Botanical Beauty

Today Friday, the 17th June 2021 was one of those long days.

I had a day off work and slept in late until 11 am or so.

Summer has just started and Latvia is expecting a heatwave.

My wife had a dentist appointment later in the day and so we first took our daughter to the Botanic Gardens of the University of Latvia, situated close to her Dentist's offices.

While Leila left us here, Ondeya and I had a Daddy and daughter time strolling around the Botanic Gardens of the University of Latvia, where a variety of trees and flowers are currently blossoming right in the heart of Riga.

The Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia

It can be found across the river, in Pardaugava, just a 10-minute ride from the central part of Riga. The garden was founded in 1922. Over 15ha visitors can explore hothouses and outdoor collections with some 6,000 different plants. It is one of the most well-loved recreational spaces in Riga - you can slowly walk the garden’s compact yet informationally saturated territory, get to know plants from all over the world, visit the Plants House, the Azalea House as well as the Tropical House, or just enjoy lush nature in the middle of the city.

Whether you are a gardening enthusiast, a botanical expert, or just want to spend time in a beautiful and pleasant environment, you will always find something interesting here.

The garden’s collection is wide and carefully chosen - it includes protected plants, or those used for medical treatment, as well as a collection of the poisonous plants of Latvia. Most of the trees and bushes in the arboretum are uncommon for Latvian flora; for example, the witch hazel, cedar, walnut tree, ginkgo tree, mulberries, roses, cork tree and an edible chestnut tree. The garden has a rich collection of perennial plants, dahlias and other decorative plants.

Contacts:

Address:Kandavas iela 2

Telephone:+371 67450852

E-mail:botaniskais.darzs@lu.lv

I enjoyed the peace and tranquility while my daughter was sleeping.

When Leila was done at the dentist, she picked us up and we strolled the 2 Km or so to the Grill Garden, a restaurant she had found online.

While it was a hot day, we were pleasantly surprised when we reached the Grill Garden, it has a inviting ambience and and a cool design.

Like the name suggests, the have a lot of grilled food on their menu.

By coincidence I also met my German work colleague Christoph here who was seated, working on his laptop.

He gave us some good food recommendations, in the end I settled for a chicken, turkey and pork shashlik with some side salad and a a refreshing cold beer(served in a 1l glass).

I give the Grill Garden a 4 out of 5, for their design, friendly service and Leila and I will definitely be back here to savour some more of the their delicious food.

Contact:

+371 23272283

grilletava@gmail.com