rapujuhla - Air Baltic

ExClusivE / David Coulthard talks to Baltic Outlook 

Your guide to Delicious Food Festivals in Europe 

Jazz Gems For Autumn 

Where the East 

Meets the West 

Tbilisi 

OCTOBER 2010 

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Thought Simulacra and 

Simulation 

City Icons Arch-Engel. Helsinki 

Airport Capturing the Essence 

of Lebanon. Beirut 

Agenda October 2010 

Beirut The Armenian Quarter 

October details and Jazz Gems 

for Autumn 

Traveler Travel like a Travel Writer 

Interview New Kid on the Block. 

Markus Salmberg 

Style A Cockpit Timepiece 

Review Latest Books, Movies, 

CDs 

Your Next Destination Tbilisi: 

Where the East Meets the West 

40 

48 

52 

64 

68 

72 

78 

80 

85 

CONTENTS / OCTOBER 

Interview David Coulthard. 

Coulthard’s Hard Cult 

Live Riga The Designed 

Environment 

Food Festivals A Guide to 

Delicous Food Festivals 

Travel Finland. The Forecast Calls 

for rapujuhla 

Cars Nissan Juke 

Gadgets Let’s Talk! 

Dining Restaurant 1221 and other 

Season’s Delights in Riga and 

Baltics 

airBaltic News 

BALTIC OUTLOOK / OCTOBER 2010 / 1

Dear Passenger, 

Bertolt Flick, 

President and CEO, 

airBaltic 

A mEssAgE fROm ThE CEO 

airBaltic started operations in October 1995, exactly 10 years ago. At 

airBaltic, we don’t reflect too much on past achievements but rather on 

the challenges of today and tomorrow. And there are plenty of these – fuel 

prices, competition, new EU plans to “balance the growth of aviation” i.e. 

to restrict it, as well as some home-made problems. 

I wrote these exact words in October 2005, five years ago, and they still are 

true. A lot of things have changed over the last fifteen years. airBaltic has 

grown from two to thirty-four aircrafts, the network has expanded from 

5 routes to almost 100, and the Baltic States have gone through a period of 

uninhibited growth followed by a recession without precedent. 

However, aviation has developed in our home markets, the Baltics and 

Finland, and the main beneficiary is the customer. When I look at old 

timetables, prices and business reports, I see how few flights were offered 

only a few years ago and how prices have changed. The lowest price from 

Riga to Berlin via Copenhagen was 400 Euros 10 years ago, and a mid and 

a weekday flight from Riga to Stockholm was 700 Euros. Today, flights on 

average don’t cost more than 70 to 80 Euros, with the lowest prices being far 

lower. We have come a long way as airlines in the region, offering a better 

service at a lower price. I am very proud to have been be a part of this 

development. 

Enjoy your flight! 


DETAILS / ThOUghT 

Simulacra 

and Simulation 

TExT: RIhARDs KALNINs 

In writing for Baltic Outlook, I have gotten to know quite 

a bit about the aviation industry. While there are many 

departments that support an airline’s operations – 

including products and services, marketing and network 

planning, to name just a few – the thing that makes an 

airline different from a typical company is the fact that 

these departments work to send enormous aircraft 

soaring through the skies. And the people most directly 

in charge of this extraordinary activity (for what isn’t 

extraordinary about 50-ton hunks of metal hurtling 

through the atmosphere?) are the airline’s pilots. 

I got to experience the joy of flight without ever leaving 

the ground – in the Boeing 737 flight simulator at the 

airBaltic Training Center. This machine is where pilots 

earn their Type Rating certificate for the 737, which 

allows them to pilot this type of aircraft. 

The Boeing 737 simulator itself completely replicates the 

full flight experience, complete with shocks and struts 

The Boeing 737 simulator itself 

replicates the full flight experience 

For more about the 

Boeing 737 flight 

simulator and how it 

works, see the short 

interview with airBaltic 

pilot Markus Salmberg 

on page 24. 

that recreate the movements of a real aircraft. The entire 

cockpit is identical to the cockpit of an actual plane, and 

the screens behind the windows replicate the view from 

a plane so faithfully that it is impossible to tell you’re 

looking at a simulacrum. In fact, the entire sensation 

of being inside the simulator is absolutely uncanny: 

whenever you remind yourself that you are sitting inside 

the Training Center, and are not actually up in the air, 

something threatens to snap deep within your brain. 

Before I stepped inside the simulator, I cracked a 

joke about having stayed up all night playing the 

1980s computer game Flight Simulator, to which my 

flight instructor, Captain Gerhard Ramcke, soberly 

responded, “This is not a game.” When Ramcke had 

finally buckled me into my seat and instructed me on 

how to manipulate the steering wheel and monitor my 

progression on a series of dials, I realized that he was 

right. I was sweating so profusely even before “leaving” 

the ground, that I was afraid he would send me back 

home, where I could sit safely at my own desk, securely 

ensconced behind a computer screen. 

However, as soon as my “plane” swerved down the 

runway and unsteadily lifted up into the air, I felt a rush 

of relief. A stunning vista opened up before me. I could 

see the Daugava River snaking through the verdant 

landscape up to the sea, which radiated a perfect blue. 

I could track the white sands of the beaches, which 

stretched as far as the eye could see, weaving up to the 

Estonian border. But most of all, I could feel the thrilling 

sensation of flight: the aircraft responding to the 

slightest movement of my hand, banking left or right 

at my command. The sensation was exhilarating. I was 

in control, and surrounded on all sides by the sublime 

beauty of our earth. 

Why I finally “landed” the aircraft and strolled outside 

into the bright sunlight, I understood why those aviator 

glasses are always mirrored. It’s so you can see exactly 

what a pilot is smiling at – the surrounding world, our 

world, which we so often take for granted. When seen 

from above, the earth looks like a heavenly vision, full 

of bold colour and beatific shapes and forms. Viewing 

it from above reminds us of its fundamental beauty, 

although sometimes we need a simulacrum to make us 

appreciate the real thing. BO

DETAILS / CITY ICONs / hELsINKI 

TExT: ROgER NORUm | PHOTO: DREAmsTImE 

Arch-Engel: 

Carl Ludvig Engel (1778 – 1840), architect, designer 

and city planner of Helsinki 

Wunderkind 

Educated in Berlin, Engel was 

hired in 1816 by Tsar Alexander I 

of Russia as the official architect 

for the rebuilding of Helsinki. 

(Finland at the time was a Grand 

Duchy in the Russian Empire.) 

Engel subsequently designed 

and built 30 Empire-style public 

buildings across the city until his 

death. 

“Few architects have the good 

fortune to plan an entire city,” he 

once penned in a letter to a friend. 

From Russia with love 

Among other iconic structures, 

Engel built what is now the 

main edifice of the University of 

Helsinki, as well as the president’s 

residence and city hall. He 

modelled his designs on buildings 

that he had seen in St. Petersburg, 

Russia, and whose Neoclassical 

grandeur deeply captivated him. 

Consequently, these two Baltic 

6 / AIRBALTIC.COM 

seaports now bear a striking 

resemblance to each other, and 

the Finnish capital has often 

body-doubled for St. Petersburg 

and other Russian cities in such 

Hollywood films as Doctor 

Zhivago, Reds, Gorky Park, White 

Nights and the recent, Frenchproduced 

feature Farewell. 

Mit Deutschem Akzent 

Before moving to Finland, Engel 

worked for a few years as the 

town architect of Tallinn, Estonia. 

He arrived in Helsinki in 1816 

and lived there until his death in 

1840. Described by his friends 

as a “German adventurer” who 

enjoyed spending long evenings 

playing cards, Engel managed 

to learn both Swedish and the 

notoriously hard-to-learn Finnish 

language. However, he always 

spoke both tongues with a 

terribly strong German accent. 

This may have accounted for the 

Fly to Helsinki 

with airBaltic from 

€46 

fact that during most of his time 

in Finland, Engel remained an 

extremely soft-spoken man. 

Harsh Finnish winters 

Since Helsinki had been severely 

damaged by fire in 1808, Engel 

had his work cut out for him 

when he accepted the project 

of rebuilding the new Finnish 

capital. But, seeing his chance 

at immortality, he took it upon 

himself to weather decades 

of harsh Finnish winters. As 

Engel put it, “There is really a 

tremendous amount of work to 

be done here, and were I not an 

extremely content man, I would 

never have stayed.” 

Sunday services 

Engel’s greatest work is by far the 

magnificent Lutheran Cathedral 

(or Tuomiokirkko in Finnish) 

on Helsinki’s Senate Square. It 

stands out prominently with its 

Fascinating Finnish 

Factoids: 

Average income tax: 

31.5% (lower than in the 

other Nordic countries) 

VAT: 23% on most goods 

Number of lakes in 

Finland: 187,880 (more 

than any other country 

in the world) 

Population of Finland: 

5.35 million 

Number of saunas in 

Finland: 2 million 

Human population 

of Finnish Lapland: 

188,000 

Reindeer population 

of Finnish Lapland: 

210,000 

Average number of 

daily cups of coffee 

consumed by Finns: 5.7 

Thank You: 

Hanna Muoniovaara-Porvari 

and Mari Lihr, Helsinki City 

Tourist & Convention Bureau 

(www.visithelsinki.com) 

tall green dome, four smaller 

domes on a Greek-cross plan 

and symmetrical colonnade with 

pediments. The design of the 

building alone took a decade, 

and its construction – which 

began in 1830 – hadn’t even 

been completed at the time of 

Engel’s death. 

Interestingly, the monumental 

steps in front of the church were 

actually designed by the Tsar 

himself, who also dabbled in 

architecture. Alexander I ordered 

Engel’s original main guard 

façade to be demolished and 

replaced by the current granite 

staircase, which he felt would 

better enclose the church. The 

street on which the church is 

situated, Aleksanterinkatu, was 

named after the Tsar, and the 

statue of his son, Tsar Alexander 

II of Russia, was erected half a 

century later in the middle of the 

square by the church. BO

DETAILS / AIRPORT 

Capturing the essence 

of Lebanon: 

Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport 

My first impressions of Beirut, which the 

New York Times last year dubbed the world’s 

number one destination, were naturally 

obtained at the airport. Among the first 

words that came to mind were: 

hospitality, modernity and 

adaptability, which – as I was soon 

to discover – also reflect the spirit 

of Lebanon’s capital, along with 

amazing resilience in the face of 

the harshest blows. 

The airport’s location on the 

shores of the Mediterranean 

would surely place it on the list 

of the most beautiful take-offs 

and landings, with a runway that 

stretches out into the sea to reduce noise 

in the capital. Branding itself “the hub of 

the Middle East,” Beirut has ambitious plans 


BeIRut 

Hopes to 

tRIple Its 

pAssengeR 

numBeRs, 

ReAcHIng 

16 mIllIon 

In 2035 

for the next 25 years. The airport’s new 

passenger terminal was completed in 2002, 

restoring Beirut to its position amongst the 

leading air travel centres in the region. 

Even the Israeli missile strikes 

four years ago, which temporarily 

paralysed air traffic, have not 

tarnished Beirut’s reputation as 

a modern, convenient airport. 

To increase passenger numbers, 

the airport will soon have a 

new taxiway and runway. Its 

existing runway will also be 

rebuilt, and 12 hangers for a new 

General Aviation Terminal will 

be constructed. There are also 

plans to build new gates for serving the 

mighty new Airbus A380. Currently Dubai 

International Airport is the central player 

Fly to Beirut 


€135 

TExT: NORA TIRUmA 

PHOTO: gETTY ImAgEs 

Beirut-Rafic Hariri 

International Airport 

Opened in 1954; 

Served 6.8 million passengers 

in 2009; 

52 airlines flying from Beirut 

in 2010; 

Renamed Beirut-Rafic Hariri 

International Airport in honour 

of the Lebanese prime minister 

who was assassinated earlier 

that year. 

in the region, but Beirut hopes to gradually 

triple its passenger numbers, reaching 16 

million in 2035. 

By 2035, there may also be other means 

of ground transportation available, but 

currently the easiest way to get from the 

airport to the city centre is by taxi. The 

taxis don’t have meters, and thus the price 

that travellers must pay for the 9-kilometre 

journey ranges from 30 to 60 USD. It all 

depends on your bargaining skills. Another 

way of getting even a rough idea of the 

proper price is to ask your hotel to book 

the cab. Whatever the final amount, the trip 

from the airport is sure to be an adventure 

in itself, offering an introduction to 

Lebanese driving, with neither red lights nor 

speed limits seeming to apply here. BO 

www.beirutairport.gov.lb

DETAILS / LOCAL AgENDA TExT: NORA TIRUmA | PUBLICITY PhOTOs 

OCTOBER / 2010 

Baltic Pearl (Baltijas Pērle) film festival 

Riga / October 20-26 

Baltic Pearl is one of the most important, annual cultural events in Riga. 

Included in its repertoire are movies that have thrilled audiences at other film 

festivals in Cannes, Venice and Berlin. This year is no different. 

The latest Cannes Film Festival will be represented at Baltic Pearl by 

12 exemplary films, including Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 

by Apichatpong Weerasekathul, which won the coveted Palme d’Or award, 

Of Gods and Men by Xavier Beauvois (Grand Prix) and Mathieu Amalric’s On 

Tour (Best Director). 

One of the most outstanding films in the festival programme is A Single Man, 

directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, with the main role going to Colin 

Firth. His portrayal of British professor George Falconer has already been 

acclaimed by film critics as the actor’s magnum opus. 

It’s November 30, 1962. Los Angeles. Native Brit George Falconer, an English 

professor at a Los Angeles area college, is finding it difficult to cope with life. 

Jim, his personal partner of sixteen years, died in a car accident eight months 

earlier when he was visiting with family. This day, George has decided to get 

his affairs in order before he commits suicide that evening. As he routinely and 

fastidiously prepares for the suicide and post-suicide, George reminisces about 

his life with Jim. But George spends this day with various people, who see a man 

sadder than usual and who affect his thoughts about what he is going to do. 

A powerful and stylish film. Firth received an award for best actor in his role 

as Professor Falconer at last year’s Venice Film Festival. 

i www.balticpearl.lv 

Young talents’ gallery, 

concert no 1, Vilnius 

/ October 15 

This classical music concert will 

hopefully represent the beginning 

of a new tradition started by the 

Lithuanian maestro, conductor 

Gintaras Rinkevičius. It is part of 

a series of concerts designed to 

feature new talents one step before 

they become global icons in the 

world of classical music. 

The inaugural concert’s soloist 

is 24-year-old Jelena Semionova, 

the same violinist who previously 

won the Paganini competition 

in Moscow. At the age of nine, 

she obtained second prize at the 

international Sergei Prokofiev 

competition. At 15, she won the 

Grand Prix at the 21st Century 

Virtuosos. More than ten 

latvian design and 

lifestyle showroom Riija, 

6/8 Tērbatas Street, Riga 

/ Open from October 8 

The Latvian design and lifestyle 

showroom RIIJA is a new concept 

store in central Riga, offering 

one-stop shopping for products by 

various local designers. The broad 

selection ranges from fine bed 

international prizes are in her 

account, which explains the honour 

of opening this concert cycle at 

the Young Talents’ Gallery. Works 

by Franz Waxman, Maurice Ravel, 

Niccolò Paganini, Claude Debussy 

and Felix Mendelssohn are all in the 

program, with Rinkevičius himself 

conducting the Lithuanian State 

Symphony Orchestra. 

i www.lvso.lt 

linen, towels and casual clothes 

to original furniture, crockery 

and lampshades, all produced 

by local designers who combine 

traditional Latvian craftsmanship 

with a contemporary world-view. 

You are almost certain of finding 

something that you will like either 

for your own needs, or as a gift for 

a friend.

solo concert of the 

Latvija choir conducted 

by māris sirmais 

Moscow / October 31 

After an absence of several years, 

the Latvija choir is set to conquer 

Moscow once again. This time, 

it will perform at the Tchaikovsky 

Concert Hall, by special invitation 

of the Russian Minister for Culture. 

The programme will include Frank 

Baltic House 

(Балтийский дом) 

international theatre 

festival 

St. Petersburg / 

September 27-October 10 

Baltic House is not only one of 

the best annual showcases for 

European theatre performances, but 

also a workshop that traditionally 

leads to the creation of new 

names and new projects. During 

this year’s festival, for example, 

producers Andrey Zholdak and 

Vladas Bagdonas will stage a joint 

production written by Venedict 

Yerofeyev. 

Apart from the workshops, this 

Martin’s Mass for double choirs, 

Francis Poulenc’s Figure humaine, 

Arvo Pärt’s Deer’s cry, Pēteris 

Vasks’ Tomtit’s message (Zīles ziņa), 

Georgi Sviridov’s Winter morning, 

Ēriks Ešenvald’s Drop in the ocean 

(Piliens okeānā) and Veljo Tormis’ 

Curse upon iron. 

The repertoire includes special 

musical contributions from 

Latvia, Estonia, Russia and further 

afield. Conductor Māris Sirmais 

claims that the Mass for double 

choirs and Figure humaine hail 

from the Golden Repertoire of 

world choir music, and require a 

particular degree of mastery and 

professionalism to be performed 

properly. 

Composer Veljo Tormis has 

incorporated the history and 

destinies of the three Baltic 

nations for years in his music, and 

Arvo Pärt’s Deer’s cry is specially 

dedicated to the Latvija choir. The 

choir performed the world première 

of this piece in Ireland two years 

ago at the Baltic Voices in Ireland 

festival, to great critical acclaim. 

year’s programme will also be 

unique in other respects. Being 

the 20th anniversary festival, it will 

feature a selection of the best plays 

shown over the last decade, and 

will stage, among others, A long life, 

the internationally acclaimed work 

by Alvis Hermanis of the New Riga 

Theatre. 

New plays have also been promised, 

including Person. Merilin by Krystian 

Lupa, Medea by Kama Ginkas 

and Children of the Sun by Luke 

Percival. Moreover, the legendary 

Lithuanian director Eimuntas 

Nekrosius has produced Othello 

especially for this festival. 

i www.baltichouse.spb.ru

DETAILS / AgENDA 

Brussels 

The World of Lucas 

Cranach, Centre for 

Fine Arts / October 16 – 

January 23 

For the first time in any of the 

Benelux countries, an exhibition of 

works by Lucas Cranach, the famed 

16th-century German artist, will go 

on display. While Cranach’s Northern 

Renaissance art is considered to be 

among the pinnacles in European 

painting, art historians nevertheless 

philosophise over the reasons for 

Cranach’s success. 

As it turns out, the quality of his art, 

the genres that he chose (including 

hunting scenes and eroticism), the 


TExT: IN AssOCIATION WITh ANOThERTRAVELgUIDE.COm | PUBLICITY PhOTOs, sCANPIX, CEDRIC DELsAUX 

©2001-2006 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai 

Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved 

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patrons for whom he worked 

(including Martin Luther and 

Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, 

although for most of his career 

Cranach was a court painter to the 

Electors of Saxony under Frederick 

the Wise in Wittenberg), and his 

talent as a businessman are all 

called upon. 

The extensive exhibition, which 

features 150 paintings, drawings 

and engravings, is arranged in 

chronological order. The works 

of 50 of Cranach’s peers are also 

included. 

23 rue Ravenstein 

www.bozar.be 

Paris 

Takashi Murakami. 

grand Apartment & 

Hall of mirrors. Château 

de Versailles, Versailles 

/ through 12 December 

2010 

Palace of Versailles, the place that 

saw Jeff Koons present his art last 

year, has now become home to 

the characters created by the super 

star of Japanese contemporary art 

Takashi Murakami. 

“For a Japanese like me, the 

Château de Versailles is one 

of the greatest symbols of 

Western history. It is the emblem 

of an ambition for elegance, 

Brune/Blonde 

La Cinémathèque française 

/ October 6 – January 16 

The exhibition Brune/Blonde, which 

opens its doors this month at the 

Cinémathèque française in Paris, is 

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sophistication and art that most of 

us can only dream of.” Although, 

according to Murakami, he is 

aware that “the spark that set fire 

to the powder of the Revolution 

came directly from the centre of 

the building”, he admits to seeing 

it as a sort of fantastic fairytale that 

comes from a distant kingdom, as 

unreal to the Japanese artist as the 

samurai are to the French. 

“I am the Cheshire cat that 

welcomes Alice in Wonderland with 

its diabolic smile. […] With a broad 

smile I invite you all to discover the 

wonderland of Versailles.” 

en.chateauversailles.fr 

not just a beautiful and clichéd tale 

of legendary film blondes or femme 

fatale brunettes. 

This exhibition follows the 

phenomena of cinema blondes, 

of iconic episodes in “hair history,” 

whose influence significantly 

exceeded the limits of the silver 

screen, occasionally even dictating 

the fashions of an entire generation. 

Take the bob haircut of Louise Brooks 

in the 1920s, the platinum blonde 

Jean Harlow of the 1930s, the 

scandalous redhead Rita Hayworth in 

the 1940s, the cool blonde Catherine 

Deneuve in the 1960s, etc. 

