Hi again. Myung and I are in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. We walked all over Old Town today, and I’m bushed. Myung is tireless, and she’s checking out a ballet performance. So, I’m hanging out, writing this Latvia post.
If you’ve been following along or reading this in order, you know we were in Finland, then swung through Estonia for one night en route to Latvia. We spent eight days in Riga altogether, and two in Sigulda, about 40 km east of Riga. This leg of our trip was relaxed, mostly spent hanging around in Old Town Riga. Riga’s Old Town isn’t as big or impressive as Tallinn’s, and there isn’t that much to do, so we strolled, and took in a few museums and churches.
As you might guess, Latvia’s history overlaps Estonia’s and Lithuania’s, and to some extent Finland’s, a lot. I won’t get into it, but I surely increased my knowledge of the area’s history about 20-fold. For this post, I’ll just stick with some photos and whatever commentary pops into my head. If you’ve read my posts over the years, you know they are all in one take. I just proofread them, maybe change a little something, and publish them.
Originally built in 1334, these served as a meeting place and celebration venue for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild of unmarried merchants, shipowners, and foreigners.
The blackheads were named that because there were a lot of foreigners in that crowd, and unlike the locals who are generally fair, there were a lot of dark-skinned, dark-haired people, mostly men.
It should be noted that almost all of these old buildings have all been restored, at least to some extent, due to decay, fires and war.
Side view of the House of the Blackheads
Riga’s interesting buildings aren’t limited to the medieval period, though there are plenty of those there.
St. John’s Church
Church of St. Peter
Myung standing in a medieval arch
Thee was an explosion of creativity at the end of the 19th/beginning of the 20th centuries, one of Latvia’s independent periods. Thee are a couple of neighborhoods where Art Nouveou was the look.
Reconstruction of a 14th or 15th century building, now home to the Danish embassy which is now the Danish embassy
Blend of architectural styles, including medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Art Nouveau
The Powder Tower is the only remaining part of the Upper Castle in Vilnius,
The Powder Tower, where gunpowder was once stored. It is the only remaining tower from Riga’s medieval defensive fortifications.
Garden and buildings in Livu Square
Latvian National Opera and Ballet building in Riga
Okay. Enough with the buildings. You get the point. Strolling and rubber-necking. Myung likes to window-shop, so she did a lot of that and I went with her some of the time. By the way, I once heard the French version of window-shopping is “window-licking”. Cute.
There’s a small river through town, with a park stretching most of the way along it. Also a nice stroll.
Slough in Riga called Pilsetas Canal
Sigulda is a popular town near Riga that locals and foreigners like. The attractions there are two medieval sites, Turaida Castle and Castle of the Livonian Order (more precisely, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword), both originally built in the 13th century, then expanded, then damaged or destroyed, then rebuilt and then restored in modern times. You will see that the restoration of the Castle of the Livonian Order isn’t all that restored. Mostly, on that one, all that was added was some wooden walkways so you get up into it.
You can google what the Livonian Order is. They were an offshoot of the Teutonic Order, blah, blah, blah.
Turaida Castle
Turaida Castle near Sigulda
Grounds around Turaida Castle
Caste of the Livonian Order
After Sigulda, we went back to Riga for two nights, even though we had done the basics. It’s a very nice place to hang out. And cheap, compared to Thallin, Helsinki or Turku. If we do get out of Korea next summer, Riga would be a cheap alternative to Helsinki. Helsinki would be better for sure. You get what you pay for, but you gotta have the money.
That’s it for now. I’ll post about Lithuania when we have left. Our flight back to Korea is in three days. Sometime soo after that, I’ll get it done. Be well, all of you.
Our typical high-end dining experience. Meatballs, goulash, sauerkraut and pierogies at the counter
Us being cute in 19th century outfits