Riga Latvia

Travelled : 122km
Stay:Riga Latvia- port carpark €12/24hrs €2/hr, no services, very close to old quarter.  56.95811 24.09580

Across another border today.

 First general impressions of Latvia are that it's a bit more run down.  

We parked walking distance to the old quarter of Riga and made our way to the tourist office which was located in The House of Blackheads. A very ornate 14th century building which served as a guild for unmarried merchants. As with many of the city buildings this was destroyed during WWII and has since been restored. 

If you want to see inside the main churches here , you will be charged for the privledge. As we have seen our fill of churches over the last 4 years we decided just to admire the architecture from the outside. St.Peter's Church also has a lift in its spire offering great views of the city @ €9 a pop.
We ventured over to the market which offered a great selection of smoked fish in one of its five food pavilions (converted Zeppellin hangars),  not including the many stalls around them. Food is very cheap here.

Pickled vegetables.

Lunchtime meals ready to go.

It's springtime.

Woollen socks to keep warm on those freezing winter nights.

Our next stop was at the National Opera house located next to the 2.5km manmade city canal.

Just near here was the Freedom Monument. A symbol of Latvias independence. 

The Powder Tower was part of the city's fortifications dating back to 1330. Since 1919 it has been a War Museum, which is free to visit.

We passed via Livu Square on our way to Lido restaurant to eat a local meal. 

We had a shared plate and a beer each for €20.  We couldn't finish it all!

These houses are called the Three Brothers,  each built in a different century.

Walking back along the river we passed a statue of Great Kristaps, who, as the story goes, founded the city with the gold coins left to him by a boy he carried across the river.

We also passed the Aussie Bar. Didn't stop for a beer though.

We returned to the old quarter into Dome Square where the cathedral is along with the Art Museum.

From here we followed the Art Nouveau walk to look at a few of the remarkable buildings built in the early 1990s. 

We passed through the Swedish Gate.

Along the way we passed the very picturesque orthodox church the Nativity of Christ Cathedral.

After a few more Art Nouveau buildings we ventured back to Bluey for a cuppa and to rest the feet.

We were surprised to see the giant monkey in a space suit! Its in memory of the 42 animals used by the Soviet Union during the 50's and 60's.