Riga.

The Team recently returned from Riga, the capital of Latvia, the Baltic Republic which regained its independence in 1991 and has grabbed its freedom with both hands – a fact emphasised by the extensive coverage of the N.A.T.O. summit meeting in Riga.

Latvia provides very interesting and fast changing scene since 1991 with enormous change and inward capital flows and expertise from Scandinavia & Germany in particular transforming the country, so there is a real buzz about the place. The Latvians are an interesting people with a distinct culture and language and are Lutheran as opposed to the Russians who are Orthodox. The country has suffered terribly in the 20th Century, being invaded and thrashed in both world wars and being occupied by the Nazis and Soviets. In its history Riga has both benefited and suffered for being a strategically located and important port only 300 miles from St. Petersburg so every invader of Russia attempting to cut off its access to the West and the Baltic has had to take Riga and for the same reason Russia saw holding Riga as important to its defence. Latvia has only been independent since 1991 and before that in their history only for 20 precious years from 1918 to 1938 so the fact they are there as a country is remarkable. Riga itself was a rich Hanseatic City and the Old Town preserves mementoes of its golden age in fine merchant buildings and the massive “Brick Gothic” churches typical of the Baltic’s.

There is a real difference between those who are doing well in the new Latvia and those who have been left behind. Housing stock for instance is generally substandard with a mixture of drab and rundown Soviet style apartment blocks and timber houses. There was a row of "derelict" timber houses behind the hotel but when I looked out at night there were lights on so they were inhabited! Surprisingly congestion is an issue in Riga and the Old Town is a congestion charging zone using ticket operated barriers to control access. There is no metro and the public transport infrastructure is clearly struggling with a mixture of trams, trolley buses and even the dreaded bendy buses!

Of 2.3M in the country 1.1M are Russian and this is a real fault line as they don't necessarily have Latvian (and therefore EC) passports and can't apply for government jobs unless they speak Latvian.

Riga airport is brand new and impressive and the team flew there on that excellent airline run by an Irish Accountant for £31 return – incidentally Ryanair’s business model is based on SouthWest Airlines which is run by an Irish-American lawyer called Herb Kelleher, who appears in their adverts clutching a glass of whiskey! We bought a package from Activitybreaks.com for £89 which included transfers, two nights B & B, a dinner with wine in a restaurant and VIP entrance to a top nightclub. As the Team did this on their own time they have identified a skills gap and will book a place on the next “Negotiating Skills” course!

Speaking about Team Building, your Riga correspondent was taken with the range of events offered by the local handling agents, Baltic Events (www.eventstravel.net) which range from bobsleighing to flying MIG 21 fighters. The verbatim “Borat” style flyer for his personal favourite, “The KGB Experience” will give a flavour of these unique team events. Next year?
“You are invited to simple city excursion, but suddenly you will be arrested by KGB soldiers. Shooting or just "welcome schnaps". If welcome event, then tourist will be transported into some ugly place and there interrogation - why here? Spies? We will execute you and give to special secret forces....... And then group leader will come to rescue them and pay ransom......don't kill us, we'll pay.
If group has ordered shooting as well, then activity continues, on the way to shooting ground and somewhere on road James Bond or Charley Angels will free tourists and see ........KGB still alive and you all must be ready to defend yourself.”