Baltics The Full Service Property House - Air Baltic

Exploring Finland’s North 

Swiss state secrets 

Amsterdam’s canal belt 

Discoveries 

Dusseldorf 

NOVEMBER 2010 

inflight magazine 

YOUR FREE COPY + FREE INSIDE Ask your flight attendant for a copy of the !

Paint 

the townBlu 

2 x Tallinn, 4 x Riga, 1 x Klaipeda, 2 x Vilnius, 2 x Moscow, 

2 x Sochi, 1 x Rostov-on-Don, 2 x St Petersburg, 

1 x Kaliningrad (opening autumn 2010) 

+353 17 06 02 84 

radissonblu.com 

Fall in love with the world of Radisson Blu 

at nearly 200 hotels in almost 50 countries.

Baltic Outlook explores 

Finland’s North 

See page 50 

Editorial Staff 

Chief Editor: llze Pole / e: ilze@frankshouse.lv 

Editor Ieva Nora Fīrere / e: ieva@frankshouse.lv 

Translator, copyeditor and reviser: 

Kārlis Roberts Freibergs 

Design: Marika Štrāle 

Layout: Inta Kraukle 

Cover: Courtesy of Ministry of Economic 

Development of Georgia 

Baltic Outlook is published 

by SIA Frank’s House 

Stabu 17, Riga, LV 1011, Latvia 

ph: +37167293970 

w: frankshouse.lv / e: franks@frankshouse.lv 

Director: 

Eva Dandzberga / e: eva@frankshouse.lv 

Advertising managers: 

Indra Indraše 

e: indra@frankshouse.lv / m: +37129496966 

Lelde Vikmane 

e: lelde@frankshouse.lv / m: +37129487700 

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors 

and persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the 

views of the editors, Frank’s House, SIA. 

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in 

any form without written permission of the publisher. 

Printed in UAB Lietuvos Rytas, Lithuania, 

phone +371 29 42 69 61 

4 

6 

8 

10 

14 

18 

20 

22 

24 

26 

Thought Check list for Surving a 

Baltic Winter 

City Icons Kodbyen. Copenhagen 

Airport A showcase of Dutch 

Ingenuity. Schiphol 

Agenda November 2010-10-19 

Amsterdam The Canal Belt 

November Discovering Europe’s 

capital cities through the cinema 

Traveler Travel like a production 

designer. Ulrich Bergfelder 

Interview Mikael Tellqvist. Micke 

and the big heart 

Designer Natālija Jansone: Crafting 

a new image 

Design For a warm and cosy 

November 

28 

30 

38 

44 

50 

58 

66 

68 

70 

72 

83 

CONTENTS / NOVEMBER 

Review Latest books, movies and 

CDs 

Your next destination Dusseldorf 

discoveries 

Interview Renars Kaupers 

Live Riga Beaming Riga 

Travel Lapland. The Lappish gold 

Travel Swiss State Secrets. Where to 

find little-known paradises 

15 sheep Tadjikistan 

Cars The new electric Peugeot iOn 

Gadgets Bigger vs.Smaller 

Dining Restaurant Piramida 

London’s tea houses: from highbrow 

posh to down-low chill 

Season’s delights in Riga and Baltics 

airBaltic news 

BALTIC OUTLOOK / NOVEMBER 2010 / 1

Dear Passenger, 

Bertolt Flick, 

CEO airBaltic 

A MEssAgE fROM thE CEO 

Air travel consists of a number of interlocking steps. The final impression you 

form about your journey, about how good you have been treated, is made up 

by how well all links in this chain have functioned. One important element 

of your air journey is airport services. In general, what happens at airports 

lies outside the direct control of airlines. Waiting in queues, lost luggage, 

overcrowded boarding areas, − airlines pay dearly for airport handling, and 

have no real control over how well these services are performed. Some 

airports live up to high expectations: Munich could be taken as one example, 

or Zurich. Riga has been a model airport for many years. 

Today, Riga airport is too small. Having been constructed in the 1990s to 

handle 2.3 million passengers a year, it has to accommodate more than 

4 million today. The result of this discrepancy is clear to everybody using 

the airport: queues wherever you go, long waiting times, crowded boarding 

gates, insufficient restroom facilities, etc. The necessity of building a new 

terminal has been discussed for many years. A very positive step towards 

improved services is the outsourcing of the Duty-Free zone management to 

TAV, an experienced airport operator. 

Another major shortcoming is Riga’s runway system. Two years ago, Riga 

airport’s single runway was extended from 2.500 meters to 3.300 meters, 

which was supposed to enable the airport to handle larger aircraft. Again a 

very positive step, however, we are still missing additional exits – ways from 

the runway, allowing the aircraft to leave the runway faster, thereby increasing 

the number of aircraft movements per hour. Hence, extending the runway – 

an expensive investment – did not change much. The overall runway system 

still waits to be reconstructed so that an increase in the number of landings 

will be possible. We strongly support the plans of Riga airport to reconstruct 

the system of rapid exit ways and the apron area, which will reduce the 

number of delays and increase the efficiency of operations. 

Together with Riga airport, we will do our best to make your journey pleasant 

and hassle-free. 

Have a good flight! 


DETAILS / thOUght 

Check–List 

for Surviving a Baltic Winter 

TExT: ROBERt COttREll | PhOTO: COURtEsy Of f64 

I like to think that those of us who live in Northern 

Europe have made a bargain with Nature. We take 

whatever Nature cares to throw at us during the winter 

months in terms of cold, wind, snow, ice and darkness. 

In exchange for that, we get a short blast of a real, 

blazing hot summer – just long enough to regain our 

optimism about life, somewhere between late May and 

early August. So, take note of the calendar. We have had 

our summer. Mother Nature kept that part of the deal. 

If you draw a broad arc from Stockholm to Kiev by way 

of the Baltic countries, St. Petersburg and Moscow, then 

your check list for winter should read something like 

this. 

Your friends will be telling you 

that this is nothing. “Last year it 

was minus 30 for weeks on end!” 

“Worst winter in 50 years!” “Frozen 

birds were falling out of the sky!” 

First, boots. Don’t sweat the civilian stuff. Go to a shop 

that sells hunting gear and get some footwear made for 

people whose idea of fun is spending a winter day in a 

freezing swamp. Mine were made in Canada, bought in 

Riga, and claim to keep your feet warm and dry down to 

minus 90 degrees. 

Second, a hat with flaps that come down around your 

cheeks and tie under your chin. There is a certain pride 

among men, certainly in Russia, about not wearing hats 

until the snow is knee-deep, but don’t be intimidated. 

Zero degrees is hat weather. 

Third, two pairs of gloves. A thin pair with fingers to 

wear underneath, a thick pair of mittens to wear on top. 

Fourth, you’ll want a coat. But so long as you’ve got 

all the other things straight, especially the thermal 

underwear, then you won’t need anything absurdly 

grand. A good, tough parka is fine. 

Fifth, a bottle of something strong. Riga Black Balsam, 

from Latvia, is a versatile option. If you don’t want to 

drink it, then you can rub it onto your chest. Either way, 

it warms your inner person. 

Now you are ready. Just one last word of advice. Don’t 

believe what people tell you about last winter or 

the winter before that. One of the perks of surviving 

a northern winter is that you get to exaggerate 

the severity of it with hindsight. As you shiver in 

temperatures that plummet to below minus 20 degrees, 

your friends will be telling you that this is nothing. “Last 

year it was minus 30 for weeks on end!” “Worst winter in 

50 years!” “Frozen birds were falling out of the sky!” 

My own winter’s tale comes from Yakutsk in Russia, 

where I spent a few days in a temperature of minus 

40 degrees. It hurt to breathe. The good news was that 

there was always something warm to drink back at the 

hotel. The bad news was that it was beer. BO 

Robert Cottrell is a British journalist and an English-language bookstore 

owner in Riga.

200 

SHOPS & RESTAURANTS 

IN THE CENTRE OF RIGA 

7 FLOORS & ROOF TERRACE 

WITH 360 0 

PANORAMA VIEW 

OPENING AT THE END OF OCTOBER 

SHOPPING & ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE 

67 Dzirnavu Street www.galleriariga.com

DETAILS / CIty ICONs / COPENhAgEN 

Kødbyen: 

A story of rebirth and renewal 

Fish bar Kødbyens fiskebar 

TExT: sIMON COOPER 

PhOTO: COURtEsy Of 

wONdERfUl COPENhAgEN 

A few years ago, 

Copenhagen’s 

Kødbyen or 

Meatpacking 

district would 

have made an 

appropriate setting 

for the shooting of 

a post-apocalyptic 

film. Now it has 

become a 24-hour 

hub of urban 

Danish life. 

6 / AIRBALTIC.COM 

New York inspiration 

The metallic swish of butchers’ 

cleavers and the cries of 

doomed animals could once 

be heard here. A district within 

a district, with an abattoir 

worker at practically every turn, 

Kødbyen had been an industrial 

part of Copenhagen since the 

late 19th century. 

Following the gradual decline 

of the neighbourhood, the 

Copenhagen City Council gave 

a call to renovate the market 

quarter in 2005, inspired by a 

similar project in New York. 

Cattle market facelift 

Today the Meatpacking District 

is a 24-hour hub of urban 

Danish life. Having soaked up 

the chic of the surrounding 

enclave of Vesterbro, it has 

Fly to Copenhagen 

with airBaltic from 

€50 

became a magnet for cafés, 

clubs, art and exhibitions. 

Eateries such as BioMio – located 

in an old Bosch warehouse – 

lie at the perimeter, while the 

former Øksnehallen cattle 

market is now a beacon for 

visual exhibitions. The Karriere 

bar is another jewel in the 

district’s sprawling labyrinth 

of open passageways, with 

a moving bar and frequent 

appearances by guest DJs and 

artists. In contrast, Bar Jolene is 

a retro nightclub that glows with 

neon lights. 

The works of such famed 

Scandinavian photographers 

as Per Kirkeby and Georg 

Baselitz line the walls of the 

DASK gallery, while next 

door, the V1 gallery hosts an 

artists’ workshop. During the 

Denmark fact 

sheet: 

• Denmark is made up of 

more than 400 islands, 

of which about 70 are 

inhabited. 

• Copenhagen has over 

240 lakes of various sizes 

within its boundaries. 

• Copenhagen is also the 

gastronomic capital 

of Scandinavia, with 

12 Michelin-starred 

gourmet restaurants. 

One of these eating 

establishments, named 

Noma, is deemed to be 

among the best in the 

world. 

• The Sydney Opera House 

in Australia was designed 

by a Dane named Jørn 

Utzon. 

• Lego, a Danish company, 

began producing its 

now famous, plastic 

interlocking bricks as 

construction toys in 

1949. To date, some 

400 billion bricks have 

been manufactured, 

or 62 bricks for every 

person living on the 

planet. 

daytime hours, students from 

Copenhagen’s largest cooking 

school and workers from a 

number of catering companies 

take breaks on benches and 

crates. 

Urban regeneration 

Vesterbro and Kødbyen’s 

gentrification may have stylised 

the people, but the vibrancy of 

the district’s cultural activities 

seems to know no limits. This is 

urban regeneration at its finest: 

bridging past and the present, 

with lots of room for future 

growth. Kødbyen is proof that 

culture can flourish practically 

anywhere – in this case, on a 

forgotten tract of land that had 

been neglected through urban 

decay, but that has now been 

successfully rejuvenated. BO

DETAILS / AIRPORt 

A showcase of Dutch ingenuity 

Netherlanders have 

a reputation as 

world travellers and 

as innovators, and 

Amsterdam Airport 

Schiphol attests to both. 

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: 

Fifth largest airport in Europe. 

Lies 4.5 metres below sea level and is 

the oldest international airport in the 

world to have continual flights from the 

same location, opening in 1916. 

Source: Schiphol Group 


TExT: IEVA NORA fIRERE | PhOTOS: COURtEsy Of AMstERdAM AIRPORt sChIPhOl 

Last spring, when Europe’s air traffic came 

to a standstill due to the ash cloud from a 

volcanic eruption in Iceland, Schiphol took 

first place in the category of Best European 

airport to be stuck at. Once you get to know 

the airport, this fact comes as no surprise. 

Schiphol testifies to a new trend of turning 

the world’s busiest passenger airports into 

airport cities. Schiphol’s efforts have also 

been noticed by air industry specialists. 

Since 1980, the airport has received more 

than 160 European and world awards in 

various categories. 

Schiphol is admirably bright, comfortable 

and homey, despite the fact that it is one 

of the busiest airports in Europe, serving 

more than 43 million passengers last year. 

The airport has been constructed so that 

nearly every corner receives some sunlight 

at some time of the day. Its design is the 

achievement of local architects and in this 

respect, Holland Boulevard is an absolute 

must-see, connecting Lounge 2 with 

Lounge 3. I came across a waiting area with 

soft lighting, a fireplace with actual flames 

(although electronic), and passengers 

Fly to ? 


€? 

TExT: IEVA NORA fIRERE | PhOTOS: 

COURtEsy Of AMstERdAM AIRPORt 

sChIPhOl 

Fly to Amsterdam 


€55 

plopped comfortably into light sofas, lost 

in the music of Nobody Said It Was Easy 

by Coldplay, which a fellow traveller was 

playing on the piano. Such a simple idea – 

to install a piano in a lounge together with a 

small note, Enjoy! 

In this U-shaped airport you will, of course, 

find the regular airport classics, beginning 

with souvenirs, brand-name clothing and 

express spas, right up to an amazing diversity 

of culinary treats worthy of a metropolis. 

However, Schiphol’s added value lies in 

things that one would not expect as standard 

offerings, such as the first airport library in 

the world, with books in 29 languages; or a 

new branch of the Netherlands’ Rijksmuseum, 

where an exhibition of paintings by Vincent 

Van Gogh during the summer months 

caused a minor sensation. 

Now, to mark the autumn season, the 

airport invited Formula 1 driver Lewis 

Hamilton to speed along one of its runways. 

Next time your plane lands at Schiphol, 

have a look down. Even without Hamilton 

cruising in his car below, the view will be 

wonderful! BO

DETAILS / lOCAl AgENdA TExT: IEVA NORA fIRERE | PUBlICIty PhOtOs 

NOVEMBER / 2010 

AND OTHERS (UN CITI). 

Directions, pursuits, 

artists in Latvia 1960– 

1984, Riga / November 17 

– December 30 

AND OTHERS stands to reveal 

some surprising and little-known 

chapters in the history of Latvian 

art during the Soviet occupation 

period, concentrating on artists 

who tended to be scorned by the 

official communist authorities. 

Organized by the Latvian Centre 

for Contemporary Art (Laikmetīgās 

Mākslas centrs) this exhibition 


A performance by Ansis Rutentals 

will highlight the works of various 

independent and novel artists in 

the fields of painting, drawing, 

photography, the performing arts, 

installations and utopian urban 

planning projects. 

These unconventional individuals 

embraced a number of artistic 

currents that were deemed as 

undesirable and incompatible with 

Soviet ideology, including abstract 

art, Constructivism, Surrealism, Pop 

Art and Post-Modernism. During 

the Soviet occupation of Latvia, the 

endeavours of a number of these 

artists were officially discouraged 

and sometimes disparaged, which 

is why many of their oeuvres can 

only be found in private collections. 

Consequently, some of the works 

on display at this exhibition will be 

shown to the public for the first 

time. 

Riga Art Space, Kungu iela 3 

i www.lcca.lv 

Evening of one-act ballets 

In Association with Unicredit bank 

Riga / November 8, 9 

Chopiniana, Mikhail Fokin’s choreography 

Illusive Ball, Dmitri Briantzev’s choreography 

Students of the Riga Choreography School, the ballet soloists of the LNO 

and Moscow Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre 

Chopiniana (Les Sylphides) is a short, non-narrative ballet blanc. Its original 

choreography was made by Michel Fokine, with music by Chopin. The 

ballet, often described as a romantic reverie, was indeed the first ballet ever 

to be simply that. The ballet premiered in 1908 at the Maryinsky Theatre in 

St.Petersburg as Rêverie Romantique: Ballet sur la musique de Chopin. The 

work was premiered by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes in Paris. 

Illusive Ball is Dmitry Bryantsev’s masterpiece, accompanied by Chopin’s 

music. It has been noted by every possible prize and award and, by 

recognition of critics, became the best composition of one of the brightest 

Russian ballet masters of the 20th century. His productions were built 

upon classical technique combined with a kind of free-style movement. 

In 1996 the production of Illusive Ball brought him the title of The Best 

Choreographer of the Season. 

11th Porta World Music 

Festival, Riga, Ventspils 

/ November 1 – 7 

This year, the Porta World Music 

Festival will unite contemporary 

folk music ensembles from both 

Northern and Southern Europe. 

Musicians from Norway, Sweden, 

and the Faroe Islands (Denmark) 

will take to the stage together with 

their counterparts from Moldova, 

Georgia, and Portugal. 

A number of Latvian musicians will 

also participate, including the Pūce 

Ethnographic Orchestra (Pūces 

Etnogrāfiskais orķestris), which has 

adopted a creative approach in the 

performance of Latvian folk music. 

As is customary at Porta, this year’s 

festival will feature concerts, master 

classes for musicians and movie 

screenings. A detailed programme 

of the events is available in the 

festival’s website. 

i www.festivalporta.lv

DETAILS / lOCAl AgENdA 

Take 6 jazz 

vocal concert, Riga 

/ November 30 

This month’s concert by the 

legendary Take 6 jazz vocal 

ensemble promises to be the 

high point of the popular Riga 

Rhythms (Rīgas ritmi) international 

music festival. The American 

all-male sextet, which has won 

ten Grammy Awards since its 

foundation in Alabama 30 years 

ago, has been deemed by music 

critics as the pioneer of a new 

wave in a cappella singing, 

and as pivotal to the revival of 

contemporary rhythm and blues 

vocal ensemble traditions. The 

group is also known for its superb 

renditions of 1950s doo-wop and 

gospel numbers. 

Along with their extensive 

Grammy Award collection, 

the singers of Take 6 hold ten 

Dove and one Soul Train award, 

as well as two NAACP Image 

Award nominations. The readers 

and music critics of Down Beat 

Magazine voted Take 6 as Jazz 

Vocal Group of the Year for seven 

years in succession (1989-1995). 

This is the tenth anniversary of 

the Riga Rhythms music festival, 

which will take place from the 

end of November until Christmas, 

offering a refined concert menu 

for music gourmets. Fans of 

Portuguese Fado music are also 

eagerly awaiting the December 

11 concert by rising young diva 

Cristina Branco at Riga’s House 

of Congresses (Kongresu nams). 

i www.rigasritmi.lv 

Exhibition Behind the 

Curtain – Architect Marta 

Staņa, Riga / November 5 – 

December 5 

In November, Latvia’s Daile Theatre 

will celebrate its 90th birthday, 

and alongside productions in the 

company’s home in Riga there will 

be other cultural events in the city. 

One of these will be the exhibition 

Behind the Curtain - Architect Marta 

Staņa. The Daile Theatre building is 

Staņa’s most important constructed 

work and the most notable post 

war modernist structure in the 

2010 Junior Eurovision 

Song Contest, Minsk 

Arena / November 20 

This year’s kid’s version of 

Eurovision Song Contest will be 

Baltic. The exhibition is a feminist 

retrospective of architecture and 

architectural criticism in Soviet 

Latvia in the 1950’s and 1960’s, 

with Staņa’s competition works and 

experimental projects from various 

collections as the centrepiece. The 

exhibition will also provide a detailed 

insight into the history of the 

development of the Daile building; 

as with today’s Contemporary Art 

Museum and Riga Concert Hall, the 

story begins with the search for a 

site in the capital. 

kim? Rīgā, Maskavas ielā 12/1 

hosted in the Belorussian capital 

Minsk. Belarus has been the 

cradle of adult Eurovision stars like 

Alexander Rybak (who represented 

Norway) and Ksenia Sitnik. A duet 

by this pair will open the event 

in Minsk Arena. This is the eighth 

annual edition of the contest since 

2003 and youngsters aged between 

10 and 15 from 13 countries will 

stride the stage on November 20. 

i www.juniortelevision.tv

DESIGN © FREY WILLE

DETAILS / AMstERdAM 

TExT: IEVA NORA fIRERE | PhOTO: CORBIs 

Amsterdam’s Canal Belt: 

The Netherlands’ capital city has a pleasant face, as well 

as a mirror more than 100 kilometres long in which it can 

admire itself. 

AMSTERDAM 

IS PRAISED 

FOR bEINg A 

CITADEl OF 

DIvERSITy, 

AND THIS 

IS AlSO 

IllUSTRATED 

IN ITS CANAlS 


During the 17 th century, when the Dutch 

became famous as travellers, explorers 

and traders who excelled in the arts and 

sciences, the port city of Amsterdam 

was a magnet that attracted a great 

number of immigrants. It soon needed 

room to grow further, and its city fathers 

put together a successful combination – 

money and sound thinking – to create 

one of the most homogenous and 

pleasant examples of city planning in 

Europe’s history. 

The four main canals that were 

dug expanded Amsterdam in size, 

encompassing what is now known as 

the city’s historic centre. The canals 

are formed in a concentric, half-circle 

that looks like a “CI” on the map – a half 

moon next to a river. About half of the 

buildings in this half moon are either 

historical monuments or carry the 

name of the original premises. UNESCO 

also placed its stamp of approval upon 

Amsterdam this summer, including 

the city’s historic centre on its World 

Heritage List. 

Amsterdam is praised for being a citadel 

of diversity, and this is also illustrated 

in its canals. As you pause for a cup of 

coffee at one of the canal-side cafés, 

you may see a floating, sushi-making 

lesson drift slowly by, or a business 

meeting, or a wedding ceremony, or 

even a simple, pedal-powered boat 

with a romantic couple on board, 

alongside the regular tourist boats. 

A large number of Amsterdam’s 

smaller canals and historic buildings 

have suffered from 20 th -century efforts 

to make the city centre more trafficfriendly. 

Amsterdam has experienced 

campaign-style attempts to fill in the 

canals, to make the little bridges lower 

and the streets wider. 

Fortunately, most of the streets in this 

area have retained their original, narrow 

form. As a consequence, they serve 

mostly one-way traffic. Yet since many 

of the locals like to cycle ar walk around 

their city, Amsterdam’s traffic is among 

the most pleasant of any European 

capital. BO 

Things to try 

Fly to Amsterdam 


€55 

Include Jordaan, one 

of Amsterdam’s most 

stylish districts, in your 

travels around the canals. 

