My Adventures Where in the world is ….

During the day you hardly notice this place but at night it is lit up and you have no doubt what it is between the lights and the music.

Here is a close up of Michael.

I hope you can see this. There are lines strung and they are often filled with some kind of clothes. Today it looks like towels.

Here is our nice indoor drying rack. It only has one small load of towels so far but I am about to go hang a load of darks on it and it will still have room for a small load of whites. It doesn’t look so big but it holds a lot. And it is inside and warm and our clothes do not freeze on it.

The sign is hidden as is the palace itself.

It is actually a movie theater and not as old as it looks but it is a very interesting building. It was not open for us to go into and it might have cost too much if it had been.

This was behind our hotel and seems so interesting I took a picture – no idea what it is.

Walking down the street near our hotel we saw this sign – wonder if Bishop Sikora has relatives in Riga?

Back in old town Riga we passed several shops. This one had a great display of frogs. Some windows were still decorated for the holidays.

On one of the side streets a woman was putting pretzels on a tree – perhaps for the birds.

This house at the end of this little street is so quaint. On closer look it is very old. Dated 1221.

Here is the sign on the blue house. It is actually quite famous and you can google it.

Another view of the cute little catholic church we found and the house next to it.

The president’s palace.

Can you see the entrance with the guard house on the right? There is a matching one on the left and a police man patrolling the front.

Yet another church

This nativity is in an alcove of a building.

Revisiting St. Jacob’s Church.

This date is over the door of St. Jacob’s Church.

These little alcoves are everywhere.

A very yellow church

One of many wide streets in “new” Riga. The travel agent told us the new buildings are maybe 100 years old not like old Riga. Seems old to us.

This church you could see from the back window of our hotel. It is in a kind of alley, narrow street, almost hidden. It was all locked up.

This is the sign and entrance into Betty’s Corner where we ate. There is also a sign for the Bottlery which is next door and sells alcohol.

We passed this window as we went to the travel agent. Inside the window it is like a blizzard – three windows actually. Very interesting.

This is the Czech Embassy. It is really closed up.

Sign for the Czech Embassy

Peering through the hole in the gate of the Czech Embassy you can get a glimpse of the building itself. Most of the embassies are not so hidden.

This is the back of the Ukrainian Embassy. We entered between the dark brown walls and the lighter ones.

This is a close up of the entrance to the Ukrainian Embassy back door we entered.

One of the restaurants we passed had a statue of two wooden frogs. that’s me standing near them.

Statue of a monkey astronaut.

Oskars Kalpaks (6 January 1882–6 March 1919) was the commander of 1st Latvian Independent Battalion, also known as “Kalpaks Battalion”. Kalpaks was born to a farming family. Having decided to become a soldier he completed Irkutsk military school and then commenced service with the 183rd Pultusk Infantry Regiment. He displayed talent as a commander and heroism in battle during the First World War and was awarded the most significant Russian military decorations and made Regiment Commander in 1917. After the proclamation of Latvia’s independence on 18 November 1918, Kalpaks enlisted with the Ministry of Defence. He organised the defence of Vidzeme against Bolshevik attacks. On 31 December Kalpaks became Commander-in-Chief of all the armed units at the disposal of the Provisional Government of Latvia. Under his leadership, Latvia’s first armed formations became battle capable. On 28 February 1919, Kalpaks was awarded the rank of Colonel. From January to March 1919 the 1st Latvian Battalion fought with the German VI Reserve Corps to repel the Bolshevik raids into Kurzeme and this was the start of Latvia’s struggle for liberation. On 6 March 1919 near Air?tes, by mistake, Kalpaks was killed in a skirmish with German Freikorps troops. After his death, Kalpaks was posthumously awarded Latvia’s highest military award, the Order of L??pl?sis — first, second and third class. Although never officially assigned to this rank or position, Kalpaks is regarded as the first Commander in Chief of Latvian Armed Forces.
Kalpaks was honored on Latvian stamps in 1937 and again in 2007.

On our plane leaving Riga there was a beautiful sunset that lasted a long time. This is taken from our airplane window not long after departure.

We came upon this cute little park and eating area on one of the little streets. Very strange sculptures as well as a large wind chime. Not historic I am sure.

This cathedral is in the middle of a large square with seven streets (they say but we could only account for six) coming into the square. We were able to go in a little but it was closed except for a small chapel. It seems to have lots of concerts planned there.

Looking up at the dome of Dome Cathedral. Not as tall as St. Peter’s but still impressive.

