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.
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 departed Vilnius at 9:00 AM and headed towards Riga, Latvia, our next destination. Before leaving Lithuania, we stopped at the hill of crosses. A small hill covered with millions of crosses.
The story of the hill goes like this – a father who was sitting by the bedside of his ailing daughter, had a dream in which a woman asked him to build a cross and to place on the hill. In 13 hours, he made a heavy cross and placed it on the hill. When he returned home, his daughter was healed. Other people hearing of the event began to place crosses on the hill.
During the Soviet occupation, religion was not allowed and the crosses were repeatedly destroyed. However, during the night, people would bring new crosses. It became a place of anonymous rebellion against the soviets and a symbol of the nation’s hope.
Crosses varied in size from the most simplistic form to extremely ornate. I did find someone placed a large, encased metal Star of David on the hill.
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.
September 13, 2006
I was very impressed by the food in Lithuania. I thought it would be rather bland and uneventful. but to my surprise, I really enjoyed it and even bought a cookbook. The central staple is potato (of course) that was prepared in just about every way imaginable including pancakes, dumplings, zeppelins, pies and sausage. I noticed a lot pork and curd cheese being used to flavor the dishes along with Dill.
Lunch on the first day consisted of cepelinai (meat filled potato dumplings) along with a hot broth. When I heard about it, I pictured a pierogi but the tour guide explained that the dumplings were baked so you could hold them in your hand and that Lithuanian version of the pierogie is the Koldunai.
Mushrooms also appear in a lot of dishes. I noticed while going to places outside of the city, there were many people walking with baskets going in and coming out of the forests, harvesting mushrooms. At the hotel, there was a really nice display of some of the largest mushrooms I have ever seen. Continue reading
September 12, 2006
Our next stop on our tour in Kaunas was the Devil’s Museum. This museum owes itself to the eccentric Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (1876-1966) who collected over 2,000 depictions of devils from all over the world. It was more interesting than it was scary. There were lots of references to the Devil with alcohol and tobacco. One of the more interesting displays were of Hitler and Stalin Devils doing the dance of death over Lithuania which was created during the soviet times but taken out of hiding after Lithuania gained independence. Continue reading
Kaunas
September 12, 2006We met our guide at 9:00 AM in the lobby of the hotel and boarded our minibus to Kaunas, the second largest town of the country. Kaunas became the temporary capital when Vilnius was occupied by the Polish from 1920-1939. In 1939 Hitler and Stalin made a pact giving the Baltic states to Russia and Poland to Germany thus giving Vilnius back to Russia. Two weeks after the Hitler-Stalin Act WWII started.
As we entered the city, the tour guide pointed to an area along the river saying that the location is where the Jewish Ghettos were established during WWII. Near the end of WWII, the area was burned and destroyed along with its citizens. Prior to World War II, Kaunas had a large Jewish population and at the end of the war, it was reduced to a very small percentage.
After getting a bird’s-eye view of Kaunas, our first stop was the Church of Vytautas (Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven) which was built-in the 15th Century. This is one of the first brick Gothic buildings in Kaunas and the oldest church in Kauanas. When the French Occupation was exchanged for Russian Occupation, the Roman catholic church became a Russian Orthodox Church. When the Germans took command in the 20th century, it was used to store wartime supplies. Continue reading
September 11, 2006
In the afternoon, we took a city tour starting at the The Gate of Dawn. The Gate of Dawn was built-in 1522. Of the original nine gates, the Gate of Dawn is the only remaining. In 1671, the chapel was built within the gate with a miraculous icon of a dark faced Vilnius Madonna, “The Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy”. Many religious people make pilgrimages to the including Pope John Paul II who blessed it in 1993.
After viewing the Gate of Dawn, we headed to Old Town to see various things. There is a lot of renovation going on in Vilnius. In 2009, Vilnius will be made the Capital of European History as well as celebrate it’s millennium. In preparation for it, there are a lot of monuments being renovate. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make for good pictures. Continue reading
Trakai Castle
Sep 11, 2006
Trakai is the ancient capital of Lithuania just outside of Vilnius. The castle was originally built-in the 1400 (and later restored) to defend against crusaders. In later years the castle was used as a political prison.
Complete with drawbridges and moats, the castle is stunning with its gothic architecture. In addition to being a tourist attraction the castle is still used during festivals.
It was absolutely beatifull surrounded by the lake and plush countryside. Continue reading
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