Hundreds of small 

European designer shops 

and Bohemian cafés are 

lined up next to each 

other in this picturesque 

neighbourhood. 

www.jordaaninfo.nl 

If you have got an I 

Amsterdam card, then you 

are entitled to a free cruise 

on one of the city’s classic 

canal boats. Yes, it is a 

mass product and yes, it is 

a diversion for tourists, but 

who cares? Don’t be a snob 

and head for one of the 

docks in the neighbourhood 

of the Central Station. 

www.iamsterdam.nl 

Canal-side accommodations 

provide a viable alternative 

to the classical hotels. For 

example, one family-run 

canal boat named Water 

Home is located in Oud 

West and can house from 

2-6 people. This may not 

be the cheapest overnight 

accommodation in 

Amsterdam, but it certainly 

is among the most original.

ulthaup 

At bulthaup, we understand the desires of individualists who are fascinated by the sensuality 

of high-quality materials and the aesthetics of form. So this is why, with bulthaup, you can 

create living spaces that stretch beyond the kitchen. Talk to the specialists in the new kitchen 

archtecture from bulthaup. Remember the name to look out for. www.bulthaup.com 

Inspira. K. Ulmaña gatve 114/2, LV–1029, Rîga, Latvia. Tel. +371 6 7500400, www.inspira.lv

DETAILS / AgENdA 

Berlin 

spielzeit’europa theatre 

festival, Haus der Berliner 

Festspiele / November 11 – 

December 21 

The spielzeit`europa international 

theatre festival is focussing this year 

on innovative theatrical expressions, 

promising its audiences encounters 

with very unusual artistic worlds. 

For the third time, French actress 

Isabelle Huppert will be a guest, 

each time bringing works of a 

completely different nature to Berlin. 

Huppert’s theatre collaboration with 

American “dream master” Robert 

Wilson and the most maximal 

minimalist in French directing, 

Claude Régy, is now being followed 

by a joint project with one of the 


Fly to Berlin 


€51 

most powerful artists in new Polish 

directing, Krzysztof Warlikowski. 

Viewers will be treated to one of 

the most biting masterpieces of 

20th century drama – Warlikowski’s 

interpretation of Tennessee Williams’ 

A Streetcar named Desire, with 

Isabelle Huppert in the role of 

Blanche DuBois. 

A performance by legendary German 

director Peter Stein is also included 

in the festival programme: Stein 

will be reciting Alexander Pushkin’s 

Eugene Onegin, submerging himself 

into this world of unrequited love for 

no less than six hours. 

Schaperstraße 24 

Programme: 

www.berlinerfestspiele.de 

TExT: IN AssOCIAtION wIth www.ANOthERtRAVElgUIdE.COM | PUBlICIty PhOtOs 

Paris 

Paris Photo and Photo 

Month in Paris 

Every year in Paris, November 

is declared as Photo Month. 

Its central event is the annual 

international photo fair Paris Photo 

(November 18-21), based at the 

Carousel du Louvre. More than 

90 galleries are taking part in this 

year’s fair, and a new tradition 

has arisen, in which the status 

of honoured guest is given to a 

specific country or region. 

This year, the Central European 

or former East Bloc countries of 

Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia 

and the Czech Republic are receiving 

special attention. Bratislava, Prague, 

Budapest and Warsaw have been the 

home of intellectual and avant-garde 

photography since the beginning of 

the 20th century, stimulating new 

discoveries in photographic art and 

enriching the world’s photo scene 

Fly to Paris 


€83 

with a range of outstanding talent. 

Among the classics are Budapestborn 

Robert Capa, one of the most 

legendary war photographers, as 

well as Transylvanian-born Brassai 

and a luminary from the Bauhaus 

school, Hungarian Laszlo Moholy- 

Nagy. 

Exhibitions devoted to the art 

of photography will be set up 

throughout the city, with some 

continuing right up until February. 

Among the events worthy of 

attention are a retrospective on the 

works of Budapest native Andre 

Kertesz at the Jeu de Paume (until 

February 6), as well as the first 

retrospective in France of the works 

of photographer and film director 

Larry Clark. About 200 photographs 

covering his 50-year career will be 

shown at the Musée d’Art Moderne 

de la Ville de Paris until January 2. 

www.parisphoto.fr

Brussels 

Gilbert & George. Jack 

Freak Pictures, BOZAR – 

Centre for Fine Arts / Until 

January 23 

It seems that the colourful British 

artistic duo Gilbert & George are 

almost as popular as the Beatles 

and the Rolling Stones in the United 

Kingdom. Gilbert & George met in 

1967 at the Central Saint Martins 

College of Art and Design and 

have since been inseparable. Their 

more than 40-year joint career 

has produced over 2000 works. 

Their primary principle is art for 

everyone, gaining photographic 

images from the strangeness and 

absurdity of real-life events. Most 

often the heroes of their work, with 

witty, colourful and pointed visual 

jokes about life and its neuroses, are 

themselves. 

Istanbul 

House Hotel 

Even though Istanbul cannot 

complain about a lack of colourful 

boutique lodgings, the recently 

opened House Hotel is special, if 

not purely for its story. It began with 

coffee. The Turkish coffee network 

House Café, which was created in 

2002, has quickly expanded into 

an empire – currently there are 

Fly to Brussels 


€50 

The Jack Freak Pictures cycle is the 

largest that these two artists have 

ever created. It includes more than 

153 works and plays out all of the 

artistic duo’s favourite themes – 

urban life, sexuality, religion, death, 

hope, life and fear. The 85 most 

powerful works of this cycle, 

plus curator Hans Ulrich Obrist’s 

documentary interview The Secret 

Files of Gilbert & George can be 

seen at the Centre for Fine Arts in 

Brussels. The interview recounts 

their intimate life in a colourful 

way and showcases the duo’s 

London home, the interior of which 

is a concentration of all of the 

strangeness and obsession that one 

sees in their art. 

Rue Ravensteinstraat 23 London www.bozar.be 

Fly to Istanbul 


€77 

ten such cafés spread across the 

city. The House Hotel is the coffee 

empire’s second hotel in Istanbul 

and is located in the exclusive 

Nosantasi district. There are 45 

rooms in this small establishment, 

and its “little surprise” is the small bar 

in each of them. 

www.thehousehotel.com 

Fly 

Treasures from budapest: 

European Masterpieces 

from leonardo to 

Schiele, Royal Academy of 

Art / Until December 12 

This exhibition showcases some of 

the most outstanding artworks to 

be held in Budapest, the capital of 

Hungary. It was assembled from the 

collection of the Museum of Fine 

Arts in Budapest and supplemented 

with a number of additional pearls 

from the Hungarian National 

Gallery. 

The Museum of Fine Arts in 

Budapest also houses the famous 

Esterhazy collection, acquired by 

Hungary in 1877. Its origins can 

be found in the 17th century, but 

it grew in splendour, particularly 

during the reign of Prince Nikolaus II 

Esterhazy from 1794 to 1833. 

DETAILS / AgENdA 

to London 


€75 

He substantially contributed to 

the collection with paintings and 

drawings by the Old Masters, 

including the exhibition’s highlight – 

Raphael’s Virgin and Child with 

St John the Baptist, which was 

created in 1508 and which is also 

known as the Esterhazy Madonna. 

In total, more than 200 drawings, 

paintings and sculptures dating from 

the Renaissance to the 20th century 

can be seen at this exhibition. The 

cast of artists represented is truly 

impressive and includes Leonardo 

da Vinci, Raphael, El Greco, Peter 

Paul Rubens, Francisco Goya, 

Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, 

Egon Schiele, Paul Gaugin and 

Pablo Picasso. 

Burlington House 

Piccadilly 

www.royalacademy.org.uk 


DETAILS / MOVIEs 

Discovering Europe’s capital cities 

through the cinema 

fROM ANOthERtRAVElgUIdE.COM CElVEdIs (1, 2008) 

Perhaps you have already been to Berlin, Madrid and Rome. Director Dāvis 

Sīmanis takes a look at these three cities through the eyes of film directors 

Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodóvar and Pier Paolo Pasolini. 

Madrid’s Weirdos 

Judging from Pedro Almodóvar’s 

films, Madrid is a beautiful and 

lively city, full of people who have 

somehow lost their way. In the film 

Carne trémula, the characters are 

fairly sympathetic, but involved in 

a passionate love pentagon. This 

is one of the rare films in which 


the director reveals fragments of a 

Madrid that we all know. At the start 

of the movie, one can see the Puerta 

de Alcalá in all its glory, along with 

the 18th-century arches of the Plaza 

de la Independencia (designed by 

court architect Francesco Sabatini). 

We proceed to Madrid’s 114-metre 

high lop-sided “twin towers,” the 

Puerta de Europa on the Plaza de 

Castilla, representing a new example 

of the city’s architecture. However 

one particular address plays a 

providential role for the film’s main 

hero, the Paseo de Eduardo Dato 

18. It is in a magnificent apartment 

in the refined Almagro District, 

where the protagonist’s life changes 

irreversibly and a small incident turns 

into a drama. But, as is usually the 

case in Almodóvar films, everything 

turns out sort of all right in the end. 

i www.clubcultura.com 

Sky of the past over 

berlin 

“Whatever happens, I can’t get lost 

here. All roads end up at the Wall,” 

thought acrobat Marion in the film 

Wings of Desire (1987). 

In Wim Wenders’ harsh but 

humorous homage to Berlin, an 

old man unsuccessfully searches 

PhOTO: CORBIs 

Roman holiday 

Eight years after Audrey Hepburn’s and Gregory 

Peck’s captivating experiences against the 

background of Rome’s historic centre in Roman 

Holiday (1953), Pier Paolo Pasolini proved that 

there is much more to capture on film in Rome 

than the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps or 

other well-known tourist spots. In his debut film 

Accattone (1961), Pasolini brings the anonymous 

outskirts of Rome’s suburbs to life. 

The film was shot somewhere in the western side 

of the city, behind the Porta Maggiore, in the district 

between Prenestrina and Casilina Streets, where 

possibly the only noteworthy cinematographic 

object is the 16th-century Acqua Felice aqueduct. 

The suburbs are anonymous, created from separate 

fragments that could just as well have been filmed 

in the outskirts of any other large city. 

The only episodes that point to the Rome of 

Antiquity are a swim in the Tiber River from a 

bridge that reminds us of Ponte Sant’Angelo, and 

a nocturnal meeting on the Via Appia Antica. 

It is on this Ancient Roman road, somewhere 

far in the city’s periphery, that amateur pimp 

Accattone’s guilty conscience gets the better of 

him. Waiting for his girlfriend Stella after her first 

unsuccessful night working as a prostitute, he 

decides to quit this unsavoury activity. 

for the haunts of his youth in an 

abandoned expanse that was once 

the Potsdamer Platz. It would 

be just as hopeless today to find 

the Berlin that Wenders saw and 

in which the angels Damiel and 

Cassiel sympathetically observed 

the pain and loneliness of the 

trapeze artist Marion. 

The Wall has now been gone for 

nearly two decades and the noman’s-land 

of emptiness on both 

sides has gradually disappeared 

off the map. The empty expanse 

of the Potsdamer Platz is now 

ruled by a futuristic cluster of 

high-rise buildings. Today, Berlin 

has once again merged back into 

a single whole and is a completely 

different city, with different rules. 

i www.wim-wenders.com 

i www.pasolini.net

DETAILS / tRAVElER 

Travel notes 

of a production designer 

What have been some of your favorite 

places to shoot films? 

Peru, where we shot Fitzcarraldo and 

especially Iquitos, the town in the Amazon 

where I lived for three years. I love South 

America, because it is still a part of the 

Western world and you feel kind of familiar 

there. They have the same religion and 

share certain aspects of our culture. 

Although you are in a foreign place, you 

still can feel the connections to your 

own country. I also like India very much, 

because it is just the opposite: a unique 

country where everything is different. They 

dress differently and eat different types of 

foods. India is like a separate continent. 

If you go from the south to the north, it 

is like traveling through twenty different 

countries, with many different languages 

and many different ways of doing things. 

Do you like the process of traveling? 

I like to be somewhere, but I don’t 

necessarily like to travel. (Laughs.) When 


you travel, you always get tortured – by bad 

waiters, by taxi drivers who try to milk you 

and by pickpockets. Once you are settled in 

a place, it starts to get interesting. But I have 

problems with traveling itself. 

How do you look for a potential filming 

location? 

Normally when I am traveling for a film, I 

have read the script and made up a list of 

prospective locations. Sometimes I find 

them by looking through maps, art and 

photography books and tourist guides. 

Once I have arrived, I address the people at 

the hotel desk. Sometimes they have very 

good ideas. Then you start to meet other 

people who can help you. If you have never 

been to a country before, then it can be 

hard to find the right places. But if you have 

already been there, then you look at the 

maps in a different way. You learn quite fast 

how to understand a city. And if you don’t 

find the place that you need, then you may 

have to build it. This is part of my job, too. 

TExT: RIhARds KAlNINs 

PhOTO: JANIs PEsIKs, ARSENALS 

Ulrich Bergfelder is a 

living legend of European 

cinema. He has worked 

as a production designer 

and set decorator for the 

classic films Fitzcarraldo, 

Cobra Verde, Nosferatu 

the Vampyre, My Best 

Fiend and other works 

directed by Werner Herzog 

and starring the iconic 

Klaus Kinski. During his 

three decades in the film 

industry, Bergfelder has 

traveled all over the world, 

scouting locations for film 

and television productions. 

What kinds of locations do you like 

best? 

I like markets very much, as well as other 

meeting points like train and bus stations. 

There is a very nice market in Barcelona and 

a very nice one in Riga as well – not only 

the buildings, but also the atmosphere and 

the people, as well as the surroundings. 

One of the most important markets in the 

world is in Bangkok. You can spend a whole 

day there and obtain practically everything 

you need. The market even has a transport 

system that takes you from one section to 

another, because it is so big that you can’t 

easily cross it on foot. It is like a town in 

itself. 

Is there a place where you haven’t shot 

a film but would like to? 

There are many places that I haven’t visited. 

The only part in United States that I know 

is Florida. I have never been to Argentina. 

I would love to travel from Buenos Aires to 

Patagonia. This is one of my dreams.

Since you work as a production 

designer, the concept of beauty is very 

important to you. What do you think are 

the most beautiful places in Europe? 

Italy has many beautiful places, including 

thousands of small villages all across the 

country. Practically every place in Tuscany 

is beautiful, as are Rome, Florence and 

Sienna. And Venice is incredible. However, 

it is difficult to go there because you meet 

so many tourists. (Laughs.) We always 

complain about tourists, but we, people 

from the film industry, are the reason for all 

these tourists! (Laughs.) We make a movie 

in Venice and then people go there to visit. 

I would say that Venice is one of the most 

beautiful places in Europe. 

You’ve spoken about the best places 

in Europe to shoot movies, but what 

are the best places in Europe to watch 

them? What is the movie capital of 

Europe? 

Berlin is not bad, but I think Paris is better. 

The problem in Germany is that most of the 

films are dubbed. It’s difficult to see movies 

in the original version. However, you can 

still find small movie theaters that have the 

original versions, which is why I say that 

Berlin is not bad. In Paris you can easily 

find the original versions of movies. I have 

no idea about England, actually; I don’t 

know England very well. Italy is certainly 

not the right place. So I would probably 

have to pick Paris as the movie capital of 

Europe. 

We make a movie 

in Venice and 

then people go 

there to visit 

Have you ever shot a movie scene in an 

airport? 

I have filmed several times in airports, 

but it’s always the same – people arriving 

and people saying goodbye. (Laughs.) It’s 

actually very difficult to film in airports, 

for security reasons. The permits are very 

hard to get. That is one of the problems 

with filming in original locations – you 

need permits from the police and from the 

authorities. And if you can’t get the permits, 


then you have to build your own airport 

in a studio, or find an airport that is either 

not functioning anymore or not yet in 

operation. 

It may be difficult to secure filming 

permits at airports, but it is certainly 

easier to travel today than ever before. 

Yes, it may even be too easy. Nowadays 

people travel and don’t look for the 

differences. They try to find what they 

know already. When I started traveling, 

we were curious to discover new things. 

Now young people travel to, say, Thailand, 

and go to a discotheque to hear the same 

music that they listen to here. They buy 

the same clothes that they can buy here – 

it’s all Armani or whatever. 

This was not the concept when I started 

traveling. We wanted to go to places 

where nobody had been before. Now 

you go where everybody else goes, and 

you have those navigation systems that 

tell you the right route when you drive. 

Before you had to navigate by looking at 

the map. Now everything is presented to 

you on a silver platter. Sometimes it’s still 

worth the trouble to do things on your 

own. BO

DETAILS / shORt INtERVIEw 

TExT: IEVA NORA fIRERE 

PhOTO: XXX, f64 

Tellqvist chooses borsch as we find a table 

in the Botanica Café in Riga’s Quiet Centre. 

It’s his third month in Latvia and he keeps 

returning to the brief time Latvian fans 

need to accept a newcomer in their team. 

Latvia has greeted him warmly, he enthuses. 

“Living in different countries makes you 

grow as a person. I’d love to pick up more 

Latvian instead of arriving and forcing my 

beliefs and language on the people here”, 

he says. 

“Of all the countries I’ve played in I consider 

Latvian fans to be the number one fans. 

They are nuts about hockey, they love 

the game and they love their team, which 

makes it very easy to play. They are on 

your side, no matter how you play. Even if 

we are down in game by 1:3, they are still 

shouting “Let’s go Riga!” It makes you want 

to get better and better. If you have a crowd 

that’s booing, you really start to feel that 

way, too. It’s the fans that add the most to 

the heart of a team.” While Dinamo Riga 

can’t boast of having the biggest budget in 

the Continental Hockey League, it has the 

biggest heart, he says. 

Tellqvist’s NHL career started with the 

Toronto Maple Leafs, when he was drafted 

70 th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. 


In 2006 he was traded to the Phoenix 

Coyotes and three years later to the Buffalo 

Sabres. In May 2009 Tellqvist moved to the 

KHL league with Ak Bars Kazan, and from 

the end of 2009 to mid 2010 played in 

the SM–liiga in the Finnish Rauma Lukko 

team. He’s been with Dinamo Riga since 

August 2010. 

But there is only one place he calls home, 

and that’s Stockholm. “The old city here 

kind of looks the same as the old town 

in Stockholm, the food is similar, and 

grocery stores are similar. The only thing 

I miss is television. I’d love to get some 

Swedish channels. I’d love to turn it on 

Mikael Tellqvist (31) is 

a Swedish ice hockey 

goaltender currently 

playing for Dinamo 

Riga (KHL). He is an 

experienced player, 

smart, well-mannered 

and respectful of the 

country he lives in. 

With the season at its 

peak, Baltic Outlook 

talks to Tellqvist 

about life on and off 

the ice. 

Micke and the big heart 

When he retires from 

sport, you will most 

likely find Tellqvist 

running a small 

Italian restaurant in 

Stockholm 

TExT: IEVA NORA fIRERE| PhOTO: MARtINs ZIlgAlVIs, f64 

in the morning and have the TV in the 

background. When you’re by yourself, it’s 

kind of nice to have somebody talking to 

you.” 

He’s in love with Italian food and when 

he retires from sport, you will most likely 

find Tellqvist running a small Italian 

restaurant in Stockholm. Becoming a coach 

is not an option for him. “I’m not good 

at yelling. I’m very calm, both on and off 

the ice. Sometimes I explode, but only if 

the situation is serious”. Although his job 

has a high level of stress, Tellqvist says 

he’s learned to manage it well. Being a 

goaltender is like being an individual player 

within a team, he says – if a mistake is made, 

the goalie alone will get all the blame. 

But Stockholm is where his nearest and 

dearest live, the people who call him 

Micke. Tellqvist has a house in the city’s 

archipelago and he talks about buying a 

small boat for fishing tours next summer. 

Meanwhile, he doesn’t need a boat in his 

professional life. The water is frozen and he’s 

on skates. 

If you happen to be in Riga while Dinamo is 

on, book a ticket to a good game of hockey 

and feel the atmosphere in the arena. 

www.dinamoriga.lv


Crafting a new image 

TExT: PhIlIP BIRZUlIs 

PhOTOS: COURtEsy 

Of RIIJA 


The label “Made in Latvia” is not seen around the world 

a great deal, as shown by the country’s chronic trade 

deficit. But an innovative new store in Riga may help the 

situation by highlighting some of the good stuff made 

by local artisans. 

The design and lifestyle showroom Riija, which opened 

its doors on Terbatas iela in central Riga in October, 

takes its name from the Latvian word for “threshing 

barn.” Instead of grain, Riija presents a harvest of bed 

linen, pottery, glassware and other items that will add 

Natālija Jansone 

soulful touches to your home. 

The store’s initiator is Natalija Jansone. One of Latvia’s 

best known fashion designers, she is a figure who at 

first glance may seem to be an unlikely champion 

of traditional Latvian craftsmanship. Born in Siberia 

and moving to Riga two decades ago, she has a deep 

passion for the cultures of the Far East. She is fluent in 

Korean and in recent years has been actively promoting 

her work in Japan. But alongside this cosmopolitanism, 

she nurtures a deep affection for the place she calls 

home. 

“Wherever they live, most people want to help make the 

best of the best things that they find here and now,” she 

says. “I live here, and I want to love the things that I find. 

We have wonderful people and stunning nature and I 

want to gather all this beauty around me and offer it to 

others.” 

Jansone says she loves visiting the arts and crafts 

fairs that bring life and colour to town squares and 

parks across Latvia. But harsh economic realities are 

preventing the talented people behind these events 

from achieving their potential. In recent years, many 

factories and workshops in the nation’s heartland have 

closed, removing a major supporting prop for skilled 

workmanship. Without bigger orders, it doesn’t make 

sense for glassmakers to fire up their ovens. Often small 

producers don’t have the capital to buy raw materials, 

and if they do turn out some goods they can’t afford the

petrol to come to Riga to sell it, while trade at modest provincial 

stores brings few rewards. So communities lose a valuable 

source of income and slide into depression and apathy. 

Jansone hopes that Riija will be part of a chain that breaks this 

negative cycle by providing a link between traditions and hip 

urban sensibilities. 

“I want to show that the things made by our craftsmen can live 

in contemporary interiors,” she declares. “Here I want to bring a 

selection of the best together in one place as part of a broader 

concept, and I think that the crafts on show here look like 

designer objects.” 

The works represent diverse regions of Latvia and different 

media. Part of the heritage of Latgale in the east, “black” 

ceramics are produced by maintaining a particularly high 

temperature in the kiln for a long time, giving them special 

durability that is ideal for use in domestic ovens. The pieces 

currently available at Riija are made by Anatolijs Vituskins. Their 

subdued tone is starkly contrasted by the explosion of colour 

in the plates by Ingrida Cepite. The spider-web-like hammock 

and coat stand made from tree branches created by the design 

studio Rijada (the name is unrelated to the store) will bring you 

back down to Earth. In the future the range of authors will be 

expanded, and whereas to date Jansone has travelled through 

the countryside gathering talent, now artists are knocking on 

Riija’s door to display their wares. 

