Riga For Your Stag Weekend - The Greatest in Pre Wedding Fun, Part Two

Where Else Can You Shoot a Round From a Former Soviet Bunker in Between Seeing the International Ice Sculpture Festival and Hitting the Clubs with Claudia Schiffer lookalikes?

Certainly nowhere in the UK that's for sure. In Riga, you and your mates can get together and legally re-enact all your favourite Cold war James Bond scenes to your hearts' content and do it all in safety and style with a vast array of armory to choose from including the legendary Kalashnikovs, commonly known as AK-47s. Latvia is also home to the 'festival' where almost every month there is a national day dedicated to almost everything from Baltic Ballet to International Films and, this year, The 8th International Ice Sculpture festival. Be amazed, amused and get your photo taken in front of a lot of random but cool monuments.

But What about The Claudia Schiffer Lookalikes?

It's a somewhat minor point that Claudia herself is German and has probably never even heard of Riga let alone actually traveled there, but all accounts of clubbing in the Latvian capital attest to a very high population density of fit blondes, otherwise known as the PDFB index. Other cities that come close include Stockholm, Tallinn and most of Vilnius but a very quick, biased and unscientific poll based on personal preference and urban legend has Riga as the clear odds-on favourite. Helping you to continue this very necessary social research is a vast array of white hot clubs that have sprung up in the last five or so years. Riga is not known as the party capital of the former Eastern Bloc for nothing. Just beware of equally fit male Latvians who could probably have snared Gold in Soviet era Greco-Roman wrestling.

But Riga is, like, Baltic So Will I Freeze My B@$$s Off?

Maybe. But not necessarily. Just like the UK January is the most freezing month with lows hitting a chillin' -9C. The record low for Riga is -34C but that was so long ago that no one really remembers and the record high is a toasty 34C. But generally from April to October Riga is cool without being cold and warm without being sweltering.

Average January Temperature: -4 C

Average July Temerature: 16C

So How Do I Organise All the Travelly Details Without Screwing Up?

Easy. There's a London-based company by the name of Chillisauce who employ people who really enjoy tailoring packages stag groups to Riga, and a whole bunch of other cities. They do all the phoning, reserving and then come up with ideas just for you and your friends. All you actually have to do is turn up to have the most kicking ass time.

Riga has never been this good! Just drop a line to Amalia Illgner, she is a copywriter for chillisauce.co.uk; a fully bonded tour operator specialising in memorable stag nights. And there's a whole map of possibilities for a great stag weekend, for some excellent adventure filled ideas check out chillisauce where they will tailor a Stag Weekend in Riga just for you and any number of your best friends. Now that's what we like to call service!

A Fantastic Stag Weekend in Vilnius - the Greatest in Pre Wedding Fun, Part Two

This is Where I Ate a Thigh of Roe Deer and washed it Down with Acorn Coffee!

If you've ever wanted to savour the culinary delights of beaver, cow's tongue or smoked hog's ear- and who hasn't? - the east is where to feast. In Vilnius they've got a specialty beer divined from both malt and peas and a cup of coffee is traditionally made from ground acorns. There's a lot to love about traditional Lithuanian fare and not least because it has 'hangover cure' written all over it. Imagine waking up after a serious night on the tiles, so hungry you're willing to gnaw your big toe off, your stomach has that old time vat of acid feeling and you're dreaming of a greasy fry-up. This is where Cepelinai steps up to the plate. Described by a respected food writer as "a Zeppelin-shaped parcel of potato dough" filled with meat, covered in a sauce of onions, cream, butter and bacon bits, (and bacon bits, magic words in anyone's language) Cepelinai hits the spot to reline the stomach and imbue the consumer with a warm inner glow of nothing short but pure satisfaction. Almost spiritual. So rich, so creamy, so oniony, so meaty, so bacony and so simple in its delight that it makes you want to take the Tesco 'Five a day' and moon the daylights out of Gordon Ramsay and that bloody Gillian you-are-what-you-eat-woman. Taste it. Love it. Become a new man.

And This is Where I Drank this Random Honey Stuff

So what are you waiting for? Get involved. Knowing that you've got a sure fire hangover cure gives you no legitimate excuse for turning down the God bestowed nectar that is Lithuania's Special Honey Mead Balsam. Amateurs need not apply. There are two main types; Suktinis at 50% proof and Zalgaris which is a scorcher at a staggering 75%. Seventy-five. You could, however just as easily stick to the vast array of boutique beers from the surrounding breweries, the best of which are the pale bronze lagers made from both malt and peas, a fine drop by the name of 'Sirvenos' is a good place to start. You'll also find many rich reddish brown lagers with hints of whiskey and sherry undertones.

Vilnius is Baltic So Will I Freeze My B@$$s Off?

Maybe. But not necessarily. Just like the UK January is the most freezing month with lows hitting a chillin' -9C. The record low for Vilnius is -30C but that was so long ago that no one really remembers and the record high is a toasty 35C. But generally from April to October Vilnius is cool without being cold and warm without being sweltering.

Average January Temperature: -2 C

Average July Temerature: 19C

Weird But Cool Lithuanian Facts:

In a move that can only be described as unconventional, the Lituanian Basketball team, which rocketed to fame in the early 90s after scooping the bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics, is supported by none other than the American Pyschedelic rock band 'The Grateful Dead'. Official team photos show the athletes sporting highly fetching tie died shorts in a varying assortments of lime, magenta and acid pink. Dude.

Lithuania is the proud home of the world's largest TV sculpture. Artist Gintaras Karosas created the work entitled "LNK Infotree" using just under three thousand individual television sets.
Lithuanian man/beast Antanas Kontrimas, who reportedly hadn't shaved in a quarter of a century, set the Guinness World record for the greatest weight lifted by a human beard. On the 11 September 2004, Kontrimas lifted a 136 pound woman with only his whiskers. On previous occasions Kontrimas carried a sack of grain, a TV host and an entire keg of homemade beer. Ladies, get in line.

So How Do I Organise All the Travelly Details Without Screwing Up?

Easy. There's a London-based company by the name of Chillisauce who employ people who really enjoy tailoring packages stag groups to Vilnius, and a whole bunch of other cities. They do all the phoning, reserving and then come up with ideas just for you and your friends. All you actually have to do is turn up to have the most kicking ass time.

Can't wait to get a taste of that? Just drop a line to Amalia Illgner, she is a copywriter for chillisauce.co.uk; a fully bonded tour operator specialising in memorable stag nights. And there's a whole map of possibilities for a great stag weekend, for some excellent adventure filled ideas check out chillisauce where they will tailor a Stag Weekend in Vilnius just for you.