THE CRI-TICK
The Hockey Horror Show
Not only did we see gross behaviour on the ice during this last Hockey World Championship, there were several violations outside the arenas in R?ga worth mentioning as well. Unfortunately none of these events led to any time spent in any penalty box, but it leaves food for thought on what to do if the World Cup is ever hosted again by Latvia.
Even though the championship was well under way, several downtown hotels were still advertising on the internet that they had rooms available. When information reached hockey fans about soaring prices at the hotels, some up to 200%, many sought accommodation outside the capital where the matches were played. Many went to Jelgava, but others took more drastic measures like the Czechs who chartered aeroplanes and went home after the games. Several bars, clubs and restaurants also raised their beer and food prices during the championship to the point where even Uncle Scrooge would blush.
One group of Finnish fans were unpleasantly surprised when they were about to leave a bar in old town which presented them with a bill of Ls 2,500! Naturally the Finns refused to pay and were held at knife point by the security guard till police officers arrived. The patrons of the bar claimed the Finns had been drinking several bottles of champagne worth Ls 300 each. This is probably the first time in history Finnish hockey fans have been reported as drinking champagne during a world cup!
It seemed as if Latvian taxi drivers collectively decided the hockey championship was going to be the opportunity of a life time to build up a retirement fund. Fans were asked to pay anything from double to three times the normal fare from Old R?ga to either of the two arenas. Shame!
The Hockey Horror Show
Not only did we see gross behaviour on the ice during this last Hockey World Championship, there were several violations outside the arenas in R?ga worth mentioning as well. Unfortunately none of these events led to any time spent in any penalty box, but it leaves food for thought on what to do if the World Cup is ever hosted again by Latvia.
Even though the championship was well under way, several downtown hotels were still advertising on the internet that they had rooms available. When information reached hockey fans about soaring prices at the hotels, some up to 200%, many sought accommodation outside the capital where the matches were played. Many went to Jelgava, but others took more drastic measures like the Czechs who chartered aeroplanes and went home after the games. Several bars, clubs and restaurants also raised their beer and food prices during the championship to the point where even Uncle Scrooge would blush.
One group of Finnish fans were unpleasantly surprised when they were about to leave a bar in old town which presented them with a bill of Ls 2,500! Naturally the Finns refused to pay and were held at knife point by the security guard till police officers arrived. The patrons of the bar claimed the Finns had been drinking several bottles of champagne worth Ls 300 each. This is probably the first time in history Finnish hockey fans have been reported as drinking champagne during a world cup!
It seemed as if Latvian taxi drivers collectively decided the hockey championship was going to be the opportunity of a life time to build up a retirement fund. Fans were asked to pay anything from double to three times the normal fare from Old R?ga to either of the two arenas. Shame!
Vastaukset 3
Vanhimmat
Finnish hockey fans don't drink champagne.
ei kande köyhän matkustaa sinne. Ei ainakaan ruuhkaisen turistisesongin aikana.
Riika ei ole aina kallis, päinvastoin. Esim. leipäkilo n. 30latia (45 senttiä), naudan paistiliha n. 3 latia, olut 0,5-1 euroa/tuoppi, julkiset kulkuneuvot 30 senttiä/matka, paikalliset savukkeet 40 senttiä/aski jne...
Vaatteita, kenkiä, kasitöitä, meripihkaa (osa muovia), keramiikkaa jne löytyy kohtuuhinnalla, jos vähän kiertelee.
Riika on mielenkiintoinen, kaunis kukkaiskaupunki - sinne vain...