Over the last few years, Jansone has also personally ventured 

out of fashion into home accessories, and the store boasts some 

examples of her efforts. Her bed linen designs are fashioned 

using a special washing technology that helps keep the 

material soft. Jansone’s wine glasses are produced in Latvia, 

brought to life by Jurmala master craftsman Juris Dunovskis, 

but they reflect the potpourri of cultures in which Jansone 

has immersed herself. The inspiration for them comes from 

Japanese scholar Masaru Emoto, who has theorised that human 

thoughts projected at unformed water droplets, can make 

them either beautiful or ugly. Jansone believes that traditional 

Latvian signs encapsulate a similar spiritual power, and has had 

these blown onto the glasses. 

airBaltic passengers can admire Jansone’s work even before 

they get off the plane, since she is the designer of the latest 

version of uniforms for the airline’s staff. This fruitful relationship 

continued with Jansone designing some items for the Live Riga 

project, and airBaltic President Bertolt Flick is a major supporter 

of Riija, even helping to choose store’s interior colour scheme. 

Jansone laughs and acknowledges the irony of “a Russian 

and a German” undertaking such a project, but she sees it as 

a natural thing to do. Repeating generalisations that Latvians 

themselves often make, Jansone admits to finding the reserved, 

self-contained national temperament to her liking, and sees it 

as a natural outgrowth of a traditional society which was based 

around solitary individual farmers rather than garrulous village 

coexistence. And as an observant outsider, she has a sharper 

view of these qualities than a born and bred local. 

“It would be harder for me to start up a Russian store, because I 

grew up with those things,” she explains. “Latvians have grown 

up with these things here and they are so accustomed to them 

that they don’t see them as something special, whereas I can 

take a detached view and see what is beautiful.” BO 

Another 

trAvel 

Guide rīGA 

is the key 

to lAtviA’s 

cApitAl 

Find out more About Another 

trAvel Guide riGA book At 

www.AnothertrAvelGuide.com

DETAILS / dEsIgN 

Wallpaper Design Magazine 

Award 2010 

Poltrona Frau’s Archibald club chair, designed by 

Jean-Marie Massaud, has arrived just in time for 

the beginning of the autumn “fireplace season.” 

According to the designer himself, Archibald 

represents a completely new type of club chair, 

offering perfect comfort. Its modern form differs 

markedly from that of traditional club chairs as 

we are accustomed to knowing them. 

i www.poltronafrau.com 

Gaia&Gino 

candleholders, Valencia, designed 

by Jaime Hayón 

Dinner will be even more romantic with these 

Swarovski crystal element candleholders by 

Spanish designer Jaime Hayón. Their perfectly 

sculpted, pure geometric forms remind one of 

bright ice crystals that sparkle in the sun. 

i www.gaiagino.com 


TExT by sANtA MEIKUlANE | PUBlICIty PhOtOs 

For a warm and 

cosy November 

Ligne Roset, DIN DAM 

DOM carpet designed by 

Carmen Stallbaumer 

This soft, warm carpet does not 

look like a traditional rug, but rather 

like a group of pebbles scattered 

on a beach. It is made of pure 

lambswool from New Zealand, 

with a natural range of tones and 

unconventional shape. Your feet 

are sure to stay warm with this rug 

during the cool, autumn evenings. 

i www.ligne-roset.com 

ligne Roset, 

Inga Sempe, 

sofa Ruche 

It had been a very long time 

since I’d seen such a charming 

sofa, whose design puts a smile 

on one’s face, whose comfort 

makes one want to stretch out 

in full length right away, and 

whose soft, velvet upholstery 

almost makes one want to purr 

with pleasure. Furthermore, as 

opposed to other seats, this sofa 

is set at the proper sitting height, 

ensuring maximum comfort for 

people of all ages. 

i www.ligne-roset.com 

ligne Roset, table T.U., 

designed by Philippe 

Nigro 

The unusual positioning of 

the table legs ensures that 

practically any flat surface can 

be placed over them to serve 

as a tabletop, including glass, 

stone plates or even a stylish, 

old wooden door. 

Red and black have always gone 

well together, which is why the 

red Ligne Roset chairs designed 

by Patrick Jouin serve as fitting 

functional accessories here. 

i www.ligne-roset.com

DETAILS / REVIEw TExT: PAUls BANKOVsKIs, VENts VINBERgs, IEVA NORA fIRERE | PUBlICIty PhOtOs 

BrainStorm, © Anton Corbijn 

Postcards from Riga 

gatis Rozenfelds 

Inspired by a 70-yearold 

album of Venetian 

postcards, Latvian 

photographer and 

photo agency founder 

Gatis Rozenfelds 

has just issued a 

new selection of 

postcards dedicated 

to Riga. Although the 

hardcover, pocketsized 

album includes 

a comprehensive 

map of the city, it is 

intended more to 

please the eye and 

the soul (as a gift or a 

memento for oneself) 

than for practical 

applications (lengthy 

excursions around the 

city). 

The black-and-white 

photos cover the 

principal sites – 

including Art Nouveau 

architecture, Old Riga and the Opera House – while retaining an insider’s 

view of the city. Here you will find images of the newly created Kalnciems 

quarter and the forgotten, unvarnished Moscow Suburb (Maskavas forštate). 

This is a Riga captured through a local’s eyes from vantage points that will 

save the album from becoming outdated too quickly. It is available in local 

souvenir stores for around 7 LVL (10 EUR). 

BrainStorm. Selected Songs 2000-2010 

(Izlase 2000-2010) 

This fall, Latvia’s most illustrious pop group BrainStorm (also known in 

Latvian as Prāta vētra) is releasing a new greatest hits compilation. Izlase 

2000-2010 encompasses 20 songs that the band members have chosen 

from BrainStorm recordings issued over the past decade. A new, previously 

unreleased composition has also been added on the album as a bonus. 

Izlase 2000-2010 is BrainStorm’s second compilation of hits. The first, 

entitled Izlase 89-99, was released in 2000 to celebrate the band’s first 

ten years of existence. The design for the latest album incorporates 

photographs by the world famous Dutch photographer and cinema director, 

Anton Corbijn. Corbijn is also known as the creative director behind the 

visual output of such bands as Depeche Mode and U2. He has regularly 

photographed BrainStorm in action since 2003.

More than just 

chocolate 

Belgian chocolate is considered to 

be the gourmet standard by which 

all other chocolate confections are 

measured. However, the chocolates 

prepared by master chocolatier 

Pierre Marcolini come forth in a 

class all of their own. Marcolini 

How to Win on the 

Battlefield 

Thames & Hudson 

While technology has changed the 

forms of military conflict, some 

tactics have remained more or 

less unchanged since the dawn 

was the winner of the 1995 World 

Pastry Championship, and for very 

good reason. If one can make a 

comparison (which probably won’t 

help much to describe the taste), 

then Marcolini chocolates are to 

other confections as high-end Apple 

Mac computers are to regular PCs. 

Then there are the Marcolini 

chocolate boxes, which some 

might deem worthy of becoming 

cult objects. Fortunately, those who 

do not plan on travelling to Brussels 

anytime soon can now place their 

orders online over the internet. 

i www.marcolini.be 

of warfare. For example, surprise 

attacks and ambushes (Chapter 

3) have been decisive from the 

assaults of the Germanic tribes on 

the Roman legions to the 1967 

Arab–Israeli Six–Day War, while 

deception and feints (Chapter 20) 

are useful on land, sea and air. 

The book covers a total of 25 

significant military tactics, including 

Blitzkrieg, terrorism, psychological 

warfare, espionage and guerrilla 

fighting. Each chapter includes an 

incisive description of the relevant 

tactics, illustrated by an analysis of 

important examples. Furthermore, 

the book covers battles that usually 

aren’t found in Western historical 

discourse, including medieval 

Japanese Samurai wars, early Jihad 

and even Palestinian terror tactics 

from the 1950s to the present. 

i www.lukabuka.lv 

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The Social Network 

http://nullco.com/TSN 

Composer, singer and multiinstrumentalist 

Trent Reznor 

is probably best known as the 

founder of the industrial music 

group Nine Inch Nails. However, 

his experiments have also extended 

beyond the realm of sound-making 

to music publishing, promotion and 

distribution. Now, together with 

Atticus Ross, he has set the score 

for The Social Network, a new David 

Fincher film that depicts the birth 

of the popular Facebook website. 

In accordance with his conviction 

that information on the web should 

be accessible and free of charge, 

Reznor was offering surfers the 

opportunity to download five of the 

film’s 19 soundtracks at no cost on 

his internet home page, even before 

the movie had officially premiered. 

REVIEw 


yOUR NExT DESTINATION 

discoveries 

Dusseldorf 

At lunchtime, Dusseldorf’s legendary eatery Robert’s Bistro is 

packed to the point where even a needle wouldn’t have room to 

fall. Some who still desire lunch mill about outside, waiting for 

a free table – reservations aren’t accepted here. The interior is 

perfectly plain – simpler than simple, with simple wooden tables 

and worn chairs, paper tablecloths covering the tables. 

30 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Bad luck, somebody has already 

taken the Anothertravelguide 

brochure about Dusseldorf, 

but don’t worry, all the 

information is also available at 

ANOTHERTRAVELGUIDE.COM in 

cooperation with airBaltic. 




In one corner one can see the cooks at work. The waitress is 

clearly self-confident and seems to know most of the patrons. 

Between juggling the dishes, she somehow manages to address 

each person in the lunchtime crowd. Most arrive at Robert’s Bistro 

for the fish soup. The bouquet of flavours in the soup is simply 

overwhelming – there are three types of fish, mussels, shrimp and 

salmon in the bowl. Though the bowl seems small, it’s deceptive – 

Locals refer to Media Harbour as 

a zoo of architecture, and it does 

remind of a zoo at times 

there is so much seafood in the soup that the amount could make 

two whole meals. The price, too, is appealing – 11 euro. Whenever I 

am in Dusseldorf I come to Robert’s Bistro because it’s as if you’re in 

a different city when you’re in this restaurant. 

The zoo of architecture 

Robert’s Bistro is in Media Harbour, the old port district on bank 

of the Rhine. This is an area that has added Dusseldorf to the list 

of European cities that are a major destination due to extravagant 

modern architecture. In the late 1980s and in the 1990s, numerous 

German and foreign architects were asked to design new buildings 

that transformed the urban environment in this district and made 

the old port area what could certainly now be considered the 

beating heart of the city’s creative spirit. The best restaurants 

and cafes are concentrated here. This is also where one will find 

most of the most significant fashion, communications, architects’, 

media, advertising, and tourism company offices. Viewed from the 

river, Media Harbour’s silhouette with shiny white yachts moored 

alongside it and its strange, surreal buildings rather remind of 

some futuristic playground, the Canadian architect Frank Gehry’s 

assymmetrical centrepiece – office buildings named “Father, Child 

and Mother” – dominate the skyline. Trademark Gehry “exploded 

tin cans,” in his classic style, one is gleaming steel, another red brick 

and the third coated in white. Colourful and quite odd, they are 


The Langen Foundation 

doubtless among the most photographed structures in Dusseldorf 

and provoke endless debate and discussion. There’s another bizarre 

building nearby – the British architect Will Alsop’s colourful tower, 

constructed in 2001 and visible from most every part of Dusseldorf. 

62 metres high, with 17 storeys, the facade is mainly coloured glass. 

David Chipperfield has also contributed to the scene, as has the 

Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki. The so-called Living Bridge is 

also a popular element in Media Harbour – 150 metres long and 

for pedestrians only, the footbridge also holds a two-storey metal 

and glass box that contains the restaurant Lido. A major attraction 

here is the lavatory, a couple of metres below the water line. Locals 

refer to Media Harbour as a zoo of architecture, and it does remind 

of a zoo at times, with tourists bearing a map of the structural 

beasts on display and taking pictures of one after the other. 

Despite the contemporary architecture, the atmosphere of the 

old port is retained, in part, along the cobbled streets and in the 

old warehouses that were declared landmarks and their facades 

preserved intact. 

Among the ultramodern architecture you’ll find Robert’s Bistro, 

which bucks the trend of modernity and sticks to its tried and 

true policy of not accepting credit cards. The bistro with its 

fish soup is a key to a very different Dusseldorf, a city that as a 

classic business destination has never been on anybody’s list of 

inspiring metropolises. In fact, Dusseldorf has made many a list 

of the unutterably boring, one supposes. Even the fashion fair 

held here every year is rarely associated with creativity – it’s about 

the marketing and not the design, in essence. An engine of the 

German economy, Dusseldorf is one of the wealthiest cities in 

the country. The epithets most often applied to it are “expensive,” 

“snobbish,” and “cold.” All of these qualities are quite often in 

evidence, indeed – especially if you stroll along Königsallee with its 

endless string of luxury boutiques or enter one of the many fancy 

restaurants, some of which possess Michelin stars. There are about 

two hundred bars and restaurants in the city, the Old Town holding 

the title of “the world’s longest bar.” 

A capital of art 

Stereotypes are meant to be broken, however, and when one delves 

deeper one can actually have an unexpected adventure. From this

Over the past few years, Dusseldorf has successfully positioned 

itself as the epicentre of various activities in culture and the arts 

point of view, if you have a free day in Dusseldorf you shouldn’t 

consider it a tragedy at all – you could be in luck. There’s a very 

special event this year, too – until the 11 th of January, Dusseldorf 

is hosting its second art festival, the Dusseldorf quadrennial. This 

event, taking over pretty much the whole town, is intended to seal 

Dusseldorf’s reputation as a city of culture. Among connoisseurs of 

art, however, this was always an open secret; the Academy of Art 

here is well-known worldwide, with Joseph Beuys’ legendary name 

one of the most prominent to be attached to it – Beuys taught here. 

In literature, this was the city of the great poet Heinrich Heine. 

It must be noted that the museums and collections in Dusseldorf 

are so vast that this much maligned city is actually most definitely a 

destination for travellers interested in art. The Nordrhein-Westfalen 

Kunstsammlung, an outstanding art collection of the North Rhine 

and Westphalia region, opened its donors after major renovations 

this summer, immediately becoming the central sun around which 

the art world in this part of Germany is in orbit. The collection 

is divided into two parts and displayed in two buildings. The 

20 th century collection, called K20, emphasizes classic modernism. 

The first half of the 20 th century is well represented in all its currents, 

from the Fauves to Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaism Surrealism, 

metaphysical painting and the Blaue Reiter group. Among the K20’s 

treasures are the works of Paul Klee, another luminary who once 

taught at the Dusseldorf Academy of Art for many years. 

The second half of the 20 th century concentrates on American art, 

with the works of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Andy Warhol 

among the artists on view here. There is also an impressive focus on 

European art, with works by Per Kirkeby, Gerhard Richter and Joseph 

Beuys – the latter is also honoured with a retrospective exhibition 

under the aegis of the quadrennial, on view until January 16 th . 

This event is significant symbolically, since Beuys is most certainly 

one of the most profound luminaries attached to the city; born 

in 1921 and dying in 1986, Beuys was one of the most innovative 

and charismatic artists of the 20 th century. He was an icon of his 

era, inspiring new forms of expression and exerting a far-reaching 

influence on modern art. Beuys believed that art could change 

ingrained patterns of thinking, working on creating a social, political 

and artistic utopia. The retrospective exhibition is spread across 

every floor of the museum, with 300 works that include ten of


The K 21 Museum The Dusseldorf Promenade 

Beuys’ most important installations and many large sculptures that 

are on loan from other museums as well as private collections. 

K21 is the second part of the the museum. It was unveiled in 

2002 to display the most recent acquisitions of the North Rhine 

and Westphalian collection. K21 is outstanding architecturally, 

blending romanticism with contemporary architecture. The former 

parliament building, constructed in 1880, was modernized by 

Emerging into the park, emotions 

are strange indeed – it’s like coming 

out into Alice’s Wonderland 

Kiessler and Partners. Its roof a glass dome, this part of the museum 

is located near a picturesque pond – descending to the basement, 

one can see swans swimming through Windows that are half 

submerged, perfectly blended with the art on display; the effect 

gives one shivers of pleasure. 

Ten of the city’s museums and galleries are participating in the 

quadrennial this year, as is the Langen Foundation of nearby Neuss, 

one of the most remarkable art institutions in Germany. 

Art at the rocket base 

Neuss, only a twenty minutes’ drive from Dusseldorf, is a small 

town, the doors of its red brick dwellings bearing wreaths of onions 

and other exhibits of the autumnal harvest’s bounty. The streets are 

nearly empty, the road leading off into fields of maize and apple 

orchards. More narrow than most of Germany’s highways, the place 

offers a magically authentic countryside that has mostly been lost 

in this part of Europe. The Hombroich Cultural Environment near 

Neuss is home to one of the largest and most ambitious cultural 

projects in the Dusseldorf area – a unique synthesis of nature, 

architecture and art, it is actually a major project on a European 

scale. It’s located at two separate sites, ten minutes apart. The sites 

are as different as night and day – one, Museum Island Hombroich, 

is a historic park that has been transformed into a place for art, 


nature and adventure; the other site is a former rocket base – 

Raketenstation Hombroich – the former bunkers of which have 

been converted into galleries and other cultural establishments. 

Both of the project sites began as a private initiative, the prominent 

real estate investor Karl-Heinrich Miller seeking an appropriate 

place for his vast and rather eclectic collection of art. The first site 

was the museum island. The old park and surrounding area were 

purchased already in 1982, and in 1987 its transformation was 

undertaken on Cezanne’s principle of art alongside nature. The 

entrance is through a small pavilion, where one can get a ticket 

and a map. After entering, you’ll experience a walk in the unknown 

that will affect all five senses and perhaps even a sixth – it seems 

like another world, and if you don’t meet another visitor it can 

seem like you are all alone on the planet. Ducks and geese are your 

companions, preening and preparing for winter. The exhibition 

halls have no attendants – there’s often no one around. The park 

is 250,000 square metres in size and the exhibits are arranged in 

a kind of choreography in which surprise follows upon surprise. 

Descending into the ravine by way of the stairs, one reaches a 

peculiar sort of crossroads – a long, slender building called the 

Tower. Its interior is entirely white and there is nothing within but 

four open doors – one has the sense that one might come across 

a bear or other woodland creature, depending upon the doorway 

one chooses... there are unique acoustics in this space, intensifying 

the strangeness of this inimitable place. Continuing straight along 

the path, one runs into a rectangular red brick building with no 

windows, only a door. Heavy, of metal, the door opens slowly. 

The name of this pavilion is the Labyrinth and it contains part of 

Miller’s collection. The layout here is like corkscrew that leads you 

to yet another door. It turns out that the building actually has 

four doors, but the view from each is absolutely identical – the 

same hedgerow and path make you inspect each door to try to 

determine whence you came. 

Most of the Hombroich museum island pavilions were created by 

the sculptor Erwin Heerich, and they are works of art in themselves 

in some sense. They are like living sculptures that shape-shift 

depending upon the natural light and the angle of view. The park 

also has a cafe, the concept of which is as unusual as the rest of the 

site. The offerings are simple and perfect after a proper promenade –

pasta, fried potatoes, bread, and salad. It’s a buffet and everyone 

can take as much as he or she considers necessary. The dishes are at 

the counter – there is no menu and no price list. You serve yourself, 

meaning that you also clear your own dishes. You pay whatever you 

consider necessary, too. Emerging into the park, one’s emotions are 

strange indeed – it’s like coming out into Alice’s Wonderland – you 

come out of a kind of hole in the time-space continuum, where life 

passed by laws unlike those in the rest of the world. 

No less colourful an adventure – but completely different – is a 

visit to the Raketenstation Hombroich. The 13 hectares of the former 

NATO rocket base were added to Miller’s properties in 1994. Until 

the US and the Soviet Union concluded a comprehensive arms 

treaty, this was a rocket base and wasn’t noted on any map. The 

demilitarization took place in 1992 and 1993. The impression this 

place leaves is still surreal. Leaving your car in the car park, the only 

thing that lets you know that you’re going to encounter art is a 

14-foot stone sculpture that exceeds the old army watchtower in 

scale. The rest of the landscape consists of rolling hills, apparently – 

but the green hillocks are actually the old bunkers. This sort of 

wilderness is well-preserved, winding paths leading between 

apple and pear trees. The central or at least most imposing art 

object here is the 2004 work Langen Foundation by the Japanese 

artist Tadao Ando. On an overcast day, the low beige concrete and 

glass building, reflected in the artificial lake beside it, is oddly and 

poetically lovely. There’s an unbelievable lightness and airiness to 

it, as if the building had focused the greyness of the day in itself. It’s 

said that the great collector Marianne Langen, at the instant she 


first saw Ando’s project, decided to bring it into being by her own 

means – the last great work in her collection becoming the home 

of her collection. Ensconced in the seeming rolling hills that are of 

course bunkers; the museum is only seen in its tiniest part. Most of 

the space is below ground – six meters below, it cannot even be 

sensed from the surface. The eight-metre ceilings give the space 

an unbelievable vastness. The entrance is along a stone path by a 

line of cherry trees and the lake. The Lengen collection of Japanese 

art is above ground, its space narrow and long, the light pouring in 

giving it a warm, intimate atmosphere. One can get here through 

one of the glass corridors that envelop the beige concrete carcass 

like an envelope. The glass envelope is not merely aesthetic but 

also has a function – it protects the concrete structure from rain. 

Another glass corridor leads down into the underground galleries, 

where changing exhibits are on display. 

Not far from the Langen Foundation one can find the Portuguese 

architect Alvaro Siza’s Siza Pavilion, designed in cooperation with 

the Bavarian architect Rudolf Finsterwalder. The Pavilion holds a 

museum of architecture and an archive of photographs. The road to 

these runs along another bunker transformed into an art gallery, its 

existence in the green hill revealed only by the glass doors at both 

ends. The Siza Pavilion is a red brick building with a steel roof, the 

surrounding landscape practically entering the structure through 

the gigantic windows. The greenery is dominated by a pear tree, the 

yellow pears ripe when we were there. The mixture of nature that 

isn’t formalized and the art spaces come together in a synthesis that 

is truly unforgettable, its aftertaste lingering long after you’ve left. BO


If You Have one Day 

in Dusseldorf 

If you come to Dusseldorf before 

January 16 th 2011, you should try 

to see at least one of the exhibits 

that’s part of the quadrennial – 

Dusseldorf Quadriennale. The 

central event is most definitely 

As the capital of German 

fashion, Dusseldorf has its 

Champs-Élysées of sorts – the 

Königsallee, called simply Kö. 