51 Rue de Bercy, 75012 Paris 

www.cinematheque.fr

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

DETAILS / AgENDA 

Stockholm 

Thrice Upon a Time 

magasin 3, Stockholm 

Konsthall / until 

December 12 

One of the leading exhibition 

halls in Stockholm, Magasin 3, has 

opened its autumn season with 

Berlin 

Rheingold, staatsoper 

unter den linden, 

Am Schillertheater 17 

(première) / October 20, 23, 

27 and 31 

While the historical building of 

Staatsoper Unter den Linden 

undergoes major renovation works, 

the National Opera Theatre has 

relocated to a similarly legendary site 

in Berlin, the Schillertheater, which 

had been closed in the 1990s for 

Fly to Stockholm 


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a large display of items from past 

exhibitions. More than 200 works 

created by 66 authors are included, 

offering a near complete spectrum 

of art forms – drawings, paintings, 

photographs, video art and 

sculpture. 

A “sampler” of renowned artists, 

together with examples of creations 

by authors never yet exhibited in 

Stockholm, provides an opportunity 

for visitors to enjoy much of the art 

collection of Magasin 3. 

Frihamnen 

www.magasin3.com 

Fly to Berlin 


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economic reasons, This month, the 

Schillertheater will be reborn like a 

Phoenix from the ashes, with the 

performance of the first of Richard 

Wagner’s four epic operas, The Ring 

of the Nibelung; The Rhine Gold. 

This important cultural event will 

be directed by Guy Cassiers, who 

is one of the most notable theatre 

directors from the Netherlands. 

Bismarckstraße 110, 10625 Berlin 

www.schillertheater.com 

London 

Future Beauty: 30 Years 

of Japanese Fashion, 

Barbican Art Gallery 

/ October 15 – February 16 

When Japanese designer Rei 

Kawakubo from Comme des 

Garçons and Johji Yamamoto 

presented their first collections in 

Paris during the 1980s, it was akin 

to a culture shock in the metropolis 

of fashion. 

Japanese designers brought 

something completely different 

to the catwalks – costumes that 

created new shapes. Moreover, the 

creative duo deliberately avoided 

the use of colour, which is usually 

selected to inspire optimism. 

Instead, they used a monochrome 

palette of mostly black, grey and 

white. It was the apparent lack of 

colour that highlighted the impact 

Fly to London 


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of their ideas. Their style influence 

redefined the basis of European 

fashion forever. 

The exhibition at the London 

Barbican Centre, Future Beauty: 

30 Years of Japanese Fashion, is 

the first of its kind dedicated to 

Japanese fashion in Europe. Its 

curator is Akiko Fukai, one of the 

most distinguished historians of 

Japanese history and director of the 

Kyoto Costume Institute. 

Alongside outfits by the already 

legendary Rei Kawakubo, Johji 

Yamamoto and Issey Miyake, the 

works of new designers in the 

radical Japanese wing, including 

Tao Kurihara, Fumito Ganryu, 

Akira Naka and others, will also be 

featured. 

Silk street 

www.barbican.org.uk

DETAILS / BEIRUT 

Here, the beautiful and the ugly are 

woven together to form an unbelievably 

colorful whole – dusty construction 

sites and ruins, lively cafés overflowing 

with people, elegant hotels 

with rooftop swimming pools, 

beautiful, high-heeled Lebanese 

women and stone-faced young 

men in army uniforms. 

My taxi driver, an Armenian, tries 

to meander through. At times he 

does so quite brazenly, but that 

is the Beirut style of driving. We 

reach our goal – the Armenian 

quarter named Burj Hammoud – in 

20 minutes. The driver explains 

that actually, he is only half 

Armenian, as his father is French. 

In Beirut, that is nothing unusual. 

During the Armenian Genocide, which took 

place between 1915 and 1923, thousands 

of Armenians found refuge in Lebanon, 

and Beirut is still home to one of the largest 


tHe quARteR 

flouRIsHed 

Between 

tHe 1930s 

And tHe 

1970s, wHen 

mAnY of 

Its edIfIces 

weRe BuIlt 

Armenian diaspora communities. 

When the first refugees arrived here in 1915, 

the city granted them a swampy territitory 

on its northeastern side. The quarter 

flourished between the 1930s and the 

1970s, when many of its edifices 

were built. Compact, two- or 

three-storey buildings cast jagged 

shadows on one-another, air 

conditioners drip water unto the 

sidewalk and drying laundry flaps 

in the sky. The ground floors are 

often allocated to small shops 

that are crammed with all sorts 

of goods – offering, it seems, 

practically everything that you 

can imagine for sale. 

Burj Hammoud is world of its 

own, with small, narrow, winding 

streets where the first-time visitor 

can easily get lost. The quarter is full of 

shops, markets, crafts studios and eateries. 

As in any proper Armenian quarter, the sale 

of gold and silver takes place full swing. 

Fly to Beirut 


€135 

The Armenian 

Quarter 

in Beirut 

At midday in dowtown Beirut, 

the latest luxury automobiles 

zoom past old clunkers that 

are, surprisingly, still running. 

This is one of the paradoxes 

in the Paris of the Middle 

East. 

TExT AND PHOTOS BY UNA mEIsTERE 

Many of the signs on the shops are written 

in Armenian, and at times it even seems 

that the feeling of Old Armenia is much 

more authentic here than in the streets of 

Yerevan, where you will rarely find anything 

historic anymore. 

Most of the streets are named after 

Armenian cities, including Yerevan Street 

and Armenia Street itself, which is one 

of the central avenues in the quarter. A 

number of streets, such as Marash Street, 

are also named after formerly Armenian 

towns that are now in Turkish territory. 

Real gourmands head for dinner to 

Varouge, a tiny eatery with just five tables. 

Finding this restaurant in the labyrinth of 

narrow streets is an experience in itself – 

simply knowing the address doesn’t help. 

Without assistance from the locals, you 

probably won’t find it. But what food and 

atmosphere! Authentically Armenian to 

the core. For a moment, you’ll forget that, 

geographically, at least, you are actually in 

Lebanon. BO

DETAILS / OCTOBER 

October 

© Ford Motor Company 

October 19, 

1987 

Black Monday occurred 

on Wall Street in New 

York City, as stocks 

plunged a record 508 

points or 22.6 per cent, 

the largest one-day 

drop in stock market 

history. The first major 

Wall Street crash entitled 

Black Tuesday occurred 

on October 29, 1929, 

leading to the Great 

Depression of the 1930s. 

i www.historyplace.com 

October 1, 

1908 

Henry Ford’s 

Model T, a 

“universal car” 

designed for the 

masses, went on 

sale for the first 

time. 

October 8, 1940 

John Lennon was born in 

Liverpool, England. He was a 

member of the Beatles, one of 

the most influential rock groups 

ever. The band first captivated 

audiences in England and 

Germany, then quickly drew 

the adulation of fans in the United States and 

the rest of the world. Lennon was murdered in 

New York City on December 8, 1980. 

Galerija BB / Arte BB 

If you can’t make it to London this fall, then you might consider spending 

an October afternoon at the new Galerija BB / Arte BB in Riga’s Berga Bazārs. 

The art gallery, which opened its doors this summer, interweaves the past 

and the present, mixing Latvian contemporary art with historical-style 

furniture and interior objects (objets d’art). | i www.galerijabb.lv 

October, U2 

October 

And the trees are 

stripped bare 

Of all they wear 

What do I care 

October 

And kingdoms rise 

And kingdoms fall 

But you go on 

U2’s second album October was released, 

appropriately enough, on October 12, 1981. The 

band entered the studio in July to record the 

album, but the album’s recording sessions were 

delayed when the briefcase containing Bono’s 

lyrics was stolen after a show in Portland, Oregon. 

The briefcase and all of its contents were returned 

to the band 23 years later, in 2004, by a local 

resident who claimed to have found them in the 

attic of a rented house. 

Gauguin 

Tate Modern, London 

From September 30 – January 16 

This retrospective of more than 100 works by 

French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin 

promises to be one of the year’s highlights in 

London’s art scene, and is the first major Gauguin 

exhibition in the British capital for half a century. 

Gauguin who, like his friend Vincent van Gogh, 

suffered from alcoholism and depression, died of 

syphilis French Polynesia in 1903, destitute and 

unrecognized. Now, a century after his death, his 

artworks are among the most admired and soughtafter 

by art lovers and collectors the world over. 

The exposition at the Tate Modern will feature 

a wide range of Gauguin’s works, including 

Tahiti paintings, ceramics, illustrated letters and 

sketchbooks. 

Bankside | i www.tate.org.uk

DETAILS / OCTOBER 

Six Jazz 

Gems For Autumn 

TExT: KLAss VAVERE | PHOTOS: JANIs sALINs, f64 

John coltrane quartet 

Ballads, 1962 

This giant of bebop and free jazz, with his 

legendary quartet, comes off as noticeably more 

traditional and relaxed than usual here, making 

this music perfect for a late evening’s ambience. 

According to legend, none of these pieces 

had ever been played before and nearly all of 

them were recorded on the first take. This is the 

elegance and simplicity of sheer genius! 

gato Barbieri 

Last Tango in Paris, 1973 

The film by Bernardo Bertolucci is an 

unforgettable psychosexual drama and a 

masterpiece of cinema. The soundtrack 

by the jazz master Gato Barbieri, however, 

leaves at least as lasting an impression. 


Dark evenings and black plastic, gentle melancholia and 

stormy whirlwinds. Nostalgia for what has been or has 

never been. The neverending urge for new beginnings, 

for exploring unknown territories, confronting new 

moods, new feelings and sounds. Autumn is good for 

jazz. For black jazz on black vinyl. They’re back. 

esbjörn svensson trio 

Leucocyte, 2008 

Until Esbjörn Svensson’s death in a 

tragic accident in 2008, Sweden’s EST 

was among the most intriguing jazz 

groups around, melding classical piano, 

double bass and drums with influences 

from rock, pop and electronic music. 

Leucocyte was their last album. 

Antonio carlos Jobim 

Stone Flower, 1970 

Lighter than air, brisk as a sea breeze and as 

graceful as a young girl – the typical composition 

by Antonio Carlos Jobim is all of these. The 

leading figure of 20th- century modern Brazilian 

music and bossa nova, Jobim has composed 

treasures of easy listening that are still enjoyed 

worldwide. 

chick corea 

Return to Forever, 1972 

The cornerstone of 1970s electric jazz and 

fusion, this was one of the few recordings 

of contemporary jazz to be released in the 

Soviet Union, for mysterious reasons and in 

mass quantity. The release inspired many 

music lovers and musicians on this side of 

the Iron Curtain. 

miles davis 

Sketches of Spain, 1960 

A truly beautiful and magical jazz album, 

created by Miles Davis in collaboration with 

the arranger Gil Evans and his orchestra. 

Less revolutionary musically and with less 

improvisation, this album offers more feeling, 

more atmosphere... and more Spain.

DETAILS / TRAVELER 

Una Meistere is the co-founder of 

anothertravelguide.com, a webzine for 

independent travellers. She is also a 

travel and fashion writer who regularly 

contributes to Baltic Outlook. Twice a 

month, she ventures out in search of new 

stories. In this interview, Una talks about the 

homework that needs to be done in order 

to reveal places and things that are worth 

experiencing. 

The change from 

“tourist” to “traveller” 

can occur at any 

moment 

I’ve read many theories about how a 

journalist must prepare for an interview. 

Much more time is spent gathering 

materials and preparing questions than 

during the interview itself. How is it 

with work trips for travel reviews? 

Like with any job, if you want to do it 

professionally, then you must do your 

homework. You need to thoroughly 

prepare yourself in order to find the key 

that will unlock the doors at your final 

destination. 


What do you mean by the word “key”? 

For the past 10 or 15 years, I have travelled 

to Paris regularly and now have the feeling 

that I know that city. Yet every time, I 

discover something new there. A year 

ago, I decided to to stay in a different 

part of Paris – the 20th arrondissement 

(administrative district), which was once 

considered to be a remote part of the city. 

The closest well-known place is the Père 

Lachaise cemetery, where many famous 

people have been buried, including Jim 

Morrison, Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf. Now 

the 20th arrondissement is a stylish Paris 

location with artists’ studios, jazz bars, small 

shops and a hotel designed by Philippe Stark 

on the site of a former parking lot. 

Warsaw is also a good example. At first it 

might seem to be a rather unattractive city, 

particularly if we compare it to such inspiring 

architectural divas as Paris, Rome or Venice. 

However, Warsaw houses a hidden gem 

called Praga, a formerly working-class area 

with a rather crime-ridden past. Part of this 

gritty aura remains today. It is a captivating 

place, with fantastic theatre performances, 

exhibition halls, fashion designer showrooms 

and wonderful shops. There are at least 

three parts of Warsaw like Praga. To travel 

there and begin to explore one of them – 

that is the “key”, an alternative view from an 

unconventional, yet marvellous vantage point. 

TExT: NORA TIRUmA | PHOTO: AINARs ERgLIs 

The key to Travelling 

Like a Travel 

Writer 

Much more than just “been there, 

seen that”. 

To travel around the world and 

write about it. Sounds like a plum 

job, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s not as 

easy as it may seem, as quite a lot 

of work needs to be invested into 

this emploi. 

You travel at least twice a month. How 

do you prevent your voyages from 

becoming mundane and routine trips? 

Writing about trips is not like working at a 

lathe, although the work is also quite intense 

and the amount of information that must 

be processed is considerable. If you can 

maintain the ability to marvel, to be surprised 

at your new discoveries, then everything 

is alright. My curiosity and my desire to 

see new things have not diminished. I still 

remain in contact with many of the people 

that I have met on my trips. 

What is on your check list of places that 

you always make sure to visit at a new 

location? 

A city’s central market tends to be a vital key 

to its further discovery. It could be the Middle- 

Eastern souk in Marrakech, the fish market 

in Barcelona or the Rialto in Venice. Markets 

bring you closer to the soul of the city. 

Much can also be discerned from 

modern art museums, small galleries 

and bookstores. These are places that I 

always try to visit, because sometimes 

a conversation with a gallery owner will 

provide a valuable key in getting to know a 

city better. In Geneva there is a wonderful 

art and design district called Des Baines, 

full of galleries. The places suggested by 

people met at these kinds of locations are

frequently more interesting than those 

mentioned in official travel guides. 

If you want to find the right spot, then talk to 

the locals. Speaking of bookstores, they are 

an irreplaceable part of a city’s bloodflow. 

They have absorbed everything – both the 

city’s past history and its current way of 

life. Paris has a fantastic bookstore named 

Shakespeare & Co. The owner is about 80 

years old, and as recently as four years ago, 

he personally still ran the shop. 

OK, then where should one begin? 

It all depends on the location. If you are 

heading to Venice, then a good place to 

start is the Punta della Dogana (designed 

by architect Tadao Ando), a contemporary 

art museum that opened last year in a 

former customs warehouse. It was founded 

by the French art collector François Pinault. 

This museum has already become a new 

symbol of the city. Further trails are sure to 

lead onward from there. 

Your umpteenth time in Paris might just 

as well begin at the recently opened Merci 

concept store, which is located on several 

floors of an old industrial building and 

offers items from all around the world. It 

also features a reading-room and a café. 

The items offered range in price from quite 

affordable to super expensive. The Merci 

concept is ideally suited to our times. 

Among other things, it encourages us 

to re-evaluate our buying habits. Unlike 

another sales centres that propagate the 

culture of mass consumption, this new store 

encourages socially responsible shopping. 

If you want to find 

the right spot, then 

talk to the locals 

After covering its costs, the store donates 

its surplus income to charity. These types of 

places are hot right now. 

It is also interesting to look at a place from a 

specific vantage point. If you have already 

been to Madrid, then try another key – look 

at it through the eyes of filmmaker Pedro 

Almodóvar. Or, for example, enjoy Vienna 

from the perspective of Carol Reed’s The 

Third Man (1949). This film is one of the city’s 

symbols. Special tourist routes – even an 

entire museum – have been dedicated to it, 

although few people take advantage of this. 

DETAILS / TRAVELER 

How tenuous is the difference between 

a tourist and a traveller? 

These are words that everyone tries to 

manipulate. Everyone would like to see 

themselves as “travellers” rather than 

“tourists.” The word “tourist” has acquired 

a negative connotation, it has now almost 

become a swear-word, although most of 

the time, we are all “tourists.” 

The change from “tourist” to “traveller” can 

occur at any moment, when one wants 

to see more and look deeper, not just tick 

off an item on a checklist. Nonetheless, 

even when you have acquired a feel for 

a place and have seen more than just its 

downtown core, even then, when you 

are seated at a club and shooting the 

breeze with the locals, you will still be a 

newcomer. 

In truth, it has never been important for 

me to define this difference. The main 

thing lies in the feelings and impressions 

that one gains. Travelling gives me the 

same thing as a good book or film. For 

a while, you are immersed in a totally 

different environment that takes up all of 

your attention. I could never sit around 

at home in my slippers reading National 

Geographic and get the same feelings. BO

DETAILS / INTERVIEW 

TExT: RIhARDs KALNINs | PHOTO: JANIs sALINs, f64 

on the Block 

New Kid 

Markus Salmberg is the latest pilot to join 

airBaltic’s fleet of commercial aviators. 

He is also the first person to graduate from 

the airBaltic Training Center’s Type Rating 

Program, where pilots learn how to fly 

a Boeing 737 aircraft. 

Markus took his Airline Transport Pilot License 

exams in Sweden, where he attended flight 

school, but finalized his commercial pilot’s 

training here in Riga. A native of Stockholm, 

Markus sat down with Baltic Outlook at a 

café in his new hometown to talk about his 

experience at the airBaltic Training Center. 


Could you explain what the Boeing 737 

Type Rating Program entails? 

The program starts off with the theoretical 

and technical side of the Boeing 737 

aircraft. For 10 to 14 days, you study all of 

the aircraft’s systems. You get to know the 

aircraft inside and out. 

Then the preparations begin for the flight 

simulator. You spend two to four days with 

an instructor practicing in a paper mockup 

of the Boeing 737. Here you just go over 

procedures, and learn where the different 

switches are. You also practice “call-outs,” for 

example, what each pilot says during the 

takeoff sequence – which actions to do at 

what time. This procedure is very strict in 

order to maintain a high safety level. And 

this prepares you for your first session in the 

flight simulator.

So, what happens in the flight 

simulator? 

During the flight training, you go through 

nearly every possible scenario. You start 

off with normal operations. Then you 

practice all of the non-normal events that 

can occur. They’re listed in a checklist in 

the pilot’s Quick Reference Handbook. 

You go through that manual, so you 

know beforehand what you are going 

to practice, and you can study up the 

night before. Then you practice it in the 

simulator. 

Every scenario is tested: smoke in the 

cockpit, engine flame-out, engine fires, 

severe engine damage, pressurization 

problems in the cabin, and explosive 

decompression at high altitude – when 

you have to put on your oxygen mask, 

establish communications and do the 

remaining memory items. 

Everything must be done according to 

procedure. You can’t just sit there and 

wonder what to do next. Certain actions, 

for example, engine failure at takeoff, are 

very time-critical. These are practiced a 

lot, to make the most critical parts of the 

flight ingrained in your backbone, so that 

your reactions become instinctual. 

What are the limitations of the 

simulator? In other words, what can’t 

be simulated? 

In the simulator you can practice very 

complex and dangerous situations. But 

you always hope that you will never have 

to experience them in practice and say: 

“Oh no, this is for real!” 

In the simulator, as in real life, you have 

to do everything very quickly. The first 

time that you try something, you may be 

a little wobbly, and then you really start to 

sweat. Of course, anytime the instructors 

see that the trainees are handling things 

pretty well, they’ll throw in something 

extra for you to do. So you can’t just sit 

there in the simulator and relax – there’s 

always something happening in there. 

When is the first time that you get to 

fly an actual Boeing 737? 

During base training. You need to do 

six takeoffs and six landings with a real 

aircraft, and you fly in the traffic circuit 

DETAILS / INTERVIEW 

over the airport. Just to get a feel for it. The 

simulator simulates very well, of course, but 

it is essential to get the real feel of an actual 

aircraft. 

What is the greatest skill that a person 

needs to have in order to become a 

pilot? 

You must continually 

try to improve your 

skills 

That is a hard question. The flight 

psychology specialists might know the 

answer to that one! I think that you have 

to be normal and balanced, as there are 

no superhumans. You must continually try 

to improve your skills. And if you are open 

to your own weaknesses, then it is easier 

to work on them and overcome them. BO

OUTLOOK / PROmO 

A Home 

to Enjoy the Good Life 

PHOTOS: COURTEsY Of Nira foNds 

Although the exteriors of these 

edifices are replete with ornate sculptures – 

smiling faces, long-haired maidens and 

muscular torsos holding up balconies – 

many of the interiors have not aged well 

over the past 100 years. Now, however, a 

new construction project is revolutionizing 

how historical Art Nouveau buildings can be 

adapted to suit modern-day needs. 

The Alexandra is the city’s latest luxury 

apartment project to be housed in a historic 

Art Nouveau building. This particular edifice 

on Ausekļa iela 4, in the district known 

as the Quiet Centre (Klusais centrs), was 

completed in 1900 by the architect Rudolph 

Heinrich Zirkwitz. 


The Alexandra wishes to stand a class apart 

from other recent renovation projects and 

is striving to reach the highest possible 

level of excellence, catering to customers 

who demand only the very best in services, 

materials and facilities. Located on quiet, 

tree-lined street near the Riga Passenger 

Port, Alexandra has a pristine, white façade 

embellished with classic Art Nouveau 

ornamentations, including a central sculpture 

of a maiden trimmed with gold leaf. 

