Who are we Latvians? Where do we come from? What do we believe in? On this tour, I’ll try to answer those questions with exciting stories from our history as well as a few Latvian legends instead of dry facts and numbers. I’ll also lead you to some of the most important landmarks in Riga’s Old Town. I’m Emīls, by the way, and Riga has been my home since 2012. My background is in finance, but I also studied culture and history and I believe that the best tour guides are storytellers. Stories open the doors of our imagination and make city streets come alive. Along the way, I’ll tell you about: • The location of the oldest pagan settlements • What hides in the basement of a Reformation church • The mysterious monks of the St. John church • A popular fairy tale called theTown Musicians of Bremen • St. Peter’s church and the unfortunate burning of Riga • The Brotherhood of Blackheads and their splendid party house • Dome Cathedral and its “witches”; • The rise of Latvians • Making sense of the Latvian code at the Monument of Freedom.