All of the world’s brands are to 

be found here, side by side. The 

classic proponent of German 

minimalism, Jil Sander, is among 


Joseph Beuys, The Pack, 1969 

Foto: Achim Kukulies 

© Kunstsammlung NRW 

the Joseph Beuys retrospective 

at the K20. The museum itself 

reopened this summer after 

extensive renovations that took 

two years. The building was 

originally constructed in 1986 but 

If You Have Two Days in Dusseldorf 

The Milian Fashion Boutique 

them. Though the twisting fate 

of the fashion house – change 

of ownership, her departure, 

her return, and her second 

departure – are well known, the 

cult status of the Jil Sander label 

is definitely not disappearing – 

quite the opposite; under Raf 

has now been expanded with an 

annex designed by the Danish 

architects Dissing + Weitling. A 

superb place to reflect on what 

you’ve seen and relax is the cafe/ 

bar Op de Eck at the museum. 

On a sunny day it’s worth 

walking the entire length of 

the Rheinufer promenade 

along the Rhine from the 

Old Town to Media Harbour. 

It’s a charming, extravagant 

way to link the old and the 

new. Such a concentration of 

contemporary architecture – 

from Frank Gehry to David 

Chipperfield – isn’t found in too 

many places. Movie lovers will 

find the Filmmuseum Dusseldorf 

fascinating; it’s among the city’s 

better museums. It opened in 

1993 and offers a interesting 

travels through the history of 

motion pictures. At the close of 

your visit you can experience 

the Kaiserpanorama. Invented in 

1880 and immediately popular, 

it is a black, multi-faceted 

tower that lets you view threedimensional 

travel photographs. 

Though Dusseldorf does 

not lack glamorous and chic 

Simons, the Belgian designer, 

the brand has actually been 

considerably strengthened. It’s 

worth going for the interior 

alone – the laconic design is a 

pearl of minimalism. 

As in any city, the most 

colourful places are most often 

found off the main streets. If 

cuisine is of interest to you, you 

ought to visit Frank Petzchen. 

Kochbucher & Kochseminare. The 

upper storey of the small shop 

is a bookshop devoted entirely 

to gastronomy – simple recipe 

books and the high culinary 

arts find a home here. If you’re 

into antiques, try the Karlstadt 

district near the Old Town. 

Extraordinary purchases 

can be made on the 

restaurants, one of the most 

popular places among locals 

must definitely be the Bar Olio. 

Inexpensive and almost always 

packed, it is located slightly 

outside the city centre in the 

vast courtyard of what was once 

a factory, part of the space now 

devoted to a car park. Credit 

cards are not accepted here, 

reservations aren’t taken, the 

interior is devoid of interesting 

features, there is no menu, and 

what’s on offer is listed on the 

wall. Everything is delicious, and 

that’s the reason to come – try 

the wonderful fish soup or 

octopus salad if they’re listed 

on the day you visit. In the 

evenings this is the place where 

the flower of the creative class 

comes – architects, designers, 

and artists give the Bar Olio 

a rather Bohemian ambience 

devoid of any pretensions. 

Dusseldorf Quadriennale; 

www.quadriennale-duesseldorf.de 

K 20, Grabbeplatz 5; 

www.kunstsammlung.de 

Op de Eck, Grabbeplatz 5; 

www.op-de-eck.de 

Filmmuseum Dusseldorf, Schulstrasse 4 

Bar Olio, Schirmerstrasse 54 

Immermannstrasse – it’s 

Dusseldorf’s Asia. The city is 

intriguing in its having the largest 

Japanese population in Europe; 

the Nikko Hotel caters to visitors 

from Japan. Colourful shops in 

the area offer Asian specialties 

and a unique atmosphere. 

If you are in the mood for a 

good dinner, inspired perhaps 

by the fragrances of the Asian 

district, you can try Monkey’s 

West. A classic white tablecloth 

kind of place, it mixes traditional 

and contemporary cuisine with 

aplomb. The walls are graced 

with the works of the German 

photographers Candida Höfer 

and Thomas Struth. The lighting 

is remarkable, the work of the 

art video pioneer Nam June

Paik. The cuisine is international, 

asi s the clientele. 

Jil Sander, Königsallee 62; 

www.jilsander.com 

Frank Petzchen. 

If You Have Three 

Days in Dusseldorf 

The Cologne Central Train Station 

Cologne is only 40 kilometres 

from Dusseldorf, and it would 

be a major sin not to visit it; the 

cathedral in Cologne is one of 

the most amazing structures 

in Europe and the largest 

Gothic house of worship in 

northern Europe. The towers 

are 157 metres tall and the 

great bell known as Dicker 

Pitter weighs 24 tonnes. The 

foundation stone dates to 

1248, but construction wasn’t 

completed until 1880, following 

the original medieval plans. 

Like the Old Town of Cologne, 

the cathedral was severely 

damaged in the Second World 

War. It was restored in 1956 and 

included in the UNESCO world 

heritage list. 

Near the cathedral one can 

find one of the most famous 

fly to dusseldorf with 

Kochbucher&Kochseminare, Benrather 

Strasse 6, www.frankpetzchen.de 

Hotel Nikko, Immermannstrase 41 

Monkey’s West, Graf-Adolf-Platz 15; 

www.monkeysplaza.com 

modern art museums in 

Germany, the Ludwig Museum. 

Opening in 1986, its roots 

date to 1976, when Irene and 

Peter Ludwig bestowed their 

collection of 350 works of art 

to the city. Among its teasures 

are Malevich and Rodchenko’s 

works; the Ludwig Museum 

actually possesses about 800 

artworks by the Russian avantgarde. 

The Malevich collection 

in particular is one of the 

largest on earth and this year 

(until the 20 th of February 2011) 

it’s visible to the public in its 

entirety for the very first time. 

Kölner Dom, Domkloster 4; 

www.koelner-dom.de 

Museum Ludwig, Am Dom/ 

Hauptbahnhof, Bischofgartenstrasse 1; 

www.museum-ludwig.de 

Taschen, Hohenzollernring 28; 

www.taschen.com 

Direct flights from Riga starting from EUR 50 – earn 750 

BalticMiles in Economy class 

From Scandinavia and Eastern Europe via Riga starting from 

EUR 59 – earn from 1250 BalticMiles in Economy class 

BalticMiles partners in Dusseldorf: Avis, Park Inn, Radisson Blu, 

Sixt, airBaltic, airBalticTravel, Language Direct

OUTLOOK / INtERVIEw 

TExT by sERgEJs tIMOfEJEVs | PhOTO COURtEsy Of BRAiNStoRm 

Flight path to success 

38 / AIRBALTIC.COM


An interview with Renārs Kaupers, the lead singer 

of the Latvian pop group BrainStorm 

BrainStorm (also known by its Latvian name Prāta Vētra) is Latvia’s most commercially successful pop 

music group to date. Some of the group’s singles have reached number 1 not only in Latvia, but also on 

the radio charts of such neighbouring countries as Russia and Poland. The group’s members have a large 

fan base and exude a positive sense of vigour during their performances, as if they had an inexhaustible 

source of energy to draw from. This autumn, BrainStorm is releasing a new album with 20 of its greatest 

hits from the last decade, along with a previously unreleased single entitled Long Day (Gara diena). When 

Baltic Outlook met up with the group’s frontman Renārs Kaupers at the BrainStorm office in Riga, he and 

his colleagues were preparing to fly to China for a series of concerts, followed by trips to London and Kiev. 

How often do you fly? 

Actually, not that often. The most flights were in 2006, 

when we made about 45 trips. Our schedule is quite 

varied, which is ideal, in a sense. During some months, we 

have four or five concerts to perform, while during other 

months we have none. So, our families have been very 

fortunate, as they still get to see us most of the time. Our 

longest tour lasted three weeks and took place in Russia. 

You had to give everything to the fans – your voice 

and your energy, non-stop, for three weeks in a row… 

Well, in the beginning you throw out everything that 

you have, then after awhile you start to realize that you 

won’t last until the end of the tour if you continue at 

that level of intensity. So you start giving out more in 

moderation, in measured doses. 

Can you control this process? 

Yes. I start to save my voice a bit. For example, if I have 

three concerts ahead of me, then during the first show 

I will constantly be thinking about how to sing so that 

I don’t yell myself hoarse. However, by the end of the 

concert I have usually forgotten about that concern 

and sing as if there were no tomorrow. In truth, there 

aren’t that many concerts where you can completely 

let go, soar upwards and feel like you are flying, not 

that many at all. You are lucky if after a concert you can 

say: wow, that was really uplifting, a fantastic flight! 

Usually you are always thinking about one thing or 

another. At the beginning, you are a bit concerned 

about how things will go. Then you start thinking 

about the technique of your singing, then also about 

the order of the songs. Obviously, you have a set 

list made up, but you also have to analyze during 

the concert if the song order is appropriate to the 

atmosphere of the moment. Parallel to all this, you are 

wondering if you will say anything after the end of 

the song, and if so, then what, exactly. So, your brain is 

always working in full gear throughout the show. 

But how does this positive energy come about? 

It’s hard to say. Perhaps we have the right chemistry 

in place among the members of our band. There are 

many talented music groups, but things don’t always 

work out on stage. 

What do you do if your internal energy level happens 

to be low on the day of a particular concert? One 

can’t be exuberant and full of life all of the time. 

People’s energy levels vary from day to day. 

We have learned to become professional “energizers” 

over the years. You become like an actor and you pull 

yourself together before a concert. You know that it is 

coming up and prepare yourself for it beforehand. We 

also have the advantage of being together in a group. If 

one of us isn’t feeling too hot, then the others will help 

him and lift his spirits. On the other hand, concerts are 

events that we truly enjoy. They are like celebrations 

for us. We usually perform on stage about 25-30 times 

per year, and every single performance is special and 

important for us. 

In the studio, however, things are a bit different. We are 

all adults with experience, and each of us has his own 

ideas about how a particular track should sound. For 

this reason, the recording process is pretty complicated 

for us. However, once the album has been recorded 

and we step up onto the stage with our new songs, 

everything works well and we feel that we are together 

in an ideal combination. I fell great, as if I am in the 

right place and with the right people. 

How do new songs come to you? 

That depends. About two or three songs per year come 

to you naturally. It starts with a musical phrase that 

catches in your head. Everything usually starts with 

some sort of melody, although that is perhaps not 

the best way to write songs, for then the real ordeal 

begins. The melody has come forth and everybody is 

happy. We record it in the studio, singing na-na-na in 

the place of the words, which haven’t been thought 

up yet. Then everybody else leaves very satisfied, but 

I have to stay in the studio and start thinking about 

how to put this new music into words, to decide what 

this song is going to be about. Then I have to spend 



nights wracking my brain, thinking about 

how to put this Lego set together, because 

the rhythm of the song also restricts the 

choice of your words. That is why for our 

next album, each member of the band will 

bring along some poems that he likes. They 

can be in any language, and we will start 

building everything up from there. 

In other words, you will soon start to 

BrainStorm for your next album. You are 

36 years old, while your band is now 21. If 

you could attend one of your first concerts, 

how do you think you would feel? 

I think that I would probably laugh if I could 

see a video of our first concert at school. 

I remember it very well. We had only 

four songs, which we played three times 

in a row. I was so nervous when I went 

up on stage that my leg was twitching. 

I practically had to hold it down with 

my hand. Looking back at that time, we 

certainly didn’t look like a group that would 

one day be playing at packed stadiums. 

It is similar with world history. Sometimes 

things don’t work out the way that people 

expect. 

At the time, other music groups in Latvia 

were far more stylish, advanced and 

professional than us. We looked like a bunch 

of fools from the countryside. Yet these fools 

somehow managed to work their way up 

to their current level. In the beginning, a 

number of other groups sped past us in their 

level of development at near cosmic speed, 

but it turned out in the end that they were 

sprinters who grew tired and withdrew from 

the race. We were an easy-going group of 

boys from a small city named Jelgava, and 

we still like to take things easily. 

What has been your greatest success 

outside of Latvia? The Eurovision Song 

Contest in 2000? 

That has certainly been one of our biggest 

successes. Immediately after singing 

My Star at Eurovision in Stockholm and 

finishing in third place, we received 

invitations to perform in Finland, Sweden 

and Belgium. However, our greatest success 

to date has been with the song Maybe, 

which we released a year later, in 2001. 

Interestingly enough, we had never even 

thought of releasing that song as a single. 

But then suddenly someone calls us up 

from Poland and says: “One of your songs is 

very popular here. Could you come down 

and sing it for us on a TV show?” We were 

wondering what song that could be, since 

we hadn’t yet released any singles in Poland 

from that album. “It’s the song Maybe. All of 

the radio stations here are playing it!” Half 

a year later, it reached number 1 on the 

Polish radio charts, then it spread to the 

Czech Republic, Greece and Italy. Even in 

Indonesia Maybe was a hit. And it was with 

Maybe that our foray into Russia began. The 

first time that we were invited to Russia, it 

was to play that song. 

Now we perform in Russia quite regularly. 

Currently that is the only country outside 

of Latvia where we have established a 

solid market foothold. In other countries 

the interest in us was too short-lived and 

we didn’t manage to maintain it. Perhaps 

that was because we tried too hard to be 

successful. You can see it in our video clips 

from that period. You work super hard 

and try with all of your might to enter the 

mainstream, and once you’ve succeeded in 

doing so, then you realize that you are just 

one group among many others. 

E pluribus unum. One among many. 

That inscription is also written on every 

one-cent US penny. However, in Russia 

things seem to be different for you. 

Have you benefited from the Soviet, 

and perhaps also Russian stereotype of 

the Baltic States as nice, almost Western 

countries by the sea, with many small, 

cosy cafés and Art Nouveau buildings, 

and with a friendly population that 

even understands Russian? On the 

other hand, many of your fans in Russia 

may be too young to remember this 

stereotype. 

Russia has become a pretty interesting 

niche for us. At first the Russians viewed us 

as genuine foreigners, which I suppose we 

were, and spoke with us only in English – 

and we answered them in English. As a 

result, some comical situations sometimes 

arose. With time, we understood that 

something wasn’t quite right. If we are 

capable of speaking Russian, then that is an 

asset. Why should we hide this fact? And 

so gradually, we began to record songs in 

Russian as well. 

How would you describe your style of 

music?

OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW 

I think that it is pure pop music. If Curt Cobain could 

say that Nirvana plays pop music, then I think that we 

can safely say the same about our style of music. We 

play melodic tunes with romantic words. 

Let’s get airborne again. You fly every so often. 

How do you behave in an airplane? How do you 

spend your time while in flight? 

Hmm…. I’d like to think of something original to 

answer here. Well, of course one of the first things that I 

do is pick up my copy of Baltic Outlook! (Laughs.) That’s 

probably not a lie. I sit down and see what’s sticking 

out of that seat pocket in front of me. Sometimes the 

articles are quite interesting, particularly the interviews. 

We usually read a bit, listen to some music, play a bit 

of cards, maybe flirt (innocently, of course) with the 

stewardess, have a look out the window. Sometimes, 

if the flight is not too full, one of us might pull out a 

guitar. Then we all go to the back of the plane, with 

the hope that none of the other passengers will object 

to our musical interlude. 

One of your first hit songs was entitled Where is 

my airplane? (Kur ir mana lidmašīna?). Do you still 

play it at your concerts? 

Of course. It is one of our early classics, just like 

Satisfaction for the Rolling Stones, who still play that 

song at each of their shows. Must of the people in the 

audience, either consciously or subconsciously, are 

expecting us to sing Where is my airplane? at some point 

during the concert. We don’t even know ourselves what 

made it a hit, for at first it might seem like a really stupid 

song. We composed it for a class evening at school. 

“Hey, let’s think up something really simple.” “OK! Where 

is my airplane?” “Yeah, that sounds good: Where is my 

airplane?” And the rest, as they say, is history. 

I perceive that song as having a deep, underlying 

message. Every person needs to experience 

some form of flight during their daily lives, but 

sometimes it is very hard to get off the ground. 

And then you begin ask yourself: Where is my 

airplane? Where is it? 

Yes, how true! That song spelled the beginning of our 

success in Latvia. Everybody knew it. There is even an 

English translation entitled Where is my only super-liner?, 

to make it correspond with the rhythm and metrics of 

the original Latvian version. However, we sing the song 

only in Latvian. At one event in Russia I was asked how 

to be introduced, and answered: “Tell them that I am an 

airplane pilot.” The MC looked at me very respectfully, 

but for some reason he didn’t hand me the microphone 

after that. Each of us has to be at the controls of some 

form of flight. It might be a sense of satisfaction and 

accomplishment at your job, or the feeling of being 

in love, or the pleasure of spending some quality time 

with your children. If you succeed in lifting off from the 

ground even for a moment, then you have taken to the 

air, and that is a good thing. You have become a pilot. 

One usually wants to experience a repeat performance 

soon after, but that is not always possible. They say 

the same thing about meditation: “Don’t expect to 

experience nirvana right away. Just relax!” 

It is certainly not easy to be at the helm, to be 

a pilot and to set the next destination on one’s 

journey through life. 

That is because usually you have other passengers 

with you on your flight. The older you get, the more 

passengers you have on your plane. Everybody is 

watching how you handle the controls and therefore 

you have to look confident, as if you know exactly 

where you want to go and how to get there. 

Here one could think up a whole new theory about 

flying. During your childhood you are a passenger, 

then you start flying private planes with a training 

license, and then you work your way up to the 

cockpit of an international passenger liner... 

Exactly. And as you grow old, towards the end of your 

life, it would be good to bring your passengers to a set 

destination, land the plane and let them disembark, 

so that they don’t end up flying about aimlessly as 

passengers in a liner with a pilot who has already 

passed away into another dimension. There comes a 

time when one has to start flying on one’s own, like a 

bird. How can it be otherwise? BO

thEME 

Festival of Light 

TExT: RIhARds 

KAlNINs 

PhOTOS: OlIVIER dE 

RyCKE 


This month, from November 18-21, the Latvian capital will treat its 

residents and visitors to a wondrous festival of light, Beaming Riga. 

A series of innovative light installations, illuminated building facades, 

multimedia light sculptures, and video projections, designed by local 

and international artists, will be on display throughout the city from six 

to eleven p.m. on each night of the four-day festival.

As the nights get progressively darker in Riga, the 

sun sinking into the sea earlier and earlier with every 

passing day, Latvians must contemplate ways to 

stave off the inevitable winter depression that befalls 

most denizens of the northern countries. In the past, 

copious amounts of delicious smoked meats and 

fish at Christmastime, as well as steaming mugs of 

Black Balsam and black currant juice, have served the 

purpose of bringing some much needed winter cheer 

to these dark, snowy lands. 

But for the last three years, Latvian capital has 

presented another way to brighten up the winter 

darkness. Literally. This is the annual festival Beaming 

Riga (or Staro Riga, in Latvian), a festival of light similar 

to those found throughout Europe. Unlike other 

festivals, however, the Latvian festival of light provides 

much more than just a chance to enjoy light sculptures 

and shows, innovative multimedia installations, and 

video projections on the facades of buildings. Beaming 

Riga showcases the beauty of the city itself, proving 

that even in the dark of winter, the city truly shines. 

The idea for a Latvian festival of light was born three 

years ago, in 2008. The idea was to create a free event to 

entertain both locals and visitors to the city during the 

off-season—the end of November. The festival would 

also coincide with the Latvian independence day, on 

November 18, and officially ring in the holiday season. 

When Beaming Riga was first announced, building 

owners all over the city immediately responded to the 

organizers’ invitations to decorate their buildings with 

beams of light, illuminating the intricate ornamentation 

on their facades and showcasing the stunning variety of 

Latvian architecture. 

In order to generate an even wider variety of project, the 

organizers also held a festival competition, where artists 

could submit funding proposals for possible projects— 

installations, sculptures, and other multimedia events. 

For many of the projects, the artists sought out building 

owners (and sometimes vice versa) to host their project; 

for others, the projects were free-standing installations 

in Riga’s many parks and other public places. In effect, 

this facilitated a trend in collaboration between various 

groups—artists, real estate owners, parks officials, and 

the municipal government. This spirit of collaboration 

fueled the festival almost as much as the electricity 

needed to power the lights. 

Last year, the festival organizers reached out to 

young art-school students in Riga, funding their own 

innovative projects and concepts developed for the 

festival. They also successfully turned the festival into 

an international event, by hosting award-winning light 

installations originally designed for light festivals in 

countries throughout Europe. This year the tradition 

of international collaboration continues, as guests will 

have the chance to view installations from France, 

Estonia, and Denmark. 

For visitors to the city, the best way to enjoy the 


Beaming Riga festival is simply to stroll through the 

streets and parks of the Latvian capital. As in years past, 

Riga’s many bridges will be illuminated, as will the canal 

that snakes through the center of town. Several of the 

city’s public high schools, including High School No. 

2, at Valdemara iela 1, will participate with a lighted 

façade, along with the newly renovated Russian Drama 

Theater, in the heart of the Old City on Livu Square. The 

combined effect of dozens of lighted facades and freestanding 

light sculptures and installations will make the 

infinitely more congenial and welcoming during the 

long autumn nights. 

The festival will get off to a shining start on November 

18, when Latvian President Valdis Zatlers delivers 

his annual independence day speech beside the 

Freedom Monument. President Zatlers’s speech will be 

“illustrated” by elaborate backlighting, culminating in 

a fireworks show that will add a burst of color to the 

dark November sky. The next day, November 19, will 

officially unveil the holiday season in Riga, and the 

festival will mark the occasion by lighting the city’s 

Christmas trees, designed this year by students at the 

Latvian Academy of Art. 

November 20 will be devoted to unveiling light 

installations by the international artists whose works 

have been specially commissioned by the festival’s 

organizers, the Culture Department of the Riga City 

Council. On November 21, the organizers will introduce 

a completely new concept to the festival: a café tour 

through the Old City. Each of the participating cafés 

has developed a unique light installation or other 

form of illumination, which guests can view as they 

stroll from café to café, enjoying a steady steam of hot 

beverages along the way (including, of course, the 

aforementioned Black Balsam and black currant juice). 

The special theme for this year’s festival is Optical 

Illusions. In a nod to the recent trend in 3D films such 

as Avatar (which was as popular in Latvia as it was 

elsewhere in the world), many of the projects will 

feature 3D technologies, employing some of the latest 

advances in video projection, audiovisual technology, 

and multimedia art. These projects have demanded 

the collaborative efforts of an entire team of creative 

individuals: set designers, project designers, computer 

artists, directors, and composers. In this way, the festival 

has promoted interdisciplinary collaboration across a 

wide range of artistic fields. 