Hidden behind the ornate façade is a wealth 

of modern accoutrements in 36 brand new 

apartments, with layouts designed to fit the 

needs of the 21 st century. The entire project 

is more akin to a five-star hotel than your 

typical upscale apartment complex, and 

The streets 

of Riga are 

lined with 

hundreds 

of elegant 

Art Nouveau 

buildings, 

most of them 

constructed 

at the turn 

of the 20 th 

century. 

features such extra services as a full-time 

concierge who speaks several languages 

and who gets to know each resident on 

a first-name basis. In the lobby, residents 

can arrange for apartment cleaning, 

car washing, dry cleaning, and even 

trash removal with the concierge, who 

ensures that each occupant’s needs and 

requirements are met at any hour of the day. 

The elegance of this newly renovated 

apartment building is evident even before 

you step across the threshold into the 

marble lobby. The complex has a top-ofthe-line 

parking system that is certainly the 

first of its kind in Riga. When drivers pull 

through the central gate of the building and 

pass into the inner courtyard, they simply

steer their automobile into a designated 

“garage,” park the vehicle, step outside, and 

enter their personalized code into a keypad. 

The car will then be transported along a 

series of motorized tracks to a parking spot 

hidden inside the first three floors of the 

building. When residents wish to retrieve 

their cars, the process is reversed, and their 

automobiles arriving facing forward, so that 

they can jump right in and drive off. 

In keeping with the five-star-hotel standards 

of service for its residents, Alexandra will 

offer its inhabitants a range of meals from 

The entire project 

is more akin to 

a five-star hotel 

the building’s own in-house café. These can 

be ordered by phone from each apartment, 

just like room service at a luxury hotel. 

Residents will also have access to a private 

party room in the semi-basement. This room 

is fully equipped with a bar, lounge and 

card-playing room with a special ventilation 

system overhead. Naturally, residents will 

be able to order whatever they choose for 

their parties – from a full-spread banquet to 

a simple, intimate dinner for a small circle of 

guests. This way, they won’t have to worry 

about the catering for their private events, 

or about cleaning up afterwards. 

Next to the private party room, Alexandra 

will feature a gym and fitness center, as well 

as a steam room that can also be rented 

out for private functions. However, most 

of the apartments upstairs have space 

for saunas and steam rooms, as well as 

multiple fireplaces and other amenities. 

This is already the case in the ultra deluxe 

units – three-storey apartments with access 

to a private, rooftop deck. The decks are 

connected to each apartment with large, 

sliding glass doors, which can be left open 

during the warmer months, effectively 

merging the indoor and outdoor spaces. 

When the occupants step outside onto 

their private rooftop decks, they can catch 

a glimpse of the Daugava River, just two 

blocks away. On warm summer nights, they 

can even see the fireworks displays from 

nearby parks and from the Old Town, just a 

quick five-minute drive from the building. 

The emphasis on light and visibility has 

been extended to the entire apartment 

building. The architects have implemented a 

complex system of mirrors to bring sunlight 

into even the darkest spaces of the interior 

courtyard – thereby increasing the volume 

of light – and have erected or refurbished 

balconies, terraces, and winter gardens on all 

floors of the building. 

Most of all, Alexandra caters to those for 

whom time is at a premium – who value their 

time above almost all else, and who don’t 

wish to be encumbered by the details. At this 


exclusive apartment building, everything will 

be done for you. If you wish, you won’t have 

to clean your house, wash the dishes, cook 

your meals, organize the catering of your 

private parties or even park your own car. This 

will leave you free to do the most important 

thing of all: enjoy life at its fullest. And what 

better place to enjoy life than at home. 

For more information about the Alexandra project, 

please contact Jevgenija Markova, at (+371) 26455333. 

www.aleksandraapartments.com 


DETAILS / sTYLE 

A Cockpit 

Timepiece 

Add the aviation industry to Swiss watchmaking 

know-how and you get these four 

masterpieces to make your time fly. 


2 3 4 

1 

PUBLICITY PhOTOs 

1/ sturdy, efficient and accurate 

Breitling: Chronospace 

Over the last 125 years, Breitling has launched a number of stellar 

models intended for pilots, including the famous Navitimer with 

its circular slide rule capable of handling all essential airborne 

navigation calculations. Today, this privileged partner of aviation 

has created a new multifunction wrist instrument that will find its 

place in all cockpits, and is distinguished both on the ground and 

in the air by its innovative design featuring a star-shaped bezel. 

Designed for intensive professional use, the Chronospace boasts 

an impressive array of functions useful to pilots, including 1/100th 

of a second chronograph with split times, alarm, countdown, 

dual time zone display with independent alarm, 24–hour military 

time, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and a perpetual calendar, 

all powered by a chronometer-certified Breitling SuperQuartz 

movement that is ten times more accurate than an ordinary 

quartz caliber. 

Retail price: 3870 € 

i www.breitling.com 

2/ facing the extreme 

Bell & Ross: BR 03 Type Aviation 

In a quest for a functional watch that would also serve as an 

emblem for its pilots, the French Air Force requested proposals 

from three watch–making brands highly regarded in the 

aeronautical sector. They chose Bell & Ross, and thus this new 

model was created. Presented to the Chief of Staff of the French 

Air Force in October 2008, it has been available to the public 

since the beginning of 2009 (though this limited edition version 

of the watch doesn’t feature the Air Force logo). 

This model continues the long tradition with its 42mm black 

carbon-coated stainless steel case, black dial and luminescent 

paint to optimize night reading. The timepieces are fitted with 

bidirectional rotating bezel, two LCD displays, luminescent hour 

hands, and a silver oxide high drain battery providing 35 months 

power reserve. Water resistant to 100 meters, the BR 03 Type 

Aviation is secured with a black rubber strap and steel clasp. 


i www.bellross.com 

3/ the pro 

Revue Thommen: New Airspeed Chronograph 

Starting off as a wristwatch and pocket watch producer, for 

the last 90 years Revue Thommen has also made a name in 

the aviation industry. As an aircraft instrument manufacturer, 

the company has almost no competition when it comes to 

understanding the needs of pilots. 

Details: automatic chronograph with date indication. All stainless 

steel case, diameter 45.5 mm, screw-in see-through case back 

and anti-reflective double faced sapphire crystal. 


i www.revue-thommen.ch 

4/ the moonwatch 

Omega: Speedmaster Professional 

This timepiece was intended to be worn for intra and extra 

vehicular activities on all the missions, including the moonwalks. 

This complicated watch features a function to measure short 

time periods in addition to its function for permanently displaying 

hours, minutes and seconds. The tachymeter measures speed, 

which can be read off in kilometers per hour based on 1000 

meters distance. Technical data: steel case, diameter 42 mm, 

water resistance 50m. Battery reserve 48 hours. 


i www.omegawatches.ch

DETAILS / REVIEW TExT: PAULs BANKOVsKIs, NORA TIRUmA | PUBLICITY PhOTOs AND COURTEsY Of CRITERION COLLECTION 

Klaxons. 

Surfing the Void. 

polydor 

After a three-year wait, fans of the 

British alternative rock group Klaxons 

have finally got a new album to 

listen to. The group started work on 

a new recording immediately after 

the release of its début album Myths 

of the Near Future, which came out 

in 2007 and received various awards, 

as well as critical acclaim. 

However, the recording of Klaxons’ 

second album was fraught with 

difficulties. After some unsuccessful 

studio experiments, the group 

changed its producer. Then the 

Polydor distributors announced 

that they considered the recorded 

material to be “too experimental” 

and bound for commercial failure. 

Following further disagreements, 

creative setbacks and the 

group’s own attempts to create 

a “progressive fatalism” genre 

recording, an album has now come 

about, in which the melody and 

lyricism of Klaxons’ first recording 

has not been hopelessly lost. 

Roger norum and 

James proctor. Rough 

Guide to Finland. 

Rough guides 

Released this summer, the Rough 

Guide to Finland is faithful to the 

style adopted by the Rough Guides 

publishing house. Notwithstanding 

its incredibly light weight, this book 

has something for everybody, 

Elīna Garanča. 

Habanera. 

deutsche grammophon 

At the end of August, Deutsche 

Grammophon simultaneously 

although it focuses mostly on 

travellers who like to get off the 

beaten path. 

Finns have long kept their wonderful 

country a secret, say the authors, 

who go on to reveal why. Finland’s 

enviable standard of living, cradleto-grave 

social structure, easily 

walkable capital, and multitude of 

national parks, forests and rivers 

present just a glimpse of what this 

country has to offer. 

The authors write just as much 

about Kiasma, the contemporary 

art museum, as hiking along the 

Russian border or Finnish sauna 

etiquette (there are about 2 million 

saunas in the country, which means 

approximately one for every two 

inhabitants). 

The research, writing and 

photography was done by the 

authors themselves: James Proctor, 

a former BBC correspondent in 

Scandinavia, and Roger Norum, 

a travel writer with a Doctor’s 

degree in Social Anthropology at 

Oxford University. Baltic Outlook is 

proud to have Norum as one of its 

contributors. 

released the Habanera album 

of Spanish and Gypsy songs 

recorded by world-famous 

Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna 

Garanča, as well as a DVD 

video of Garanča singing 

Carmen at New York’s 

Metropolitan Opera. 

In advertising the Habanera 

album, the music company 

seems to have decided that it 

is better to see classical music 

once than to hear it seven 

times, as Garanča’s Carmen 

video clip has been created 

according to all of pop music’s 

video-clip standards. It can be 

viewed on Youtube.

John cassavetes. Five 

Films (Shadows / Faces 

/ A Woman Under the 

Influence / The Killing 

of a Chinese Bookie / 

Opening Night ) 

criterion collection 

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Tell us what you are looking for 

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Jānis Zābers. 

Opera arias. 

upe tuviem un tāliem 

In August of this year, the 

outstanding Latvian tenor Jānis 

Five outstanding films by American 

independent cinema legend John 

Cassavetes have been gathered in 

one set – this collection of treasures 

should be found in every cinema 

enthusiast’s home. In accordance 

with popular legend, Cassavetes 

is alleged to have created his films 

through an extended improvisation 

process. For this reason, 

considerably more footage was 

filmed than appeared in the final 

product. 

In his interviews, Cassavetes stated 

that his filming was a carefully 

prepared and controlled process, in 

which the same actors were usually 

involved, along with the director’s 

friends and acquaintances. Nearly 

all of the films were made using the 

same interior – Cassavetes’ home. 

This is cinema for those who have 

grown tired of Hollywood films and 

is a great gift for intellectual soulseekers. 

shopping and other decisions based 

on your interests and tastes. 

Once you log in to the website, 

you are asked to answer a 

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after which the portal can make 

recommendations that are 

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offers “hunches” about what you 

might like to buy, see or do. Upon 

completion of the questions, you 

are presented with the results, with 

which you can agree or disagree to 

help “train” the system. 

Zābers would have turned 75. In 

honour of his birthday, a selection 

of the singer’s best recordings has 

been released. “The Latvian nation’s 

bright genius,” “a real Puccini,” “the 

nation’s most loved singer,” “a true 

artist and wonderful singer” – these 

are only some of the descriptions 

that were earned by Jānis Zābers 

during his short lifetime (he died in 

1973 at the age of 37). 

Zābers was a frequent guest at 

opera theatres not only in Latvia, 

but throughout the Soviet Union, 

where he thrilled audiences with his 

talent and appeal. It was only due to 

the capricious disposition of Soviet 

bureaucrats that Zābers didn’t get to 

sing his much-loved Rudolph role at 

La Scala in Milan in 1964.

YOUR NExT DESTINATION 

Tbilisi: 

Where the East Meets the West 

Most airplanes land in Tbilisi at night. Observed 

when racing through the streets from the airport 

at four in the morning, the city seems like 

Cinderella ready to attend a ball. The Georgians 

don’t skimp on electricity – their capital is 

veiled in a gaudy golden mirage. Small churches 

glimmer subtly, like amber. A carnival of light, the 

television tower overlooks them. 

TExT by

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The Holy Trinity (Sameba) Cathedral. 

The real beauties of the night can be found in Rustaveli Avenue – 

in the historic wooden houses with the intricate balconies that are 

characteristic of the city. They seem far more real than the recent 

structures and have survived many a shift of eras. Neoclassical 

architecture from the late 19 th century, decorative and colourful, 

adds a European dimension to the Georgian capital. The Rustaveli 

Theatre is a rare gem – definitely one of the most marvellous 

Careful planning is completely 

unnecessary, since everything will 

plan itself 

buildings in Tbilisi. The nearby Opera is currently closed for 

restoration. 

Overall, one’s first impression of this city is of having arrived at 

the crossroads of the East and the West. At night, with its lighting 

effects, Tbilisi seems to be in the West. By day, its Soviet apartment 

blocks unmasked – the East. This may be the secret of Tbilisi’s 

attraction; it is both a strangely lovely city and cacophonous, 

capable of inspiring either ecstasy or despair by turns. At the 

Ambasadori, for instance – a luxury hotel in the very heart of the 

city – a pleasant Georgian girl tells us of the hotel’s expansion 

plans. The extension will be located in the courtyard, where there 

is a fine 18 th -century wooden building in terrible condition. Will 

it be restored? No, she says – it will simply be demolished. It’s too 

old. If something in Tbilisi stands in the way of somebody’s plans 

or creature comforts, it will be torn down unless it is under the 

wing of UNESCO. The architectural heritage of the city is hardly 

protected at all. 

At the same time, however, Tbilisi has a rare if not unique feature – 

even if you are visiting the city for the first time, within an hour 

you will likely no longer feel like a tourist. Chances are that you 

will meet someone who will introduce you to someone who will 


The artists hawk their works in the park 

nearby „the Dry Bridge”. 

introduce you to someone else and so on, so that after only a 

couple of days you will become accustomed to it and it will seem 

that there are more friends in Georgia than there are homes. 

Careful planning is completely unnecessary, since everything will 

plan itself; your new friends will arrange for your stay, suggest your 

route and detail your transportation options. Perhaps this is why 

there are no decent travel books in the shops. Why would anybody 

need one?! 

The hospitality gene 

Whenever possible, it’s best to spend the night in Tbilisi (and 

anywhere else in Georgia) at someone’s home. Or at the very least 

in a guesthouse. There are many such guesthouses, and they offer 

a chance to get at least a little closer to the fabled hospitality of 

Georgians. It’s in their genes, and no matter how exaggerated 

some of the stories may seem – Georgian hospitality is so generous 

that it simply cannot be described. Though the locals believe 

that the western leanings of the younger generation at times 

permit some rational reservations to steal into the amplitude 

of the Georgian heart, such reservations are the exception. To a 

Georgian, a guest is everything. Even family and friends rank lower 

in significance. Guests must be treated properly, sparing nothing. 

When invited to a home, its every corner will be shown to you, with 

nothing concealed. It’s for real, whether it is a Soviet-era apartment 

or a stately house. Georgian hospitality is devoid of any pomposity. 

It is boundless, and it is as natural and essential as bread or water. 

We stayed with the Georgian friends of our Riga friends in Tbilisi. 

The house in which they live has been in their family for six 

generations. It’s on the geographically enticing hilly side of the 

city, requiring a walk up the winding streets off Rustaveli Avenue, 

the Eiffel… oops – the Television Tower above. This area has an 

additional advantage – when the city below simmers at 37° C, 

it’s two degrees cooler up there and seems even more pleasant 

because of the breezes. A drawback is that now and then electricity 

will still disappear without explanation, with no warning, and no 

one knowing when there might be electricity again, which is why 

nearly every house has its own generator. Those who live in the 

taller buildings nearby do not trust lifts for this reason; getting 

trapped is definitely no fun. The locals joke that the occasional lack

The wave – like new pedestrian Bridge of Peace. The typical courtyard of the old Tbilisi. 

of electricity reflects Saakashvili’s lack of love for the capital, where 

he received fewer votes – and for this neighbourhood, where he 

received no votes at all. In some areas there are problems with 

running water, too. Like every historic wooden house, the one we 

stayed in has an interior courtyard garden – ours had a century 

old pomegranate tree at its centre. The sounds of the city rarely 

penetrate and these courtyards constitute a whole other world. 

There was always their house 

wine, decanted in Coca-Cola 

bottles, in the refrigerator 

There was always chilled white wine in the refrigerator and their 

house wine, red, decanted in Coca-Cola bottles. The Georgians 

have discovered a silver lining in the country’s tense relations with 

Russia – cut off from the Russian market and seeking markets in the 

West, the quality of Georgia’s wines, some of which are exceptional 

and many of which are unique, has improved. 

A second courtyard is found between the houses, where the 

traditional wooden balconies are the unifying element. Some 

have been glassed in by now, and the time when women would 

fling the windows of open to shout to their neighbours that the 

khachapuri was baked, their friends hurrying over to visit, is slipping 

into the past. Otherwise, life continues as it did. Neighbours know 

each other and wish each other a happy day in the mornings. 

Neighbours are like an extended family, together in joy and sorrow. 

Khachapuri is still baked at home, every lady of the house having 

her own recipe – homemade khachapuri is quite different from 

the fatty filled bread with an egg in the middle that is sold as fast 

food in the city. There are many such eateries in Tbilisi, beloved by 

local office workers, students and young people in their respective 

neighbourhoods. Georgians used to return to their families for 

luncheon, too, but modernity has put an end to that. It’s impossible 


to work without a proper Georgian lunch, however – khinkali, 

shashlik, lobio and other national foods are obligatory. 

Not far from where we stayed the famous film director Sergei 

Parajanov once lived. During his Tbilisi period, Parajanov earned 

money by making dolls that Georgians mount on the fronts of their 

cars at weddings. The demand for Parajanov’s dolls is said to have 

been huge. 

The Heart of the City 

According to legend, the 5 th century ruler King Vakhtang Gorgasali 

once downed a pheasant that fell into an impenetrable thicket. 

Vakhtang found it in a spring that was so hot he could eat 

the extracted bird immediately, the fowl already cooked in its 

simmering waters. The king saw this as a good omen and founded 

his capital, the city’s name derived from the warmth of the spring. 

The sulphur spring the ruler discovered has been a renowned spa 

complex for centuries. Locals make use of it at least once a week, 

sitting in the sulphurous waters for at least half an hour before 

submitting to a masseuse, turning their skin to velvet. The Old 

Town is nearby, with western-style cafés, shops and galleries lining 

the narrow streets. A bit further is the very heart of the district, 

Sioni Cathedral. Before the large Holy Trinity (Sameba) Cathedral 

was built on its hill, the Sioni Cathedral, dating to the 5 th century, 

was the seat of the Patriarch and the principal house of worship in 

Tbilisi. On a Saturday afternoon, we witnessed many young people 

in attendance, girls with scarves gathering to hear the liturgy that 

loudspeakers spread far beyond the walls of the ancient edifice, 

their dark hair literally gleaming beneath the scarves. More and 

more young people join the faithful these days. A young mother 

nurses her baby by the wall. The scene evokes Sicily for me; the 

crowds at a wedding in a baroque town on that island. Georgians 

see themselves as having much in common with the Italians, in 

their cuisine and especially in their dress. A Georgian will buy a 

new dress even if the purchase takes the last of her money. The 

streets of Tbilisi bear witness to this! 

The old Jewish Quarter is nearby, too, and there you will find the 

red brick synagogue that dates to 1910. Narrow, cobbled, winding 

streets lead off in every direction and draw you in. Wandering 

about in this area will let you savour a true taste of Tbilisi, of an 



More and more young people join the faithful in today’s 

Tbilisi. Girls at the Sioni Cathedral. 

absolute authenticity that is hard to find in any other city. Some 

of the buildings have suffered from the teeth of time to the point 

where it seems they might crumble to dust before your eyes, but 

most of them still stand spitefully despite their age, having lost 

their paint long ago and taken on the patina of passing time in 

layers. Tbilisi was on the legendary Silk Road, and the meeting 

of East and West can be felt most profoundly in its architecture. 

Orientalism, Neo-Classicism, Art Nouveau and Persian influences 

“Let’s go to the prosecutor’s” 

is already a phrase denoting a 

journey to this eatery 

come together in an inexplicable whole that also bears a strong 

local accent. This is especially noticeable in the courtyards and 

wooden balconies with their carefully carved filigrees, each detail 

a key to some fairy tale. Grapevines cover at least a part of each 

courtyard like roofs, providing shade on sweltering summer days. 

Each small street has a shop in proportion to its smallness, selling 

groceries or second-hand goods. One might glimpse men playing 

backgammon or see a woman who has proudly dressed up merely 

to emerge on her balcony and read a book. 

Once upon a time all of the buildings built in Tbilisi were built with 

the intention of providing the best possible panorama at each 

location – one wants to see the surrounding mountains. Like in 

an intricate oriental carpet, the houses were woven into the valley 

without blocking one another’s views. Today, with the hysterical 

speed of mindless, uncontrolled construction, this unwritten law 

has been broken. Not only has many a historic building fallen 

before the wreckers’ ball – so has many an ancient tree. 

Khinkali at the prosecutor’s 

Today’s Tbilisi has another unforgivable drawback – it is a city that 

has lost its market. At the apogee of the hypermarket craze, it was 


Famous for its sulphur baths, Tbilisi offers a bathing ritual that 

is well nigh sacred and well worth trying. 

simply demolished. You will find only a smidgen of its formerly 

colourful glory by “the Dry Bridge.” In the nearby park, there’s a 

flea market. In another, artists hawk their works. You will find most 

everything at the flea market, from silver dishes to old chain mail 

and hunting trophies. It’s a place families go on days off. 

