#atozchallenge: Z

Z: Zoo
Who doesn't love Zoo? The bigest and most popular is Riga Zoo. But this is not the only one in Latvia. There are Latgale Zoo in Daugavpils, Ligatne Nature Trails, Zoo "Cīruļi" Kalvenē, Zoo "Viesturi" in Robežnieki, Mini Zoo in Iecava and a lot more, but smaller.

#atozchallenge: Y

Y: Yummii
This is about food. I m sure, latvian cuisine is not different from other european countries, but few differences can be found :) About that, good article is here.
About latvian cuisine you can read in wikipedia and here.
There are few recipes and here you can buy few products if you're not from Latvia.
And here is few my favorite:
chocolate: Emihls Gustavs
ice cream: NuFruit
candied: Rāmkalni
bread:  Lači

#atozchallenge:X

X: geocaching
Geocaching doesn't start with X, but hidden treasures are :) Geocaching is one of greatest projects ever!
How it goes with Latvia? Latvia is the only one (or at least was some time ago, but then it was the first one :) ) where caches are made all around it's territory. (picture is print screen from geocaching.com)

#atozchallenge: W

W: Werewolf
In latvian it's called Vilkatis. More about them you can find in this blog.
Near to Mazirbe, there is werewolf's grave - a place full of legends and ghost stories. It'is ancient grave, covered with rocks.

#atozchallenge: V

V: Video
Here are few videos about Latvia.

#atozchallenge: U

U: UNESCO

Latvia has been a member state of UNESCO since October 14, 1991.
Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List can be found here:

• Historic Centre of Riga
• Struve Geodetic Arc

Properties submitted on the Tentative List:

• Viking Monuments and Sites / Grobiņa archaeological complex
• Kuldīga Old Town in the Primeval Valley of the River Venta
• Meanders of the Upper Daugava

UNESCO in Latvia is here.

#atozchallenge: T

T: Tourism
If you going to Latvia and don't have any idea what to see and what to do, check these links:
lonelyplanet.com
latvia.travel
way2latvia.com
tripadvisor.com

Good luck!

#atozchallenge: S

S: souvenirs
So, what to take with you back to home after visiting Latvia.
In random manner, few things i think is very interesting and noteworthy:

• sweet amber - it's a candy, but looks like real amber.
• amber - if you visit Riga, go to Old Riga and you definetly will find a lot of jewelery and not only with it.
• Rīgas Balzāms Black balsam - quite a good liquor. 
• bread - especially Lāču maize. 
• linen and wool fabics.
• wooden toys for kids

Or use google :D look for souvenirs from Latvia. You will be able to find a lot of usefull information there.

#atozchallenge: R

R: Roads
This is not going to be good. Roads are incredibly bad! Worst i have seen in my short life. It's not like i have been in lot of other countries, but difference is huge, trust me!
I have deleted photos i had. This one is from news portal apollo.lv

#atozchallenge: Q

Q: Questions
Is there something You want to know about Latvia? Feel free to write comments and ask :)
Will replay by updating this post

#atozchallenge: P

P: Prāta Vētra (translation BrainStorm)
Realy great band from Latvia. I remember them when they only started and here are they  now. Quite a popular abroad either :)
!!! Prāta Vētra will play Glastonbury !!!

#atozchallenge: O

O: Opera
Latvian National Opera is memeber of Opera Europa and ENOA.
From opera.lv: "While paying tribute to the traditional values of the classical and Romantic operas and ballets that are the cornerstones of its repertoire, the LNO continually strives to seek contemporary forms of expression. Under the leadership of General Director Andrejs Žagars, the LNO stage regularly resounds with successful productions of Baroque operas, modern operatic and ballet masterpieces, children's performances, and original Latvian works. The LNO is open to the world: the company has an active touring schedule with many superb guest singers, conductors, choreographers and directors frequently gracing the LNO stage. In recent seasons, the LNO has been touring to the Hong Kong Festival, the Bordeaux Opera, the Catania Opera, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Luxembourg Opera, the Dalhalla Festival in Sweden, to Mexico. The LNO is a place where talent is born – popular soloists like Elīna Garanča, Kristine Opolais, Marina Rebeka, Maija Kovaļevska, Inese Galante, Aleksandrs Antoņenko and Egils Silins started their careers at the LNO."

#atozchallenge: N

N: nature
I couldn't say better: "In Latvia you will find primordial wilderness areas characteristic of Scandinavia, a rich cultural heritage comparable to Central Europe and a countryside of pastoral serenity.
Latvia is a land of diverse terrain where plains alternate with hillocks and river valleys. It is stately forests, broad mires and clear waters. It is meadows, fields, groves, gardens and parks. Together, these features form a unique mosaic that is the landscape of Latvia. It is a haven for the tourist, who loves nature, respects tradition and has an interest in the culture of the local inhabitants. It is a place for those who enjoy social interaction and value the sense of achievement that comes from an active approach to relaxation." (from latvia.lv)
If you want to know about nature monuments click here - Latvian Nature Heritage Fund Monuments

#atozchallenge: M

M: Money
Who doesn't love money? Our national currency is lats (1 lats = 100 santīmi) till 01.01.2014 when Latvia will enter the eurozone. Good and short brief you can find in wikipedia.
My favorite is 1 lats coin. How many of them there is, you can see here. Time to time, Latvijas Banka creates new coin and people love to collect them. Me either :) I have almost all of them. Probably, after few years they will cost good money or will be very nice present to someone.