First and foremost, the festival celebrates our creative 

imagination, the ability of our artists and designers to 

conceive of these innovative projects. The festival also 

relies upon our sensory imagination to make sense of 

these light projections, to distinguish forms and shapes 

from random bits of light and color. But perhaps 

most of all, the festival celebrates the architectural 

imagination of the architects, builders, and engineers 

who designed our marvelous city, which is just as 

much a participant in the festival as the beams of light 

that everyone will come to see. When illuminated 

by projections of light, the city’s buildings, bridges, 

parks, and monuments will be showcased in all their 

splendor—beaming Riga’s beauty up into the dark 

November sky. BO

OUTLOOK / PROMO 

We care about your smile! 

We want to ensure that your first 

impression of Latvia is positive. Brand new and 

clean cars, polite and helpful drivers, and one 

reasonable and fair price for everyone – that’s the 

service you can expect from BalticTAXI. 

BalticTAXI offers the best taxi services to and 

from the Riga International Airport. For your 

convenience, BalticTAXI has 24-hour offices in both 

airport terminals. 

Residents and visitors can purchase a coupon 

covering one trip within Riga’s city limits. The 

coupons are vailable from the airBaltic website, on 

airBaltic flights, Islande, Neiburgs, Justus, Central 


Park Hostel and other hotels, as well as at the 

BalticTAXI customer service offices at the airport. 

BalticTAXI drivers are happy to help their 

customers. They can advise you on must see 

sites in Riga and the best places to dine. Have 

you forgotten your umbrella at home? No 

problem – the drivers always have one in the 

car, and they can escort you from the airport 

terminal to the car and from the car to your final 

destination. 

We are your partners for business and pleasure 

in Riga and beyond. 

Yours, BalticTAXI 

i www.baltictaxi.lv | Phone: +371 2000 8500 

Liene Grisle is a 

BalticTAXI taxi driver who 

brings passengers to and from 

the airport. She really enjoys 

the work because every day is 

different. On the job she drives 

a new Toyota, but in her free 

time she is an Audi fan. And if a 

passenger in her taxi is in a hurry, 

she has the solution. “Female 

drivers have an advantage during 

rush hour, because a smile 

helps the customer get to the 

destination faster,” says Liene. 

Peteris Silins may be 

the tallest taxi driver in Latvia. 

Peteris commutes to work in Riga 

from Sigulda, a town renowned 

for its spectacular hills and 

beautiful autumn scenery, and 

he encourages visitors to Riga 

to check out the so-called “Little 

Switzerland, just 50 kilometres 

from the capital. 

Peteris enjoys working with 

people. He has noticed that 

visitors mostly ask about Latvia’s 

economic situation, but are 

pleasantly surprised by its 

luxurious cars and beautiful girls. 

Peteris is proud to work for 

BalticTAXI because the company 

respects values like fairness and 

quality. He encourages Riga 

visitors to take a taxi at night to 

see beautiful illuminated sites, the 

panorama of Old Riga. He can also 

recommend a nice place to dine.

OUTLOOK tRAVEl / fINlANd 

The Lappish Gold 

lapland in Numbers 

Human population of Finnish 

Lapland – 188 000 

Reindeer population of Finnish 

Lapland – 210 000 

Finnish Lapland is slightly larger 

than the Benelux countries 

combined 

Population density – 

1.5 persons per square 

kilometre 


TExT: IEVA NORA fIRERE 

PhOTOS: ERKKI OllIlA ANd PUBlICIty PhOtOs 

Before I set out to drive the 350 km from Kuusamo to the ski resort 

of Levi, the locals gave me some advice: if a reindeer appears 

on the road, aim for its backside, but if you see an elk, don’t aim 

anywhere because it’s probably too late. Reindeers are theoretically 

predictable beasts, which are not stunned by headlights and 

continue crossing the road in the direction they started off in. 

However, the first Lapland Rudolf I encountered stood stubbornly 

with its head and antlers turned towards my car. We looked into 

each other eyes while I was braking, and I just managed to drive 

around this king of Northern Finland. 

This is Lapland, a natural Eden full of big personalities, where the 

human species is just a small part of the picture.

Kuusamo: There’s Life Out There 

Actually, there’s a tough fight going on up there for the tourist 

money. The North of Finland is remote, and its various sub-regions 

have similar assets – stunning nature and hardy people. For a 

shorter visit it is probably too much to visit all three new airBaltic 

destinations, so Kuusamo, Rovaniemi and Kittila struggle to get 

their piece of the cake. 

For Kuusamo it is an even tougher struggle, since officially it is not 

a part of the internationally renowned Lapland brand. For some 

travellers this is important, so when it comes to marketing their region, 

the locals all insistently call the place Kuusamo Lapland. After a few 

conversations with them you might find yourself avoiding the matter. 

However, Kuusamo has some advantages over the authentic 

Lapland. It is still the North, but closer. And the Ice Age, the master 

Kuusamo highlights 

basecamp Oulanka 

If Oulanka National Park is one of the things every 

Finn has to see, embarking on an adventure with 

Basecamp Oulanka is something every traveller 

has to do before leaving the national park. It 

offers rafting, kayaking, snowshoeing, Nordic 

walking climbing, etc. but attitude is what makes 

these operators special. The staff is in love with 

the place and have built their business around the 

keyword “sustainability”. They offer no activities 

that disturb nature or create pollution. They’ve 

minimized transfer driving and don’t print any 

marketing brochures. And they pay higher wages 

than the average to keep the guide team stable 

and motivated. According to Keijo Ronkainen, the 

key person at Basecamp Oulanka, the transition 

from an ordinary safari outfit to sustainable 

travelling has paid off. 

i www.basecampoulanka.fi 

Russian Karelia 

Use one of the two boarder crossing points in 

the region to go for a day trip or longer to the 

Karelian Republic. This border defines one of 

the sharpest differences in standards of living in 

Europe. It can be eye opening to visit a Karelian 

village where people survive the Arctic winters 

with no electricity and subsistence farming has 

been a way of life for centuries. Currently the 

Finns are negotiating with the Russians on visa– 

free travel in the region. But until an agreement is 

reached, you’ll need about 80 euros. 

i www.rukapalvelu.fi is one of the options 

The bear’s Trail 

Even if you don’t go the entire 80 kilometres, at 

least part of Finland’s most popular trekking route 

is a great holiday option. It promises gorges, 

canyons, rapids, fells, untouched forests and 

silence that almost hurts urban ears. The entire 

trek takes four to seven days, but shorter legs 

can be done in a day. And if your fitness level and 

motivation are not up to even that, devote half an 




of carving river valleys and smoothing mountains into fells, has 

been more generous here, leaving the overall elevation level 

higher. Further up is tundra, but Kuusamo still has boreal forests 

or taiga, which means that the trees are higher. Forestry is an 

important source of income, although tourism – with 1 million 

visitors and 200 million euro annually – beats it easily. 

Five of Finland’s 35 national parks are located in the Kuusamo area 

and one of these – Oulanka - is on the list of things every Finn must 

see. Its 270 square kilometres are covered with rich forest floors, bogs, 

lakes and rivers, superb canyons and Lake Kitka, which due to the high 

number of springs has been called the biggest well in Europe. Oulanka 

can truly be called a republic of total wilderness. It has been awarded 

a PAN Parks Certificate, issued by a WWF founded organization that 

unites the protected wilderness areas of Europe’s remaining natural 

landscapes. Leave your car outside and step into a place where 

humans are just one of the species found on planet Earth. 

If you want to party, you have to search for spots outside Oulanka 

in places where there are other sources of music besides Mother 

Nature. Ruka Skiing Resort would probably be the first choice. 

Karaoke fans will be pleased to learn that it has karaoke every single 

night of the year. Ruka is Kuusamo area’s main tourism magnet. Its 

29 slopes, 17 lifts and freestyle centre have gained international 

recognition through hosting the World Cup competitions in ski 

jumping and cross country skiing. Starting on October 18 of this 

year, Ruka will again be the first ski resort to open in Europe. 

Levi: At a New Level 

You have to add something more to attract people. Snow and cold 

is not enough. Ari from local tourist board, who shows me around, 

left Levi in eighties, but economic growth and a bit of nostalgia 

enticed him back. Now he is proud to work in Levi, and not just 

him, but also other southerners are moving back. 

The café of the refurbished Spa Hotel Levitunturi is filled with guests 

at the start of autumn. Three couples laugh together at the next 

table then set off for a brisk Nordic walking along the local hillocks. 

hour to reach one of the nice fells on the Bear’s 

Trail, like Konttainen. The view is magnificent – to 

the west is Lake Kitkajärvi and to the east is the 

Russian border. 

i www.rukakuusamo.com 

levi highlights 

The barn Party 

It’s the biggest disco in Lapland. Finns feel 

strongly about dancing and even if you are not a 

party animal yourself, attending Hullu Poro or the 

Crazy Reindeer Arena is a must. Don’t be misled 

by the old fashioned barn exterior, because inside 

is a huge disco with a 120 square metre stage and 

ten bars on two floors that can accommodate 

1 700 people at a time. Live music plays every 

night in the high season (New Year’s week and 

Feb 18 – end of April). It’s open on weekends in 

November, December and January. 

i www.hulluporo.fi 

Igloos for Romantics 

The luxurious igloos on top of the Levi ski hill may 

not be authentic, but it’s certainly a romantic way 

to spend a night. Lying in a war, comfortable bed, 

can there be a better way to watch the Northern 

Lights? The igloo ceilings and walls are made of 

glass, with a cute curtain giving privacy. The bed is 

motorized and will rotate according to your wishes. 

This is definitely not the cheapest option for staying 

overnight in Levi (250–345 euros per night), but it’s 

an experience you’ll remember for a long time. 

i www.leviniglut.fi 

Hiking to Kätkä 

Total wilderness is literally right on the doorstep 

of the resort, and trekking the Kätkä Fell is one of 

the options for getting away from it all. The trek 

takes 2.5 hours and covers 4 kilometres, and once 

you see the view from the top (Ounas River, the 

ski resort and the local gold mine included) you 

might want to extend the coffee break up there. 

i www.levi.fi


In early autumn, Finns head north to see the mosses and leaves 

turning gold and red, then after a brief interlude Levi embarks on 

a skiing marathon until late spring. Then the crowd becomes more 

international, including Brits, Western Europeans and Russians. 

This liveliness is astonishing considering that Levi is 170 kilometres 

above the Arctic Circle, and despite the global economic crisis the 

resort continues to expand. Every year around 1 000 new beds are 

added and the resort can cater for 23 000 travellers at a time. 

Levi is known for its slalom runs, and the keywords here are the 

Alpine Skiing World Cup. The runs may not be at a very high 

altitude, but there are 45 of them and they can serve 28 000 

people per hour. Levi’s longest run is 2 500 m, the season is long 

and life off the piste has enough fun to draw young people in 

addition to families with children. Speaking of entertainment, a 

local legend is a lady named Päivikki Palosaari.. Starting with one 

café in the 1980’s she has grown to become the queen of the 

Lapland hotel and restaurant business.Her interests range from 

traditional Lapland fare to sushi, Italian cuisine and the biggest 

disco in Northern Finland. The enterprise, named Hullu Poro or 

Crazy Reindeer, has gone through good times and bad, but its 

bestselling meals such as the caribou steak served in the Pihvipirtti 

restaurant are legends. The season for fresh reindeer meat extends 

from October to February, during the peak time to visit the area. 

Other Lapland delicacies such as salmon filled potato, caribou stew 

and wild mushroom soup can also be enjoyed at places run by Mrs 

Palosaari’s competitors, as Levi has many good places to eat. 

From Levitunturi hill you can see a second pillar of the local 

economy. Around 

60 km from the 

resort is Europe’s 

northernmost gold 

mine, with a yield 

so high that big 

investments were 

recouped in only 

a year. The mine 

employs over 10% 

of the 6 000 local 

residents. There 

are no excursions 

in the mine, but 

in summer Finns 

descend on Levi to 

do some amateur 

gold panning. 

Locals tell tales of 

relatives who lived 

solely off panning, 

Nice and cosy place, 

where food looks as great as it tastes. 

Highly recomended! 

NOVEMBER – A MONTH 

OF FRESH GAME DISHES IN 

RESTAURANT 1221 

Jauniela 16, Old Town, Riga, Latvia / (+371) 67 22 01 71 

but as soon as you 

try to pin them 

down for details 

they become 

sceptical; today it 

is more of a hobby 

than a source of 

income. 

Rovaniemi highlights 

Arktikum 

The Arctic Centre and Provincial Museum 

of Lapland are situated in the city centre in a 

building that is hard to miss. Its 174 meter long 

glass tube goes partly underground, a reference 

to the arctic animals that hide in the winter. The 

Arktikum is a great resource on the local nature, 

history and culture and will fascinate both kids 

and grown–ups. Lie down in the Northern Lights 

Theatre to see the natural wonder in full spectre, 

test yourself with the interactive definitions of 

the Arctic or explore the remains of Rovaniemi 

after WWII. 

i www.arktikum.fi 

Arctic Wildlife Park 

Just an hour’s drive from Rovaniemi, Ranua is a 

place worth devoting half a day of your travels 

to. Though Zoo figures in its name, the managers 

of the place prefer to call it a Wildlife Park. It’s 

home to 200 animals representing 50 different 

species in their natural habitats (polar bears and 

oxen being exceptions). A complete tour around 

the zoo will take about 1.5 hours, including extra 

attention devoted to the pregnant polar bear 

and the talking raven Jaska, who has a three 

word long vocabulary (Jaska, Hongkong and joo, 

which means yes). Apart from the Zoo, Ranua 

is a swampy area famous for good harvests of 

cloudberries. At the end of July the town hosts 

the Golden Cloudberry Fair. 

Wintertime hours: daily 10.00 – 16.00 

i www.ranuazoo.com


fly to lapland with 

Rovaniemi: Selling Christmas 

The essence of Rovaniemi can be summed up in two 

words: Santa Claus. Christmas has been an everyday 

event here for fifty years and is the biggest business 

in town. Santa is everywhere: the Clarion Hotel Santa 

Claus, the restaurant Santamus, the family-oriented 

Santapark and Santa’s Ice Park. The mall in the city 

centre has been dubbed the “official shopping centre 

Direct flights within Finland (Tampere – Kittila, Tampere – Rovaniemi, 

Lappeenranta – Kuusamo) starting from EUR 40 – earn 500 BalticMiles in 

Economy class 

Direct flights from Riga starting from EUR 61 – earn 500 BalticMiles in 

Economy class 

From more than 60 cities via Riga starting from EUR 105 – earn from 

1250 BalticMiles in Economy class 

BalticMiles partners in Finland: Avis, Cumulus, Park Inn, Radisson Blu, 

Rantasipi, Sixt, airBaltic, airBalticTravel.com, Language Direct 

of Santa Claus”, Levi tags itself the “official ski resort of 

Santa Claus”, while an Asian restaurant is named the 

Santa China Centre. 

The original Father Christmas hailed from 485 

metre high Korvatunturi Hill on the Russian border. 

Korvatunturi is encircled by a national park and there 

are no special signs, so you have to be especially 

motivated to find the place. Rovaniemi has been Santa’s 

workshop since the 1950’s, a situation that saved the 

economy of the region after it was devastated in World 

War II. Rebuilding was done fast, resulting in mainly 

low-rise, grey architecture. Supported by the Finnish 

government and the postal company Itella, Santa Claus 

Village gets around 400 000 visitors annually, 90% of 

them foreigners. Santa also gets around half a million 

letters, and you will get a reply provided you give a 

legible return address. But unfortunately only in spring, 

when the Christmas rush is over... 

Winter in this town of 60 000 inhabitants lasts from 

November to April. The temperature fluctuates 

from–10 to –20, while the record low is around–45C. 

At first this is hard to imagine in a place with such 

comforts. Rovaniemi is a university town with a good 

reputation in science, fine infrastructure and has the 

world’s northernmost McDonald’s. Nowhere else is the 

crossing of the Arctic Circle made as special as it is here, 

although having your photo taken at the sign “latitude 

66 degrees 33’07’’ minutes North” is a bit of a gimmick 

since the Circle is a phenomenon that changes its 

location every year. The man most responsible for 

making Rovaniemi a place to enjoy is legendary 

architect Alvar Aalto, who in the 1950’s drew up the 

city plan complete with the Regional Library of Lapland 

and the town hall. And Rudolf deserves a mention here 

too, because Aalto’s plan for Rovaniemi was inspired by 

reindeer antlers. BO

Welcome to Baltics 

The Full Service Property House 

Newsec is Northern Europe’s only full _ service company in the property sector, with 12 offices in 7 countries. Newsec offers 

services to property owners and companies that lease or own their properties. Newsec has about 550 employees and has 

recently provided advisory services in transactions with a total value of more than EUR 9 billion. Annually we valuate 

properties worth more than EUR 65 billion and manage more than 1,000 properties with a total value of more than EUR 10 

billion. Through our well _ maintained international network of 6,000 consultants, we can offer our services in the global market. 

This makes us Northern Europe’s only full _ service property house in the property sector, which provides the company with a 

unique ability to forecast the future. 

www.newsecbaltics.com

OUTLOOK tRAVEl 

Swiss State 

Secrets 

Baltic Outlook explores the Swiss canton of Valais, finding little-known 

paradises where you can ski in solitude through virgin fields of white on 

either side of the trails. 

TExT AND PhOTOS by JIMMy PEttERsON 

58 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Last spring, I embarked on a trip 

with two Finnish friends, Tatu and Jysky, to the 

rugged, mountainous canton of Valais in the south 

of Switzerland. We had already been there before to 

ski at some of the more famous resorts – Zermatt, 

Verbier and the Portes du Soleil. However, Valais also 

has a number of deep, hidden valleys, small mountain 

hamlets, ancient cable cars and spectacular ski 

descents that rarely get seen by foreign eyes. 

The Swiss are extremely self-sufficient and don’t rely 

solely on international tourism for their livelihood. 

They are quite happy to have billions of dollars worth 

of foreign money resting in their vaults. I am sure 

that they are almost as happy if investors make their 

deposits and withdrawals with a simple phone call 

from abroad, without even visiting the country. 

The Swiss cherish their sovereignty so much that they 

have even chosen to stay out of the European Union. 

This independent spirit also seems to apply when 

it comes to skiing. While the Austrians, Italians and 

French work hand-in-hand with foreign travel agencies 

to promote their ski and tourist industries, the Swiss 

appear satisfied to keep many of their best ski locations 

a secret. They have managed to avoid warfare for nearly 

200 years, letting their beloved mountains protect 

them from invasion and intrusion. Why would they be 

interested in opening some fabulously beautiful but 

little-known corners of their small paradise to a bunch 

of ill-bred foreigners? 

Tatu, Jysky and I felt almost guilty to intrude upon the 

sanctity of Valais, in our quest to discover some of the 

stunning scenery, quaint villages and little-known ski 

terrain that has yet to be overrun by the masses. 

Fiesch and the Aletsch Glacier 

The first stop on our short road trip was the little 

village of Fiesch (1049 m), nestled into the Goms Valley 

and connected by ski lift with the car-free villages of 

Bettmeralp and Riederalp. Here the Eggishorn (2926 

m) rises almost two vertical kilometres above the 

valley floor and offers a stunning panorama of the 

Aletsch Glacier. If you don’t fancy skiing, then you could 

certainly visit just for the view alone. 

The Aletsch is not your ordinary glacier. With a length 

of 23 kilometres and a surface area of 120 square 

kilometres, it is the longest and largest glacier in the 




Alps – a virtual river of ice that begins at the base of the 

famous Jungfrau and flows past the Eggishorn toward 

the Rhône Valley. In 2001, the glacier and the Jungfrau 

were named as the Alps’ first UNESCO World Heritage 

site, and one can view almost the entire area from the 

top of the peak. 

From the Eggishorn, the famous Jungfrau (4158 m) 

is dwarfed by ten even higher summits, all of them 

surpassing 4000 metres in elevation. The panorama 

This was skiing as it was meant to be, 

before man intervened by building 

ski lifts helter-skelter all over the Alps, 

bringing droves of people to clutter 

the slopes 

surrounding the glacier includes the Monte Rosa (4643 

m), the Mischabel Dom (4545 m), the Nadelhorn (4327 

m), the Matterhorn (4478 m), and, further westward, 

Mont Blanc (4808 m), the tallest peak in Westen Europe 

and the Alps. 

Almost forgotten among all these mountains is the 

Fiescher Glacier, just a stone’s throw to the northeast of 

the Eggishorn, which, at a length of 16 kilometres, is the 

second longest glacier in the Alps. Suffice is to say that 

there is enough spectacular mountain scenery here to 

keep a mountain aficionado busy for quite some time. 

Our lookout point was not the most hospitable 

location on the mountain. The wind was picking 

up, storm clouds were brewing and it was time to 

generate some body heat by moving. We spent the 

day skiing on the slopes. There are some interesting 

off-trail possibilities in this area, but the conditions did 

not allow for any exploration. We knew that our time 

here was limited and made a commitment to return 

sometime in the summer, when the snow-free glacier 

is even more visually impressive and the list of nearby 

hikes is almost endless. 

We enjoyed the village of Bettmeralp, where the 

vehicle-free streets are covered with snow and one 

can ski through the main avenue to find a suitable 

lunch spot. Cheese specialties are indigenous to all 

parts of Switzerland, but the Goms Valley is also known 

for its dried sausages and hams. We started with a 

small assortment of dried meats, followed by a cheese 

fondue. 

During lunch, one of the locals gave us a few more 

interesting statistics about the mammoth Aletsch 

glacier. At its thickest point, it is about 900 meters deep, 

and the weight of the ice is estimated to be 27 billion 

tons. If that ice were to melt, then it would provide a 

litre of water for every human being on Earth each day 

for six years! 

While these large numbers are very impressive, some 

much smaller figures, on the other hand, gave us 

reason to take pause and feel uneasy. Like virtually all 

of the world’s glaciers, the Aletsch is being affected by

American Corner Retail and Logistics Park Tallinn is the first 

project of its kind in Estonia and will bring a wide new offering 

of retail goods to the market. 

