Latvia

With magnificent Hanseatic architecture and one of the greatest collections of Art Nouveau buildings anywhere in Europe, the Latvian capital, Riga, is by far the grandest and the most cosmopolitan city in the Baltic. From the Museum of Occupation to the public market housed in former Zeppelin hangars, the layered history of Latvia is everywhere I turned. I could not help being amazed that the Soviet Union swallowed up such a vibrant European city for half a century. Like her Baltic cousins, Latvia has a long-standing singing tradition. Known as a ‘Land that Sings,’ the Latvian Song and Dance Festival could easily rival Laulupidu.