Exploring Riga

Riga, Latvia
No rush to get up today as we do not dock until 1100. When we start to stir, we get dressed and head to breakfast. We sit next to a very nice couple from Germany. Michael and Caroline live in Burghausen in the Bavaria region of Germany. We enjoy a nice conversation with them about traveling, family, etc. they definitely seem like people who we could sit and have some drinks with. On their bucket list is to visit Colorado and Utah. We give them our information in case they ever make it out our way.
We finish breakfast, shower, and are off the boat at 1115. We have to take a shuttle bus to town as we have docked in an industrial area and are not allowed to walk. The distance is too far anyway. We bought tickets the other night for the bus which personally I do not think we should have to pay for since the ship has docked in this non passenger friendly area. The choice is don’t go to Riga which defeats our purpose of coming here.
The ride to Riga, the Capitol of Latvia, is about 20 minutes and we are dropped off in town. Now all we have to do is get our bearings and figure out exactly where in town we are. We walk across a square with what I think is the town hall to a church which is identified as St Peters Church. Carol spots a Tourist information center and we get a better map and pointed in the direction I want to start our walk in. We start in Cathedral Square which of course contains the Riga Cathedral, the largest in the Baltics, dating back to 1211. A tour group is walking in and We are in the middle of them. I get in but a lady stops Carol and she is turned away. I am not sure why but figure I might as well check it out. It is a nice cathedral, filled with tour groups, and someone is playing the Hugh church organ. I video a little, take a few pictures but do not linger as my wife is alone outside in Latvia. We find out that they close the church during the pre arranged organ recital for tour groups. Who knew?

Stock Exchange in Back

Back in the square, we take in our surroundings. A mix of buildings surround the square including the Latvian stock exchange decorated with Greco Roman Gods. From here a walk around the block passes a palace where Peter the Great lived for 3 months in 1711. Not very lavish compared to what he ended up with in St Petersburg. We pass a former Famous Soviet restaurant, and an old restaurant decorated in medieval. We now wander towards the old Castle, which is now the presidential palace. In our meandering, we see a church and go inside. It turns out to be Our Lady of Sorrows Church with the icon of the same name above the alter. We then make it to the palace which is undergoing a major renovation on the outside. It is adjacent to a park like square that has many locals eating in the outdoor cafes.
We are enjoying the relaxed ambience and varied architecture of this city. We pass the Three Brothers, houses of which the earliest from 1400 appears to be toppling onto the others.

Entry Circa. 1646

Another dated 1646 has a beautiful stone entry. We come to St James church, the seat of Riga’s Roman Catholic Archbishop. There is a man hanging by the door, who informs me the church is closed and points to the sign that says it opens at 1430. I say “Paldeis” Latvian for thank you and he gets a great big smile on his face and tells me you are welcome in Latvian. A small gesture on my part in using their language results in that smile making my day. We wander up a small side street to more interesting architecture and another church. There is a family inside with a little girl with flowers getting ready to receive her first holy communion. We are in everyday Latvia,away from the crowds, very cool.
As we continue on, I see a policeman and stop to ask if I could take a picture with him for my police officer brother in New York.

My Police Friend

He is very obliging, even removing his semi fluorescent vest so it does not ruin the picture. The people here seem very friendly and content with their young independence as a country. We come to an old tower and the entrance to the Latvian War museum. It is free so we head in to check it out. It turns out to be six floors of displays starting in the 13th century to the present. Part of th emu seem is also in the old tower we saw outside. It is a wonderful little museum with some cool WWI weapons and helps us understand the hardships this country has faced. Latvia was Independent from 1920 until 1939, when Hitler and Stalin divide the Baltic states. This started Russian rule, then German when Russia and Germany declared war, then back to Russian after WWII. The museum explains life under control of these two countries. In 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, Latvia once again gained independence. They are on the Euro currency and part of NATO.
Another stop on the Charlie tour is the Black Cat House. According to legend the buildings owner had been black balled from the Great Guild, so he arranged for cat statues to be placed on his roof with their butts aimed at the Great Guild building across the street.

The Black Cat Building

Legal action ensued and he had to turn the cats butts in the opposite direction. We make it back to our starting point by town hall and look to find a nice spot to try the local beer. The town has a lot of cafes and places to sit and have a beer. On a nice day like today everyone is eating and drinking outside. It’s also Friday, so that may be factoring in to the amount of people out. We find a nice patio and try two beers. Carol has a dark beer called Grimbergen and I have one called Piebalga. They are both very good.

Now She’s Happy

We relax with our beers for about 45 minutes and then it is time for us to catch a bus back to the port. There is one waiting in the square and our Riga experience is over. We both really enjoyed Riga. It is a great walkable town with lots of interesting little hideaway streets and nooks. The people seem very friendly and it has a nice cafe scene. I wonder how the rest of Latvia compares to it. We could definitely spend a few days relaxing here.
Our Baltic Cruise is almost done. Riga was the last port of call and tomorrow we sail back to Stockholm. It will be nice to just relax a day. I have been able to keep up on my journal but need to work on the pictures today. I took quite a few and it will be hard to determine which ones to post. Thanks for being patient with the blog, it does take some effort so I hope you enjoy it.
Charlie
Expenses
Shuttle Bus Tickets. 28 USD
Beer 6.6E
Walked 5.2 Miles