• Superb motorway junction location with convenient 

access 

• 12 mins to the Tallinn city centre and 7 mins to the 

international airport 

• Over 100,000 m 2 of retail warehouse and over 177,000 m 2 

of prime logistics warehouse space to be constructed 

• Flexible unit sizes of 1,000 m 2 – 40,000 m 2 

• Over 2,600 parking spaces and public transport links 

to be provided 

• High specification units can be constructed to tenant’s 

requirements 

AMERICAN 

CORNER 

RETAIL & LOGISTICS PARK | TALLINN 

Estonia’s first modern retail and logistics park development 

Over 100,000 m 2 of buildable retail space 

Over 177,000 m 2 of prime logistics warehouse space 

TENANT ENQUIRIES 

Kevin Havill 

DTZ Sweden 

Kungsbron 2 

111 22 Stockholm 

Sweden 

Tel. +46 8 671 34 00 

kevin.havill@dtz.com 

DEVELOPER CONTACTS 

John Clements 

European Development Director 

Stephansplatz 10 

(Eingang Goldschmiedgasse 2) 

A-1010 Vienna 

Austria 

Tel. +43 1 533 60 20 

clements@helioseurope.eu 

www.helioseurope.eu 

Veiko Murruste 

Managing Director 

Süda Maja AS 

Roosikrantsi 11 

10119 Tallinn 

Estonia 

Tel. +372 66 76 201 

veiko.murruste@sydamaja.ee 

www.sydamaja.ee


For more information: 

1. Aletscharena, www.aletscharena.ch, info@fiesch.ch, 

+41 279706070 

2. Cool School lötschental, www.coolschool.ch, 

+41 279391611, www.loetschenpass.ch, info@loetschenpass.ch 

+41 279391981, Beat Dietrich, mobile +41 794490147 

3. St. Luc, www.saint-luc.ch, saint-luc@sierre-anniviers.ch, 

+41 274751412 

4. Chandolin, www.chandolin.ch, chandolin@sierre-anniviers.ch, 

+41 274751838 


climate change. It receded 100 meters in only one year 

during the past decade, and it has lost 3.5 kilometres 

in length and about 300 meters in depth over the past 

three centuries. 

The times have certainly changed. A few hundred 

years back, the homes of Fiesch were constantly 

threatened by floods, brought on by blocks of ice from 

the glacier falling into the nearby Märjelensee. In 1678, 

the villagers began praying for the glacier to recede 

and promised to live virtuous lives if their prayers 

were answered. Their prayer was officially sent to Pope 

Innocent XI in the 17th century, and locals even began 

an annual five-hour march to a nearby church in the 

mid-1800s to show that they were serious. 

Today, the villagers feel that a reversal of their erstwhile 

wish is necessary and they have asked Pope Benedict 

XVI to sanction a new prayer for the glacier to grow 

once more. They are also hoping for an audience with 

him in the near future. 

The Lötschental 

Not far from Fiesch, in a parallel valley just to the north, 

is the Lötschental. This little-known region is comprised 

of a number of small villages, including Wiler (1419 

m). From there, a series of lifts takes skiers up to the 

Hockenhorngrat (3111 m). This is one of the rare peaks 

where a well-situated top station opens up more 

off-piste terrain than many ski areas with five times as 

many lifts. The uppermost gondola was constructed 

just a few years ago, transforming the Lötschental 

from a rather ordinary, small and unknown ski area 

into an extraordinary, small and still unknown freeride 

mountain that offers countless possibilities. 

As Tatu, Jysky and I rode up the first cable car, 

everyone around us was speaking in a Swiss dialect 

that we could not understand. Clearly, the locals were 

succeeding in keeping the Lötschental as a closely 

guarded secret. However, one young villager named 

Beat Dietrich is interested in getting the word out. We 

were fortunate to have Beat show us around his little 

paradise over the next two days. 

We could have benefited from some fresh snow and 

a full week’s vacation to get a real idea of what the 

Lötschental had to offer. We had neither, but Beat 

guided us through some corn-snow on a lovely 

descent to the village of Ferden. 

Our corn snow adventures were followed by a 

headfirst dive into some more local cuisine. We tried 

the raclette lunch, a meal that originates in Valais. When 

we were ready to re-emerge from our hut, the fickle 

March weather had answered our prayers and brought 

a sprinkling of snow. An hour later, the sun again lit up 

the slopes to reveal a nice layer of boot-top powder all 

around us. 

We didn’t need Beat’s assistance to enjoy this little 

March surprise. There was fresh snow wherever we 

pointed our skis, and we were almost alone on the 

slopes. I was beginning to be smugly pleased about 

the Swiss penchant for keeping good secrets. 

St. Luc and Chandolin 

Our final stop was St. Luc, a picturesque village of 

classic Walliser houses in the Val d’Anniviers. It lies 

nestled right next to an equally charming hamlet 

named Chandolin. We awoke the next morning to 

sunshine and about 20 centimetres of fresh snow that


fly to geneva and Zurich with 


had fallen overnight. I stepped onto the veranda of my 

bedroom in the charming hotel La Pension to admire 

the Matterhorn across the valley. While Zermatt is 

home to one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the 

world, here I could see the Horn without having to 

share the view with hundreds of other tourists. It was 

Easter week and a fair number of children had set onto 

the slopes, but away from the marked trails, we were 

again almost alone. 

This ski area is comprised almost entirely of old Poma 

lifts. While the Poma springs needed some oil and 

nearly jerked my arms out of their sockets, by now 

I was in harmony with the Swiss way of life. With 

no recent investments in these lifts and no tourist 

marketing, there were lots of empty slopes to ski on 

and tons of virgin powder to enjoy. 

We enjoyed our solitude, with fresh tracks to be made 

practically anywhere that we chose. There was so much 

to explore. The snow on our chosen route downward 

was relatively stable, but halfway down, the weather 

took a turn for the worse. The clouds closed back in, the 

light got flat, and it was time to drop into the trees. We 

Direct flights from Riga starting from EUR 55 – earn 750 BalticMiles in 

Economy class 

From Scandinavia and Eastern Europe via Riga starting from EUR 79 – earn 

from 1250 BalticMiles in Economy class 

BalticMiles partners in Switzerland: Avis, Park Inn, Radisson Blu, Sixt, airBaltic, 

airBalticTravel, Language Direct 

found some lovely tree skiing off the Rotzé and Tsape 

lifts, and played in the forest for the rest of the day. That 

kept us below the clouds. 

The following day was our final one in Valais. The snow 

had continued to fall during the night, and some of the 

steep alternatives that we had pondered would now 

be too dangerous due to the avalanche risk. However, 

that didn’t matter, as there was plenty of fresh, 

untouched snow within throwing distance of the trails. 

We didn’t need any secret back valleys or steep chutes 

to make the first tracks. This was skiing as it was meant 

to be, before man intervened by building ski lifts helterskelter 

all over the Alps, bringing droves of people to 

clutter the slopes. 

I would happily hop into a time machine and set the 

date to 1935. I would land in an idyllic mountain village 

untouched by the modern ski industry. I would stroll 

through the narrow alleyways of a cosy village amidst 

old wooden houses with stone roofs, until I found a 

local farmer to guide me. We would skin up the nearby 

peaks and glide back down through pristine fields of 

virgin snow. There would be nobody else in the vicinity 

except us. 

I don’t have a time machine, but I can travel instead 

to Valais, find Beat and have him lead me through his 

own private world of the Lötschental; or I can wander 

through the old cobblestone streets of St. Luc, ride 

up the ancient Pomas and ski in solitude through 

undisturbed fields of white on either side of the trails. 

That part is easy. I may still have to seek an audience 

with the Pope, however, to insure a continuation of 

Switzerland’s white winters. BO

OUTLOOK / sPECIAl 

The Bird Man 

who soars above life’s daily routine 

by ElVItA RUKA 


Everybody seems to know him, but those 

who do not will be sure to notice him. Wherever he 

goes, someone is sure to greet him – on the street, at 

the market or in a local store. He is known as Mister 

Birdie, as he gets along best with birds. He is an odd bird 

indeed, having many of them caged in his room. 

Hailing from Khujand in Tajikistan, Mr. Birdie is the son 

of a local mullah. To the displeasure of his parents, he 

took an early liking to ballroom dancing, a practice 

that had been introduced by the Russians but that still 

remains frowned upon in this conservative country. 

He therefore moved to Tashkent, the capital of 

Uzbekistan, where he fond a job as an actor. 

“I have played countless dushmen or Afghan enemy 

warriors. I was tall and slender in my youth, with black 

hair, a long moustache and an aquiline nose. I had a 

sword by my side, a papakha on my head and rode a 

Fly to Dushanbe 


spring 2011 from 

€161 

horse like a devil across the desert sands!” 

During breaks in his filming and dancing (which he also 

taught to students), Mr. Birdie flew home to visit his 

family members. He also took on number of “serious” 

jobs during the Soviet era, including those of a welder 

and trolleybus driver. 

Somehow, Mr. Birdie never managed to develop a 

lasting relationship and get married. 

“I have no wife, but I have my birds. Women do not 

appreciate those who are birds at heart. The ones that 

I came across were lazy. All they could think about was 

money. I would have been happy to get married, but no 

woman I met was ready to live beautifully – to dance, go 

to the theatre and restaurants, to read poetry... 

People are often stupid, they do not understand when 

you wish to help them, but animals love and appreciate 

you. I have forty canaries and six cats, as well as a large, 

200-litre aquarium with many, many fish.”

THERE 

WAS NO 

ElECTRICITy 

AND My 

FIRST FISH 

PERISHED. 

My FIRST 

DANCERS 

DIED 

As the cacophony of canary singing rings out in his 

room, the fish are swimming so beautifully that they 

seem to be dancing. 

“During the war there was no electricity and my first fish 

perished. My first dancers died. 

Listen how I whistle along with my canaries. I call each 

of them by name and they answer me. I am preparing 

them for yet another competition, so we whistle a lot. 

You need patience and skill here. I even have students 

and then all of us whistle together. 

Would you like me to sing for you?” 

The gray-haired man picks up a TV remote control as 

a substitute microphone. He sings in a high, pleasant 

voice that quavers like that of a bird. The TV in the 

background shows a newsreel depicting the capture of 

terrorists in Afghanistan, but Mister Birdie is immersed 

in his own reality. He has never complained of hard 

times, bad government or poverty. He is truly an odd 

bird. 

Mr. Birdie’s tiny flat in a standard panel house has been 

turned into a palace for his birds, cats and fish. The 

ceiling is decorated with ornate, Oriental drawings of 

patterns, flowers and birds, skilfully painted by an artist 

friend. An entire room, along with the balcony, has been 

OUTLOOK / sPECIAl 

allotted to his birds. The cats seem to be everywhere – 

one in his bed, one on a table and another in the 

master’s lap. 

As Mister Birdie continues his song, we half-expect the 

canaries to join him, but not this time. This song was 

dedicated to us and the birds have their own playlist. 

Mister Birdie finishes his song and bows. We applaud 

heartily. Our host gets ready for the second act and sets 

up an archaic loudspeaker. As he presses a button, we 

hear the inspiring warble of birds. The man joins in and 

whistles in unison with the bird choir. A canary ends 

the act with a shrill solo that rings in our ears for a long 

time. The cats lie around indifferently, as they are used 

to such concerts. 

Some young men arrive 

at the apartment to 

buy some birds, teach 

them to whistle, enter 

them into competitions 

and sell them again. 

In the remote and 

impoverished country 

of Tajikistan, bird 

singing is a popular 

form of entertainment. 

Once a week, dozens 

and even hundreds of 

people gather in the 

historic bird market. All 

of them – both birds 

and people – whistle 

away with abandon. 

Mister Birdie is a 

gracious host. He takes 

us to a café and treats 

us with cakes. He has 

not entirely given up 

on women and asks 

us to bring him a bride from Riga. He is only 68, after 

all, adding that he also grows flowers in his garden and 

writes poetry. 

In addition, the dushman from Soviet-era movies is now 

a sought-after Father Frost and Russian Santa Claus, 

which helps him to supplement his meagre old-age 

pension. Mr. Birdie is a man with a bird’s soul who 

knows how to soar above life’s daily routine. 

Even the market-place pigeons seem to listen only to 

him and fly special laps of honour around Mister Birdie’s 

tall, reflective figure. BO

CARs 

In assocIatIon wIth Whatcar.LV 

The new 

electric 

Peugeot iOn 

We may have to learn 

to drive all over again 

says... 

A fair start in the 

brave new world 

of electric cars 


Suddenly, electric cars from major manufacturers are no longer a 

distant dream, but just around the corner. The Peugeot iOn is set to 

be put on the market early next year, to compete with the likes of the 

Nissan Leaf and other new, battery-run models. 

In France and elsewhere in Europe, the Peugeot iOn 

will be sold only on a leasing scheme, in order to 

calm the nerves of potential customers worried about 

battery life and costs. This move is also targeted at 

government departments, local authorities, energy 

companies and people involved in the “growing 

green” industry. 

The target audience in the Baltics will be the same, 

with the possibility of buying the car for around 

30 000 EUR. Just add electricity, to contort one of 

Peugeot’s marketing campaigns. 

The Mitsubishi connection 

The Peugeot iOn is based on the Mitsubishi i-Miev and 

is being built in Japan. There is an interesting story 

about how it originated. Mitsubishi originally intended 

the i-Miev to be a petrol-only city runabout, principally 

for Japan, but it barely scratched the surface of the 

company’s ambitious sales targets. Mitsubishi then 

decided to develop an electric version and to invite 

Peugeot (and Citroën, who have iOn’s near identical 

twin, the C-Zero) on board. 

The French haven’t simply copied the i-Miev and

emoved the smoking exhaust pipe. They 

have modified the drive selector so that it 

looks like a conventional automatic gearbox 

shift lever, and the battery charge indicator 

looks like a regular fuel gauge. All this to 

add a note of familiarity for those who have 

never driven an electric car before. And that 

means practically everyone. 

More crucially, Peugeot has managed to 

stretch the car’s range by 30% over the 

Mitsubishi to around 150 km, by increasing 

the amount of battery charging during 

deceleration and braking. However, this 

range can easily be halved by a heavy right 

foot or excessive use of the heating or airconditioning. 

A new driving experience 

If this car takes off and electric vehicles 

become the wave of the future, then we 

may have to learn to drive all over again 

and plan our trips a bit more carefully. 

Recharging takes six hours, but you can 

restore the batteries to 80% of capacity in 

30 minutes from a quick-charge point. 

With a restrained approach, you will 

easily keep up with the flow of traffic. Go 

for broke, and with a 47-kilowatt (64hp) 

electric motor developing 180 Nm from 

standstill, you’ll be amazed at how briskly 

electric cars reach the speed of 50-60 km/h. 

Obviously, this will come at some detriment 

to the distance that you can go before your 

batteries need recharging. The powertrain 

in this model is impressively refined as well. 

Stable ride 

The Peugeot iOn is a fairly tall car and stirs 

up quite a bit of wind noise at relatively 

modest speeds, but with the mass of the 

batteries and motor concentrated beneath 

the floor, it feels pretty stable and rides well. 

Claims that the iOn is a four-seater largely 

revolve around the size of the passengers. 

The car does have four doors, though. The 

Peugeot iOn will be about as well-equipped 

as small, high-end petrol or diesel cars, but 

the furnishings aren’t up to the muchimproved 

standards seen on other new 

Peugeots in recent years. 

Ultimately, the attraction will be in zero 

petrol costs and zero emissions. BO 

Zero petrol costs and 

zero emissions 

CARs 

Engine 100% electric 

Power 64 Hp 

Torque 180 Nm 

0-100 km/h 15,9 sec 

Range 150 km 

Recharging 6 h 

CO 2 g/km 0

gAdgEts 

by REINIs ZItMANIs | PUBlICIty PhOtOs 

Bigger vs. Smaller 

Samsung 9000 series 

3D TV 

Truly amazing 

Samsung has amazed the 

world with its new 3D TV 

model UN55C9000. This 

55-inch LED Full HD television 

is just 7.98 millimetres thick, 

which is thinner than your 

phone! Yet it supports a 

240 GHz refresh rate for 3D 

viewing with special glasses. 

It also has WiFi for internet 

content in your living room. 

As a design object, this TV 

set has a special ultra-sleek 

touchscreen remote, with lots 

of modern features, including 

TV viewing while you browse 

through other connected 

devices in your home.

Apple iPod nano 

Small, but packed 

Apple has reinvented the iPod again. This model has less buttons, become 

smaller and turned into a “touchscreen clip”. Attach it to your jacket or bag 

strap, turn the screen toward your face and enjoy a music video. The Multi- 

Touch display will show you your song list and album cover, and can also 

serve as an analogue wrist watch. Very Apple. 

Starts at 159 EUR. 

Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W3 

Finally we can make 3D content ourselves 

Yes, the future is now. As we get 3D TVs and supportive laptops with viewing 

glasses, the necessity to make 3D content has also arrived. And now we can 

do so! Fujifilm has given us a 3D-capable compact camera that can make 

both 2D and 3D still photos at 10 megapixels, as well as 3D HD movies. 

Imagine a kid’s party or your travel video, which you will be able to share 

with your guests on your 3D TV. 

Perhaps 3x zoom or ISO 1600 may not sound all that impressive, but hey, it’s 3D! 

HTC Desire HD 

Does anyone still 

need a tablet? 

Not really, as the new Desire 

HD model has a big and 

bright 4.3-inch screen, which 

is great for websites and 

various Android applications. 

It also has a new aluminium 

unibody, a fast loading 

time and lots of computing 

power, thanks to a 1 GHz 

Qualcomm processor. View 

movies or film HD videos 

with Dolby Mobile SRS sound 

for extra pleasure. This phone 

is packed with all kinds of 

features, including sensors. 

Available starting from October 

2010.


These are the constants that form the 

cornerstone of a good home, no matter 

where you are from. 

However, if we are allowed to dream a little 

more, then the picture of domestic bliss 

rounds out to include a one- or two-car 

automatic garage, large picture windows, an 

outdoor patio and perhaps even a balcony 

that extends from your bedroom. All of these 

features and more are available at a brand 

new development of row houses called Alejas, 

in the tree-filled Mārupe district of Riga. 

The five clusters of row houses of this upscale 

development were built using the highest 

quality building materials, with every detail 

carefully chosen by the architects to ensure 

maximum durability. Likewise, the interiors 

are filled with new appliances and quality 

craftsmanship to guarantee perfect comfort 

for the lucky new occupants. 

Constructed as a gated community, complete 

with paved and lighted roadways, Alejas offers 

its residents a well-organized infrastructure 

and an ideal arrangement of outdoor space. 

The views in all directions take in the verdant 

beauty of the Mārupe district, one of the most 

prestigious suburbs of Riga, located only a 

15-minute drive from the Old Town. 

The biggest advantage of Alejas lies in 

the stylish homes themselves, each of 

which has a different layout and interior 

dimensions. All of the units have two 

stories and the second floor can be reached 

with a stylish staircase that ascends to a 

mezzanine overlooking the living room. 


Alejas: 

a place to call 

your own 

All of us dream of the perfect 

home – a place to call one’s 

own. Although our tastes 

and preferences may differ, 

the essentials of the perfect 

home remain the same – 

fresh air, green grass and 

plenty of space. 

Pinewood doors, cabinets, wardrobes and 

fixtures showcase the latest in minimalist, 

Scandinavian-style design, with its 

characteristic sleek lines, soft lighting, 

burnished natural wood and matted 

aluminum handles and latches. 

These are still rare amenities in Latvian 

homes, but are quickly gaining popularity in 

the country’s newest developments. On the 

patio, families can enjoy an outdoor meal 

on warm evenings, and the balcony is an 

ideal place to sip your morning coffee and 

take in the quiet scenery. 

What you will appreciate most about Alejas is 

the resplendent sense of a true home that this 

Alejas offers its 

residents 

a well-organized 

infrastructure 

new development provides. There is hardly 

a better feeling than cruising the tree-lined 

streets of your neighborhood, pulling into your 

own driveway, parking in your own garage, and 

strolling over to your own front door, where a 

house full of your loved ones is waiting to greet 

you. That is a genuinely priceless feeling that 

makes life all the more worth living. 

For more information on Alejas or to arrange a tour, 

please consult home page at www.alejas.lv

One can often run into architecture students 

peering at the 17th-century residential building 

on Miesnieku iela, where the Dome Hotel & Spa 

can be found. Its reconstruction and remodelling 

into a five-star design hotel took seven years, 

making this one of the most outstanding “slow 

architecture” projects in Riga. The renovators’ 

reverence for the building’s history has earned 

the universal respect of architects and designers. 

However, even those who aren’t specialists in the 

field will feel that they have arrived in a place, 

where time flows at a different pace. The essence 

of O’Spa, which is located within the hotel, can be 

characterized in the same way. 

O’Spa has been set up in the hotel’s historic 

courtyard, which has now been built over. It is 

quite small and in signing up for a procedure, the 

spa will become your own for a time. This isn’t a 

comfort factory, but rather a private oasis that 

seeks to satisfy each customer’s specific needs. 

This exclusivity is reflected in O’Spa’s prices, and 

although these are higher than elsewhere in the 

city, it would be hard to find an equal competitor. 

O’Spa’s “menu” consists of adapted Oriental 


Enjoy a historic touch at Old Riga’s O’Spa 

PhOTOS COURtEsy Of 

DomE HotEL & SpA 

O’Spa 

Miesnieku iela 4, Riga 

Hours: daily from 10:00-20:00 

For bookings, please 

call: (+371) 67509010 

i www.domehotel.lv 

O’Spa is capable of pampering even the most demanding spa 

worshipper. It is a small, intimate establishment in the heart 

of Old Riga, and is housed in a building that is more than 

400 years old. 

relaxation and European rejuvenation techniques, 

which do not take up an overly long period of 

time. English and Russian are the languages that 

one hears most often here, as in the year-anda-half 

since O’Spa opened its doors, its most 

frequent visitors have come from Scandinavia, 

Moscow and Western Europe. Clients often come 

to the spa after long plane flights and emerge 

feeling reborn and replenished. 

The spa’s Hamam Turkish steam sauna, a peeling 

procedure with minerals or a relaxing massage are 

all good ways of achieving this. The massage applied 

with four hands (administered two massagists) 

works well, while the thermotherapy with warm 

bags of rice is especially suited to the cold months, 

cleansing the body and eliminating muscle spasms. 

For a touch of romance, the spa can also be 

reserved by couples, as O’Spa is equipped with 

two small procedure rooms. Up on the hotel’s 

rooftop is another surprise – a Finnish sauna 

with a view of the Dome Cathedral’s gilded clock 

face. By prior arrangement, a sauna master will 

administer an additional honey massage as part of 

your procedure. 


dININg 

Piramīda Restaurant: 

the exoticism of anonymity 


When we travel abroad, we willingly plunge ourselves into 

a world of anonymity—a foreign city, foreign people, and 

foreign surroundings. For this reason, many restaurants 

often seek to counteract this sense of foreignness by 

bombarding us with forced familiarity, often in the form 

of artificial quirkiness and overly enthusiastic attempts 

to make us feel “at home.” But often enough, anonymity 

and privacy is precisely what we desire—after all, we have 

traveled abroad to escape from the familiar and to revel in 

that thrilling sense of namelessness afforded by a foreign 

place. For it is often only in a pleasantly neutral setting, 

without the crutches of affectation or familiarity, that we 

can fully relax and be ourselves. 

