I left Vilnius in a drizzle, first ride in the rain since the 3rd of July, the drizzle stopped after about an hour and it was fine for the rest of the day. Freeway for the first 170 km and 2 lanes after, the border had a sign saying Latvia and some abandoned buildings off to the side, slow down and ride straight past, road surface deteriorates and road works almost all the way to Riga, no freeway and lots of police with radar all day, 299 km in 3:40 hrs.

Riga, population 700,000, old town, churches, some nice parks and gardens and many groups of Russian tourists, St. Petersburg is only 570 km distant. Public transport consists of trams and buses, one ride costs 0.50 Lats about a dollar, you buy a card loaded with as many rides as you want from any one of the many Narvesen kiosks around town, the card itself is free.