I've had heaps of positive feedback on my Riga blog posts, thank you! It seems that many of you have enjoyed my suggestions on sights to see and things to do in Riga and I'm happy to say that I've saved the best for last - mushing and sledding with huskies in the snow. Today's blog post, however, is one for the foodies and is a follow up to Thursday's restaurant review of award-winning Renommé in Gallery Park Hotel Riga.

January 31, 2015

Gallery Park Hotel Riga Restaurant Renomme


In my first blog post about the award-winning 5* luxury boutique hotel Gallery Park Hotel Riga I've shown you why GPH Riga is the right choice for the discerning and sophisticated traveller who wants a luxurious, hospitable, and convenience stay that reflects the elegance of Riga, the European Capital of Culture 2014. Today's post follows up with Renommé, Gallery Park Hotel Riga's restaurant whose accolades for its Latvian culinary classics sees that this gourmet dining destination holds its own without needing to rest on the laurels of its prestigious hotel. 

January 29, 2015



My posts on Riga so far have been postcard-pretty photos of candy-coloured Art Nouveau buildings, luxuries like Gallery Park Hotel Riga, and the wintry beauty of snowy landscapes - so far, so lovely. Today's blog post is about an attraction that is more rugged and rough around the edges, yet just as exhilarating as the ballet (but with more bang for your buck) - Riga Shooting RangeAs you may know, apart from countryside sojourns and lengthy bureaucratic nightmares, shooting opportunities in the UK are few and far between. And one most certainly does get the chance to fire a Kalashnikov in a shooting club in England let alone on one's estate! So when I heard about a shooting range in Riga that offered assault rifles and combat shotguns I signed up for an afternoon of explosive fun. Suffice to say, I had a blast. 




I didn't know what to expect about Riga Shooting Range. Going from the macho design of their website, taglines boasting 'The Unforgettable Experience' and 'Feel The Power of Combat Shotgun', and the secrecy surrounding their exact location (I was to be picked up from the hotel and driven there, for security reasons, no doubt) I half-expected intimidating, suspicious Soviet-type shady characters with black market cigars dangling from their beefy lips barking orders at a cowering me while I struggled with surplus war weapons in a underground bunker. 




The only part that was accurate was the underground location. The shooting range was in a high-security underground bunker where the local police also train. The staff were absolutely professional and put me completely at ease with their hospitality and laid-back nature, and my firing instructor had the patience of a saint - even when I stumbled backwards from the recoil of a combat shotgun and pointed it at my foot, he merely caught my back and swiftly pushed the gun toward the target so as to save me losing several toes. Everything about the experience was pleasant, from the way Riga Shooting Range picked us up promptly at our hotel, explained the guns and safety techniques thoroughly to make sure I understood how to safely use the many firearms I handled, and were not pushy at all - I took my time to shoot at my leisure and afterward there was no shoo-ing us out of the range, I was invited to try on military uniforms and pose with weapons of our choice for photos. Riga Shooting Range were also very flexible, letting me choose to fire a Magnum instead of a Glock and when I changed my mind, they let me to upgrade from my Standard Package to include two extra guns of my choice. 




A Sig Sauer SP 2009, as seen in movies The Bourne Identity, Outlaw, Paul, The Lookout. The Riga Shooting Range website lists the guns in their arsenal along with specifications and movies they've featured in.

I booked the Standard Package (five shots each from four guns: Glock-17, Makarov PM, AK-103 - the cousin of the AK-47, and Winchester 1300) and then upgraded to include the SPAS-15 and a Magnum.





The shotgun I struggled with - I could barely hold up the Winchester and my arms were so strained from the weight that I kept letting the gun swing downward, pointing at my feet. With every shot, the recoil send me falling backwards that my instructor had to prop me upwards and swing the barrel away from my feet to point it safely toward the target. I was a mean shot with the Glock though - my aim was accurate and my stance was confident. Each shot I fired was sure, steady, and dare I say it - sexy.



The Winchester shells, larger than my lipsticks. They make regular bullets look practically puny.




The AK-103 and the Winchester shotgun. For someone who could barely hold up a shotgun I was more than a decent shot with the AK!



Examining our targets, which we were free to take home as souvenirs but forgot to.




...shot in the groin. "That's a little below the belt, isn't it darling?"




Just your standard firing range decor. There were much more, um, sensual posters of lovely ladies but I just couldn't bring myself to photograph any of them. No doubt those posters are there to appeal to the clientele who come to European firing ranges as stag do groups, but the shooting range was not at all overly masculine so as to alienate or intimidate women - there were young ladies at the shooting range, as lovely and youthful as they come, and all treated with the same respect as any man or policeman or policewoman. 





Some of the firearms available at Riga Shooting Range, and the packages available, taken from their website. 

If you're planning a trip to Riga I do recommend adding Riga Shooting Range to your itinerary. The staff are absolutely professional, laid back, flexible, will make you feel comfortable and welcome, and have props for photo opportunities after so you can show everyone what a banging good time you had (and they also have a resident sausage dog you can pet).

January 28, 2015

Art Nouveau Riga


As far as European travel destinations go, Riga is easily one of the most underrated.

January 27, 2015



Intrigued to explore the charming capital of Riga, Latvia - awarded the honour of European Capital of Culture 2014 - to report on this beautiful, historical city, I chose a hotel that reflects the elegance and sophistication of Riga: Gallery Park Hotel

January 25, 2015


Labdien (hello) from Latvia! Perchance you may have seen on my Instagram (@jasiminne) that I'm in Riga, Latvia. Dear friends, I write to you now from the comfort of luxury boutique hotel Gallery Park Hotel ensconced in the warm enriching glow of an eight hour nap followed by a spellbinding evening of ballet - Swan Lake at the Latvian National Opera - and a satisfyingly heavy meal which I (tried but failed to) walk off with a stroll through the park. Everything is covered in a blanket of snow and the city looks just like a postcard of the ultimate fantasy of what a European city should look like (but without the crowds, the chaos, and the urban grime of say, Paris).

January 23, 2015

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