From the North-West of Europe to the North-East of Europe. From Scotland to Latvia. From underwear company Vanilla Blush to underwear city Liepaja. And helping bridge the 1,832 miles is one of Latvia's newest experts, the recently made Glasgow-based Consulate David Kaye.

For business, pleasure or both, Latvia is worth the visit. 

If you are wanting to remain within the EU, but experience the difference from your norm, and have a cultured few days away enjoying some sophisticated - and at times quaint - traditional city centre living, while able to peruse modern shopping complexes with the same ease of access, then Riga is going to be a complete pleasure. 

With everything you need within walking distance, any misconceptions about old industrial Stalin-stained eastern European estates will be revamped with a tour of revitalised Riga. 

And now is a great time to visit. Latvia, since its 2004 European Union entrance, has left behind the old USSR pre-independence enforced bad habits. 

A thoroughly up-to-date destination, Latvia has also broken beyond the terrible initiation rights of EU acceptance. Yes the cheap air flights are increasing, but gone are the cheap stag parties seeking sexploitation. Latvia's government has been groundbreakingly successful in curbing the country from becoming a weekend destination of drudged drunkenness to becoming one for families, couples and high-end tourism.

During Vanilla Blush's flash-tour, visiting cultural centres, restaurants and more, Riga was the place for pleasure and Liepaja was the place for business.

Travelling three hours from the capiltal to the coast, Liepaja is the European centre for underwear production. With at least forty underwear-producing companies in this one small city, Liepaja is a unique visit. 

Lying on the Baltic coast, it combines exposed weather conditions to that most covered of clothing. Ranging from top-end deluxe level of underwear producer to the backstreet high-energy producer, Liepaja is a wonderfully surprising place for such a glamorous industry. 

Although not having the initial striking beauty of Riga, once behind the curtain veil, it is easy to experience the ease by which this city generates the underwear for the open market. 

And helping make this all happen are the Latvian authorities and their Man in Glasgow, Harper MacLeod's David Kaye. 

The married father of two grown-up-children - and having recently become a Grand-daddy for the first time - David is proud to be "the first point of contact" when it comes to one of the UK's largest cities' Latvian population. 

Reflecting on his duty of responsibility to Latvians in the Glasgow area, David says that it was "pretty rigorous, pretty challenging. You had to understand Latvian business. What they are interested in is someone who can foster business contacts." 

It is such on-the-ground expertise contact, as with the recently made Consulate for Latvia, David Kaye, which has helped be the bridge for the Glasgow-based global-brand Vanilla Blush. It was a case of visiting Latvia with a clean sheet ready for working upon, and leaving with a contact sheet ready for working with.

And with a return visit on the cards, with Vanilla Blush forging stronger links with Latvia, it certainly is a case of North-West meets North-East.