Riga, here we go!

It has been an incredible meeting. This has been the first mobility of this two-year project, and it has been great. All the previous work has been worth it. And we have been so lucky to have some snow! Thanks to our Latvian hosts. They have been so hospitable. Latvia and Riga will forever be in our hearts.

                   You can also watch this video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/aIkwq2QkEk0

It’s been a very busy week, with lots of work, activities and visits. The topic of this mobility was “Sustainable City Planning”, and all our presentations dealt with different aspects of this topic. Cities all over Europe are focusing on sustainability in all the services they provide their citizens with. They are sensible to problems such as energy and water usage. And they are worried about making cities a better place to live in.

In this meeting, we have learnt a lot about this. We attended a lecture on this topic at Riga University (unbelievable modern building, I must say). And we also had a working session in international groups in which we made a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) of some of our cities, producing several posters of our conclusions.

We have also learnt a lot about our host country, Latvia. A UNESCO representative and the Latvian students told us about their cultural and natural treasures, and we also had the chance to visit some incredible places, such as Sigulda and Cesis castles and Rundale Palace.

We had a workshop at ZINOO scientific centre on how to design sustainable buildings against earthquakes. We visited the National Library of Latvia, also called the Castle of Light, an incredible building on the outside and in the inside, where we learnt about the folksongs of Latvia and their symbols, which are very much connected to their mythology. 

Our Latvian partners took us ice-skating, which was an incredible experience. They are amazing skaters!

Food is also an important part of the culture and tradition of any country. In Latvia we learnt how to cook gingerbread cookies and some delicious sweet pretzel at Laci, a famous traditional bakery. It was good fun making our own cookies!

In our free time, we experienced a visit to Riga Christmas market, went to the top floor of the Radisson Hotel to have an amazing view of Riga, had long walks in the historical part of the city and tasted their delicious Laima chocolate.

Oh, I forgot to say that in the welcome ceremony they spoilt us with the singing of a superb student choir. Were we lucky or were we lucky?

Thank you very much to our Latvian friends for this wonderful mobility. You really made our day!