On to Latvia
Trip Start
Nov 21, 2007
1
105
158
Trip End
Oct 01, 2008
Riga,
Latvia
Monday, July 7, 2008
We roamed a bit the first day we were there as there is much to see. We sat at a beer garden in Livi Square, read our maps and guides to figure out what we wanted to do, and enjoyed just being in the city. We found a great guide called "in your pocket" which helped us know where things were and when activities took place.
We got up early to head to the Central Market which is 5 aircraft hangers filled with produce, meat, fish, flowers and pretty much anything you need. We saw lots of locals and CAVIAR for sale! Then we ventured by the Riga Castle before settling down for some pancakes for lunch
beautiful flowers while we sat in beer garden
. Then, we went to Riga Cathedral or Dome Cathedral for an organ concert, the Organ at one point was the biggest in the world with 6,768 pipes! The organist played for 20 minutes which he mastered Bach and Vierne. We then searched for the "Three Brothers" which is three residential houses built in 15th, 16th and 17th century. The city is so quaint it was easy to walk from place to place pretty quickly. We then went to the Ratslaukums Square where we found the House of the Blackheads, City Hall and Occupational Museum. We then went to St. Peter's church to ride to the top for a tourist view of the city. It was POURING rain when we were up there so our pictures were not that great. The museum was great and very educational/emotional. So hard to believe that Latvia was taken by the Russians, then the Germans and back to the Russians before gaining their independence. They have had a rough history to say the least filled with genocide, deportation to places like Siberia, and violence. These facts make the part about the celebration (see below) so much more "real" to us.
Quickly, we made it to the New Town area where we walked along Elizabetes and Alberta streets which are filled with the attractive Art Nouveau style. On our way back, we took an elevator to the 26th floor of Reval Hotel to have a beer and see a great view of the city
closer up
. If you ever go to Riga, this is a must do!We were SO LUCKY to be in Riga during Song and Dance Celebration which theme was "Latvia, the land that sings". This is a festival that only takes place every FIVE years and we just happened to be there for it! UNESCO even added the celebration to one of their lists because over 35,000 people participate in this festival. The event consists of many vocal, instrument and dance performances and competition. It last about 2 weeks. We got to see a free concert in the Dome Square called the Senior Choir and Dance Group Concert. It was amazing. Actually, the performance was emotional for Jana because you begin to understand the turmoil the country has been through and then to see the culture blissfully portrayed by so many people who lived the experience is just breath taking. Yes, we have LOTS of pics which will better help show the emotions of happiness and celebration.
A pamphlet we received stated about the performance we saw:
The secret behind the Song and Dance Celebration tradition is the participation of several generations side by side and the handing down of knowledge to future generations
two beers please
. This is why the senior choir and dance group concert will be a particularly emotional event. The singers and dancers taking part in this concert carry within them inestimable experience and admirable enthusiasm. 50 senior dance groups and 38 senior choirs will congregate on Dome Square, making a total of 2,200 participants.The night we saw the performance we also met some Latvian Americans, from Seattle, Toronto, and California who were 18-20 years old. They shared their experience with us of going to "Latvian school" which was like Sunday School. Also, all the Latvians in North America gather multiple times a year so they know each other quite well. They shared stories of being called "Latin" instead of "Latvian" because people did not know Latvia existed. They were great to chat with and really added another level of understanding to our experience. THANKS Alex, Laura, Roland and Carlis!
RANDOM:
We usually stray away from places where you weight your food, but we found two great places in Riga. The first one was Pelmeni XL where they served meat, cheese, and potatoes dumplings known as pierogis. It was a buffet style where you picked up what you wanted and then weighed it at the end. We were able to eat for about $4 which was pretty good. Next, we went to a pancake place called Sefpavars Vilhelms (Chef William) where we had cheese, banana, and meat filled pancakes. Each place also had great potato salad too! Both these places helped us fill up but not spend too much money!
"Paldies" (Paul Diez) means thank you. We also ordered "divi alus" or two beers!