Piramīda restaurant in central Riga is the quintessence 

of a comfortably anonymous locale—a bastion of 

privacy and discrete elegance. Hidden inside a giant 

glass pyramid set back several meters from the street, 

the restaurant has sheathed its outer walls in a skin of 

glass, ensuring that patrons can dine in an atmosphere 

of detached exclusivity, hiding away from the hustle 

and bustle of the city outside, without being put on 

view to passersby. But that does not mean they cannot 

observe the surrounding world: the glass pyramid 

affords stunning views of verdant Esplanade Park, right 

across the street, lush with canopy trees in the full 

splendor of autumn colors. The setting is pitch-perfect 

for an intimate dinner for two, or a business lunch with 

representatives from one of the nearby embassies. 

Piramīda’s special talent is to provide a neutral, discrete 

backdrop where either occasion can easily find its place. 

The restaurant is attached to the Ridzene Hotel, which 

recently became a part of the Radisson Blu group of 

international hotels. This not only guarantee a level of 

international quality, as befits the Radisson name, but 

also ensures that diners will be treated to a level of 

service that befits a multi-starred hotel. And the Ridzene

is much more than your average hotel: the building was 

constructed in the late 1980s as a quasi-private hotel for 

Soviet nomenklatura, many of whom had connection 

with the nearby government buildings. The hotel 

therefore had a front seat to many of the negotiations 

of the late glasnost period, which culminated in Latvia’s 

regaining of independence in 1991, though not without 

witnessing a couple evenings of street battles in the 

canal-side park near the hotel. 

But the restaurant’s connection to this historic hotel 

does not mean that the restaurant is solely 

the province of the hotel’s guests. The earlymorning 

breakfast buffet is open to the general 

public, and is ideal for a pre-work meeting over 

a cup of coffee and some scrambled eggs. But 

after the buffet is over, Piramīda becomes a 

full-service restaurant, offering a prix fixe lunch 

menu every afternoon from noon until three 

p.m., with a variety of dishes to choose from. 

Unlike other prix fixe lunch establishments, however, 

Piramīda does not simply offer a simpler version of its 

regular cuisine. On the contrary, guests are treated to 

a full-service feast, with large portions, that showcases 

the Radisson Blu’s standards of high-quality service from 

impeccably dressed waiters. 

Within the glass pyramid that gave the restaurant 

its name, ensconced in an atmosphere of respectful 

neutrality, diners can take a break from the outside world 

and abandon themselves to what they have really come 

to do: eat, drink, and talk. To this end, the restaurant’s 

décor is pleasingly nondescript—neither too drab nor 

too flashy, but rather occupying a space somewhere in 

between: a mixture of casualness and class. 

The menu shies from either overly trendy selections 

or the recent trend in “authentic” Latvian cuisine, 

settling for classic dishes found in gourmet restaurants 

throughout Europe. Starters include such favorites 

as Ceasar salad and shrimp cocktail, along with more 

upscale fare like pan-friend foie gras, octopus terrine, 

and veal carpaccio. Main courses run the gamut from 

dININg 

grilled king prawns served with lobster butter and rice 

noodles, to a grilled rack of lamb with an herb crust, 

served with aubergine caviar and rosemary sauce, 

to that classic hearty autumn favorite, entrecôte of 

Charolais beef served with herbed garlic butter, onion 

rings, and mashed potatoes. 

The dessert menu, albeit seemingly brief, effortlessly 

provides everything that a sated diner could hope for, 

adding a sweet grace note to a hearty meal: baked 

Alaska, crème brûlée, fresh fruit and berries, homemade 

ice cream and sorbet, and a French-style 

cheese platter, served with salted biscuits. And 

the seeming brevity of the dessert menu is 

nicely counteracted by the extensive selection 

of wines and spirits, which range from vintage 

champagnes like a 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal 

Brut, to white and red wines from all over the 

world, with an emphasis on France and Italy. 

Whiskey fans will especially appreciate the 

fine selection of Scotch and single malts, and cognac 

connoisseurs have fifteen different makes to choose 

from. 

By presenting such a classic range of dishes, Piramīda 

allows its visitors to almost instantly choose what 

they wish to order. There is no need to delve into 

indecipherable selections, or overly complex choices. 

The dishes comfortably recede into the background, 

along with the neutral décor and smooth service, and 

allow diners to focus on their conversations—to enjoy 

their time together, whether in a party of two or twenty, 

and abandon themselves to the enjoyment of their 

dining companions. The restaurant discretely supplies 

the raw ingredients—the décor, service, and food—but 

the script for this particular dining experience can be 

written by you alone, however you like it. Think of it as a 

journey to a foreign place, a trip within a trip, or a break 

from your everyday life—a brief sojourn to the thrilling 

exoticism of anonymity. BO 

Reimersa iela 1, Riga | phone +371 67093333 

i www.restaurantpiramida.lv 


OUTLOOK tRAVEl / lONdON 

From highbrow 

posh to 

down-low chill 

TExT AND PhOTOS By ROgER NORUM 

London has thousands of places 

to experience the quintessentially 

English tradition of having your tea 

with cakes, and eating them too 


There is nothing quite as English as teatime. Although the leafy 

diuretic has never been commercially grown anywhere in the 

country (with the exception of the Tregothnan plantation set up 

by a family in Cornwall), tea-taking has been a poplar tradition 

in England for a very long time. As a result, modern-day London 

has no shortage of places to indulge in this quintessentially 

English tradition. You can drink tea as the aristocracy has for 

centuries, or you can add a bit of spice, eschewing prim and 

proper for inventive and irreverent. 

Sketch 

Chef Pierre Gaugasin’s inventive and off-the-wall (yet refined) resto-cafébar 

is offering an experience that lies somewhere between Salvador Dalí 

and Lewis Carroll. Sketch’s teas come served in irreverently mismatched 

dishware (mine was rose-themed, while the woman next to me had a 

gold-plated teapot). Then follows a heaping, tiered collection of finger 

sandwiches, including smoked salmon, cucumber and cooked ham with 

Dijon mustard (this latter one is outstanding), as well as fruit scones served 

with dollops of clotted cream and jam, together with a selection of rich 

chocolate and fruit pastries. Ask to be seated at one of the sofas in the 

back, where you’re likely to meet some interesting Londoners, and don’t 

miss the toilets, crammed into egg-shaped pods. Afterwards, head upstairs 

to Sketch’s art gallery-bar, where the party continues long into the night. 

9 Conduit Street 

i www.sketch.uk.com 

Traditional Afternoon Tea (£27; 3-6pm) 

Fly to London 


€75 

The Stafford London by 

Kempinski 

High Tea was long considered to be 

a working-class evening meal, but 

the tradition was later reclaimed by 

the upper crust of society. Large, 

glamorous London hotels such as 

the Dorchester and the Ritz have long been bastions of English tea-taking 

traditions, but other great establishments are now taking over the torch. 

Looking onto Green Park Kempinski’s re-conceptualisation of London’s 

classic Stafford property fits perfectly with classic, English hotel traditions: 

a converted carriage house and mews, a whiskey-and-cigar bar, meticulously 

outfitted rooms and, of course, a stellar high afternoon tea. 

St. James’s Place 

i www.kempinski.com/london 

High Tea (£25; 3–6pm)

Federation Coffee 

In case you haven’t noticed, south London’s edgy neighbourhood of 

Brixton has been going through some big changes. First it was the 2009 

introduction of the Brixton pound, an alternative currency. Then came the 

revitalisation of the formerly dilapidated, 1870s-era Brixton Village Market. 

Now, great coffee and cakes have finally come to town. Set deep within the 

Market, Federation Coffee serves up rich espressos, lattes and cappuccinos, 

as well as dozens of teas and infusions from TeaPigs. The coffee comes 

from award-winning local brewers Nude Espresso, whose East blend is a mix 

of beans from Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Brazil. You can even pick up a small 

sample of your own to take home (250g; £6-8). Run by New Zealanders 

George Wallace and Nick Coates, Federation Coffee has already moved to a 

larger space after only seven months of operations. Starbucks look out. 

Brixton Village Market 

i www.federationcoffee.com 

Bird and animal 

Princi 

The Italians who run this 

establishment definitely 

know their cannelloni from 

their crostini, as this is 

about as close as you can 

get to a traditional Italian 

pastry shop in London. 

Set on the northern 

edge of the trendy Soho 

district, Princi has a touch 

of classical Rome to it, 

with walls and floors of 

polished limestone. The 

cosmopolitan scene is 

very casual, with families, 

tourists and workaholics 

stopping in for tiny, 

powerful shots of espresso 

(tea isn’t very Italian, so go 

for Princi’s excellent coffee 

instead). Nearly half of 

the establishment is taken 

up by rows upon rows 

of freshly baked pastries 

(most under £3), pizzas, 

breads and cakes. The torta 

pasqualina and passionfruit 

cheesecake are absolute 

musts. 

135 Wardour Street 

i www.princi.co.uk 

watching 

OUTLOOK tRAVEl / lONdON 

in Latvia’s State Forests 

Enjoy a variety of bird and animal species during your own custom tour. 

We offer the most flexible approach to tour organization: combined bird and animal watching days at your pleasure, 

as well as visiting the most beautiful and engaging tourist sights in the neighbourhood. 

www.mammadaba.lv 

Tour duration ● Standard tour: 4 days 

● Small tour: 3 days 

● Big tour: 6 days 

Tour calendar ● Spring tour: April – June 

● Autumn tour: August – October 

Contacts ● Phone +371 69221245 

● e-mail: e.ozols@lvm.lv 

PutnuVerosana-Baltic.indd 1 10/13/10 3:31 PM

fOOd & dRINKs 

Restaurants, bars, cafés 

TExT: ROgER NORUM, KRIs hAAMER, IEVA NORA fIRERE 

PhOTOS: PUBlICIty PhOtOs ANd JANIs sAlINs, REINIs hOfMANIs, f64 

From grandma’s pancakes to world 

renowned cocktails Kohvik Kompott, Tallinn 

Named after an Estonian dessert in 

which fruits are mixed together with 

sugar, Kohvik Kompott is a café that 

looks more similar to grandmothers’ 

pantry than a coffee shop. Perhaps 

it’s the boxes with apples under the 

counter, or the cupboards filled 

with 3-litre jars of pickles and plums, 

along with the antique market scale 

in the corner. 

Although Kompott is right across 

the street from Tallinn’s largest 

university, you won’t find a room 

full of students here. The clientele 

consists mainly of middle-aged 

and senior citizens. There is also 

a play corner for kids, so bring the 

Murales, Riga 

Opened about a year 

ago, Murales is the only restaurant 

in Latvia to serve authentic Sardinian 

cuisine. The offerings include 

seafood, Sardinian sheep milk 

cheese and a multitude of pizzas, 

with the dough for the latter made 

fresh every day, in contrast to other 

Riga eateries. After moving to Latvia 

four years ago, chef Tiziana Chessa 

had a vision of creating simple, 

healthy dishes that bring a ray of 

Mediterranean sunshine to Latvia’s 

northerly latitudes. 

Tiziana has accumulated over 

20 years of experience in the 

restaurant business, and the tastes 

and smells that she conjures up by 

combining local ingredients with 

treats imported from Sardinia are a 

joyous tribute to her skill. This autumn, 

the focus will be on ravioli. While 

the menu already features typical 

Sardinian culurgionis, Tiziana promises 

to experiment with a number of 

unusual fillings, including fish. 

Dzirnavu 84 (Berga Bazārs), Riga 

Hours: Mon.-Fri.10:00-24:00, Sat.- 

Sun.11:00-24:00 | www.murales.lv 

Fly to 6 cities 

in Baltic States 


€60 

whole family, and you can park 

your car for free in the yard, just 

as you would at home. Prices are 

reasonable and the portions are 

decent. The autumn speciality is cep 

mushroom soup, straight from the 

basket of a local mushroom-picker 

who just arrived from the forest, 

or so the waitress will have you 

believe. And of course, pancakes for 

dessert, topped lavishly with freshly 

made strawberry jam – just like 

grandmother used to make. 

Narva mnt. 36, Tallinn 

Hours: Mon.-Fri.10:00-23:00, 

weekends 11:00-23:00. Free Wi–Fi. 

www.kompott.ee

Harry Morgan, Riga 

Harry Morgan’s deli-style sandwiches 

and salads are reputed to be among 

the best in London, and Riga is 

currently the only city outside the 

UK with a franchise. The decision 

to start operations in the Latvian 

capital seems to have been taken 

with foresight, as the brand has 

received a good reception and two 

more Harry Morgan outlets will be 

opened here in the next six months. 

Although they will be smaller than 

the first restaurant, the next two 

branches will offer the same, classic 

deli fare – including salted beef and 

chicken noodle soup – that has 

A21, Helsinki 

Voted last year as the best bar 

in the world by the Epicurean 

readers of the venerated website 

worldsbestbars.com, this posh, 

beau monde cocktail bar is set 

in a former downtown Helsinki 

brothel and sex shop. Press the 

buzzer to be let inside – an act that 

already sets the tone for an air of 

exclusivity – and you will feel like 

you have arrived at the lobby of a 

brand new design hotel. Fine leather 

seating and lit, lacquered tables are 

spread around the dimly lit space of 

private alcoves, with Helsinki’s smart 

and stylish public buzzing about. 

However, it is the drinks that really 

make this place shine. You won’t 

find any run-of-the-mill, Finnish bar 

been known in London since 1948. 

The first Riga restaurant is located in 

the so-called Quiet Centre (Klusais 

centrs), where most of the foreign 

embassies can be found. However, 

despite its proximity to a number of 

Art Nouveau pearls, the bulk of Harry 

Morgan’s customers are locals and 

expats, rather than tourists. Credit 

is also due to star architect Andis 

Sīlis, whose light and airy setting has 

made this delicatessen a delight for 

the eyes, as well as the taste buds. 

Dzirnavu 31, Riga 

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 09:00-23:00, 

Sat.-Sun. 10:00-23:00 

www.harrymorgan.lv 

offerings as Koskenkorva or Karjala 

here. A21’s cocktail experts have 

designed a menu of distinctive 

Finnish drinks, making use of 

typically Nordic ingredients such as 

fresh birch, basil and sea buckthorn. 

The best locally-inspired libations 

include two prized original martinis: 

the Rhuba, which mixes vodka, 

rhubarb, honey and basil leaves; 

and the Rönnvik, a sprightly, sweet 

drink made with cloudberry jam and 

black pepper. Also try the Martinez, 

a pre-modern classic martini made 

from a recipe dating to 1887. 

Annankatu 21, Helsinki 

Hours: Tue.-Thu. 20:00-02:00, 

Fri. 18:00-03:00, Sat. 20:00-03:00, 

Sun. upon request, Mon. closed 

www.a21.fi 

City Space bar & lounge 

(at Swissôtel Krasnye 

Holmy) 

This trendy cocktail bar was 

considered to be one of the world’s 

top ten bars by Bartender’s Guide 

2008. Located on the top floor of 

the Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy (at 

Restaurant Uzbekistan 

If you fancy Oriental cuisine, 

then a meal at the Restaurant 

Uzbekistan will guarantee you an 

experience worth that of a sultan, 

with a wide array of Arab, Chinese 

and, of course, Uzbek dishes to 

choose from. This well-known 

eating establishment is one of 

the oldest restaurants in Moscow, 

Solyanka Club 

During the three years since its 

inception, the Solyanka Club has 

gained a reputation as the Mecca 

of Moscow clubbing. Fridays and 

Saturdays are usually full, so prepare 

to stand in a long queue during 

Fly to Moscow 


€76 

airBaltic Hot Spots 

in Moscow 

Svetlana Malyuk, 

airBaltic Area Manager in Russia 

fOOd & dRINKs 

140 metres above street level), it 

offers a breathtaking, 360-degree 

view of the city. The panorama at 

nighttime, when Moscow practically 

glows, is also fascinating. However, 

the delectable cocktails are another 

reason to come here. One of the 

best barmen in Russia (who won a 

prestigious international World Class 

Bartender of the Year competition in 

2009) also works here. 

Kosmodamianskaya naberezhnaya 

52, Building 6, 34th floor 

of Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy Moscow 

Hours: Mon.-Sun. 17:00-03:00 

www.swissotel.com/moscow 

turning 59 this year. Its luxurious 

interior is maintained in Oriental 

style, complete with hand-painted 

ceilings, carved walls, handmade 

rugs, Chinese floor vases and 

Syrian stools. If you feel as if in a 

palace, then you are not far from 

truth. During the 1990s, a team of 

palace-furnishing masters were 

invited from Tashkent to reconstruct 

the premises. The restaurant’s 

diverse entertainment programme, 

with belly dances, a children’s 

programme on weekends and 

cockfights on Mondays, has gained 

quite a reputation in Moscow. 

Neglinnaya 29/14 

Hours: daily from 12:00 until the last 

guest 

www.uzbek-rest.ru 

the peak hours. The music in this 

night club is fairly diverse and is 

not focused on any one particular 

style, covering such contemporary 

genres as techno, neodisco, 

nu–rave, electro, italo and hip–hop. 

The Solyanka Club features live 

performances by young, homegrown 

bands, and the list of cultural 

offerings is continually being 

expanded. The owners also run a 

monthly magazine, a fashion store 

and a restaurant. 

Solyanka 11/6 

Hours: every day from 18:00 – 06:00 

www.s-11.ru 


An oasis for tired travelers. 

A restaurant where 

the East meets the West, 

in 33 different dishes. 

Bruņinieku 33 

Phone +371 67 292 270, 

www.uzbekistana.lv 

Open daily from 10–23, 

Fridays and Saturdays 

until the last customer. 

fOOd BlOg 

Local exotica 

TExT: RIhARds fRIdENBERgs–KAlNINs, ChEf ANd PROPRIEtOR Of ECOCAtERINg.lV 

PhOTO: lAURIs VIKsNA, F64 

Rihards 

Frīdenbergs- 

Kalniņš 

In Scandinavia, everyone is a hunter or at 

least has a best friend who hunts and elk 

or dear is not a rarity on the table. In Latvia, 

despite the fact that half the country is 

forest, these delicacies are less common, but 

I suspect that as demand increases the roe 

baguettes that I serve up at the Berga Bazar 

market won’t be the only local examples of 

game meat. 

Many bird and animal species found in 

Latvian forests are included in the Red List 

of Threatened Species and hunting them is 

banned. But wild ducks, pigeons, geese, roe, 

elk, deer and boars can be bagged in the 

appropriate season and quantity. 

Since game meat is a seasonal product, it 

is only fitting that the condiments are also 

seasonal, and they should come from the 

same environment as the particular animal. 

Mushrooms and wild berries such as juniper 

berries are great. And when it comes to 

cooking, my advice is to keep things simple 

too. Game has a special flavour and smell 

that is nothing like industrially produced 

meat, so complex marinades and recipes are 

not required. 

baked wild duck 

1 medium-sized wild duck 

0.1 kg forest berries 

0.2 l red wine sauce 

1 clove garlic 

rosemary 

thyme 

bay leaves 

juniper berries 

black peppercorns 

0.1 l quince syrup 

Chop up the garlic clove, along with a bit of 

thyme, rosemary and juniper berries. Rub the 

mixture along the inside of the body cavity. 

Season the duck with salt and pepper. Brown 

the duck briefly in a skillet from all sides. 

Use a brush to baste the duck with quince 

syrup. Put it in the oven and bake at 180o 

C for about 25-35 minutes, depending on 

the size of the duck. Remove from the oven 

and baste again with quince syrup. Place the 

baked duck in a warm place for five minutes 

to “rest” before serving. 

Serve with oven-baked vegetables (carrots, 

turnips, garlic) and rice. 

Sauce 

Place the forest berries in a heated kettle 

and fry them very briefly for about 15-20 

seconds. Pour red wine sauce (which can be 

purchased in delicatessens) over the berries. 

I usually pan fry wild duck, pigeon and 

partridge in olive oil, and to really bring out 

the flavour of the forest I marinate roe and 

deer in olive oil before adding bay leaves 

and juniper berries. BO

Madrid* 

* Seasonal flights. 

Hanover* 

Nice* 

Tromso* 

Umea 

Visby* 

Lulea* 

Vaasa 

Belgrade* 

KITTILA / LEVI 

new from November 

Rovaniemi 

Athens* 

Kuusamo* 

Pskov* 

Odessa* 

Arkhangelsk* 

Simferopol* 

Yerevan* 

Welcome 

aboard airBaltic! 

Beirut 

Amman 

84 airBaltic news / 86 Behind the scenes / 88 What’s That For? 

89 airBaltic Travel / 90 BalticMiles / 94 Meals / 95 Inflight 

entertainment / 96 Fleet / 97 Flight map / 100 Contacts 

Baku* 

airBaltic 

Almaty* 

Dushanbe* 

Sharm el-Sheikh* 

Hurghada*

news 

Riga 

NEws 

IN BRIEf 

1/ stopOver in Riga takes the 

stress out of transit 

2/ Milan linate switch for 

airBaltic services 

3/ New flights to Moscow’s 

domodedovo 

4/ airBaltic and teztour team 

up with Egyptian offers 

5/ low costs win high praise 

84 / AIRBALTICTRAVEL.COM 

PhOTOS: CORBIs, dREAMstIME ANd lIVE RIgA 

1/ stopOver in Riga takes the stress 

out of transit 

For passengers using Riga as a convenient transit point between 

Western and Eastern Europe, the Southern Caucasus and Central 

Asia, who don’t have a same-day connection or want a chance 

to explore Riga, airBaltic is delighted to offer a special StopOver 

travel package. 

The package includes one-way flight tickets with all taxes, a 

comfortable night’s stay at the 4 star airBaltic Hotel Islande, and 

transfers from airport to hotel and back again. The hotel is located 

in Kipsala, near the centre of Riga – a 10-minute walk from the 

Old City. 

Pricing represents particularly good value. For example, coming 

from Moscow you can get to Paris with an overnight stay in Riga 

from EUR 146. Alternatively, the package from Stockholm to 

Barcelona costs from EUR 137. There are plenty of city combinations 

with a StopOver package available, so just ask for details. 

Request the StopOver package price for the itinerary you are 

interested in at any airBaltic ticket office or travel agency or via 

e-mail: stopover@airbaltic.com.

2/ Milan linate switch for airBaltic 

services 

Starting from November airBaltic is changing its destination airport 

in Milan. In future flights will go to Linate airport instead of the 

previous Malpensa airport. 

Linate is just 8 km from the city centre which is a huge improvement 

for passengers travelling for business or leisure. Moreover, Linate 

offers twice as many connecting flights as Malpensa to and from 

other domestic airports in Italy, making the whole of the country 

much more accessible. 

airBaltic operates daily flights between Riga and Milan Linate. 

