Erasmus+ project: Students' mobility in Riga, Latvia

Day 2 - Monday 16 of March, 2026

After only a few hours of sleep, we arrived to Riga Zolitudes School by 8.30 a.m. In addition to our Erasmus+ program, they also hosted programs from Norway and Estonia. Together we had an opening ceremony, which included an interactive musical performance by a music teacher and a substantial presentation about Latvia by few of the local students. Afterwards we were divided into groups and the students took us to an extensive tour of their school, which included information from the present day all the way to the foundation of the school. In fact, the school had its own museum where we learned many interesting facts about the school history, staff and students.

We also had an ample and tasty lunch at the school cafeteria after which we took a train to the city center. The students had prepared a walking tour of the Old Riga, which was very interesting. All of us also got good luck from the Bremen town musicians (the donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster) statue because the local legend says that if you touch the animals’ noses, you will get lots of different kinds of luck in life. We also saw the oldest house in Riga built in the late 1500s by three brothers. Afterwards, the students went shopping with their hosts and we continued the Old Riga tour.

Day 3 - Tuesday 17 of March, 2026

In the morning students attended a two hour chemistry lesson with their host students. Afterwards we joined Nord+ exchange program’s DABA Hub conference with Norwegian and Estonian students and teachers. The conference lasted all day and included important topics concerning the environment such as pollution, climate, bacteria contamination and information about glaciers. In addition, our students had a chance to practice and participate in debate.

Day 4 - Wednesday 18 of March, 2026

On Wednesday morning we went to the Latvian National Library for a guided tour. The concept of the library is quite different from what we are used to because their mission is to preserve books, so books cannot be loaned out. They also have an incredible five story display of books called the `People’s Library` where each book is donated by the public and has to include some kind of a message in the first blank page. The National Library is also known as the Castle of Light and was designed by a renown Latvian architect Gunnar Birkerts. After the tour we had a fantastic calligraphy workshop at the library. We learned to write our names with the gothic alphabet using a quill and ink. It was quite a fun experience for many! After lunch at school, the students had a 3D designing and printing workshop that was also a hit with them.

Day 5 - Thursday 19 of March, 2026

We started the day with a walking tour of the Art Nouveau district in Riga and learned about Jugend style buildings. Some of the students were so impressed with the beautiful buildings that they hoped to one day live in one themselves. Afterwards we walked to the oldest Science Center in the Baltic countries called Tehno Annans Cellars. It was a super fun, entertaining, mind opening and still educational place, which all of us really enjoyed. For example, we were given a cool yet old fashioned planetarium lesson about stars and constellations. After lunch we walked to the Multimedia Art Museum to take part in an immersive Da Vinci Genius display that used all kinds of cool technology, including AI, to make it a vivid and unforgettable experience.

Day 6 - Friday 20 of March, 2026

Today we met students early in the morning to board a bus to Rundale Palace about 80 kilometers south of Riga. The palace is also called the Baltic Sea Versailles because it imitates many of the features and decorations found in Versailles. First we walked around the huge gardens of the palace in a sunny, but a bit windy weather. It was easy to tell that the gardens would be absolutely gorgeous when in bloom. The Latvian teachers and students showed us pictures of its beautiful rose gardens and water fountains in the summer. They also said that it smells wonderful there because there are so many flowers everywhere. Then we had a guided tour of the inside of the palace. Our guide was very knowledgeable and interactive with the students and told us many interesting facts about life during the mid-1700s. After the tour, we had a tasty latvian dinner at a nearby restaurant. The day ended with a scenic trip to Jurmala to check out the marvelous beachside, which reminded us of our own Hiekkasärkät :) 

Tomorrow morning we are heading towards home via a bus, a ferry and a train in addition to a night in Tallinn. We’ve had such a wonderful time on our Erasmus+ trip and have learned a great deal about Latvian culture and the school system while developing our scientific and digital skills.