Georgians are demanding when shopping and exacting in 

their culinary needs. The lady of the house knows where the 

best lavash in her neighbourhood can be found, and where 

the freshest vegetables and herbs from the countryside can be 

had. In the same way, restaurants are selected for a particular 

food at which each well-known establishment excels. If you 

desire a truly spectacular shashlik, for example, you need to go 

to Mtskheta. And once you get to Mtskheta, you need to find 

where exactly to go – you don’t just go to any shashlik place. 

The earlier capital of Georgia and the country’s religious centre, 

it is 27 kilometres from Tbilisi. The picturesque surrounding 

area is dotted with dachas. The drivers on the roads have a 

tendency toward insanity, following laws known only to them. 

As the locals say – they are speeding toward their coffins. 

Tbilisi’s outskirts are marred in part by blue, yellow, and rosecoloured 

apartment blocks; people will tell you that these reflect 

Saakashvili’s taste, the hues chosen by the president himself. Just 

before Mtskheta the Jvari Monastery stands on a hill, the Aragvi 

and Kura rivers meeting at the foot of it. The view is stunning, 

the pure blue Aragvi flowing into the green and rather filthy 

Kura, a confluence of two worlds. The monastery is listed by 

UNESCO. Built in the 6 th century, this is where the Georgians 

adopted Christianity. 

The 11 th -century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta was long 

the largest structure devoted to religion and is only surpassed by 

the recent Sameba Church in Tbilisi. Long the principal cathedral 

of the country, this is where the rulers of Georgia were crowned 

and buried. David the Builder, among the most renowned rulers, 

is depicted on one of the many frescoes. In the 19 th century, 

when the Georgian kingdom became part of the Russian empire, 

most of the unique Georgian frescoes were whitewashed; only 

a fraction could ever be restored. The most amazing sacred 

treasures can be found in the Museum of Georgian Art in Tbilisi, 

its most precious collection open only by appointment. Unique

miniatures of gold and enamel filigree were done in a technique 

that some are trying to revive today – contemporary examples can 

be found in the galleries in the Chardin quarter – but the secrets of 

the most intricate work are lost in the past. 

As a significant tourist site, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is 

surrounded by uncontrolled construction, touts, and beggars, the 

latter not rare in the streets of Tbilisi. 

Next to the prosecutor’s headquarters is one of the premier places 

in the capital for khinkali. “Let’s go to the prosecutor’s” is already a 


The 11th-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta was long 

the largest structure devoted to religion and is only surpassed 

by the recent Sameba Church in Tbilisi. 

phrase denoting a journey to this eatery. The table is covered 

with mountains of food as if by magic. Khinkali are eaten with 

the fingers – you hold the back of the flower of flour and take a 

tiny bite to release the precious bouillon. Then you devour the 

rest. The overflowing table also holds that Georgian necessity, 

wine. And in Georgia, where there is wine, there are toasts – 

short or long, they are like a form of poetry. Listening to the 

toasts and sipping wine, time passes swiftly. As all time does in 

Georgia! BO


If You Have only one 

Day in Tbilisi 

Start with the city’s loveliest 

part – the Old Town. Walk 

along Chardin Street from one 

end to the other – renovated 

and dolled up, one could call 

this the western Europe of 

Tbilisi. That might be why the 

Georgians are so proud of it and 

recommend it as the starting 

point for exploration of the 

city. Countless cafés and bars 

line Chardin Street. You could 

have a morning coffee at the 

Literature Café – this Europeanstyle 

place has a long wall of 

books and is also a shop. The 

If You Have Two Days in Tbilisi 

Famous for its sulphur baths, 

Tbilisi offers a bathing ritual 

that is well nigh sacred and 

well worth trying. The locals 

perform these rites at least 

once a week, though they 

do this in private more often 

than they do at the great 

public baths decorated with 

oriental designs and Pushkin’s 

words – he wrote that he had 

never seen anything as ornate 

as the baths of Tbilisi. Bear in 


coffee is fantastic, as are the 

pastries. There is more than one 

café like this in Tbilisi, and locals 

can tell you that they belong to 

the widow of the former Prime 

Minister Zurab Zhvania. The 

street and the streets leading 

off it are also home to a string of 

art galleries. Baia Gallery is one 

you must not miss, at 10 Chardin 

Street – www.baiagallery.de. It 

holds an outstanding collection 

of Georgian art from the 20 th 

and 21 st centuries and was the 

first private gallery in Georgia. 

There is a gallery nearby 

mind that you must make an 

appointment at least a day 

before you visit. It’s best to plan 

this for the morning, and be an 

early bird. Next to the baths is a 

restaurant where George Bush, 

among others, has dined – the 

kitchen is quite good, but as 

in any Georgian restaurant the 

focus is on certain things. Don’t 

get shashlik here – the fresh 

sausages, however, are superb. 

The Sameba Cathedral, a 

devoted to textiles, showcasing 

the Georgian tapestry. A shop 

on the ground floor offers the 

work of artists in cloth. Anyone 

into design will find the woollen 

goods here enticing. 

Keep going and you will 

discover the authentic Tbilisi. 

Narrow, dusty streets retain 

ancient architecture and a 

rhythm of life quite different 

from that presented to the 

tourist on Chardin Street. 

A delicious lunch can be gotten 

at Old House or Dzveli Sakhli. 

The interior is in the style of 

the Georgian countryside and 

provides a labyrinthine series of 

niches to hide in. Though there 

are always tourists here, locals 

come for the fabulous food. 

To obtain an overview of 

Georgian history, visit the 

Museum of Art named after 

Shalva Amiranishvali. With 

140,000 works, this is the 

most remarkable collection 

of Georgian art on earth and 

includes works from Russia, 

western Europe and the East. 

To see the most remarkable 

exhibits, in a special collection, 

you need to make an 

appointment beforehand. 

The Narikala fortress, which has 

survived attacks by Persians, 

Arabs, Turks and Khazars, the 

Sameba and Metekhi churches, 

symbol of today’s Tbilisi, is 

worth especial concentration. 

The location, Mount Elijah, 

is visible from almost any 

point in the city. Lit at night, 

the Cathedral’s appearance 

is almost magical. Started in 

the 1980s, construction was 

completed in 2004. The largest 

religious edifice in the southern 

Caucasus, its 440 ornaments 

span various styles. 

For a different Tbilisi, have dinner 

the City Park, and Rustaveli 

Avenue are all required sites for 

any tourist no matter how short 

your visit may be. 

A well spent day in Georgia will 

include wine! Though there 

are numerous shops in the Old 

Town, the best place to find 

outstanding wines to take home 

is Wine World. The proprietors 

are vintners themselves; their 

sparkling wine is made by 

méthode champenoise and is well 

worth a try. 

At Kalakuri you can sample 

the nightlife of today’s Tbilisi. 

From the outside it’s not exactly 

inviting, to put it mildly, but the 

third storey with its Moroccan 

interior a veritable paradise for 

hedonists. The clientele is the 

flower of Georgia’s gilded youth, 

iPods and other accessories 

always at hand. We wouldn’t 

suggest eating here (as in any 

such place, the kitchen is not 

exactly exquisite), but if you 

would like to smoke a hookah 

and sip some wine whilst 

people-watching, it’s idyllic. 

Baia Gallery, 10 Chardin Street; 

www.baiagallery.de 

Old House, 3 Marjvena Sanapiro; 

www.gmcgroup.de 

Museum of Art named after Shalva 

Amiranishvali, Tavisuplebis Moedani or 

Freedom Square 

Wine World, 2 Revaz Lagidze Street; 

www.wineworld.ge) 

Kalakuri, 13, Shavteli Street 

Restaurant Tsiskvili 

at Tsiskvili in Beliashvili Street. 

The restaurant is outside the 

centre and sooner reminds of an 

open-air museum than an eatery.

The location is striking, with an 

ancient, authentic watermill built 

into a cliff. Tsiskvili’s artefacts 

are something of an illustrated 

ABC of Georgian history. All 

If You Have Three 

Days in Tbilisi 

Only a few minutes’ drive from 

the capital Turtle Lake shimmers, 

the Open Air Museum beside it. 

An excellent restaurant awaits 

you with a view that simply 

cannot be surpassed – Tbilisi 

lies at your feet! Get the local 

house wine as it gets dark, on 

the terrace, watching the lights 

come on below. Wine is the 

essence of Georgia. Even the 

most hideous Soviet apartment 

block is brimming with wine. 

Every decent Georgian knows 

someone in the countryside 

who makes it. Four tonnes per 

family per year is a minimum. 

One of the loveliest brief 

trips you can make into the 

countryside is to the legendary 

Kakheti province, taking in the 

fly to Tbilisi with 

of this sans kitsch. The food is 

wonderful, and so is the service! 

Sulphur Bath, 1 Grishashvili Street 

The Sameba Cathedral, Mount Elijah 

Tsiskvili, Beliashvili Street 

endless vines of Alezani in their 

breathtaking valley. About 140 

kilometres from Tbilisi there is 

an unbelievably beautiful town 

called Signakhi. It is, of course, a 

showcase now – Saakashvili has 

caused it to be totally restored, 

rather diminishing the less tame 

charm that is what makes this 

country so special. But even in 

Signakhi, a peek into a courtyard 

will allow you to see the 

characteristic face of this fabled 

land, no cosmetics necessary. 

The medieval walls still stand, 

and narrow streets wind around 

ancient churches. Get a bottle 

of wine and gaze down into the 

valley. You may find that this 

is one of those instants where 

nothing else is needed. 

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airBalticTravel.com, Language Direct

OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW 

TExT: IEVA NORA fIRERE 

PHOTOS: LUKAs NAzDRACzEW, RED BULL PhOTOfILEs The calendar of his Blackberry is stuffed. 

Two years after leaving professional sport, Formula 

One legend David Coulthard has plans for every single 

day until December and then again starting from 

Coulthard’s 

Hard Cult 


January. Baltic Outlook was lucky to spend two days 

with this outstanding car racing veteran and his team, 

becoming genuinely impressed by the modesty and 

consideration that Coulthard has maintained despite all 

of the fame and fortune that he has acquired, and with 

a gruelling schedule that ordinary souls would find 

very hard to keep up with. 

David Coulthard’s life pace still seems to be speeding at 

over 300 km per hour, despite the fact that the former 

Red Bull Racing team driver no longer sits behind

the wheel of the world’s fastest cars. He doesn’t play 

Thursday tennis with his neighbours, either. Flying from 

destination to destination two or three times a week, 

he hasn’t even managed to learn the name of his next 

door neighbour. The car-racing business has remained 

in his schedule, but Coulthard’s life has changed quite 

a bit since he ended his 15-year Formula One racing 

career in 2008. 

Now a Red Bull ambassador and touring the world with 

his showcar (last year’s Formula One car model), he can 

party a bit longer than before. And he does so. But at 

the same time, he sits in an interview twisting a silver 

ring (that appeared on his wedding finger when his 

son Dayton was born two years ago) and dreams about 

December – the four weeks that he has booked entirely 

for his family. 

“I’ll see what the family wants. I might be with my son 

on the beach. I’ve seen all the pyramids and been to 

various wonders of the world, but it left a check-list 

feeling. So I’ll keep it easy this time.” 

I’d like to start with a quick-response question. 

F1 racers or aircraft pilots – who has more sex 

appeal? 

Smiles. I’m not so sure about aircraft, but of all the 

sports that you can do, F1 is definitely one of the most 

attractive ones. It’s fast and dangerous, and the drivers 

are credited for being more intelligent than other 

sportsmen. It’s not for me to judge, but footballers, 

for instance, are not always given the best credit for 

I’ve seen what it is to sleep on your 

friends’ sofa and to have no money, 

rather than at the age of 19 to drive 

a racing car and get paid enormous 

sums of money. 

being the most intelligent people, which is of course 

ridiculous – I’m sure that there are a lot of academically 

bright and socially aware footballers. But F1 drivers, 

with all of the technology and money involved, have a 

lot of sex appeal. 

What are your assumptions, or perhaps it is known 

as a fact – are there more women or men in your 

fan base? 

Ay, that’s a good question! Probably more men, 

because more men follow motor racing, but I don’t 

know it for a fact. I know that F1 is appealing to both 

genders, kids as much as seniors. 


Isn’t F1 currently going the same road as tennis, 

where looks play an essential part of one’s 

success? 

We are all influenced by what we see, and when 

sponsors want to project an image, then they can 

stress various things. Like national pride. If you are 

Polish, then you have only one driver, Robert Kubica. 

If the company is British, then you can choose 

between either Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button. 

Lewis is a black man, Jenson is a white man, Mark 

Webber is an Australian white man. You’ve got to find 

something that fits your marketing campaign. Look 

at David Beckham. Why is he one of the most famous 

footballers? Not because he is one of the best, but 

because he has a good look, he’s with a pop star, he’s in 

fashion. It became much more about his lifestyle than 

about his sporting. 

Speaking of Beckham, he’s had a large influence 

on British society. I’ve read about a poll done 

in Great Britain, where young males reveal that 

they’ve started to prefer spas instead of a night at 

the pub. The spa industry thanks Beckham for that. 

Laughs. I was never a big pub person anyway, so this 

hasn’t influenced me. I like spas, they are part of a 

career in sports. 

George Orwell said that sport is like war without 

bullets. What is sport to you? 

I don’t see sport as war. War means being in 

disagreement, but sport is about the opposite. It means 

you’re in harmony with your decision to be in that 

environment, but you want to be the winner of that 

competition. I think sport is about ethics, fair play and 

gentlemanly conduct. 

Ethics and gentlemen in sports – that sounds 

more like Jim Clarke, Jackie Stewart and the 

Formula One of the 1960s and 1970s. Somehow, 

it seems we should talk about an entirely different 

Formula One era today. 

You are right. All sport has changed because of the 

commercial aspect – sport as business and business 

as sport. And in business you need to be successful, 

otherwise you’re out of it. That’s where things have 

changed. In the days of Jim Clarke and Jackie Stewart, 

the development of that business was still in its infancy. 

Look at football today or the troubles in cricket – with 

match fixing and things like that! I still believe that 

to be a sportsman, you have to follow the rules and 

regulations. 

And what if the pressure at one point is too high? 

Then you don’t call yourself a sportsman. Breaking 

rules is cheating and nobody likes a cheat. You and I 

can cheat whenever we want to, but we lose moral 




satisfaction. Sport is much more about what you think 

of yourself than about what other people think of you. 

Talking about the history of Formula One, which 

decade seems the most appealing to you? 

The 1980s and early 1990s, because that was the period 

when I was a kid watching Formula One. The 1970s 

had a different charm. The level of media pressure 

was much lower and you actually had certain privacy 

being an F1 driver then. Now everything that you do is 

being watched, everything that you say is going to be 

on the internet. The words get twisted and when I was 

younger, I had pretty bad stories going around about 

me – that I was a playboy and all sorts of things. I’ve 

had more than one girlfriend, but maybe you’ve had 

more than one boyfriend, too, which doesn’t make you 

a playgirl. It just means that you’re living a normal life. 

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Formula One was 

pretty dangerous – crashes followed one after 

another. Knowing all of that, can you imagine 

having a career back then? 

Yes, I can imagine, but it’s just a thought, not a reality. 

I’m not very good at doing ifs and maybes. 

In your interviews you are usually asked to do so. 

Sure. I’m working for the BBC today, and sometimes in 

their polls they ask me who is going to win. I have a 

feeling, but of course I don’t know. Why watch sports 

if you know the outcome? People seem to be so 

impatient. Enjoy! It’s like with a good movie – even if you 

know that James Bond is not going to die, you still want 

to see the entire film, see how he is saved this time. 

Many people will remember you as the guy who 

took Ayrton Senna’s place in 1994 [the Brazilian 

three-time Formula One champion who died in a 

crash in San Marino]. Did you ever feel that those 

shoes were too big to fill? 

Definitely. Senna was the best driver in Formula One 

at that time, and I couldn’t hope to fill his shoes. What I 

david marshall coulthard 

Born in 1971 in Dumfries, Scotland, 

raised in nearby Twynholm; 

won 13 Grand Prix races in his 

15-season Formula One career; 

A driver in the Williams (1994–1995), 

McLaren (1996–2004) and Red Bull 

Racing teams (2005–2008); 

last race (Brazilian Grand Prix) in 

2008; 

Left professional sport at the end of 

2008, following the birth of his son 

Dayton; 

Lives in Monaco, also owns homes 

in the UK (London), Belgium and 

Switzerland; Owns several luxury 

hotels in Great Britain; 

works now as a BBC F1 TV pundit. 

could do was to take the opportunity, and in honour of 

him, do the best that I possibly could. 

But wasn’t it a feeling of discomfort at that time? 

Senna had supported you in your earlier career. 

I was young then, had lots of ambitions and didn’t 

think of it that way. Now I’m 39 and I’ve had my 

journey. Being a father, I could now swap my life for my 

son’s future just like that [snaps his finger]! Today, he is 

the future for me. 

Speaking of your nearly two-year-old future, I 

think he might be too young to be a fan of the cult 

cartoon Lightning McQueen, which is a story about 

racing cars. 

Smiles. We haven’t watched it yet. 

There are three main heroes in the cartoon – the 

good-hearted veteran car, the bad guy who is too 

eager to win, and the young car named McQueen, 

who manages to balance his ambitions with kindheartedness. 

A very young Formula One fan said I 

should ask you which one you identify with. 

Laughs. Just like McQueen, I’ve certainly had big 

ambitions, but my sporting career has finished. That 

journey must always come to an end at some point.



And now I’ve moved on to the next phase of my life. 

How comfortable are you with the end of your 

active sports journey? 

People tend to think that in sports you hold on to your 

career and never want to give it up. I’ve had my chance, 

but now it’s time to step aside. When I watch drivers 

on TV, I almost forget that I once had a 15-year-long 

Formula One career. I’m now watching as a fan. No 

regrets as an ex-driver. 

I don’t think that I was the most 

talented driver, but I was 

up-looking 

Was it luck or talent that played the most 

important role in your 15-year-long career? 

I don’t think that I was the most talented driver, but 

I was up-looking and the opportunity sometimes 

comes to people who look upwards, though not 

always. 

You often talk about the new generation in 

motor racing. What’s the recipe for success? Are 

we talking about talent or money, or the right 

moment when somebody finds you in go-carts? 

All of those. You need talent, the right moment and 

money to get there. And then, once you get there, 

you’ve got to be in the right car. Again, coming back 

to Robert [Kubica], to me he is in the same level as 

Hamilton, Button or Vettel. But it’s difficult for him 

with the race issue, because his car is not so good. It’s 

not only about being the best driver. You have to get 

yourself in the best car. 

The Red Bull Racing car is currently the fastest. Is 

that enough? 

Being fast is one part of it. The rest is reliability, 

consistency, good decisions from the driver and 

good decisions from the mechanics. You need 

consistency in the championship. 

Talking about being the fastest, has sports 

taught you to deal differently with time? Is your 

life outside Formula One also spent at 300 km 

per hour? 

Well, I do so many things that I forget to live a 

normal life. Where do you go for a holiday? What 

do you do on a holiday? I don’t know. My life is a 

pleasure, so why take a holiday from pleasure? The 

danger is that I don’t spend Tuesday nights watching 

Friends on TV. And on Thursdays, I don’t play tennis 

with my next door neighbour. In fact, I don’t even 

know who my next door neighbour is! I don’t have 

the same kind of life that I had while I was growing 

up. That was more dictated by the Monday-to-Friday 

work routine. 

Now, two years after leaving professional sports, 

how far ahead you know your schedule? 

I fly two or three times a week, like an airline steward 

or a pilot. Every time I do a job, it’s in a different 

country. I have everything planned until the last 

weekend of November [waves his Blackberry]. I’m 

trying to leave December clear, because I’ve been 

doing things one after another since January and 

would love to spend some time with my family. 

I thought people with a schedule and a career 

like yours would be more into this star thing, 

but you seem so accessible. 

Smiles. It’s funny for me to see some of the younger 

drivers. Of course, partly you have to change, 

because you are so in demand and you don’t 

have the time, that’s for sure. But some of them 

become so distant. Too much fame too early can 

be dangerous. I think it was good for me starting 

Formula One when I was 24. I’d had six years to 

develop as an adult. I’ve seen what it is to sleep on 

your friends’ sofa and to have no money, rather than 

at the age of 19 to drive a racing car and get paid 

enormous sums of money. 

Is there something that you have given up for 

sitting here today so satisfied, two years after a 

very successful career? 

Nothing really. It’s just a different choice of lifestyle. 

I thought you would mention health problems. 

Well, of course I have aches and pains, but on the 

other hand, I am almost 40. 

Where does it hurt the most? 

Joints and neck, because of all the years with 

g–forces [gravitational forces]. BO


Welcome to 

Skonto Plan 

Skonto Plan is 

one of the most 

successful Latvian 

manufacturers 

in the European 

construction 

market, due to 

its competitive 

prices, high quality 

products, punctual 

deliveries and 

socially responsible 

practices. 


As one of the largest Latvian enterprises 

in its field, Skonto Plan specializes in the 

manufacture, assembly and installation of 

glazed aluminium constructions, PVC doors and 

windows, glass units and metal fittings. 

The company has filled orders for projects in 

Latvia and abroad since 1992, making use of 

technologies offered by Schuco, a German 

company whose name is well-known to building 

industry specialists, standing for top quality and 

durability. 

To ensure its continued competitiveness on the 

European market, Skonto Plan opened a 5-million 

euro aluminium product plant with the latest 

technology and equipment in 2009. Another 

3-million euro facility for the manufacture of 

processed stainless metals will be unveiled next 

year. 