Going into the square we passed a quaint restaurant but as we stood in the square and looked around we saw this painting of a seascape on the side of the building. Seemed quite out of place but it was interesting.

This is just one of the streets going out of the square.

These buildings are across from Dome Cathedral.

Another view out of Dome Cathedral square.

We didn’t know what this was when we first saw it but later saw it is actually a part of the presidential palace.

This is a cute little Catholic Church. It is a functioning church and delightful inside. Very nice.

Here we walked seeking the church under the steeple. Cute street to walk on.

We later learned this street is all part of a convent. Perhaps this sign says what it is?

More of this very old street that is part of the convent.

So now we see a Church and the steeple to yet another one behind it.

So here is Carl in front of the Church of St. Jacob. We couldn’t get in until the next day and again it is a functioning church and beautiful inside with stained glass windows and paintings.

This is part of the original baricade and gate house from the revolutionary days. There are holes in the walls for guns and bullet holes in the walls as well.

The Powder Tower was used during the revolution and before to house the military and to store artillery. It is very tall and interesting.

All around Riga, in old town and in the newer parts of the town, there are little restaurants that have doors kind of like shutters that close over the door when they are closed and when open have the menus posted on what seems like chalk boards. There are lots of little places like this.

Here is a view of the monument from about a block away.

Here is a close up of the monument. It is a copper figure of Liberty lifting three gilded stars.

Base of the Freedom Monument on one side.

The guards standing at attention at the base of the monument. The have on warm coats and hats but their faces and ears are not covered – made us cold to see them.

Details of this side of the monument.

Notice on the left the soldiers coming out for the changing of the guard. We were there at a great time.

Marching in great precision the new guards come out.

They salute and prepare to change.

The new guards march forward to meet the guards they are replacing.

They salute each other.

They change places.

The cold guards move back to their leader and prepare to leave.

Me in front of the monument. Notice my nice new hat which is fleece lined and very warm and a good complement to my great scarf that I can put over my head and around my neck or just around my neck.

Walking toward old town away from the monument is this very strange clock which is supposedly very famous. Not sure what it all means, but it was interesting. The building on the corner is one of many hotels in the city.

We loved these three houses all decked out with Christmas finery. They are a good sampling of the houses we saw all over the town. All unique and all different but reminiscent of the past. These houses are still occupied. Some houses have shops on the first floor and apartments upstairs, some are businesses, others are actual residences.

One of many narrow little streets. The car looks very out of place here.

This is St. Peter’s Church – the oldest church in Riga. They say the oldest reference to it is in 1205 AD. It is a huge building with a very high steeple.

Another view of St. Peter’s Church

Another view of St. Peter’s Church

Another view of St. Peter’s Church. Unlike most of the churches in Riga this church is not for worshiping. It is being renovated and kind of a museum with a fee to go in and see it.

Here is another street with a steeple in the back ground to yet another church.

We went down a street we saw many people disappearing into the little opening. It seemed so quaint that we decided to look in and there were shops and a little tea house there. Cute.

Living where we are we are often frustrated as most streets are not named so it is hard to get around. In Riga that is not the case. All the streets are named. This grouping of signs shows several streets converging.

I loved the story of The Bremen Town Musicians when I was young and low and behold here in old town Riga is a statue to them. Carl is standing near it. It is kind of dark but there is definitely a donkey, a pig, a cat and a rooster. This is outside a church – interesting.

Artists view of old town Riga.

This map is not to scale but has several landmarks on it.

This map is more to scale. The blue is the large river Daugava. the green is a park system that is very large and I am sure very beautiful in the spring and summer. Even in winter it is very nice. Out hotel was on the right of the farthest right greenway. The middle yellow road going from the top right to the bottom left is the road we walked along to get into old town. The monument is just to the left of the second greenway which has a small river (perhaps creek is a better word) going through it.

This is the Rigas Dome, a government building of some kind.

Name plate on the Rigas Dome.

We were just wandering when we came upon the House of Blackheads. It was once the meeting place for the guild of unmarried German merchants. It is currently under renovations so we couldn’t go inside but it was amazing to see it from the outside. The clock is a masterpiece with four times on it (day, month, hour, minute).

Statue in front of the House of Blackheads

I hope you can see the clock a little better here.

Going toward the river is one of the many bridges that cross the river.

This Statue to the fighting Soldiers looked very soviet to us but is it very Latvian.

A closer view of the Statue to the fighting Soldiers