We were on a road trip from Tallinn to Riga so Alex's flat was ideal for us. The parking is unallocated - a first-come, first-served arrangement but we always managed to find a place to park the hire car.

Alex's mum and Dad were delightful on arrival. The flat has everything you need. The area around is full of old buildings from the 1890s through to the 1930s.

The highlight of our trip to Latvia was Rundale Castle about 45 miles away. The palace and the gardens are spectacular. The BBC was filming War and Peace when we were there. Take the E67 to Bauska then turn off. For some inexplicable reason TomTom sent me via Jelgava which involves 10 miles of unpaved roads. We also liked the ancient Hanseatic town of Cesis in the Gaujas National Park even closer to Riga.