“The plant will process stainless steel sheets 

into finished products, namely, furniture for 

Façade of the Latvian National Library 

medical institutions. All of the production will be 

exported,” says Skonto Plan board member Guntis 

Rāvis. The new facility will also allow Skonto Plan 

to begin the production of metal façades. 

A significant proportion of Skonto Plan’s other 

products, including windows, doors, curtain 

walls and façades, are also exported. 

“Everything is produced in Latvia at our plant in 

Tukums, which currently employs 200 people. 

For many years, Skonto Plan has been one of the 

biggest employers and taxpayers in the Zemgale 

region of Latvia. We have also opened subsidiaries 

in the UK and Ireland,” says Rāvis. 

The finished glazed aluminium products travel 

from Tukums to Skonto Plan’s main export 

markets: the UK, Ireland and Norway. Skonto 

Plan’s target clients are large building firms, and 

the company is involved in a number of major 

construction projects in foreign countries. 

However, Skonto Plan doesn’t just export to earn 

profits – it also wants to gain experience and to

Eagle House project in London 

Factory in Tukums 

prove that it can perform specific jobs at a very high 

quality level. This was why Skonto Plan participated 

in the construction of a challenging private house 

in the UK. The project was interesting from both an 

architectural standpoint and on the basis of the site 

chosen by the owners. 

According to Rāvis, Skonto Plan has now accumulated 

enough experience to meet the requirements of 

practically any foreign market. Sturdy materials 

that can take big loads are in demand in the UK, 

while Norwegians are more interested in saving 

money. Scandinavian green thinking means that PVC 

constructions and plastic products on all building 


projects must be certified for compliance with 

environmental standards. 

Skonto Plan gets these materials from the PVC maker 

KBE, which provides a certificate and guarantees that 

the windows can be used for 20 to 30 years and then be 

recycled. Skonto Plan’s products have a guarantee of up 

to ten years, depending on their intended purpose. 

Skonto Plan has a number of 

new projects in central Riga, 

In 2012, eAgle 

House wIll Be 

A cAndIdAte 

foR london’s 

ARcHItectuRe 

AwARds 

including the Radisson Blu 

Hotel Latvija (formerly the Reval 

Hotel Latvija) and the Radisson 

Blu Elizabete Hotel, the Galerija 

Centrs shopping mall in Old Riga, 

the central office of the Latvian 

Interior Ministry, the Olympic 

Sports Centre, and the 16 

000-square-metre façade of the 

Latvian National Library. 

Skonto Plan is especially proud of its work on the 

Anker Hotel Oslo in Norway, for which it received high 

praise from both the client and the building’s owner, 

Anker Hotel Properties. Another notable Skonto Plan 

commission outside of Latvia is a conference centre in 

Dublin. 

As Rāvis explains, “we bring potential clients to 

this conference centre to show them what our 

constructions, façades and doors look like. This is a 

very good way of demonstrating why they should 

choose Latvian-made products. Our success story 

also proves that precise logistics can be ensured 

even from several thousand kilometres away. We 

are competitive in the European market on price, as 

well as due to the fact that we represent quality and 

responsibility and meet all deadlines.” 

To ensure continued high quality, Skonto Plan assigns 

its work managers to a job before the contract has 

been signed, so that they can be present during 

negotiations. In a similar vein, glazed aluminium 

constructions are assembled by people who also took 

part in manufacturing them. 

Another project, the 24-storey Eagle House residential 

building on City Road in central London, has reached 

the halfway stage. Schuco glazed aluminium façades 

with stone finishing are being used, and windows 

and doors are being installed. In 2012, Eagle House 

will be a candidate for London’s architecture awards 

as one of the city’s top new skyscrapers. Rāvis says 

that “this is a difficult but interesting project. Around 

100 specialists from Latvia are currently working 

there.” 

Skonto Plan is open to cooperation, and in addition 

to the countries already mentioned, it has also 

demonstrated its abilities in Belgium, Russia, 

Switzerland and Italy. 

“We are always delighted to show clients our factory 

and building sites, and to introduce them to the work 

of our designers and engineers,” says Rāvis. 



TExT: RIhARDs KALNINs | PHOTOS: gINTs mALDERIs, COURTEsY Of DEsIgN INfORmATION CENTER 

The Designed 

Environment 

Throughout October, the 

festival Design.Future 2010 will 

reveal the stunning diversity 

of contemporary design, with 

exhibitions, seminars, and 

workshops showcasing this 

integral part of our modern 

environment. Events will be held 

in Riga, Liepaja and Daugavpils. 

The field of contemporary design is notoriously 

flamboyant. When most of us think about design, we 

imagine fancy chairs that nobody can sit on, elaborate 

sculptures made of obscure materials, and abstract 

drawings with loud colors and wild lines. But in fact, 

design is all around us: designers have created the 

magazine you are holding, the chair you are sitting 

in, and the interior of the aircraft around you. Design 

extends to every aspect of our lives—from tickets, 

to posters, to furniture, to silverware. The landscape 

you see from your window may be an untamed 

environment, crafted over the centuries by natural 

processes, but the civilization surrounding us was 

completely designed by human minds and hands. 

This month, the sixth annual Design.Future 2010 

festival will celebrate the designed environment with 

scores of exhibits, seminars, workshops, and conference 

devoted to contemporary design. Organized by the 

Design Information Center, the events will focus on our 

contemporary relationship to design, which is often 

mediated by fields like art and architecture. Events 

will be held throughout the Latvian capital at venues 

including Berga Bazaar, the Latvian National Library, the 

Riija and Casa Nostra design stores in central Riga, the 

Kalnciema iela quarter in the Pārdaugava district, the 

Stockholm School of Economics, and the Museum of 

Decorative Arts and Design. 

The Design.Future 2010 festival will be officially 

unveiled in Riga on October 8 with a conference 

titled “Design for Humanity,” at the Stockholm School 

of Economics, which will feature speakers from

throughout Europe. The President and CEO of airBaltic, 

Bertolt Flick, will also be speaking at the conference, 

addressing the assembled guests with a talk entitled 

“The Success Story of airBaltic: User Friendly Design 

Service,” where he will discuss how the airline has used 

high-quality design to improve its services. Flick will 

then participate in a panel discussion, entitled “Can 

Design Make Changes,” along with Rama Gheerawo, 

deputy director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre at the 

Royal College of Art in London, and Michael Wolff, 

cofounder of the legendary Wolff Olins design group, 

who was recently appointed the UK government’s 

official Inclusive Design Champion. 

The conference will be followed by exhibitions 

throughout central Riga. Each of the exhibitions will 

display objects and materials that most of us don’t 

usually think of as “designed,” though they are purely 

the products of a sketchpad and pencil (or increasingly, 

a computer screen and mouse). These include a series 

of exhibits devoted to graphic design and poster art 

created for concerts, exhibitions and other cultural 

events. A collection of Latvian graphic design materials 

entitled Art + Communication. Archive will be on display 

in the windows of the Latvian National Library building 

on Barona iela, alongside a special traveling exhibit 

of Spanish posters. Nearby Berga Bazaar will host an 

exhibit of Estonian posters, traditionally that country’s 

strongest graphic design field, while the design store 

Casa Nostra on the corner of Brīvības and Dzirnavu iela 

will offer a collection of Lithuanian calligraphy. 

Of course, the purpose of design is to be used, not 

just looked at. For this reason, Design.Future 2010 will 

also include events where visitors can actually pick 

up, inspect, purchase, and take home various design 

objects and materials. According to one of the festival’s 

organizers, Inese Pētersone, “design is an instrument 

to raise our quality of life.” Indeed, these design 

objects embody our cultural values and then 

disseminate them to others. According to 

Pētersone, the aesthetic quality of our designed 

objects display the cultural level of our nation, 

revealing the national welfare of the country. 

Good design not only raises the quality of 

our individual lives (think about objects like 

electrical appliances and automobiles) but also 

improves the overall wellbeing of the nation 

(road signs, buildings etc.) 

To this end, several shops in Berga Bazaar, 

including the Nakts Mēbeles furniture store, 

will hold open houses throughout October. 

At these events, visitors can view product 

presentations, consult with professional 

designers, and have a glass of wine with local design 

experts. Connoisseurs of good design will also be 

happy to hear that a brand new design shop, Riija, will 

be opening at Tērbatas iela 6/8 on October 8. The store 

will sell a full range of locally made design products, 

including dishes, furniture, chairs, shelves, glassware, 

leather goods and porcelain. One of the creators of 

the shop is renowned Latvian fashion designer Natālija 

Jansone, so the store will also sell a myriad of fashion 

goods and style accessories. 

Unique design objects will be available for 

sale at the gift shop of the Latvian National 

Museum of Art on Valdemāra iela. The 

shop will sell souvenirs inspired by some 

of the famous works of art on view upstairs 

in the museum. These include porcelain 

dishes adorned with ink sketches by Latvian 

graphic artist Sigismunds Vidbergs; scalemodel 

versions of Teodors Zaļkalns’s famous 

sculpture Pig, perfect for putting on your 

desk; a silk handkerchief decorated with 

designs by Latvian-born Constructivist artist 

Gustavs Klucis; a mouse pad and coaster featuring 

colorful drawings of peasant women by Russian artist 

Filipp Malyavin; and a puzzle with an Impressionistic 

painting by Latvian Old Master painter Vilhelms Purvītis. 

desIgn 

Is All 

ARound us: 

desIgneRs 

HAve 

cReAted tHe 

InteRIoR 

of tHe 

AIRcRAft 


Some of the most interesting activities during Design. 

Future 2010 will occur later in the month in the Latvian city 

of Daugavpils. The weekend of October 29-30 will feature 

several exhibitions, workshops, and seminars in this historic 

city near the border with Russia and Belarus. Here Latvian 

designers Jānis and Indra Merci—founders of the design 

company Mercidesign—will present their disposable 

cardboard and papier-mâché furniture, or “eco-furniture,” 

a trend in environmentally safe and user-friendly home 

design that is quickly becoming popular all over the world. 

They will be joined by their colleague Jānis Rauza, who has 

developed a line of simple, sturdy, and stylish minimalist 

furniture called Mint, which can be mixed and matched to 

suit any interior. 

The final event in the festival’s program is an exhibit 

devoted to the life and work of Ādolfs Irbītis at the Museum 

of Decorative Arts and Design. Though Irbītis is not a 

household name, his works could be found in households 

all over the Soviet Union. Irbītis was a product designer 

for the VEF and Radiotehnika factories in Riga, where he 

designed radios, stereo equipment, and other electronic 

devices from the 1930s through the 1960s. Among his most 

famous works are the design of the VEF Spīdola radio, the 

VEF-12 radio and the VEF electric organ. The exhibit has 

been organized in honor of Irbītis’s hundredth anniversary 

and strives to reveal the mind behind these objects that are 

an enduring part of our collective memory. 

The principal aim of Design. Future 2010 is to introduce 

audiences to the designers who created the objects around 

us. As festival organizers Inese Pētersone and Daina Vītoliņa 

explain, design is not just a theoretical discipline, it is also a 

practical field demanding great skill and knowledge on the 

part of the designer, who must transform raw materials into 

attractive, convenient and useful new objects. BO 

www.dic.lv

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 


OUTLOOK / fOOD fEsTIVALs 

52 / AIRBALTIC.COM


TExT: OsKARs KLAUzE, PETER WALsh, 

NORA TIRUmA, CLAIRE gERVAT 

PHOTOS: CORBIs, PUBLICITY AND COURTEsY Of 

ENTE TURIsmO ALBA, BRA LANghE E ROERO 

Delicious 

Food 

Festivals 

Here is a Baltic Outlook guide to 

some European food festivals that 

will be taking place in France, Italy, 

Switzerland and Spain during the 

months of October and November. 



Siesta on the Seafood Coast: 

Fiesta del Marisco in O Grove, Spain 


Of all food festivals, 

few are as enticing for gourmets as those celebrating 

the edible delights of the sea, be they lobsters in 

Maine, oysters in Ireland or shrimps in the pretty French 

port of Honfleur. But what if your taste buds yearn for a 

Fly to Barcelona or Madrid 


€73 

more varied selection? 

Fortunately, a number of festivals allow you to 

indulge in vast range of seafood. One of the best 

is in Galicia, on the rugged north-west corner of 

Spain. Fishing is a way of life there. Indeed, it is 

so important that the whole shoreline – around 

1500 kilometres of it – is known in Galician as the 

Costa do Marisco, or the Seafood Coast. 

Therefore, it is not surprising that the bounty of 

the sea is celebrated with such enthusiasm at the 

annual Seafood Festival or Festa do Marisco, which 

runs this year from October 1 to 12 in the town of 

O Grove. 

The fishing port of O Grove itself, accessible from 

Vigo, Santiago de Compostela or La Coruña, is on 

a peninsula sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean, 

flanked by long, sheltered estuaries. Thanks to 

these varied marine habitats, the waters around 

O Grove support a huge range of sea life. 

That’s great news for visitors to the festival. Every 

day, they have the chance to sample anything 

from razor clams and mussels to crayfish and the 

local speciality, octopus a la gallega, cooked with 

olive oil, sea salt and Spain’s version of paprika – and 

at very reasonable prices. There is so much choice 

that you’ll hardly know where to begin. 

The stalls are set up in marquees around the port 

area, beside the Ria de Arosa, providing muchneeded 

shelter and plenty of tables on which to

est all those laden terracotta dishes and wooden 

platters. It would be very easy to spend most of 

the day (the stalls take a break in the afternoon) 

queuing, eating, drinking and soaking up the lively 

atmosphere created by an estimated 200 000 

visitors. 

However, O Grove and the surrounding peninsula 

are also popular summer holiday destinations for 

families, while the neighbouring islet of A Toxa 

attracts a more upmarket crowd. By October, of 

course, the main tourist season is over, which 

makes it easier to find cheap accommodations. The 

enticing beaches around O Grove are still perfect 

for walking off the calories or snoozing with a good 

book. And there are plenty of cafés and bars to relax 

in between sessions at the seafood stalls. 

Once you have had your fill of seafood, you can 

choose from a number of other activities to keep 

you amused. The first weekend of the festival is given 

over to the regatta and to popular games such as 

petanque and horseshoe-throwing, which are noisily 

and hotly contested. 

Festa do Marisco, October 1-12 , O Grove, Spain 

www.turismogrove.com 

Local wine and beer 

Galicia produces some superb, crisp white wines, 

such as the excellent Albariño, which has acquired 

an international reputation. As an alternative, we 

recommend the local Estrella de Galicia beer from 

A Coruña, which goes perfectly with heartier fish 

dishes. It is also regarded by many as Spain’s best 

brew. 

Heading for a detox 

Overdone the eating and drinking? The 

neighbouring islet of A Toxa has several 

thalassotherapy centres where you can recover in 

thermal spring waters, of which Gran Hotel La Toja 

is the best known. Otherwise, there are plenty 

of squeaky-clean sandy beaches for windswept 

walks near O Grove and around the peninsula. 

www.granhotellatoja.com 

Start of the spider crab season 

There’s more foodie fun in O Grove later in the 

year with the Spider Crab Festival (November 

27 – December 8) to mark the start of the new 

crab season. Bargain-hunting gourmets will be 

in heaven, as local chefs compete to produce 

the most delicious dishes to new or traditional 

recipes.


Going nuts in rural France: 

Chestnut festival in Foire de la Châtaigne 

Every October, the tiny hillside village of 

Mourjou, in the Auvergne region of France, plays host to the Foire 

de la Châtaigne, a two-day festival in honour of chestnuts. This 

distinctly nutty affair draws some 20 000 visitors every year and 

combines a vast array of mouth-watering food, lively music and, of 

course, tonnes of chestnuts. 

Chestnuts used to be a staple in this once-poor part of France 

and were ground into flour or fed to pigs to improve their taste. 

Mourjou itself lies in a 1000-square kilometre area known as the 

Châtaignerie, or chestnut grove. Nearly all Mourjou’s 360 villagers 

take part in the festival and start preparing for it months in 

advance. 

Numerous stalls and marquees fill out the village, offering 


La Maison de la 

Châtaigne 

A trip to Mourjou isn’t complete 

without a visit to its charming 

chestnut museum, La Maison de la 

Châtaigne. The museum opened in 

1999 and is housed in a tastefully 

converted barn. A trip there and to 

the Foire de la Châtaigne will surely 

endear you to this humble little nut 

for the rest of your life. 

www.maisonduchataignier.fr 

Nutrition facts 

Being low in fat, rich in fiber and 

gluten-free, the chestnut is an 

exemplary component of a healthy 

and energy-filled diet. It has less 

calories than other nuts, and having 

similar nutritional properties to 

brown rice, the chestnut is often 

Fly to Paris 


€50 

everything from chestnut flour to chestnut wine to chestnut 

pies. An estimated three tonnes of nuts will be consumed in 

some shape or form during the festival, along with 6000 litres of 

a delicious local cider. 

Your mind will boggle at the sheer inventiveness of the French 

locals in the use of the unassuming chestnut. You will find jars of 

chestnut jam and a tangy chestnut-flower honey, chestnut liqueur, 

madeleine cakes with chestnut, and even chestnut marshmallows. 

Be sure to sample the divine tuiles de châtaigne, a biscuit made 

from chestnut flour, butter and sugar. There are also specialities on 

offer from neighbouring regions, such as pâté from the Ardèche, 

charcuterie from the Dordogne and baked goods from the Lot 

Valley. 

Chestnuts have made something of a return to culinary vogue 

in recent years, although the English language can’t differentiate 

between a châtaigne and a marron. Both translate into English as 

chestnut and the trees are so similar that you can only tell which is 

which by opening the prickly husk. The châtaigne has a stronger, 

sweeter flavour and is much more versatile than the relatively 

tasteless marron. 

Foire de la Châtaigne, Mourjou 

October 23-24 

www.foirechataignemourjou.fr 

called the grain that grows on a 

tree. Historic evidence indicates 

that the Greek army may have 

survived its retreat from Asia Minor 

(in 401-399 BC) thanks to copious 

supplies of chestnuts. 

Vulcania 

Chestnuts aren’t the only treasure 

of the Auvergne region. Vulcania, or 

the European Volcano Park, is a good 

way to enrich your visit to the village 

of Mourjou. Auvergne happens to be 

the home of the largest group of 

volcanoes in Europe. Although the 

volcanoes haven’t erupted for the 

last 6000 years, the Grand Geyser, 

Magma Explorer and a large number 

of other exciting rides will hold 

your children’s attention for quite 

a while.


At the centre of attention: 

tartufo bianco 

Alba International Truffle Festival, Italy 

During the month of October, colourful celebrations 

take place just about everywhere in Italy. Each village, even 

the smallest, has its own patron saint protecting it, as well as a 

traditional product of which the village is proud. At least once a 

year, both the patron saint and the local delicacy have a significant 

festival celebrated in their honour. 

It would be difficult to find a gastronomic treasure that is more 

valuable and more surrounded by legend than the white truffle 

(tartufo bianco in Italian). Every October in Alba (Cuneo province, 

Piemonte), the truffle season is celebrated with the most important 


THosE wHo wIsH to master the 

subtleties of evaluating the smell and 

appreciating the taste of truffles can 

take a four-hour-long course, which 

costs 50 EUR. 

MoRRA is the most famous variety 

of Alba truffle in the world. It was 

named in the 1950s by restaurant 

owner Giacomo MoRRA, who was 

crowned the King of Truffles by 

the Times newspaper of London in 

1933. He was responsible for putting 

Alba on the gourmand world map 

Fly to Milan 


€50 

annual truffle market in the world. The auctions for the best truffle 

of the year are usually attended by a cinema diva or two, and are 

the focus of a real hullabaloo. 

Experts from around the world firstly sniff the truffles, then later 

move in circles about the laid tables with their little forks raised, 

savouring each morsel as they formulate the most appropriate 

superlatives to describe the taste. 

After the auctions have ended, the media eagerly report the names of 

the restaurants to which the most outstanding examples of the year’s 

crop will be delivered, while gourmands hurry to reserve places at 

these privileged establishments for their greatest meal of the year. 

Each day, one can enjoy exhibitions, concerts and the sight of 

people dressed in historical costumes. An annual donkey race 

also takes place, in which only representatives of established, local 

families take part. 

Alba International Truffle festival 

www.fieradeltartufo.org 

and consolidated the city’s truffle 

traditions. 

THE osTERIA LALIBERA REsTAURAnT, 

which offers outstanding truffle dishes 

to both locals and tourists. 

Via E. Pertinace, Alba 

Tel.: 017-3293-155 

PRICEs TEnd to be very high in the 

centrally located restaurants, and 

in the establishments mentioned 

in prominent gastronomic tourism 

guides, especially during the festival.


One of the best-kept 

Italian secrets: 

Pistachio Festival in Bronte, Italy 

While outstanding chefs and movie stars mix at the Alba 

Truffle Festival, another festival that is also rich in local charm 

takes place in Sicily. It is dedicated to the pistachio nut, which is 

considered to be one of the best-kept secrets of meridional cuisine. 

The pistachio is an ingredient in many tasty Sicilian recipes, including 

salads, seafood, pastas, dried foods and desserts. It is specifically in 

Bronte, a small town at the western edge of the mighty Etna volcano, 

where a weekend festival is dedicated to them each year. 

