Swedish embassy

Swedish embassy in Riga, Latvia
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Pawnshops

One of the most visible aftereffects of the economical crisis in Latvia is the raise of pawshops (called "lombards" in Latvian). Six years ago you could find just a few of them, today - almost on every street. Since most of the people live from salary to salary it is common to run out of money; people hand in mobile phones, gold and other valuables as pawns to get small high interest loans. If they are unable to pay it back, the pawnshop sells their pawns.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Special project

Well, for me these outworn apartment blocks remind Sarajevo, but actually it's just "a special housing project" made in Riga in the last years of Soviet Union. It seems that the Soviet workers haven't done the job properly and after 20 years it looks like the building has been wounded by bombs and bullets.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Latvian fruits

The sign in the window says "goods from Latvian countryside". You see pomegranates, clementines, pineapples,  melons, grapes etc. but actually none of these fruits in this shop window grow in Latvia.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Inflation

This is the price in Latvian lats for gasoline on 11 January 2011...

...and this is what it costs today on 11 January 2012.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus