Three days after starting our cultural expedition around the Baltic, we finally enjoyed a full day of sailing on board National Geographic Explorer today. Our comfortable and elegant ship allowed us to enjoy a magnificent navigation while we traveled to Riga, the capital of Latvia. Under a pleasant sun, our historians offered various lectures on the history of the Baltic to better understand the sociological and historical phenomena that have occurred over the centuries in this very special region.

During the late afternoon, we crossed the bay of Riga and entered the estuary of the Daugava River whose banks are the berth place for dozens of merchant ships loading and unloading cargo. Once docked in the middle of the city, we were lucky to be welcomed by a traditional Latvian dance group. They performed during cocktail hour at sunset.

We could not have asked for a more beautiful welcome!