Bronte is the true embodiment of tradition, with parades of 

Sicilian flag-bearers and ornate carriages, brilliant chains of flowers, 

performances of traditional folk music and long tables straining 


THE PIsTACHIo ITsELF, as well as its 

name, fristach (a derivation of the 

Persian fistich), was introduced into 

Europe by the Arabs. 

THE nUTRITIonAL VALUE of the 

pistachio is exceptionally high. By 

weight, it has twice the number of 

calories as butter. The nuts are used 

mainly for their particular flavour, 

imparting the food with accents that 

are characteristic of Etna cuisine. 

Hosteria della Stazione, 

D.Da Difesa (Casello 61) 

Bronte (CT) 

Tel.: 3290236244. 

Fly to Rome 


€50 

under the weight of various Sicilian delicacies. 

Arabs were the first to grow pistachios in Sicily. In 1860, pistachiogrowing 

areas were expanded on the island and Bronte County, 

which is blessed with a view of Mount Etna, became the home of 

the most significant plantations. 

Pistachio trees flower in April, but the crop is harvested in 

September or October, depending on the weather. The use of 

these nuts is much wider than may first be imagined. If you are 

still unfamiliar with the famous Sicilian cannoli, with its ricotta 

cheese filling and sprinkles of pistachio at the ends, you should 

certainly be prepared to make this culinary discovery. 

A little-known fact is that overall, at least twice as many pistachios 

are used in the preparation of typical Sicilian salami, salsiccia fried 

sausages, pasta sauces, meat and seafood, than for the famous 

green pistachio ice cream and other sweet desserts. In other 

words, just about all of the possible transformations of pistachios 

into tasty dishes can be witnessed at Bronte during the first 

weekend of October. 

Sagra del Pistacchio 

September 30-October 3, Bronte 

www.comune.bronte.ct.it 

A sUPERB TRAdITIonAL REsTAURAnT 

with a family atmosphere, where 

you can taste food that is typical 

of the Etna region. The dishes are 

carefully prepared and are served with 

excellent Etna wines, as well as typical 

pistachio desserts.


Honouring the Food 

of the Gods: 

International Chocolate Exhibition, Switzerland 

Nothing can beat the smell that wafts out 

of chocolate factories when chocolate beans are being 

ground there. Festivals in honour of chocolate are held in 

many places around the world, and one of those places is 

Switzerland, which has the highest per capita rate of chocolate 

consumption in the world. 

The first International Chocolate Exhibition took place on 

the shores of Lake Lugano this spring, drawing about 60 000 

visitors. It was so popular that the organizers have decided 

to hold another festival with the slogan More Chocolate this 

November, as a warm-up to the Christmas season. 

The best Swiss and other Western European chocolate 

manufacturers are determined to ensure that this festival 

is a similarly unforgettable event, with workshops, tastings, 

shows and even a chocolate spa that will offer warm chocolate 

massages for the hands. An artificially created beach will also 

be set up, complete with umbrellas and deck chairs in which 

to lie back and enjoy this popular delicacy, which is known the 


AnoTHER chocolate festival will take 

place this year in the northern Italian 

city of Perugia, from october 15-24. 

Italians call Perugia their “capital city 

of chocolate.” The renowned Perugina 

chocolate factory and chocolate 

museum are located there, and they 

won’t let anyone leave without a 

tasting. 

THE sPAnIsH were among the first 

Europeans who began to experiment 

with the Aztecs’ bitter power 

beverage, the dark and tonifying 

chocolate drink, four centuries ago. 

After they replaced chilli peppers with 

milk and sugar, the drink became 

very popular in Europe. Meanwhile, 

the French conducted all sorts of 

experiments with chocolate in their 

cuisine, using it not only in desserts, 

but also in the preparation of main 

courses, including meat sauces, glazes 

and foie gras. 

Fly to Zurich 


€50 

world over for generating a pleasant sensation of well-being. 

The Lugano Chocolate Festival draws many young families with 

children, mainly from Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France. 

Eurochocolate Swiss: International Chocolate Exhibition, Lugano 

November 11 – 14 

www.eurochocolate.com 

THE TRUE HIsToRy oF CHoCoLATE, 

sophie d. Coe and Michael Coe, 

Thames & Hudson, 2000. 

Both of the book’s authors are 

anthropologists with a gastronomic 

touch, making this volume fascinating 

for those who love historical facts, 

as well as for economists and 

gourmands. 

wHITE CHoCoLATE doesn’t have any 

cocoa mass, but it does have cocoa 

butter. 

www.facts-about-chocolate.com

OUTLOOK TRAVEL / fINLAND 

The forecast 

calls for 

rapujuhla: 

Adventures of a thirty 

something-year-old 

crayfish virgin 

TExT AND PHOTOS: ROgER NORUm, AUThOR AND PhOTOgRAPhER 

Of ThE NEW ROUgh gUIDE TO fINLAND 


Finland’s short summers 

bring everyone out to 

the countryside for 

sauna get-togethers and 

skinny-dipping parties 

during long, white 

balmy nights. However, 

once the Scandinavian 

summer cools off, 

Finland’s crayfish 

season heats up, making 

early autumn the 

perfect time to come 

and take part in this 

unique Nordic ritual. 

I arrived unannounced recently for a short 

stay in Åland, that group of over 6000 

islands and skerries splayed out in the Baltic 

Sea between Finland and Sweden. After 

befriending a group of jovial islanders, 

I found myself invited to an all-night soirée. 

After dinner, we all stripped to our skivvies 

and headed into the sauna to sweat it up, 

then jumped into the chilly lake water, 

which was lit up with colorful paper 

lanterns heralding the end of the summer 

season. At some point, I heard the clock 

strike 2 a.m., but we were all still wide 

awake. Someone had once again turned up 

the tango music and the partying wasn’t 

going to end anytime soon. 

finns are fanatics of classic cars. When 

I arrived at the cabin on Åland’s northern 

coast, there were old Saabs, Mercedes, 

Triumphs and Chevrolets parked outside 

and tango music was lilting from a 

nearby radio.

traditionally, freshwater crayfish are caught in traps or nets 

baited with herring or sunfish. Ours had been caught that morning 

in nearby Tjudö, where the island’s famous apple brandy is distilled. 

The Astacus astacus – Scandinavia’s sole natural crayfish species – is 

also known as the “noble crayfish,” as it is the crème de la crème 

when it comes to taste. 

once the dinner 

bell rang, the eight 

of us sat down at a 

table by the water’s 

edge, where the air 

was thick with the 

aroma of smoked 

sausages, along 

with the smoke 

of a wood-heated 

sauna. On draught 

were Stallhagen 

(Åland’s local brew) 

and Lapin Kulta 

(Finland’s national 

beer), but we started 

things off with a 

shot of Ålvados, the 

local 42% apple 

brandy, which is a 

great appetizer. 

OUTLOOK TRAVEL / fINLAND 

the crayfish party or rapujuhla in Finnish, is usually enjoyed 

in the great outdoors. Since 75% of Finland’s territory is covered 

with vast tracts of forested wilderness and another 10% consists 

of inland waterways, this is rarely a problem. Be sure to head 

straight to an inland lake or to the Baltic archipelago. 

You are left with 

a diminutive critical 

mass of crayfish meat, 

which you scoop out 

with your fingers and 

a small tong, sprinkling 

it on top of a slice of 

crispy toast spread 

with dill, local caraway 

cheese and lemon 

butter (or mayonnaise). 

This is repeated until 

the catch has been 

consumed, or until you 

have reached some 

state of intoxication: 

beer and liquor are 

consumed in no small 

quantity during the 

meal. 

while there may 

be more than one 

way to disembowel 

a crustacean, the 

Finnish method 

involves cracking 

the neck, removing 

the head, tearing off 

the main shell and 

then stripping out 

the single strand 

of intestinal tract, 

which should peel 

easily out of the 

body. 


local Ålänningars send off colorful paper lanterns lit with candles out to sea, bringing 

an end to the summer and welcoming autumn. 

fly to 10 cities in finland with 

Direct flights from Riga starting from euR 46 – earn 

500 BalticMiles in Economy class 

From more than 60 cities via Riga starting from euR 69 – earn 

from 1000 BalticMiles in Economy class 

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

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

Åland’s most smashing place to stay 

is this gorgeous, elegant resort right 

on the archipelago’s north shore – 

perfect for a crayfish evening with 

friends. They even have an authentic 

smoke sauna and large jacuzzi for 

kicking back afterwards. 

fly to Helsinki, Turku or Stockholm, 

HavsVidden (+ 358 184 9408; 

www.havsvidden.com) 

Alternatively, head to mainland 

Finland’s Lake District for a lovely 

evening on the shores of a quiet, 

remote waterway. Easily the best 

place in the country to learn the 

ins and outs of crayfish culture, an 

evening here includes lessons by 

Lord of the Manor Pasi Heinonen, 

who will guide you gingerly through 

the ritual, ensuring that you avoid any 

faux pas in crayfish consumption. 

fly to Tampere, where Crayfish Manor 

(+358 44 592 9429; www.rapukartano.fi) 

For more information on Finland, 

visit www.visitfinland.com/uk 

Special thanks to Visit Åland 

(www.visitaland.com) and 

GoTampere (www.gotampere.fi).

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

CARs 

In assocIatIon wIth Whatcar.LV 

Nissan Juke 

Supermini sized crossover with plenty of attitude 


A supermini 

version of 

the Qashqai 

says... 

Clever Nissan. Back in 2007, the Japanese company 

was first to spot that some car buyers were getting 

bored with normal-sized family vehicles, while 

others were feeling increasingly uncomfortable 

in their large 4x4s. Hence, a crossover was born, 

which Nissan named Qashqai. 

The Qashqai was Ford Focus-sized, but with a Land 

Rover Freelander attitude. It even had four-wheeldrive 

for those who wanted a true 4x4 feeling.

Son of Qashqai – the Juke 

is born 

The Qashqai has been a runaway success 

and now clever Nissan is at it again with 

the Juke. Think of the Juke as a supermini 

version of the Qashqai – complete with 

a funky, 4x4 appearance in something 

just a little larger than a Ford Fiesta. A 

genuine, four-wheel-drive version is also 

available. 

If Nissan was brave with the Qashqai, 

then it has been fearless with the Juke, 

staying faithful to the wild Qazana 

concept car of last year, with bulging 

front headlights, big wheel arches, a 

coupe-like roofline and hidden rear doors. 

Inside story 

Inside, the car takes its inspiration from 

motorbikes, with ‘floating’ instruments 

and a centre console that is styled to 

resemble a bike’s fuel tank. It’s a shame, 

then, that some of the plastics around the 

cabin feel a bit cheap. 

This isn’t a case of style over substance, 

though – the Juke does all of the things 

that you would expect a supermini-sized 

car to do. Four large-ish people can travel 

in reasonable, if not overly generous 

comfort. The rear doors, with their 

handles hidden in the window frame, are 

a bit narrow (particularly if you want to 

fit a child seat through them), while the 

shallow windows make the car feel more 

snug inside than it actually is. 

The boot is an acceptable size, with a 

hidden section under the floor. The seats 

fold down for even more space and the 

parcel shelf is cleverly incorporated into 

the boot door. 

Engine options 

Most buyers will probably go for the 

standard 1.6-litre petrol engine (a revised 

version of the engine found in the 

Qashqai). The cars that we drove had a 

110 hp, 1.5-litre diesel engine, while the 

all-new, 1.6-litre direct injection turbo 

petrol model had 190 hp. 

The 1.5-litre diesel engine is a little 

grumbly, but has a reasonable amount 

of power and is quite smooth – although 

our car did have a slight hiccup at around 

1800 rpm. It may seem a bit expensive 

compared to the 1.6-litre model, which 

will probably be nicer to drive and will still 

give you reasonable fuel economy. 

Nissan’s new, 1.6-litre, direct injection 

turbo petrol engine is even hotter news. 

It will propel the Juke from 0-100 km/h 

in 8.0 seconds and could be defined as 

Engine Size 

1,6 Pure 

drive 2WD 

1,6 M/T 

2WD 

1,6 CVT 

2WD 

1,6 DIG-T 

M/T 2WD 

1,6 DIG-T 

CVT 4WD 

CARs 

1,5 dCI M/T 

2WD 

Price From € 15 210 € 18 056 € 17 771 € 19 194 € 20 546 € 16 918 

Power 117 Hp 117 Hp 117 Hp 190 Hp 190 Hp 110 Hp 

Economy 

l/100km 

6 6,4 6,3 6,9 7,6 5,1 

CO2 g/km 138 149 145 150 175 134 

The Juke is another 

success story 

smooth, refined and punchy. Although 

it doesn’t exactly turn the Juke into a 

Formula 1 racing machine, this engine 

makes the car fun to drive, and at a 

reasonable price. 

The range-topping turbo model comes 

with an advanced, four-wheel-drive 

system and a CVT automatic gearbox. 

However, unless you really want fourwheel 

drive, its price is a bit too steep for 

the Juke. 

On the road 

Given the Juke’s tall stance – it is only 

slightly lower than a Qashqai – it doesn’t 

roll around through bends. Don’t go 

thinking that this model is sporty, 

though. It is just a bit more fun than 

you might expect at first glance. Even 

with the Dynamic Control System 

set to Sport, the steering feels a little 

slack and the front end will lose grip 

if you try to get through a corner 

swiftly. The ride isn’t as comfy as a 

Qashqai’s and feels a little over-firm 

at times. 

In any case, with its distinctly 

Japanese emblem on the hood, the 

Juke seems set to be another success 

story for Nissan. It is different enough 

to be interesting, good enough to 

drive and just about spacious enough 

for occasional family trips. 

What Car? says 

Is the Juke the right car at the right 

time? Although it has got some other, 

equally striking small cars like the 

Audi A1 and the Mini Countryman 

to contend with, the Juke offers a 

good value and is a hugely tempting 

alternative to both. BO 


CARs 

Your car’s 

colour of money 

Colour is a powerful thing. It can transform a bland bedroom into a charming 

boudoir, or turn a financially sound car choice into an ownership disaster. Yet 

most people don’t link a car’s colour with its rate of depreciation – and that can 

be a major mistake. 

Colour choice can affect your car’s second-hand value by thousands of euros. 

Even the cheapest new cars can be affected: pick the wrong colour on a basic 

supermini and you could be 1000 euros out of pocket in just three years. 


unusuAl 

colouRs 

cAn go out 

of fAsHIon 

veRY 

quIcKlY, 

so Be 

cAutIous...

So, what is the right colour? 

Choose an inoffensive colour such as black 

for your new Ford Fiesta and it will be 

worth around 1000 euros more than the 

same car in green after three years. Buy a 

new BMW 3 Series in white instead of green 

and it will be worth around 2000 euros 

more after the same three-year period. 

The colours most resistant to depreciation 

depend on the make, model, engine and 

trim of the car to which they are attached. 

However, according to What Car?, there 

are some basic rules to follow. Mainstream 

versions of run-of-the mill cars, including 

the Ford Mondeo, Opel Astra and even the 

Volkswagen Golf, hold on to their value 

better when painted silver, black or grey. 

This might seem a bit boring, but buyers 

of this type of car – new and used – are 

usually pretty conservative with their 

colour choice, so it is best to steer clear of 

unusual shades, including white. 

It is the same with executive and luxury 

cars. Therefore, high-end Audis, BMWs 

and Mercedes are best in black, silver or 

anything in between. 

Tick the ‘white’ box when ordering a new 

Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI Blue Efficiency 

SE and you will be chucking away nearly 

1500 euros in additional depreciation. 

You can experiment a bit more with 

performance variants of premium saloons, 

such as the BMW M3 or Audi RS5, but it 

is best not to be too adventurous with 

everyday versions. 

Saving cash doesn’t always mean being 

unadventurous. Sometimes, choosing an 

eye-catching colour will actually help to 

slow a car’s depreciation. Fiat 500 buyers, 

for example, are better off plumping for 

white or red rather than silver, and the 

Citroën DS3 retains its value better in 

yellow or white than it does in grey. Most 

buyers of fashionable, small cars want to 

stand out from the crowd, which is why in 

this case, bright colours are more desirable. 

Sports cars are an anomaly because they 

hold their value equally well in conservative 

colours and more adventurous shades. 

Whether you choose grey, black, white, 

silver, yellow or even bright red for your 

new Porsche 911, Cayman or Boxster, it will 

be worth near enough the same after three 

years. There are still some pitfalls, though: 

green or brown will batter your Porsche’s 

second-hand value by 7-9%. That translates 

to a loss of around 3000 euros on an entrylevel 

Boxster. 

Metallic or flat? 

As a rule, metallic paint boosts the value of 

a second-hand car by a few hundred euros, 

but you need to offset this against the extra 

cost of the paint when buying new. 

You will make back roughly half the original 

cost of metallic paint on run-of-the-mill 

cars such as superminis, small family 

hatchbacks and family cars. 

On some small and fashion-led cars, such as 

the Mini or Fiat 500, your return is likely to 

be even lower. 

And on most executive and luxury cars, a 

metallic finish is definitely a no-brainer. BO 

CARs

gADgETs TExT: gIRTs ROzNERs | PUBLICITY PhOTOs 

Let’s talk! 

logitech Z623 

Let the walls shake 

Have you heard about THX certification? It is conducted by a well-known and 

independent group of people who put electronic gadgets through a series of quality 

tests. The new Logitech 2.1 sound system has received their stamp of approval in 

the form of a THX certificate, which means that Logitech’s 200-W (RMS) speakers 

won’t simply give you noise, but will provide a truly superb sound for your computer 

or television. 

The Z623 speaker system goes for about 170 EUR. 

nokia n8 

New Smartphone with Iconic Features 

Nokia’s latest smartphone Nokia N8, powered by the 

Symbian^3, the latest edition of the world’s most used 

smartphone software, is already available in shops all around 

the world at an estimated retail price of EUR 370, before 

applicable taxes or subsidies. The N8 is an iconic device with 

an amazing set of features that have yet to be seen in the 

smartphone market – a 12 Mpix camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 

Xenon flash and a large sensor, HD-quality filming and editing 

suite, Dolby Digital surround sound, HDMI connection, and 

many other great features. The Ovi store offers thousands of 

different applications to upgrade the Nokia N8 and make it 

more personal.

sennheiser pX360Bt 

Musical transformer 

The new Sennheiser collapsible 

headphones can be safely placed into 

your bag, without worrying about 

accidentally breaking them during 

your travels. The two moveable metal 

connections on each speaker ensure a 

comfortable headphone transformation. 

The headphones are sufficiently large, 

but folded up can easily fit in your 

laptop bag’s side pocket. In addition, the 

PX360BT has wireless headphones that 

can be connected to any Bluetooth 2.1 

technology-supporting equipment. 

However, the main thing is that they sound 

really great! 

sony walkman nw-A840 

A particularly stylish player 

We have all grown to love the Walkman, with each now model surpassing 

its predecessor in one way or another. This latest is an addition to the 

Walkman A series. Currently it is the thinnest of them all – only 7.2 

millimetres wide. The NW-A840 is available in various colours and with 

varying memory sizes – 16, 32 and 64 GB. It has a 2.8-inch OLED display, 

which means that the colours are especially bright. 

www.sonyinsider.com 

canon X mark I mouse 

Three in one 

The new Canon calculator can also be used as a wireless (Bluetooth 2.0) 

mouse and numeric keyboard for a computer. This unusual mouse is 

equipped with three click buttons and a scroll-wheel, but the rest of the 

calculator keyboard can be easily blocked, so that during its use a digit isn’t 

pressed down inadvertently. Using the calculator as a mouse, however, 

means that you will have to change the batteries more frequently. Who 

knows, perhaps one day this sort of equipment will operate completely on 

solar batteries? The Canon X Mark I Mouse is compatible with both PCs and 

MAC computers. 

www.notebooks.com


Heady 

luxury 

A portrait of two water nymphs, 

looking out knowingly from the 

depths of still waters – Nixen, the 

1889 painting by Gustav Klimt, has 

served as a source of inspiration for 

the FREY WILLE in–house artistic team 

to create a new lavish, luxuriously 

ornamental and heady collection Nixe. 

This celebration of female mystery 

and sensuality, 19 bangles, watches, 

earrings, broaches and rings, are 

already available in all FREY WILLE 

boutiques. 

Rings Diva, Miss and Ultra 

24kt yellow gold plating and high shine / mirror finish effect enamel decor 

that contains 23.5kt yellow gold and 22.5kt platinum. Worn alone or to finish 

set of several jewellery pieces, these noticeable and stylish rings are a real 

eye catcher. 

Value: 210.00 / 160.00 / 160.00 LVL 


Luna Piena pendant adjusted with Anchor chain 

24kt yellow gold plating and high shine / mirror finish effect 

enamel decor that contains 23.5kt yellow gold and 22.5kt platinum. 

Value: 448.00 LVL 

earrings Cabochon 

24kt yellow gold plating and high shine / mirror finish effect enamel 

decor that contains 23.5kt yellow gold and 22.5kt platinum. 

Value: 240.00 LVL 

Bordered bangles Diva, Miss and Ultra 


decor that contains 23.5kt yellow gold and 22.5kt platinum. Bangles 

create original and sophisticated look as these are possible to mix and 

match several at one time. 

Value: 520.00 / 335.00 / 285.00 LVL 

clasp bangle Contessa 


decor that contains 23.5kt yellow gold and 22.5kt platinum. 

