Latvia

Turaidas Roze

September 15, 2006

My stay in Riga was short. Our small tour group headed to Tallinn, Estonia first thing in the morning. On our way we stopped at the Turaida national reserve situated on the Guaja River in Sigulda. The reserve has a medieval castle, a sculpture park and a church. The locals call Sigulda “The Switzerland of Latvia”, The word “Turiada” means “God’s Garden” in the Livonian language.

In the churchyard of the Turaida Church, two lime trees shade the grave of “Turaidas Roze” with the dates 1601-1620. The legend is that Maija was a beautiful girl who was in love with Viktor, a local gardener. One day she was deceived by a man of polish decent who wanted to take her for himself. He lured her to a cave where he tried to force himself upon her. Maija challenged the man saying that her scarf was magic and if his sword could pass through her while wearing the scarf, the man could have her forever.

The man accepted the challenge and drew his sword killing her. The moral being love transcends death. Newlyweds visit the grave on their wedding day in hopes they experience the same eternal love she demonstrated to her beloved. Continue reading →

September 14, 2006

There is more to Riga than just churches. The House of Blackheads was originally built for the Blackheads Guild of unmarried merchants. It was completely destroyed in WWII but rebuilt in 1998. The clock on the front of the structure, contains month and day as well as zodiac information. The creator of the original clock was blinded after creating it so that he could not create another one like it. The statue in front of the House of Blackheads is Roland, the medieval defender of the accused. The tip of his sword is said to mark the center of Riga. Continue reading →

September 14, 2006

A few of us stopped after our walking tour in Riga old town to try some hot chocolate. This was not the Hot Chocolate we know of in USA, this is HOT CHOCOLATE and I must admit, I really enjoyed it. The store was full of chocolate objects, even chocolate soccer balls. Continue reading →

September 14, 2006

Our stay in Riga, Latvia was short but Old Town is so photogenic, I found myself taking a lot of pictures. As with any European town the most impressive things to see are usually the churches.

We started our walking tour at the church right next to the hotel, the Dome Cathedral. The cathedral dates back to 1211 but it has been destroyed, rebuilt, and renovated so many other times that the architecture is a composite of different architectural styles including Gothic, baroque, western and pseudo-Gothic.

As we entered the cathedral, the organist was practicing for the night concerts. There are 6718 pipes with one of the pipes being 30 feet in length. What surprised me was how full the sound of the organ was. Even in such a massive, open space, the sound filled the cathedral from one end to the other.

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September 13, 2006

In between our stops at the Hill of Crosses, and the Rundale Palace our group saw stunning countryside full of tall pines and birch tress, small towns with and even a medieval castle. A relaxing drive which in between my working on organizing pictures, allowed me to doze off while listening to music and looking at a beautiful countryside.

We arrive in Riga around 5:00 PM local time and we checked into the Gutenbergs Hotel http://www.gutenbergs.lv/. Our tour guide would explain the next morning that the hotel was formerly a printing-house. I guess that explains why the heavy key chains are in the form of small books.

After check in, Allan and I went for a walk. The first thing I realized is that this city is aesthetically breathtaking and is going to be hard to capture in pictures. It was called the “New Paris” and like other European cities it has small narrow winding streets and squares with beer gardens and cafes.

Riga was founded in 1201 and is the capital city of Latvia. The population is about 750,000 and a major difference between here and other Europe destinations is that although there is plenty to see, there aren’t people selling books and postcards outside of every attractions or scores of tour buses lining up. As you will see from the pictures, the places aren’t packed with people. Continue reading →

September 13, 2006

We crossed the border into Latvia early afternoon and our first stop was the impressive Baroque Rundale Palace constructed between 1736 and 1740 as a summer residence of the Duke of Courtland Johann Baron.  It was constructed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli from Italy who also created the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.

Although the palace could use some renovation it was a wonder to see.  As I looked at one of the rooms I thought, my entire house could fit in the one room.  It is not only the size that is amazing but the attention to detail.  Ceilings, entry ways and every corner was detailed with intricate plaster and wood work.

It wasn’t just about the inside of the palace, the gardens were amazing as well.  How much does it cost to maintain this today more or less in it’s time?  The staff has to be quite extensive.

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