Art Nouveau in Riga!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Riga, Latvia
"Look up!" the locals say to tourists in Riga. They're referring to the wonderfully impressive art nouveau architecture adorning many buildings around the town, indeed it is the largest such collection in Europe. Hundreds of buildings are adorned with magnificent and haunting sculptures of gargoyles, goddesses, mythical beasts, screaming masks, fauna and flora, etc.

We arrived in Riga, the capital of Latvia, in the afternoon on another Eurolines luxury, WiFi-equipped coach. We were staying at Hotel Irini, and I was sharing with Joshi, our Indian traveller, for the first time. After checking in and dumping my bags in the room, I popped out to the supermarket, and to put it mildly, was rather surprised when I got back to the room and found that Joshi had magicked a portable electric stove from his bag, a selection of tupperware containers with various ingredients and a number of sealed foil pouches which resembled those used by astronauts on space missions, and rustled up a curry! God, the room stunk! I'm not averse to a curry myself, but I don't cook and eat them in my bedroom, let alone someone else's bedroom! Anyway, after freshening up (and opening the windows), I joined the group for an orientation walk of Riga followed by a meal at one of a chain of reasonably priced, self-service restaurants recommended by Manuel - Lido.

Similarly to Estonia, Latvia had been ruled by various nations for the previous hundreds of years before becoming independent after WWI. A period of harsh Russian rule occurred following WWII involving mass killings and deportations of Latvians to Siberia. Latvia eventually gained independence in 1991. Embracing the new money, Latvia had the highest economic growth in the EU for 4 years from 2004-7.

Monday was a free day so I had downloaded a walking route through the main part of Riga, the Old Town. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising winding, cobbled lanes, restaurants and cafes, designer stores, tourist shops, etc. I also visiting the holocaust memorial, in memory of the Latvians who saved Jews during WWII and erected on the site of a synagogue which, during WWII, the Germans had burnt to the ground after locking the congregation inside. I went snap-happy in the art nouveau district, no apologies the number of photos attached! The rest of Riga comprises the usual selection of historic buildings, cathedrals and churches, and monuments and statues.

One thing I wished I had done after reading my guidebook was the Shooting Range, where a selection of firearms can be discharged with payment by the bullet. Darn! There wasn't anyone else on the group for whom this sort of thing would have appealed, I should have just gone on my own!

In the evening, we had a drink at the Skyline Bar, which sits on the 26th Floor of the Hotel Reval Latvija. Superb views of the city and it's where the beautiful people hang out. Then, an evening meal at another Lido restaurant and an early night. The next morning, we'd be catching a coach (not luxury this time) to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

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