst other things, conspiracy theories, literature and the definition of sarcasm. He convinces me not to go to Sigula in the morning, but to do the tour - it is an ''alternative'' view of Riga, offering a local's perspective, and is also free. I will go to Sigula in the afternoon - I don't know when the trains run but it's only 30km away so I anticipate no problems.

James invites me to dinner, and I meet his girlfriend and some of his flatmates. After the spaghetti bolognaise he is tired and my stomach has been hurting for hours. I don't know if it's booze or Baltic food, but either way I need to crash. Back to hostel.

Chill and play cards with Frederik and Richard, two Germans I met earlier. They are also going on the tour tomorrow, so we arrange to go out and look at the Riga market in the morning first. I impress them both with the two magic tricks I know. Bed.



Estimated number of units today: 0
Estimated number of units total: 34

Estimated number of girls taken to bed today: 0
Estimated number of girls taken to bed total: 0