Value: 495.00 LVL

Hydrating 

cleansing milk 

An exceptionally gentle, 

yet deeply cleansing, 

water-soluble creamy 

milk – so versatile 

that it can be used as 

a wonderfully light 

moisturiser. It sweeps 

away impurities without 

affecting the natural 

balance of oils in your skin, 

leaving your face cleansed, 

refreshed and hydrated. 

The milk is formulated as a 

highly therapeutic blend of 

pure plant extracts, which 

work together to deliver 

impressive results. 

100 ml 19.50 LVL 

200 ml 25.50 LVL 

24-hour 

moisturising 

complex 

A deeply nourishing and 

hydrating moisturiser 

that helps to protect 

and regenerate the skin, 

making it feel softer, 

smoother and more 

radiant. Cell-boosting and 

rehydrating frankincense 

is combined with calming 

myrrh, rejuvenating rose 

geranium and neroli, along 

with evening primrose oil, 

jojoba and coconut. This 

complex’s antioxidant 

properties help to combat 

the signs of ageing, leaving 

your skin soft, supple and 

revived. 

55 ml 44.50 LVL 

essential 

protective serum 

A light, hydrating serum 

rich in vitamins, minerals 

and natural sunscreens. 

It protects, firms and 

improves the skin’s natural 

function, leaving it soft and 

shielded. Formulated for 

everyday use, this serum 

contains soothing and 

hydrating aloe, refreshing 

and uplifting tangerine 

and cell-rejuvenating 

buckthorn, which is 

rich in vitamins E and A. 

These ingredients work 

together to hydrate and 

protect your skin from the 

effects of the climate and 

pollution, making it feel 

soft and cared for. 

35 ml 33.00 LVL 


Restore your vitality with 

ESPA exclusive skin 

care products 

ESPA Rīga, one of the most renowned spas in the Baltics 

is now offering its customers the unique opportunity 

to take some of its secrets home with them. 

pink hair and scalp 

mud 

A uniquely versatile 

and intensive hair and 

scalp treatment. The 

combination of red and 

white clay, watercress 

extract and apricot kernels 

helps to moisturise and 

condition the hair, scalp 

and body. Our pink mud 

has achieved worldwide 

recognition and is one 

of our most popular 

products, renowned 

for leaving the hair soft 

and smooth as silk. The 

white clay (kaolin) helps 

to stimulate circulation in 

the scalp, whilst soothing 

watercress helps to 

leave the scalp calm and 

comfortable. The powerful 

conditioning action of 

apricot kernels works to 

intensively moisturise and 

condition your hair, leaving 

it revitalised and with 

improved manageability. 

Perfect for dry, damaged 

or chemically treated 

hair. Pink hair and scalp 

mud is also a great skin 

conditioner and can be 

used to treat sunburns, 

as well as skin conditions 

such as eczema and 

psoriasis. 

180 ml jar 36.00 LVL 

200 ml tube 36.00 LVL 

shaving mud 

This unique product 

combines an effective 

shaving preparation with a 

deep-cleansing mask. Ideal 

for sensitive skin, it leaves 

your face feeling smooth, 

cool and refreshed. The 

rich-textured shaving 

mud will help your razor 

glide across the skin for 

a perfectly close shave, 

while the white China 

clay (kaolin – renowned 

for its highly absorbent 

properties) will help to 

draw out excess oil and 

impurities. For best results, 

leave it on while brushing 

your teeth, shave and then 

rinse it off. 

200 ml 20.50 LVL 

exfoliating body 

polish 

A rich, aloe-based gel that 

gently exfoliates the skin, 

removing dry, dull cells and 

impurities to leave the skin 

brighter, more refined and 

softer to the touch. Apricot 

kernels are blended with 

aloe, phytoplankton and 

spearmint to create this 

uplifting treatment. 

180 ml jar 33.50 LVL 

200 ml tube 33.50 LVL 

Relaxing salt scrub 

A deeply warming and 

moisturising body salt 

scrub, containing essential 

oils of rosemary, bay and 

cinnamon to help you relax 

and let the stresses of the 

day fade away. Mineral-rich 

sea salts are combined with 

the nourishing benefits of 

sweet almond, sunflower 

and coconut oils to 

exfoliate your body and 

reveal smoother, softer, 

more radiant skin. 

700 ml 33.50 LVL 

You can purchase 

these fine products 

at ESPA Riga, Baznīcas 

iela 4a, Riga, Latvia. 

www.espariga.com 



Baltic wine, spirits & tobacco 

leader introduces novelties 

“Mineraliniai vandenys“ expands export and opens a new concept shop 

The crisis, which started two years ago, has not suspended the strategic plans of 

the leading wine, spirits and tobacco distributor in the Baltic states: this year, the 

company “Mineraliniai vandenys” (MV) has strengthened its positions in the export 

markets and, in Vilnius, the company opened the most modern specialized drinks 

shop in Lithuania. 

76 / AIRBALTIC.COM

According to the General Manager of MV Marijus 

Cilcius, in the Baltic States‘ markets, the latter two years 

were hard due to both the impact of global crisis and 

decisions of the local authorities, however, the company 

that has been accumulating its capital – the team and 

its experience – for many years, managed to lay the 

solid foundation for the international development and 

now MV starts introducing novelties that will enable to 

maintain and strengthen the leadership. 

Shop with modern 

technologies 

According to the General Manager, MV drinks 

shop opened in September near the 

headquarters of the company is the leader‘s 

guarantee that the up-to-date and thorough 

information on the products is provided 

there, thus strengthening the culture of wine 

and knowledge of other spirits in the country. 

MV drinks consultants working in this shop 

can substantially extend the information by 

visual and sound information – computers 

and media screens serve for it, demonstrating 

the presentations of drinks producers and their 

products, the international independent drinks ratings 

as well as specialized websites. 

MV admits that the new concept shop will seek not 

only to provide a solid surplus value for experienced 

customers, but also attract the so-called youtube 

generation buyers, who are not yet considered an 

important group by wine sellers. “The fact that wine 

consumers are getting younger may be witnessed 

while visiting Vilnius wine-bars, therefore we want 

to show them that wine is not only fashion, but also 

knowledge”, – says MV wine expert Gintautas Jasinskas. 

Having engaged wine and spirits experts, MV constantly 

organizes various tastings. The events organized in the 

tastings hall fitted in the new shop will be varied by the 

exposition of items used in winemaking and production 

of other spirits. 

tHe new 

concept 

sHop 

pRovIdes 

suRplus 

vAlue to 

eXpeRIenced 

consumeRs 

And AttRActs 

YoutuBe 

geneRAtIon 


Drinks portfolios were strengthened 

Being the leader of spirits&tobacco distribution in 

Lithuania, this year, MV has expanded the drinks 

portfolios in its export markets, where the company 

has been operating since 2007. 

The portfolio expanded most in the company‘s 

biggest export market – Poland, where till the 

beginning of this year, MV represented the production 

of the Lithuanian producer Stumbras solely. This year, 

MV has started distributing Russian vodkas 

Beluga and Kalashnikov in Poland, which the 

company has already been representing in 

its other markets. 

The company‘s portfolio in Poland was also 

supplemented by whiskeys Scottish Leader, 

Bunnahabhain, Tobermory and Deanston, 

Angostura rums, Hine, Monnet cognacs, La 

Terre, Bianchi and Baron d’Arignac wines. 

The distribution of the latter wine has been 

started in Latvia as well. Here, as in Estonia 

and Lithuania, the brand Aquarel of Nestle 

mineral water has debuted this year. 

According to M. Cilcius, the company‘s 

export development is facilitated by 18 years knowhow 

with international brands and centralized 

management. 

As the recognition of company’s local performance, the 

Association of Lithuanian Trade Enterprises, that holds 

the contest „The Most Popular Product 2009“, ranked 

MV, the trade network of which comprises about 6 

thousand sales points in Lithuania, the most popular 

supplier of alcohol of 2009. 

MV, the total turnover of which in Lithuania and three 

export markets amounted to 189 million EUR in 2009, 

has ascended from the 38th to the 37th position in the 

list of the biggest Lithuanian enterprises according to 

the turnover. Whereas, the holding MG Baltic, to which 

MV belongs, has ascended from the 11th to the 9th 

position in this list and has found its way to the TOP-10 

of the biggest Lithuanian enterprises. 



Surprise Me!: 

Restorans 

1221 


Jauniela, the heart of Riga’s 

Old Town, has been experiencing 

a revival since the quiet 

times of the recent financial 

unpleasantness. The narrow street 

now boasts some of the liveliest 

and hippest bars and restaurants 

in Old Town. 

Tucked away among some of the oldest buildings surviving on this 

ironically named street (Jauniela literally translates to ‘New Street’ 

but is one of the oldest streets in Riga) is a tiny house that is higher 

than it is wide, just around the corner from the Riga Cathedral, the 

home of family owned restaurant – Restorans 1221. 

Restaurant’s has worked hard to present a menu that offers the best 

seasonal foods available without alienating customers by making it 

too exotic or expensive. Chef’s (Roberts Smilga) expertise has been 

and his expertise has been instrumental in bringing the new kitchen 

and staff up to a level that takes many new restaurant kitchens 

months, if not years to reach. 

The interior has been remodelled to take advantage of the simple 

and small rooms, the tan brickwork and natural wood finish. The 

ancient and winding staircase leads from floor to floor, and like some 

magic ladder finally deposits you on the rooftop terrace. You can feel

a history as well – the building is 300 years 

old. The small floor plan and the three levels, 

plus the rooftop terrace, means that you will 

most likely be eating your dinner upstairs in 

one of the small but cosy dining rooms, or 

outside if the weather is nice. 

The menu offerings at Restorans 1221 

are both familiar and at the same time 

unique. Traditional Latvian dishes are well 

represented; some prepared in a traditional 

way, such as the herring fillets with cottage 

cheese and boiled new potatoes (a Latvian 

staple), broiled salmon or carp steak and 

the ubiquitous pork chop, served in every 

Latvian restaurant. Other dishes offer a 

new twist to old favourites, like the beef 

filet fried in truffle oil, mashed sweet peas 

served instead of mashed potatoes, and 

scallops fried with mascarpone cheese and 

chilli pepper. 

I ordered the venison steak served with 

glazed chestnuts, pearl onions and a 

saffron-pear and black currant sauce. 

My dining partner had the fried salmon 

steak with cranberry icing, served with 

the mashed sweet peas and a seasonal 

mushroom sauce. Both of these dishes 

are based on a simple and traditional 

Latvian food, venison and salmon, but were 

uniquely prepared and complimented with 

offerings more interesting than the usual 

potatoes and salad. 

The salmon steak was thick with just the 

right moisture kept in, without being under 

or over-cooked. I enjoy the taste of salmon, 

and could have done without the cranberry 

glaze on top. My first surprise was the 

mashed sweet peas, something that I had 

never thought to try before. A wonderful 

alternative to mashed potatoes, I am sure 

it will be tried in my kitchen next summer, 

when we get fresh peas from the garden. 

The other surprise of my partner’s dinner 

was the seasonal mushroom sauce, which 

this night was chanterelles sautéed 

with sliced cherry tomatoes. The wild 

mushrooms with the sweet tomatoes were 

a delight to taste and another dish I will just 

have to try at home. 

Chef Smilga plans to change some of 

the dishes on the menu as they become 

seasonably available (or not available), and 

my curiosity has been piqued as to what he 

will come up with as the seasons change 

and other foods become available. 

My venison steak came served with a 

sautéed mixture of chestnuts and pearl 

them with the sweet pearl onions gave 

them the perfect taste, texture and 

moisture, as well as providing an autumn 

accent to the venison, which I naturally 

associate with the fall months of the year 

and forest tastes. The saffron-pear and black 

currant sauce provided a sweet repose. I 

found that the same attention to new ways 

of cooking traditional foods extended 

throughout the menu, in addition to the 

dishes that we enjoyed that night. All of the 

appetizers, soups, salads and vegetarian 

dishes, of which there were several, had the 

same interesting take, that made me want 

to try them all. 

The wine card, as well, had something 

to surprise me with. While not pages 

and pages of different wines, it offered 

something from every major wine region in 

the world, but of course with more offerings 

from European countries. Perhaps best 

of all, however, was that the wine prices 

at Restorans 1221 have been kept very 

reasonable, letting the customer get a good 

bottle of wine at an affordable price. 

We almost didn’t want to leave the cosy 

confines of the restaurant, having been lulled 

into a deep sense of comfort and satisfaction. 

A cup of coffee and the last sips of wine had 

us on our way, out onto the cobblestones, 

shiny from the recent drizzle of rain, so 

typical for a fall evening in the Baltics. 

onions. I love chestnuts, and combining Riga, Jauniela 16 | phone: +371 67220171 



fOOD & DRINK TExT: PETER WALsh, NORA TIRUmA| PHOTOS: PETER WALsh AND COURTEsY Of ViNa studija 

Restaurants, bars, cafés 

Season’s Delights 

Vīna studija, Riga 

Well known for having changed the drinking culture in Latvia’s 

capital by making exquisite wines more accessible to a broader 

public, Vīna studija (Wine Studio) has just expanded by opening a 

third bar/shop in Riga. The second was opened a while back in the 

coastal city of Liepāja. 

Until now, the only Riga Vīna studija was on the corner of 

Antonijas and Elizabetes Streets. It may seem strange, but until 

that location opened, fine wine was the exclusive and expensive 

province of a few purveyors to the Riga elite. The opening of the 

first bar/shop in 2008 (paradoxically, as Latvia plunged into an 

economic crisis) brought something new to the scene, with its 

wide selection, competitive prices and knowledgeable staff. 

The new, third location is on the ground floor of a central 

shopping mall, ensuring more accidental walk-in customers, but 

the proprietors have nevertheless managed to create an intimate 

environment that is unusual in such a shopping centre. Neither the 

shop nor the bar dominate – they flow together. The proprietors 

are, after all, masters of space – they’re architects. The signature 

elements of this Vīna studija are superb interior design and a menu 

that offers delicious appetizers to go with the wines. 

The Galerija Centrs location doesn’t differ very much from the 

others, as that wasn’t the point of opening another Wine Studio. 

According to the owners, the point was to expand so that the 

wine collection could grow and so that the prices could stay low. 

There are approximately 500 different wines from 16 countries 

available, with every significant wine-making region in the world 

represented. 

Galerija Centrs, Audēju iela 16 

Hours: Mon.–Sun. 10:00–22:00 

www.vinastudija.lv 

Fly to 6 cities 

in Baltic States 


€46

(M)isterija, Vilnius 

Totorių is a quiet, anonymous Old 

Town street by day. By night it 

changes into one of the liveliest 

spots on Vilnius’ night life scene, 

with numerous bars strewn along 

it (and a fair number of smokers 

loitering outside them). 

(M)isterija is definitely one of 

the best of the bunch. It’s an 

unashamedly hedonistic place, 

where the young, trendy and upfor-it 

crowd tends to arrive late and 

leaves in time for breakfast. During 

the week, the owners get a crowd 

café metropolitain, Riga 

Café Metropolitain is a newcomer 

to the dining scene in Riga, a selfproclaimed 

“self-service restaurant” 

that opened this past summer. The 

soups, salad bar and warm entrées 

on offer here – with both meats 

and vegetarian items available at 

reasonable prices – along with the 

delightful desserts, seem to draw 

both passing tourists and locals. 

The concept of affordable food 

from a limited menu attracts a wide 

range of diners. Artists, lawyers, 

students and tourists all mix together. 

Although it is not known what 

in by hosting pub quizzes, karaoke 

nights and other kinds of mass 

entertainment. But on weekends, 

a good DJ and a copious flow of 

cocktails ensures that the place 

assumes a life of its own. 

The downstairs is cosy and pub-like, 

while the upstairs is decked out like 

some sort of opium lounge. An aboveaverage 

menu also makes (M)isterija a 

good place for a daytime meal. 

Totorių 18, Vilnius; Hours: Mon.–Thu. 

11:00–04:00, Fri. 11:00–06:00, 

Sat.18:00–06:00, Sun.18:00–04:00 

www.misterija.lt 

direction Café Metropolitain will take 

in the future, what’s now certain 

is that everyone leaves sated and 

satisfied after eating here, and no 

one feels overcharged afterwards. 

The location in the very epicentre 

of Riga’s gracious Art Nouveau 

district is promising. At the corner 

of Antonijas and Alberta Streets, 

the restaurant is on the main route 

for any exploration of the city’s 

architectural gems. 

Antonijas iela 13; Hours: Mon.–Thu. 

08:00 – 23:00, Fri. 08:00 until the last 

guest, Sat.10:00 until the last guest 

www.antonijasiela.lv 

clazz Restaurant & club 

The Old Town’s Clazz jazz club is a 

great place to hang out with friends. 

It is perfect for a quick drink and 

some light snacks, as well as for 

serious dining followed by great live 

music. 

Kohvik Komeet 

Chef Anni Arro is a rising star, whose 

cosy café, with its magnificent 

view on the 4th floor of the Solaris 

Centre, serves a wide variety of 

delicious cakes, pies, salads, snacks 

and hot dishes, all of which are 

reasonably priced. The cocktails – 

particularly the Margaritas – are a 

must, as you sit back and enjoy the 

panorama from the rooftop terrace. 

Solaris Keskus, Estonia pst. 9 

Hours: Mon.-Thu. 10:00-23:00 

Fri.-Sat. 10:00-24:00 

Sun. 10:00-21:00 

www.kohvikkomeet.ee 

airBaltic Hot spots 

in tallinn 

Laime Riisimäe, 

Area Sales Manager, 

Head of Representative 

Office in Estonia 

fOOD & DRINK 

This establishment offers everything 

in one: a cosy atmosphere, fun 

people, tasty cuisine and great 

wines, not to mention live jazz, 

blues and funky music six nights a 

week. 

Vana Turg 2 (opposite the Olde Hansa 

Restaurant) 

Hours: Sun.-Mon. 10:00-02:00, 

Tue.-Wed. 10:00-03:00, Thu. 10:00- 

04:00, Fri.-Sat. 10:00-05:00 

www.clazz.ee 

vapiano 

Vapiano is an ideal place for a quiet 

lunch or dinner, as well as to catch 

up with friends or to meet with 

business acquaintances. Vapiano’s 

two locales in Tallinn offer food 

desks of pasta, salads or pizza in a 

relaxed atmosphere. You will obtain 

quick and efficient service by a very 

friendly staff, representing very good 

value for your money. 

Vapiano is part of a fast casual pasta 

and pizza restaurant chain that is 

based in Germany. You can find it in 

Tallinn’s new Solaris Keskus and in 

the Foorum Keskus. 

Foorum Keskus, Hobujaama 10 

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11:00-24:00, 

Sat.-Sun. 12:00-24:00 

Solaris Keskus, Estonia pst. 9 

Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11:00-23:00, 

Fri.-Sat. 11:00-24:00 

www.vapiano.de 


fOOD BLOg 


It’s a strange feeling to sit in an elegant, tastefully 

decorated gourmet restaurant in the centre of Riga and 

talk about the art of farming and gardening. But if you 

ever have a conversation with any of Riga’s top chefs, 

that is precisely what you will find yourself doing. 

Kaspars Jansons is no exception. In fact, he was one of 

the pioneers of the movement, having trained for many 

years with the father of Latvian Slow Food, Mārtiņš 

Rītiņš. Since 2005 Jansons has been head chef at Bergs 

restaurant, on the ground floor of Hotel Bergs. Here he 

has crafted exquisite gourmet meals by mixing local 

products with exotic ingredients, preserving a quality of 

When I first started working at a Riga 

restaurant, world exploded into color 

service in tune with the five-star boutique hotel that the 

restaurant calls home. 

To hear Chef Jansons tell the tale of his rise to culinary 

greatness is to witness an important transition in 

Latvian cuisine. It mirrors a transition that the country 

itself made in the 1990s. Before he set foot in his 

mentor’s kitchen almost 15 years ago, Jansons’ culinary 

world was black and white. “The only foods I knew 

where the foods that Latvians grew in their gardens: 

pumpkins, potatoes, beets, carrots… But when I 

first started working at a Riga restaurant, that world 

exploded into color. For the first time I had access to 

a whole range of exotic ingredients. It was like seeing 

things in Technicolor for the first time.” 

TExT: RIhARDs KALNINs | PHOTOS: COURTEsY Of hOTEL BERgs 

Kaspars Jansons, 

Head Chef at Bergs 

restaurant 

Harvest 

Moon 

Jansons spent the next few years learning how 

to cook with exotic ingredients such as avocados, 

mangos, and curry. But after he had mastered the art 

of international cuisine, he grew jaded at what he saw 

as the oversaturation of plates at Latvian restaurants, 

what he calls “fusion confusion,” a haphazard mix of 

different styles and elements purely for the sake of 

mixing. “Blending all these different ingredients in a 

single dish was the culinary equivalent of showing off,” he 

recalls, “and often resulted in chefs forgetting the most 

important thing of all: flavor.” 

Jansons attempted to return to his culinary roots, and 

to restore flavor to Latvian cuisine. Fortunately, his 

experiments coincided with a movement on the part 

of Latvian farms to organize their activities and make it 

easier to distribute their products. “We can emphasize 

what I feel are the most important things about food: 

freshness, origins, and flavour,” he explains. Instead of 

presenting a “museum of Latvian country cuisine”, or 

merely presenting Latvian country food in an urban 

setting, he has brought Latvian country foods into the 

next century by making them palatable to our modernday 

tongue and showcasing the depth of their taste. 