#atozchallenge: L

L: Latgale
Latgale is one of 4 historical and cultural regions of Latvia (Latgale, Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale).
I was born and lived there for 18 years in Latgale, near to the heart of Latgale (Rēzekne) in Rogovka. And there is my Home even now, when I live in Riga (capital of Latvia).
Latgalians has its own language or dialect called Latgalian.
Latagle ir called the Land of Blue Lakes or Lakeland. There are about thousands lakes in it. There is largest lake in Latvia - Lubans, deepest lake in Latvia - Dridzis and the lake with greatest number of islands - Ezezers.
For tourism - check this: Eastern Latvia
For more info -  Latgale
Or look up in google :)

#atozchallenge: K

K: Kremerata Baltica and Kremer Gidon
Kremerata Baltica is chamber orchestra. Gidon Kremer - solo violinist and artistic director. More about them here.

Check this (with Igudesman and Joo):

#atozchallenge: J

J: Just5
Mobile phone. Created (not manufactured) in Latvia. Easy to use and simply. Kind a good looking too. From their web page here: "designed for audiences that require five basic features: ease of operation, big buttons, amplified sound, a long-lasting battery for reliability, and an emergency SOS button. Primary target audiences include seniors, people with poor eyesight or hearing problems, people with medical conditions that require constant care, and kids who need a “starter phone” with basic functionality."
Just5 space - my favorite for now.

#atozchallenge: I

I: Inforgr.am
One more exciting project from Latvia!
From their web site: "Infogr.am is an easy to use online service that lets you create, share, discover infographics and online charts."

#atozchallenge: H

H: Holidays
Mmm.... holidays :)  Of course, Saturday and Sunday. Christmass time, Easter time, Midsummer time and few more. Don't know about school holidays (not in sight anymore and jet), but usually one week in autumn and one in spring and almost three month at summer.
Here you can find a list of holidays with dates (as usually - wikipedia). And here is nice post about holidays (not wikipedia).

#atozchallenge: G

G: Gouvernment
From wikipedia: "The Government of Latvia is the central government of the Republic of Latvia. The Constitution of Latvia (Satversme) outlines the nation as a parliamentary republic represented by a unicameral parliament (Saeima) and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia, which form the executive branch of the Government of Latvia."

#atozchallenge: F

F: Festivals
Under this i could write and write, but, i guess, only few would be interested,so, i will name only few of them.  The ones, i like

• Dziesmu un deju svētki (Song and dance festival) - definetly the bigest one. If you have such a opportunity to attend - do that!
• Saulkrasti jazz - one of my favorite. For jazz lovers.
• Rīgas ritmi  - non academic music, but very, very good one. 
• Positivus, summer sound - popular music and chilling
• International Baltic Ballet Festival - for ballet lovers.
• Riga festival, Rīgas svētki - for ones, who lives in Riga

and much, much more.
And there comes more: Riga2014!

#atozchallenge: E

E: Eliēr
As a woman, i care about my look. This is going to be about Eliēr...
and this is going to be more like an add. But only because i'm so fascinated about this company and products. Mostly about products. My earlier post about Eliēr you can find here. More about company and products - here.

My favorite (all pictures are from their website):
Toothpaste. One of the best products! My teeths are whitter, healthy and no need to visit dental hygienist every year.

Serum Active Lift. My face skin is moisturized and radiant. This is particularly important after the winter

Mud musk. This is something wonderfull! Not only for face, you can use it on whole your body. It's very good for hair either.

Anti-celulite gel. This is one product for everything! Of course - bad for celulite - helps to "kill" it, very good at healing bumps and muscle pain.

And there are much more great products! You need to register to buy. You can do that here. Do you have any questions? - let me know by sending an email to vita.elier@gmail.com or write in comments. 

#atozchallenge: D

D: Daugava
Daugava is the main river in Latvia. It is 352 km long and has 3 HES. More about Daugava read in wikipedia.
In cooperation with Sweedish photo club Umeo, photo club Ogre has a project "Upe" (River). Photos from first and second stages can be found here (first) and here (second).

#atozchallenge: C

C: Circus
We have our own circus. It is located in Riga. Riga Circus is not best of the best in world, but i have heard , it is quite good actually.
Shame on me - i m living in Riga almost 5 years and haven't been there yet (shy face).

#atozchallenge: B

B: Bear-slayer
I hope this would be right translation for Lāčplēsis. It is national epic written by  Andrejs Pumpurs between 1872 and 1887 based on local legends. Lāčplēsis is national hero who defends his homeland from assorted invaders. More about Lāčplēsis look in wikipedia.
On November 11 we celebrate Lāčplēsis day - we commemorate the victory over the bermontians at the battle of Riga on 1919. Fantastic historical view is here.

#atozchallenge - Let's go! A

So, here it goes! :)
A: Alphabet
As the main theme is an alphabet, this will be about alphabet. About Latvian Alphabet. It is based on Latin alphabet and consists of 33 letters: 22 are similar to other alphabets and remaining 11 are letters with diacritic marks.
We have very nice song and video about it, made by RIJA films. My baby love's it!

If you're interested in more, check, for example, wikipedia.
That's all for now! Have a nice day!