Driving down through Estonia we once again don't see anything after leaving Parnu other than the odd abandoned road side barn. We're seeing more motorhomes on the roads now though and most of them are happy to give us a wave. As we cross the border there is a sort of control that could be used if they were doing checks but they aren't and other than the sign we wouldn't know we've changed countries. Things were going well with just 35 mins to go when we hit traffic which delays us by 30 mins. As we get to the front of the jam we discover we're about to cross a bridge that's being completely rebuilt and the delay was just very poor traffic light management (since there was barely any traffic on the other side of the bridge waiting to cross).

The kids are content with the latest Enid Blyton audiobook so thankfully aren't moaning about the delay. When we get to the campsite it really is the closest we could be to the beach without being on it. Al had booked this in advance and reserved us one of a handful of spots right at the front (paying €40 for the privilege mind you).

This meant we could send the kids straight out to play whilst we kept one eye on them and also sorted out the laundry since Al was down to one pair of clean pants! The temperature was cool enough so we weren't baking but warm enough to be pleasant (kids were happy to go in the sea but I gave it a miss).

After a few hours of chilling for us and digging / splashing for the kids we even brought our tea down and enjoyed gnocchi on the sand. We gave the kids until 9pm before we sent them to bed and it didn't take long for them to fall asleep. Meanwhile I went for a quick run to log one in Latvia and raced Al who went to order our drinks at the bar (it was pretty close but he just won). Tomorrow we're supposed to be leaving in the morning to go to Riga an hour away but we get the pitch until 12 and the kids have been so happy together chilling at the beach that we come up with a new sunset plan that means we'll not leave until after lunch then we'll split our Riga visit over two days rather than everything in one. We actually think this works better as the day after we only have a castle and monument to see which should only take half a day anyway. It's another fun morning at the beach and this time even I brave a swim in the sea.

I'm looking forward to a proper shower and hair wash later, I ask Liliya if she likes my beach hair (aka crazy and wild) she says it's not beach hair mummy it's clown hair, that girl is brutal but probably true!

It's definitely cloudier but still warm enough to enjoy. It's a bit cheeky as we've got to pay 50 cents for one minute of hot water in the shower despite having paid so much for the site itself. Al who as we left happily bought a pot of honey for 10€ decided he was going to only have a cold shower but I had been looking forward to this for a while and drying my hair with a hairdryer as we have electricity!

We said goodbye to Taju and made our way to Riga. Al had chosen to visit the car museum which was just on the outskirts. Whilst inside there was the most horrific downpour and Al had left the skylight open so he had to race back to prevent water getting into the moho. There was lots to see and enough hands on activities for the kids as well. Along with the cars on display there's examples of radios (we learnt one of the earlier cars was fitted with a record player!) and bikes.

An interesting area was cars from Soviet Union including the only Rolls Royce in a museum to be shown in a crashed state. The kids particularly liked making the films where they use computer generated images to add your face into it. We also got to see a temporary display of a few classic cars that had been restored by a local company.

Tonight we're staying about a 15 min walk away from the centre. It couldn't be more different from this morning's view. We got to look at a crumbling concrete building but it was only 5€ and was guarded 24/7 and the area isn't giving off good vibes so I'm happy someone is watching the moho.

It's almost 6pm but we've decided to head in to the centre to get food. It's rainy and grey the streets are covered in graffiti and it feels similar to Serbia. Liliya in her wisdom decides she's going to wear her full waterproofs including fluffy trousers, we try stop her but sometimes there's only one way to learn.

Of course after the short shower she's regretting her choices but at least she's owned up to it. We walk past the market but it's mostly closed up so we'll come back again tomorrow. Once in the old town the sun comes back out and our spirits are lifted. Al passes a hesburger outlet, it seems it's the baltic version of a McDonalds and he really wants to try one, not really the same as the real Latvian cuisine I had in mind so he just gets a basic burger for everyone to have a taste. Yep nothing special but at least he now knows.

We get our bauble and sticker and seems cats are the thing here. You want some tourist tat here it's likely you can get it with a cat on it. I'm curious as to why the obsession and apparently it's all because of the "Cat House". It is iconic in Riga and has a famous legend where the building's owner, after being denied entry into the Great Guild, placed two cat statues on the roof with their tails pointed towards the Guild building as a form of protest. This tale whether true or not, has made cats a symbolic part of Riga's identity. On our way to check in out we first pass by the statues that the kids remember from Bremen and this is all linked to the Blackheads (more on them later).

Behind this is St Peter's church and we spot people up the tower so decide we will also visit to get some good views of Riga.

