We arrived in Riga mid afternoon and after being taken to our second hotel (we were upgraded because of an overbooking in the original hotel) went exploring this fascinating city. Almost immediately we came across the Opera House and found to our delight that the following evening there would be a performance by the Latvia Ballet Company of Swan Lake. Yes please!! We were definitely interested and booked our special seats in the balcony. More of that a little later. Here is the Opera House:
Surrounded by beautiful gardens:
Our original hotel was part of this quaint structure, which is an early Convent and comprised of a number of buildings. Obviously very historic and full of 'old town' atmosphere.
Our second hotel was on the edge of the old town and from our restaurant we could view Victory Square where there was a monument constantly guarded by the military:
Breakfast was excellent and gave us a great start for a busy day with lots of walking. Gitis was our Guide for the morning and she took us to many sites, including the promenade viewing platform of St.Peters Church Tower. Have a look at these:
Included in our tour of the Church were two significant reminders of what is was like during the war and also post war under the Soviet regime. The church was in ruins following bombing, as can be seen from this photo:
The people of Riga recovered the 'rooster' that was on top of the tower. The story was told about the builder of the first tower in this place who, when he installed the rooster on the completed tower drank a glass of champagne while sitting on the top of it. He then threw down the emptied glass with the words that the tower would remain standing for as many centuries as the number of shattered pieces. Alas for him, it fell on hay and only broke into three pieces. The story continued that after almost three centuries, the church tower was bombed! After the reconstruction took place they made sure there was no hay around and the glass was completely smashed.The second intriguing monument related to the Soviet occupation. We are not in a position to translate what is on the plaque, but this is what is says, "DAUDZ MOCEKLU IR IZREDZETU TEV MANA MAZA TEVIJA." If anyone out there can give us the translation, please leave a comment on the blog. I would be grateful.
The reconstructed Riga boasts many fine and historical buildings. Perhaps they look different from the ones Elmars would have wandered around pre World War II, but it was heartening to see the efforts made by the Latvian people to preserve their long history. We were particularly impressed with the reconstructed House of Blackheads in the old city square near the river:
Equally, there were many other fine buildings, including churches that were again in use:
Then of course there is the story about the cat on top of this building. It was placed in such a way to insult a rival guild who were being difficult and failed to recognise the other.
But tell me, why did I have to do the tourist thing and touch this sculpture. Don't know. It certainly wasn't anything to do with superstition.
And what is Riga without its musicians? There were many who busked, and this cellist entertained us with some fine playing:
In the afternoon we had a more relaxed look at Riga. We chose to join the local families on a boat ride along the river, past the island and back. It was great and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Couldn't converse with the folk on board, but were able to converse and relate to the lovely scenery. Being autumn, the golden autumn colours abounded. So, from the comfort of our river boat, here are a few of the scenic shots:
Finally, the day ended with a memorable performance in the National Opera House of the Ballet Swan Lake. It was truly magic. We had great seats in the Circle; the sort that you see in bigtime movies and only the rich occupy. We felt like royalty! A never forgotten occasion as we say Good Night Riga!!
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