We are on a 6-month road trip around north-eastern Europe and have just left the Latvia-Russia border after being denied entry into Russia - it seems we had the wrong papers for our motorhome Vanni (see blog ‘To Russia via Latvia’). So, we turned around and drove west to Rīga, the remarkably beautiful capital of Latvia.
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| City Hall Square, Rīga (UNESCO), Latvia |
We found a nice camping ground just across the river from Rīga’s old town, and checked Vanni in there for a few nights. The next morning, we cycled into the old town where we found the jaw-dropping City Hall Square with its beautiful historic buildings. Rīga is over 800 years old and the Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
But instead of sightseeing, we looked for the Russian Consulate because we had to find out how to get Vanni through the Russian border. So, after parking the bikes we searched for it on foot.
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| Marg in a tiny cobbled street of Rīga’s UNESCO old town |
We zigzagged through the gorgeous tiny cobbled streets of Rīga until we found the Consulate. When we did find it, we also found dozens of people queuing to get in. We joined the queue, not really knowing what to expect, and eventually, were let into a very crowded waiting room.
The tension in that room was palpable, and with everything written in Russian, which we could not read, we had an anxious and long wait. Then an English-speaking official asked us many questions about our plans while in Russia, and eventually gave us papers to complete for Vanni. After that we fled, relieved to get back out onto the street.
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| Traditional Balsam Liqueur from Rīga (UNESCO), Latvia |
Nearby, we spotted a shop selling the local Rīga Balsam liqueur (30% alcohol – very medicinal!!). We purchased a wee bottle to take back to Vanni, hoping it might cheer us up a little.
Then we walked back to City Hall Square, retrieved our bikes, and cycled back to camp to make arrangements for the correct version of Vanni’s papers to be filled in and sent to us. They had to come from the Czech Republic where she is registered.
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| Marg at the market in Rīga, Latvia |
The next morning, we walked back into town to visit the Rīga Central Market which is absolutely massive. It consists of five large halls plus a huge outside area. The halls were originally built in the 1920’s as pavilions to house airships.
The market is very vibrant and sells veggies, fruit, meat, fish, clothes, and lots more. We found a great place to get good ground coffee beans and bought 1 kg, then we found a small stall run by a local Latvian woman who, along with her family, makes felt slippers.
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| Felted slippers from the market in Rīga (UNESCO), Latvia |
The slippers were beautifully crafted and looked so cosy. Leigh was keen to buy some as she always feels the cold on the top of her feet. Ten minutes later we both had a pair of brightly coloured felt slippers to take home - and very toasty they are too when it gets a little cooler at night in Vanni.
Next, we wandered back into the Old Town.
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| The 3 Brothers historic houses in Rīga (UNESCO), Latvia |
We saw quite a bit of the Old Town, including the 3-Brothers, a set of three neighbouring historic houses. They are the oldest group of houses in Rīga and were built between the 15th and 17th centuries in Baroque, Renaissance, and Dutch architectural styles.
Number 17, the white Brother, is the oldest non-religious building in Rīga. It is believed that all houses were built by three men of the same family.
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| Nativity Cathedral, Rīga (UNESCO), Latvia |
We also saw the Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral with its beautiful stonework and golden domes. It was built in 1876 when Latvia was still a part of the Russian Empire.
Other places we enjoyed included the National Opera House, St. Peter's Church, the City Wall, Danish Gates, Powder Tower, St John’s Church, the Dom, and much more.
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| Marg at the entrance to Jāņa sēta, Rīga, Latvia |
St John’s Church area was interesting. We first stumbled through an ancient archway into Jāņa sēta (St John’s Courtyard), which held the remnants of a 13th century wall of a monastery. Bishop Albert of Rīga who founded Rīga in 1201, had his home here, so it’s the birthplace of the city.
Next to it was the 13th century St John’s Church which is an interesting mixture of Gothic and Baroque architecture, and has a wonderfully decorated ceiling vault.
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| Rīga Castle and various church spires (UNESCO), Latvia |
On the river side of the Old Town, we found the interesting Rīga Castle. Built in 1330, then re-built several times after various wars, it currently houses several museums, and is also the home of the President of Latvia. Overall, we found Rīga to be a very vibrant city and we loved it, but after several days there, we were ready to move on.
We had about 2 weeks to wait for Vanni’s papers to be arranged, signed by a notary, and couriered to Rīga from the Czech Republic. So, we drove west along the coast of the Gulf of Rīga using the time to see more of Latvia. But you can read about that in the next blog.
This blog describes part of our 6-month motorhome trip around northern and eastern Europe, which began in Prague.