One-way ticket prices from Riga start from EUR 55. Flights from 

Riga via Linate to other cities in Italy with our partner airline 

Alitalia (including Catania, Trieste, Naples and Palermo) start 

from EUR 185. 

Moscow 

3/ New flights to Moscow’s 

domodedovo 

From November airBaltic is adding a new route from Riga to 

Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, to supplement the existing Riga 

to Moscow Sheremetyevo service. 

airBaltic will fly from Riga to Moscow Domodedovo three times a 

week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The existing Moscow 

Sheremetyevo service continues twice per day. 

One-way ticket prices to both Moscow airports from Riga start 

from EUR 76, with prices from Scandinavia and Finland starting at 

EUR 93. 

NEws 

4/ airBaltic and teztour team up 

with Egyptian offers 

This winter sees airBaltic linking up again with leading tour operator 

TezTour to offer holidays to the Egyptian resorts of Hurghada and 

Sharm el-Sheikh. In a new move, departures will be available from 

Tallinn as well as Riga. 

Flights from both Riga and Tallinn to Egypt will be operating 

throughout the winter on Saturday mornings to Hurghada and 

Sunday mornings to Sharm el Sheikh until mid-April 2011. 

For further details and to book your Egyptian holiday, contact Tez 

Tour: www.teztour.lv, info@teztour.lv, tel: +371 67282480. 

5/ low costs win high praise 

airBaltic has won more recognition – this time courtesy of the World 

Low Cost Airline Awards 2010 in London, which praised the airline’s 

achievements as a “hybrid” airline combining high service levels 

with low costs. 

“This airline has made tremendous strides to remake itself as a truly 

hybrid airline. It has readily adapted to dramatic changes to its 

business environment and the economy of its region. In addition, 

airBaltic is a marketing innovator with a continuous stream of 

revenue-enhancing products and services,” said the award citation. 

airBaltic has previously received the title of Airline of the Year 

2009/2010 (Gold Award) from the European Regions Airline 

Association. It also won the Air Transport World Phoenix Award 2010 

in recognition of excellence in restructuring its business. 

BALTIC OUTLOOK / NOVEMBER 2010 / 85 

news

NEws 

Edgars Āboliņš, 

Operations Centre 

Manager 

Like many of us, Edgars Āboliņš spends his days in front of a computer screen. 

But unlike most of us, Āboliņš has three screens instead of one, and his 

monitors are filled with a complex graph of coloured strips and flashing bands – 

something akin to the shapes and lines in a painting by Piet Mondrian, or the 

threads in a woven ethnographic belt. 

TEhT: RIhARds KAlNINs 

PhOTO: ANdREJs 

stROKINs 

Behind the scenes Veteran Problem-Solver 


This perplexing diagram is actually a stream of up-tothe-minute 

information about all of the flights in the 

airBaltic network. Āboliņš analyzes this information and 

checks to make sure that the flights are operating on 

time, with the proper crews and equipment. If the need 

arises, Āboliņš has the power to cancel or delay flights 

with a single click of his mouse. But fear not: you are in 

good hands. Āboliņš has been working as a professional 

problem-solver for more than 30 years. Baltic Outlook 

met up with Āboliņš on a recent afternoon to discuss his 

long career in aviation. 

During the 1970s and 1980s, you spent 16 years 

working as an on-board flight engineer for Aeroflot. 

That is now an obsolete profession. What did a 

flight engineer have to do? 

Before each flight, the flight engineer was responsible 

for checking all of the aircraft systems and took care of 

many things, including refuelling. During the flights, 

the pilots were in charge of navigation, while the flight 

engineer controlled the flight systems. He sat on the 

jump seat between the pilot and the co-pilot. If there 

were any diversions from the norm, then the engineer

had to notify the captain. I flew mostly on regional 

flights in the Soviet Union to Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. 

Then in the last two years of the Soviet era, our Boeing 

727s began flying to Western destinations in Scandinavia 

and Germany. 

What was the service like in Soviet planes? 

I wouldn’t want to say that it was bad. It all depended on 

the type of plane. They didn’t offer passengers any food, 

just candies – hard candies – and drinks. There weren’t 

any kitchens on the planes. People ate at the cafeterias 

in the airports if they had the time. The pilots could eat 

during the turnaround, but the flight engineer was busy 

refuelling the plane, which took up a lot of time. So we 

had to eat pretty quickly! 

What else has changed in the world of aviation 

since that time? 

Things were more varied back then. Today, every airport 

has lots of service personnel, and everyone knows what 

he or she must do within that mechanism. A plane 

arrives and the ground crews drive up and do everything 

that needs to be done. Back then, every flight was 

different. Each airport had different procedures and 

different ways of doing things. Kiev was different from 

Tbilisi and Tbilisi was different from Ashgabat. 

If problems arise, I have to evaluate 

the situation and find the best 

solution in the given circumstances 

Describe the transition period between Soviet and 

Western aviation. 

Most of the equipment changed, leading to completely 

new requirements and procedures, including safety 

procedures. Many mechanical systems were switched to 

electrical systems. 

And as a result, flight engineers were no longer 

needed? 

Yes, electronics were introduced in the cockpit and 

replaced the flight engineers, who weren’t necessary 

any more, because the computers can calculate nearly 

everything themselves. 

When did you start working at airBaltic? 

At the very beginning, back in 1995. My first job was as 

a flight operations coordinator. Initially, we only had two 

planes and about three flights a day. 

Now you’re the manager of the Operations Centre 

at airBaltic. Can you give us a brief description of 

your duties today? 

Right now we have 35 airplanes. There are many 

NEws 

different factors that influence the operations of these 

planes: weather conditions, technical issues and air 

space restrictions. All of these factors influence the 

entire system. My duty is to minimize the potentially 

negative effect of these factors. I have to balance various 

requirements: those of our passengers, of our individual 

departments (including the technical department), as 

well as those of the flight crews and scheduling, not to 

mention the commercial side of our operations. It is my 

responsibility to make decisions about flight cancellations, 

changes and delays, as well as switching planes and so 

on. Each of our departments has its own interests, but in 

the positive sense of the word. I must arrive at a workable 

compromise so that in the end, the customer is satisfied. 

The volcanic eruption in Iceland last spring was 

undoubtedly a real test for the Operations Centre. 

How did you work through that situation? 

If I remember correctly, the volcano erupted in the 

afternoon. One of our planes got stuck in London and 

another in Dublin, on account of the volcanic ash cloud. 

Then air traffic came to a standstill throughout Europe. 

Nobody flew anywhere for several days. However, we 

examined each situation separately and were one of 

the first airlines to resume all flights, even when many 

companies weren’t flying at all. We based our decisions 

on the latest information that was available and certainly 

didn’t take any risks. All our actions were well-considered 

and so we gradually brought our operations back to 

normal. 

What were your direct duties during that period? 

I analyzed weather conditions and wind patterns, 

studied maps and summarized all the information that 

was available from the relevant authorities. At first, 

even the air control authorities didn’t know what to do. 

Initially the ash zone encompassed all of Europe and 

nobody knew how much the ash would affect air travel. 

Then test flights were conducted and based on this 

information, the air space was divided into several zones, 

including no-fly zones and zones where companies 

could fly at their own risk. After analyzing these maps, 

zones and routes, we made decisions about where to 

fly. The situation changed continually. We received new 

information every couple of hours and also tracked what 

other airlines were doing. 

What is the hardest part of your job? 

If problems arise, then I have to evaluate the situation 

and find the best solution in the given circumstances. 

Somebody may end up grounded due to a cancelled 

flight. That is the hardest part of the job, knowing that 

somebody might not get somewhere. I have to find the 

solution that causes the least damage; perhaps cancel a 

flight that affects the least number of people. However, 

each case is different and there isn’t always a ready 

solution for every situation. BO 


Behind the scenes

what’s that for? 

NEws 

FUEL 

PhOTO: UldIs PElNA 


Aviation fuel has a crucial role every 

time you catch an airBaltic flight – and not just because 

the market price of fuel plays an important part in 

determining the cost of your ticket. 

Jet fuel (which is used in turboprop aircraft too) is 

similar to the diesel fuel used in cars but is cleaner and 

needs to perform to even higher standards. It shouldn’t 

freeze at temperatures down to -50C and it also 

needs to cope with long periods on the ground in hot 

countries where it is being heated by the sun. 

If stored for a long time, one problem is the possibility 

that bacteria can develop. Proper logistics should mean 

that airlines can plan their fuel usage efficiently and do 

not need to leave fuel in storage for long periods. Every 

airport maintains a reserve supply just in case there 

is a temporary problem in the supply chain. The fuel 

is stored in big tanks similar you can see near ports or 

refinery factories. 

The amount of fuel on board varies according to the 

route – the aircraft’s tanks are not just filled up each 

time, as carrying extra fuel would be wasteful. More fuel 

means more weight, which means bigger emissions. 

The amount always includes a sufficient reserve so that 

the plane could divert to another airport if necessary. 

To maximise fuel economy it is important to plan the 

most efficient route, taking into account weather and 

airspace restrictions. Precise weight and load planning 

is crucial too – airBaltic even monitors the number of 

newspapers and magazines on board to ensure excess 

weight is not being carried. 

Remember that fuel isn’t the only liquid your airBaltic 

plane will be carrying. There’s also 60 litres of fluid 

contained in the hydraulic systems, and 16 litres of oil in 

each engine (for a Boeing 737) – and that’s not including 

the water in the toilets or orange juice for the passengers! 

Refuelling is always done by highly qualified 

specialists at refuelling companies as it requires special 

procedures. One of the most visible procedures is that 

the aircraft has to be connected to the fuelling truck 

with a wire before refuelling starts: this is to equalize 

the electrical potential of the source and the aircraft to 

prevent the risk of sparks. During refuelling itself, the 

fuel is pressurised up to 40 PSI and delivered at a rate of 

1 tonne per minute. 

Efforts to make flying a greener experience are moving 

ahead with hopes that the next generation of jet 

fuels will be derived from bio sources and have lower 

emissions. The first bio-fuel testing was performed this 

year on jet engines and may be certified by end of this 

year but remains expensive to produce.. BO

NEws 

Discover BalticMiles 

loyalty programme! 

With many travel, telecommunications, 

financial and retail partners, BalticMiles is a 

highly rewarding loyalty programme offering 

you many opportunities to earn and spend 

miles. 

You can join BalticMiles free of charge 

regardless of age or country of origin and 

New York 


earn valuable miles every time you fly 

airBaltic or purchase products or services 

from an ever growing list of partners. 

Afterwards, exchange your collected miles 

for free flights to more than 70 destinations, 

or choose from an extensive list of leisure 

activities and exciting rewards at BalticMiles 

shop. 

Exclusive benefits for 

frequent flyers 

As part of the BalticMiles programme, airBaltic 

recognizes and rewards those customers who 

have flown an exceptional amount. The more 

frequently you travel, the sooner you will 

advance to higher membership levels, each 

giving you greater privileges (like priority checkin, 

access to business lounges and free baggage 

allowance), and you will earn more miles too. 

Join today 

Register online at www.balticmiles.com 

or fill in the application form you will find 

onboard airBaltic flights or at airBaltic ticket 

offices. After registration, you will receive a 

confirmation e-mail and your membership 

card in the post. 

Remember to present your personal 

membership number every time you book 

a flight and to show your card at check-in 

and whenever you use BalticMiles partner 

products and services. 

Earn and spend your 

miles with sAs – right 

across the Atlantic 

In addition to being the flag carrier of Denmark, 

Norway and Sweden, SAS is also the largest 

airline in Scandinavia. Currently operating 

143 aircraft, SAS flies to 175 destinations from 

over 30 countries. The airline’s main hubs 

are Copenhagen (the main European and 

intercontinental hub), Stockholm-Arlanda and 

Oslo Gardermoen airports. In 2008, SAS carried 

29 million passengers, making it the ninthlargest 

airline in Europe. 

This is all good news for BalticMiles members. 

Now you can earn and spend miles on selected 

SAS flights within Europe and to the USA, 

from Scandinavia to Geneva, Luxembourg, 

Manchester, Chicago, New York and 

Washington DC. 

For more info about earning and spending 

opportunities with SAS, please visit 

www.balticmiles.com

lighten the load: Use your miles to pay excess baggage fees 

We all worry about overloading our 

bags and paying the price at the 

airport. But here’s some good news to 

help you lighten up! Now BalticMiles 

members can use Baltic Miles to pay 

for any excess baggage. Think of it this 

way – by earning miles for flying or 

making purchases worldwide with your 

BalticMiles MasterCard, the baggage 

almost pays for itself. 

As long as you are flying from Riga 

with airBaltic, you can pay for excess 

baggage by using your miles in blocks of 

5 kilograms starting from 10 000 miles. 

Once everything has been calculated 

and paid for, just take your excess 

baggage redemption slip to the drop 

off counter. No more excess baggage 

worries for your flight. 

NEws 

lux Express 

opens new Riga – 

st Petersburg route 

Starting from December this year, 

BalticMiles members can travel from 

Riga to St Petersburg in comfort 

and either earn 200 miles or spend 

2400 miles when traveling this route 

by Eurolines Lux Express. The total 

travelling time of 10.5 hours makes Lux 

Express a very comfortable alternative 

to the standard bus service. 

Lux Express offers: 

• Complimentary internet (wi-fi) 

• Complimentary hot drinks and 

newspapers 

• Climate conditioner 

• Power supply beside every seat pair 

(220 V) 

• Audio-video program in co-operation 

with TV channel • Seitse 

• More leg room and reclining seats 

• WC 

In addition to daily departures from 

Riga to St Petersburg, Lux Express also 

stops at Riga Airport. 

Book your ticket starting from 

November 15. For more information 

and booking visit www.luxexpress.eu 


shop&Earn from BalticMiles: 

A step-by-step guide 

With Shop&Earn from BalticMiles, you can spend your miles with 

over 400 international merchants online. 

For example, purchase a new pair of luxury UGG boots and Earn 

2 Miles per every 1 USD spent at the UGG® Australia home page! 

Visit the Ed Hardy website, a hard-hitting, celebrity-driven homage 

to tattoo fashion, and Earn 3 Miles per 1 USD you spend. Or shop 

at Liberty and choose from Miu Miu, Manolo Blahnik and other 

big names in avant-garde fashion, design, beauty, gifts and home 

ware and Earn 3 Miles per 1 GBP. 

But fashion is just the beginning! There are thousands of items to 

choose from like books, electronics, toys, sports gear and other 

great gifts. Ready to shop? Just follow this simple step-by-step 

process: 

First, go to www.balticmiles.com and click on the Earn Miles link 

located on the top bar. On the next page, click on the Shop&Earn 

link just below the main bar. Be sure to login to Shop&Earn with 

your account info (this important step allows us to track the miles 

you’ve earned while shopping). 

Once logged in, select the merchant you wish to explore and 

click on that partner’s homepage link. From there, you can make 

your purchase, and every mile you earn will be credited to your 

account 6-8 weeks after you make your purchase. 

BalticMiles shop makes holiday 

shopping easy 

The Christmas season and the inevitable holiday shopping are 

right around the corner. This year, let your miles help you do 

your shopping and give yourself more time to enjoy the season. 

Starting from just one mile, you can purchase great gifts from 

BalticMiles Shop from the comfort of your home or office. Who 

knows? You may even get a few great gift ideas while you’re 

browsing! 

Using miles to purchase gifts can save you money too. Not to 

mention time. Who wants long queues in shops or heavy traffic 

on the motorways en route to the post office? Order gifts from 

BalticMiles Shop in November to be sure they arrive before 

Christmas, and save some time along the way. 

So relax this holiday season. Go to www.shop.balticmiles.com.

EARN miles 

Bonus Deals: bring on the miles! 

Sometimes great offers come along that allow you to 

earn lots of miles all at once. These are our Bonus Deals in 

which a single purchase can earn a big collection of miles 

to be added to your account. Check out these four great 

deals – you may feel a little like Christmas has come early 

this year! 

Stenders Set “Deep Relaxation” 

Pay 44.78 EUR | Earn 780 Miles 

Giorgio Visconti Brilliant earrings 0.07ct 

Pay 365.99 EUR | Earn 7 845 Miles 

Emils Gustavs Truffles Selection 

Pay 19.57 EUR | Earn 303 Miles 

iPod Nano 8GB Black 5th Generation 

Pay 166.50 EUR| Earn 730 Miles 

sPENd miles 

NEws 

Shop with your miles & win a trip to Berlin! 

This Christmas, start your shopping online and continue in Berlin. At 

BalticMiles Shop you can get some great gift ideas while choosing 

from a wide variety of items. By making any purchase at BalticMiles 

shop till 15 Nov, you’ll be automatically entered to win a trip for two 

to one of Europe’s hottest shopping destinations, Berlin! 

You never know where your shopping will take you. 

Paco Rabanne Lady Million EDP 50 ml 

11 273 Miles | 73.28 EUR 

Stenders Gift Set “1001 Night” 

7 871 Miles | 51.16 EUR 

Lene Bjerre Teddy Bear 

8 550 Miles | 60.13 EUR 

Samsung Galaxy S 

93 561 Miles | 608.15 EUR 

All prices displayed include shipping to Latvia. Price and availability are subject to change depending on the delivery country. 


meals 

NEws 

Business class / On all airBaltic 

flights, Business class passengers will 

enjoy a complimentary full meal including 

appetizer, hot main course, dessert (except 

flights shorter than one hour, where snacks 

are served instead), and a wide range of 

beverages and alcoholic drinks. 

Offer 

of the month 

No other airline in the world 

offers its passengers a deal like 

this! Purchase an LG 32” TV during 

your airBaltic flight and pay EUR 

200 less (on average) than in 

retail shops. This opportunity is 

brought to you by LSG Sky Chefs 

and lasts till November 15. Expect 

more amazing offers like this 

every month! 


MEALS 

On flights lasting longer than three hours, 

we offer a double service—first a full hot 

meal served with beverages, followed by a 

snack consisting of coffee or tea and a small 

dessert. On night flights with early morning 

arrival, we provide a “wake-up” service with 

tea or coffee and a light breakfast. 

how to get 

your tV? 

• Purchase a voucher on 

board; 

• Visit 

www.airBalticCafe.lv – 

fill in the billing 

information, shipping 

address and pay the 

rest of the amount; 

• Enjoy free shipping 

with DHL to any 

Member State of 

European Union! 

Maximum delivery 

time: 5 working days. 

November is Latvian 

Cuisine Month in 

Business class 

From St. Martin’s Day on 

November 10 to Independence 

Day on November 18 we will be 

offering traditional Latvian dishes 

made with Latvian ingredients 

such as roast goose, game, grey 

peas, rye bread pudding and 

crumble cake, as well as a pumpkin 

snack with Rušonas cheese. 

Economy class / Economy 

class passengers can purchase a selection 

of snacks, hot meals (on flights longer 

than 1 h. 30 min.) and beverages from 

the onboard menu cards. To save money 

and time, preorder your meal before the 

flight, either at the airBaltic website or 

ticket offices. This will guarantee that your 

choice will be available, and that you’ll be 

served first.

Robin Hood Adventure, drama 

Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, William Hurt, Russell 

Crowe, Cate Blanchett 

Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe stars 

in a captivating reimagining of the popular 

mythology that has in spired generation after 

generation of adventurers. The legendary 

figure of 13 th century England, along with his 

band of marauders, confronts corruption in 

the local village of Nottingham and leads an 

uprising against the crown that will forever 

alter the balance of world power. 

Sex and The City 2 

Comedy, romantic drama 

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin 

Davis, Cynthia Nixon 

Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda finally 

have everything the ladies ever wished for, but it 

wouldn’t be “Sex and the City” if life didn’t hold 

a few more surprises questioning the traditional 

roles of marriage, motherhood and more. This 

time- far away from New York whisking the four 

away to one of the most luxurious, exotic and 

vivid places on earth – Abu Dhabi. 

Shrek Forever After 

Cartoon, family 

Voices: Antonio Banderas, Cameron Diaz , 

Eddie Murphy and others 

After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a 

beautiful princess and saving the kingdom Shrek 

longs for the good old days he felt like a “real 

ogre” and is duped into signing a pact with the 

evil Rumpelstiltskin. Finding himself in a twisted, 

alternate version of Far Far Away it’s up to Shrek to 

restore his world and reclaim his one True Love. 

INFLIGHT 

ENTERTAINMENT 

On flights longer than 2 hours 30 minutes, 

passengers can rent portable entertainment 

devices pre-loaded with movies, cartoons, serials, 

music and games. 

TV serials: Dr. House | 30 Rock | The Office | Friends | Glee 

For kids: My gym partner's a monkey | Looney Tunes 

(new episodes) | The Batman (new episodes) | 

The Simpsons | Family Guy | Wallace and Gromit | 

Camp Lazio 

NEws 

Edge of Darkness 

Drama, thriller 

Cast: Mel Gibson; Danny Huston, Shawn Robert 

Thomas Craven is a veteran homicide 

detective for the Boston Police Department 

and a single father. When his only child, is 

murdered on the steps of his home, everyone 

assumes that he was the target and embarks 

on a mission to find out about his daughter’s 

secret life and her killing. His investigation leads 

him into a dangerous, looking- glass world of 

corporate cover-ups, government collusion. 

From Paris with Love 

Thriller 

Cast: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 

Kasia Smutniak and Richard Durden 

A personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador in 

France, James Reese has an enviable life in 

Paris, but his real passion is his side job as a 

low-level operative for the CIA. So when he’s 

offered his first seniorlevel assignment, he can’t 

believe his good luck – until he meets his new 

partner, Charlie Wax. 

Alice in Wonderland 

Fantasy, Adventure 

Cast: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena 

Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover 

Alice returns to the whimsical world she first 

encountered as a young girl, reuniting with 

her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, 

Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, 

the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of 

course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a 

fantastical journey to find her true destiny and 

the Red Queen’s reign of terror. 


entertainment

fleet 

NEws 

Boeing 757-200 

Boeing 737-500 Q400 Nextgen fokker 50 

Number of aircraft 7 

Number of seats 120 

Max take-off weight 58 metric tons 

Max payload 13.5 metric tons 

Length 29.79 m 

Wing span 28.9 m 

Cruising speed 800 km/h 

Commercial range 3500 km 

Fuel consumption 3000 l/h 

Engine CFM56-3 


3 

76 

29.6 metric tons 

8.6 metric tons 

32.83 m 

28.42 m 

667 km/h 

2084 km 

1074 l/h 

P&W 150A 

Boeing 737-300 


Number of seats 142/144/146 

Max take-off weight 63 metric tons 


Length 32.18 m 





Engine CFM56-3C-1 


Number of seats 46/50/52 

Max take-off weight 20.8 metric tons 


Length 25.3 m 





Engine P&W 125 B

Baltics The Full Service Property House - Air Baltic

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?