In October, the restaurant’s menu will include dishes 

like Fillet of eel prepared in balsamic vinegar soy sauce 

tapioca with rice vinegar, pickled ginger and 

wasabi yogurt sauce; Sea trout fillet, tapioca porridge 

with rice vinegar, soy lemongrass broth and avocado 

purée; Suckling boneless pork chop, baby carrots, pearl 

barley-stuffed cabbage rolls, beer and stock reduction; 

and Raspberry-sorbet and white-chocolate parfait 

almond cookie and citrus fruit salad. BO

Madrid* 

* Seasonal flights. 

Hanover* 

Nice* 

Tromso* 

Umea 

Visby* 

Lulea 

Vaasa 

Belgrade* 

KITTILA / LEVI 

new from November 

Rovaniemi 

Bucharest 

Athens* 

Kuusamo* 

Pskov* 

Odessa* 

Arkhangelsk* 

Simferopol* 

Yerevan* 

Welcome 

aboard airBaltic! 

Beirut 

Amman 

Turku* 

86 airBaltic news / 88 Behind the scenes / 90 What’s That For? 

91 airBaltic Travel / 91 BalticMiles / 94 Meals / 95 Inflight 

entertainment / 96 Fleet / 97 Flight map / 100 Contacts 

Baku* 

Oulu* 

airBaltic 

Almaty* 

Dushanbe*

news 

NEWs 

86 / AIRBALTICTRAVEL.COM 

IN BRIEf 

1/ super skiing is 

simple with airBaltic 

2/ select your seat in 

advance 

3/ stay connected 

with airBalticcard 

4/ school holiday 

specials 

1/ super skiing is simple 

with airBaltic 

October is the perfect time to book a ski trip. The extensive airBaltic 

flight network covering more than 70 cities includes many popular 

skiing destinations. 

For classic piste action, Munich, Zurich, Geneva, Milan and Vienna 

are all perfect gateways to the Alps. One way tickets between Riga 

and those cities start from EUR 50. Flights from Scandinavia and the 

CIS countries via Riga start from EUR 69. 

Winter sports enthusiasts looking for something new might like to 

try Lapland’s skiing resorts, which boast the longest snow coverage 

in Europe (November until April). airBaltic flies to Kittila, close to the 

skiing resort Levi and to Kuusamo, serving the Ruka resort. One way 

tickets from Tampere to Kittila and from Lappeenranta to Kuusamo 

start from EUR 33. Tickets from Riga to Kittila and Kuusamo start 

from EUR 56. Travelling from Germany or Russia via Riga, prices start 

from EUR 92. 

There are also some truly exotic skiing destinations to consider. Fly 

to Tbilisi in Georgia for easy access to the Caucasus mountain resort 

of Gudauri. Further afield, the ski resort of Chimgan in the Western 

Tian-Shan Mountains is within reach from Tashkent in Uzbekistan. 

And did you know that Lebanon has five ski resorts? Fly to Beirut 

to spend a day skiing in the mountains and the evening drinking

cocktails overlooking a warm Mediterranean beach. 

One way tickets from Riga start from EUR 78 to Tbilisi, EUR 134 to 

Beirut and EUR 156 to Tashkent. Tickets from Scandinavia via Riga 

start from EUR 127. 

Don’t forget to book your skiing equipment transportation 

together with the flight ticket at www.airbaltic.com – it will 

cost EUR 30 per one way trip (EUR 40 if you pay at the airport). 

Maximum weight allowance 32 kg. 

2/ select your 

seat in advance 

For people who want to 

know exactly where they will 

be sitting aboard the plane, 

airBaltic offers Seat Request 

to secure a preferred location 

and ensure that travelling 

companions can sit together. 

Seat Request is available on 

selected airBaltic-operated 

flights only. The cost of Seat 

3/ stay 

connected with 

airBalticcard 

The new airBalticcard Mobile 

3G/GPRS DATA card has been 

launched to provide internet 

access from your mobile phone 

or USB modem in 95 countries. 

3G/GPRS Internet via a phone or 

Request per flight segment 

in Economy Class starts 

from EUR 2 (depending 

on the requested seat and 

destination). For Economy 

Flex and Business Class 

travellers, this service is free 

of charge. 

Customers can request seats 

via www.airbaltic.com when 

making a reservation or at any 

airBaltic ticket office. 

USB modem allows you to read 

and send e-mails, follow news 

sites, update Facebook and 

Twitter accounts, play games or 

view photos and videos. 

This card allows you to save 50% 

on standard roaming mobile 

internet rates in the EU. Users 

pay for sent/received traffic 

rather than time spent online. 

Cards can be purchased aboard 

airBaltic flights or at airBaltic 

ticket offices. The starting 

package including 10 EUR 

credit costs EUR 20, with 

recharges available via EUR 20 

vouchers. 

4/ school holiday specials 

NEWs 

airBaltic has prepared a special offer for families with children 

living in the Baltic states. During the autumn school holidays 

(23-29 October) we are offering special flight + hotel packages to 

four very popular family destinations: Paris, Hamburg, Berlin and 

Helsinki. 

There will be very special low fares offered to adults with children 

paying only taxes and surcharges (no flight ticket price) if a hotel 

is booked together with the flight. Hotels can be chosen according 

to individual preference. For example, 2 full days and 1 night with 

breakfast in a 3 star hotel in the centre of Berlin for 1 adult and 

1 child with flight tickets + checked in baggage all included will cost 

EUR 315. 

The offer is valid on flights from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius and the 

booking should include at least one adult and one child (aged up to 

16 years). Maximum two children per reservation. 

The offer can be booked only at airBaltic ticket offices in Riga 

(Tērbatas 14), Vilnius (A.Vienuolio 12) and Tallinn (Estonia 

pst. 1/3). 

BALTIC OUTLOOK / OCTOBER 2010 / 87 

news

Behind the scenes 

NEWs 

Heavenly Service In the Skies 

TExT: NORA TIRUmA 

PHOTO: JANIs sALINs, 

f64 


In-flight service is a field unto itself. To understand 

what it takes to meet passengers’ needs, Agita 

and her team spend a lot of time brainstorming 

and studying the competition. They occasionally 

dare to try wild ideas like those that await airBaltic 

passengers in October. 

On my way to see you, I saw an airplane take off 

and thought about how the lion’s share of what a 

passenger sees in flight is your responsibility. 

That’s true. We have three priorities: safety, punctuality 

and service. Safety is the number one priority, but what 

we do to ensure a safe flight is mostly invisible to the 

passenger. Although service is the third priority, it is 

usually the main thing that a passenger notices, and 

how he or she rates an airline often depends on it. That 

is the responsibility of my team. 

What are an in-flight service manager’s duties? 

I have to ensure that passengers get everything they 

expect – and more. This work has a visible side – serving 

food and sundries on board – as well as everything 

that takes place behind the scenes: planning, following 

the rules of aviation, purchasing and logistics. All of 

this falls within my realm of responsibility, from the 

Agita once ran a 

restaurant and music 

club, but for the last 

six years she has been 

working at airBaltic and 

found that providing 

superb in-flight service is 

a no less demanding task. 

Agita Krastiņa, 

airBaltic In-flight 

Service Manager 

special equipment used to stock the airplane to the 

menu, the wine selection, the serving dishes and their 

arrangement on the serving trays. 

The last and most important phase is that of the flight 

attendants – the impression that they leave upon the 

passengers. We invest a great deal in developing the 

hospitality and communications skills of our staff. 

The passenger might think that very little goes into a 

short flight, but countless hours and many intertwined 

businesses are involved. 

Inflight movies are also your responsibility. Of all of 

your duties, which do you like the most? 

I thought about that when waiting for you to interview 

me. None of my days are like any other, really. It’s a 

very creative position – my planner is always full, one 

project leading to another. What I love the most is the 

creative phase, when an idea is in bud and still being 

worked out. There’s a great deal of responsibility in this. 

The experience of thousands of people [in July, airBaltic 

served 367 000 passengers at the Riga, Tallinn and 

Vilnius airports alone – ed.] is dependent on how my 

team organizes their flights. It’s the creativity involved 

that I find inspiring, and that helps me whenever there 

are difficulties or complaints.

Satisfying the needs of customers is the main focus 

of your job. Where is it harder to do so, in the air or 

on the ground? 

Service is service, whether on the ground or in the 

sky. I used to run a restaurant and music club, and I 

must say that the service industry is complicated, no 

matter where you’re providing a service. There are as 

many views on what service ought to be as there are 

customers! 

Aviation adds complexity to the business because 

there are so many limitations: safety considerations, 

restrictions on food and the limited size of the airplane. 

People sometimes ask why the menu lacks this or that 

item. The fact is that temperature and pressure increase 

safety risks, so the requirements for producers and 

purveyors are stricter than they are on the ground. 

In its strict requirements for 

safety, hygiene and other factors, 

in-flight food falls somewhere 

between food service on the 

ground and what’s eaten by 

astronauts 

The demands of in-flight food service actually derive 

from space travel and NASA. In its strict requirements 

for safety, hygiene and other factors, in-flight food falls 

somewhere between food service on the ground and 

what’s eaten by astronauts. 

What direction is in-flight service taking these 

days? Is the selection expanding to the point 

where passengers will soon feel like they’re at a 

convenience store on the ground while they’re 

flying? 

In terms of imagination and creativity, that is indeed 

the direction we’re heading for. We have some exciting 

ideas that won’t escape your notice when we try them! 

We’re still limited by the confines of space, and also by 

time, as some flights are quite brief. 

You’ve been on the airBaltic team for almost six 

years. Have the passengers that the airline carries 

NEWs 

changed during this time? 

The changes in the last few years have been dramatic. 

We used to be able to focus on the Latvian market 

and some foreign passengers. Since we switched our 

focus from point-to-point service to transit service, the 

nationalities of our passengers have become far more 

diverse. 

People fly from Finland to Kazakhstan through Riga, 

for example. Many of them speak neither Latvian nor 

Russian – and some don’t know English, either. This 

presents a new challenge for our team – trying to 

communicate in the midst of such diversity! We used to 

write long, eloquent texts about the delicious items on 

our menu. A year ago, we shifted the focus to mouthwatering 

images instead. 

In your experience, what sells well on flights – and 

what doesn’t? 

Airlines all over the world offer cosmetics, perfumes, 

watches and other brand-name goods. What’s on offer 

is quite similar, whether you are flying an Asian or a 

European airline. We tried this for a time and the results 

were not very encouraging. That was partly because we 

couldn’t offer better prices than those on the ground, 

due to the fact that we had to add VAT. 

So we changed direction – the last pages of our menu 

now offer original souvenirs that are characteristic of 

the Baltic countries, such as silk scarves, purses and 

other creations by Baltic artists and craftsmen. Our flight 

attendants came up with this idea first, pointing out 

that passengers wanted souvenirs that are not overly 

expensive and have something to do with the Baltics. 

You mentioned something about exciting, new 

ideas. What can we expect this autumn? 

If everything goes according to plan, then we will have 

special offers each month, beginning in October. These 

will be either unique items that one rarely sees in our 

market, or quite ordinary things that we can offer at 

extremely low prices. One of these items may be a 

television set, for example. 

Didn’t you just say that the limited space in an 

airplane puts restrictions on what one can offer? 

We don’t plan to transport any television sets on our 

planes! One will be able to make a down payment in 

flight and the item will be delivered to the passenger at 

home. The sort of special prices I’m talking about would 

beat even internet shop prices! BO 


Behind the scenes

What’s That for? 

NEWs 


DOORS 

As the old joke says: Did you 

know they have invented 

something that lets you walk 

through walls? It’s called a 

door! There’s much more to an 

airliner’s door than a hole in a 

wall though – particularly when 

that ‘hole’ is all that separates you 

from high altitudes, incredible 

windspeeds and temperatures 

of -50 C. 

You’ve probably noticed how thick 

the passenger doors are when you get aboard your 

airBaltic flight. They need to be strong for several reasons: 

to maintain the structural integrity of the fuselage, to 

cope with huge pressure differences inside and outside 

the cabin, to create an airtight seal and to insulate against 

heat loss. 

Cabin doors on most commercial airlines (including the 

Boeing 737s and 757s of the airBaltic fleet) are called 

“plug” doors because – like the plug in your bathtub – 

they are bigger then the holes they fill. In the closed 

position the door is physically larger than the external 

opening. During opening, the door first moves inward, 

then rotates outward and forward. Each door is held in 

the open position by a “gust lock.” The gust lock drops 

into a latch on the upper hinge arm as the door nears its 

forward limit of travel. Lifting the gust lock lever latches 

in the up position and releasing the hinge arm, allows the 

door to be closed. 

This simple but clever mechanism means that no matter 

how hard someone pushes against the door from inside, 

they would be unable to open it, as they wouldn’t be able 

to force it through the smaller opening. 

Hollywood films sometimes suggest it is possible to 

open an airliner’s door in flight, but this is impossible in 

a pressurized cabin. The higher pressure inside means 

the “plug” is being pushed into the door opening, so only 

after depressurization can the door be opened. 

In other words, the doors are not only larger than the door 

opening, but they are also sealed shut by the pressurised 

cabin. As the cabin only becomes pressurised when the 

aircraft is moving, the doors can be opened with ease 

when the plane is parked on the runway, as there is no 

pressure difference between the inside and outside. 

With the doors shut, at the bottom of the doors a so-called 

“girt bar” is engaged. When you hear announcements 

about “arming” the doors, this is what is being referred to. 

With the doors armed, the emergency slides are ready to 

deploy automatically in the event of an emergency landing. 

The smaller emergency doors located behind the wings 

on each side of the airplane operate on a similar principle 

to the main passenger doors. They are also plug-type 

doors but have no hinges and instead are designed to 

be used just once and removed completely. Pulling the 

door-operating handle up lifts the door inward and upward 

and opens a pressure relief mechanism. The door can 

then be pushed out through the door frame and the slide 

automatically deploys and inflates. In front of passenger 

doors are the small service doors which used for loading 

and unloading food and drinks before and after each flight. 

Incidentally, have you ever seen doors on the right-hand 

side of an aircraft? Probably not because nearly all airliner 

and gate designs have passenger doors on the left and 

cargo doors plus refuelling points etc on the right. So 

while you might land at an airport where they drive on 

the left or the right, you will always disembark on the left!

airBalticTravel.com 

Your All-in-One Travel Portal 

airBalticTravel.com is the online travel 

portal where you can book everything 

for your holiday or business trip, from 

flights and hotels and other additional 

services to theme-based packages 

specially tailored for you. 

Package your travel 

for smart savings 

Planning a flight and know you will need a hotel at your 

destination too? Why not book both in a single package at 

airBalticTravel.com? You could immediately save at least 20% off 

the price you pay when booking a flight and hotel separately! 

This way you’ll get return flights with airBaltic or a partner 

airline and all applicable airport taxes, surcharges, and hotel 

accommodation for the selected number of nights – all in one 

package! You can also add a car rental service to the package 

and benefit from our special agreement prices from AVIS. Plus, 

when traveling in Economy class you get one piece of checked-in 

luggage per person included in the price, instead of paying for 

each bag, as you would if purchasing a flight separately. 

And we guarantee our prices are absolutely the cheapest. If you 

do find a cheaper flight + hotel package rate, as specified in our 

terms and conditions, we will compensate the difference. 

To make things easier, you can spread travel costs over several 

payments. Just choose our new partial payment option when 

booking a package at airBalticTravel.com, and conveniently split 

your payment into two or four parts. 

Booking just a hotel? 

Pay on arrival! 

What if you’ve already bought your flight ticket or have alternative 

transport? At airBalticTravel.com, you can book just a hotel when 

that’s all you need. 

Choose from 90 000 available hotels, from all around the world! 

And with plenty of good quality photos, recommendations from 

other travelers and the option to search Google maps for the 

perfect location, the search is made easy. 

Finally, here’s the best part: anytime you book just hotel 

accommodations, pay only upon arrival at the hotel and there is 

no reservation fee! 

For questions & inquiries, please contact airBalticTravel.com call 

centre +371 67229696.

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 


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 miles every time you fill up at 

Neste petrol stations in the Baltics! 

For over 60 years, Finnish corporation Neste Oil has been an oil 

refining and marketing company. Its subsidiaries Neste Latvija, 

Neste Estonia and Neste Lietuva became the first western 

companies in those markets. Across the Baltics at over 150 petrol 

stations spread in all major cities and along main routes, Neste 

offers 95 and 98 gasoline, as well as diesel. 

To earn miles at Neste, enter your Baltic Miles card in the card reader 

at the pump and choose your desired payment method – or simply 

pay with your Baltic Miles Master Card and earn on top 1 mile per 

every 1 LVL/23 EEK/5 LTL spent on the purchase. 

Many reasons to choose Neste petrol stations: 

• Earn 1 mile per 1 litre of fuel; 

• Over 150 automatic Neste petrol stations across the Baltics; 

• Use any payment method – cash or card; 

• Reliable partner offering best price to quality ratio. 

For more information please see www.neste.lt; www.neste.ee; 

www.neste.lv

ECCO: step into a 

world of comfort 

ECCO, a leading global shoe brand 

combining style and comfort, has built 

its success on uncompromising quality, 

innovative technology and the design 

philosophy, “the shoe must follow the 

foot”. ECCO footwear is synonymous 

with top level Scandinavian design. 

Discover shoes that look and feel great 

on your feet. ECCO carefully crafts its 

shoes throughout the entire production 

process. That’s why ECCO has earned a 

global reputation for good quality and 

smart taste in shoes that put comfort 

first. Its products are found in 4,000 

branded sales locations in over 90 

countries around the world. 

BalticMiles members earn 10 miles 

in any ECCO store in the Baltics when 

spending 1 LVL in Latvia, 5 LTL in 

Lithuania, or 25 EEK in Estonia. 

Discover ECCO at www.ecco.com 

Balticmiles shop 

EARN miles 

Take full advantage of Bonus Deals – you 

can turbo boost your miles balance. Check 

out how one purchase can earn you 

thousands of miles. 

BalticMiles gives you up to 40% extra miles 

on top of the great deals for this month. 

BURBERRY Sport EDT Men 50 ml 

Pay 169 EUR 

Earn 6 132 miles 

Pay 25 EUR 

Earn 583 miles 

Grenardi Pearl necklace 53 cm 

Pay 332 EUR 


Pay 52 EUR 


VARIS Town Builder 107 parts 

UMF - Brad 2 BMX 09 bike 

sPEND miles 

NEWs 

Head to www.balticmiles.com where you can earn miles by purchasing things you really 

want or you can also spend your collected miles on different goods and experiences. 

When you’re ready to spend miles, our 

online shopping centre offers a broad 

selection of gifts, goods and experiences 

from over 400 vendors and reliable 

delivery to over 200 countries. 

Prestigio iPod 

Speaker PIS4 

Save 24% 

6 365 miles 

47 EUR 

Stenders Romantic Set 

Save 42% 

7 022 miles 

53 EUR 

4 749 miles 

36 EUR 

LEGO Star Wars Droid Tri-Fighter 

2 882 miles 

22 EUR 

Blomus Wall Fireplace 'Chimo' 

Braun 

MobileShave 

M90 

121 900 miles 

932 EUR 


meals 

NEWs 

MEALS 

After enjoying an in-flight Barth Kabinett 

riesling, an airBaltic business class passenger 

entered some keywords in the world’s 

biggest online search engine and found 

the producers of the wine, which the 

winemakers should be delivering to Spain 

any day now. This sort of feedback brings joy 

to the hearts of the airBaltic Inflight Service 

team, because the job of selecting two new 

white and two red wines every season is 

not an easy one. The choice must be pithy 

and precise. For starters, there is limited 

space on board. Moreover, not every wine 

will be divine ten kilometres up, because 

pressurized, low humidity cabin air can 

prevent the taste from fully revealing itself. 

wine on airBaltic flights: 

Consumption in business class ~ 1100 litres* 

Consumption in economic class ~ 4100 litres* 

airBaltic’s bestsellers: Chardonnay La Baume 

2007 and Chinon Lacheteau 2007 

* June – August 

Source: LSG Sky Chefs 

October–wine–fest on airBaltic 


airBaltic changes its wine list every season 

to suit the selected food menu and 

passenger demand. This will be the second 

consecutive October marked by airBaltic as 

“Germany month”, and one of the four wines 

comes from the Rhine Valley winemakers 

Barth (Barth 2009 Riesling Kabinett Trocken 

Rheingau). Barth is a family–run estate 

located right in the middle of the historic 

region of Rheingau, only a few kilometres 

south of the world-renowned cloister of 

Eberbach. 

The estate spans over 18 hectares, focusing 

on Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and 

Cabernet Sauvignon, some of which 

have been winning awards. In recent 

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. 

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. 

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, at least 24 hours before departure. 

This will guarantee that your choice will be 

available, and that you’ll be served first. 

years German wines have enjoyed a real 

Renaissance, and as their prestige and 

popularity return, airBaltic has become a 

Barth client, ordering stocks of the small 

bottles specially made for airlines. Another 

reason why you can enjoy Barth wines on 

board airBaltic is their innovative approach 

to production. They have experimented 

with maturing Riesling in small French oak 

barrels, called “singularis”, and they were 

the first to plant a typical Bordeaux cultivar 

Cabernet Sauvignon in the Rheingau Valley. 

Exceptional know-how as well as many 

years of experience, gentle processing and 

innovative technology has created this 

international success story. Zum Wohl!

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. Now also available on flights 

from/to Vilnius! 

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

rapujuhla - Air Baltic

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