There's some really interesting facts about Latvia and who's rulership it has been under over the years. Crazy to think it only got it's current independence during my lifetime. There's a lift to get up to the top of the tower with a bunch of rules such as no eating, climbing, pushing etc. As I'm explaining this to the kids Liliya has to question things like what will happen if you do. I explain that there are cameras and the sign says there would be justice served. She asked what this meant so I went with an easy option of saying you'll go to jail as an example of how justice could be served. Not content to end the conversation there she has to ask what happens if she was to accidentally push Robert. The entire lift at this point, who have been quiet up to this point, burst out laughing and someone says well you'll be accidentally put in jail. We get to see some lovely views including what turns out to be the Latvian TV and radio tower which is the EUs tallest tower. We are back on track and head to the famous Cat House, underwhelming is probably the best way to describe it.

Whilst there we take a moment to Google restaurants to eat in and find a traditional Latvian bar / restaurant. It's the feast for 4-5 people that draws us in. We fancied trying the local food and this gives a bit of everything. We descend several steps to enter and the bar is in a cellar. Live music is playing and it's really busy so we're not sure we'll get seated but we clearly just timed it right as they offered us the very comfy looking sofas just opposite the bar. We order the feast to be told it's a 45 min wait but the kids are given puzzles and colouring so that will keep them entertained. Al tries the local cherry beer, which is actually cheaper than Robert's mocktail and I go for a very not local pina colada.

Unfortunately I cut my lip on the cracked glass but the service was very good, they were extremely apologetic, got me a new drink on the house then offered us one of their local desserts as they said to take my mind away from the badness. I chose the cherry meringue which was actually huge and plenty for all of us to try.

When the feast arrived we knew we were in for a challenge, we were really impressed with the kids as they were mostly happy to give most things a go. The ribs were incredible, the kids weren't a huge fan which was perfect for us they loved the breaded chicken and meatballs. To top it off there was an entire ham hock, it really did melt in your mouth. I dread to think how many calories were in each slice of deep fried rye bread coated in garlic butter but my gosh they were amazing (even if we still stank of garlic the next morning).

Too full to walk back although they don't have uber here we called a bolt, once again cheaper than public transport and it took us right back to the van safely guarded by the very old man with a broken arm! It wasn't all plain sailing though, on our return we noticed that both Liliya's and our beds where we'd previously had leaks were wet!! It seems the downside of a moho versus a campervan is they are much more prone to leaks. We had thousands of pounds of work done only 18 months ago so we're hoping this time round its nothing as serious. For now we're going to patch it up with some duct tape (which involves me balanced on Al's shoulders which neither of us enjoy) and enjoy the rest of the trip.

We all slept well so the next morning we're up and heading to the house of the blackheads, we've got a lot of travelling to do today so rather than the 25 min walk we use our new bolt app to get us straight there. I'd never heard of the blackheads before but this house was mentioned in all the top things to do in Riga.

It was originally built in the 14th century as a meeting place for merchants, then became the headquarters for the Blackheads, a guild for unmarried merchants and shipowners.

The original building was destroyed during World War II then demolished by the Soviets, however it was meticulously rebuilt in the 1990s using original blueprints and historical photos.

Although not a pleasant experience I wanted to learn more about the KGB in Latvia so we headed to the Corner House, the KGB headquarters from 1940 to 1991. It includes a free exhibition with archival photographs, personal stories, and short video interviews. Latvians were encouraged to tell on their neighbours for doing anything considered anti regime and the stories of those who died and survived here was very moving. I would have liked to go on the guided tour of the basement cells, interrogation rooms, and courtyard to learn more but this was only available for over 12s and to be honest I found the details here hard enough.

Our final stop in Riga was the central market. It is one of Europe’s largest markets situated in repurposed German Zeppelin hangars as well as a large outdoor space. We bought a couple of things including a cherry pie for Al and Robert, a bag of really big cherries and a weird tasting low alcohol drink called kvass.

Don't think Riga will make it to the 'will return' list but it's been interesting nonetheless. Our last stop in Latvia is Bauska Castle just an hour's drive away. This was a ruin where half of the building has been restored and now houses weapons, costumes and shows some of the old rooms such as the kitchen, bedrooms and banquet halls.

We got to climb up the tower and it was so windy it blew Al's cap off, thankfully into the tower and as there weren't many other guests it was still waiting for him when he got back down to the bottom!

The kids enjoyed being in the stocks along with putting Al in them and looking at the cannons.

We made it back to the moho just as the heavens opened and we headed to Lithuania.