Riga is the capital of Latvia. It's a 4-hour bus ride from Vilnius. I was greeted with heavy snow and cold wind when I arrived at the main bus terminal in Riga. I managed to drag my luggage to the hostel I was staying, and thankfully, it is not that far from the station. I told myself I need to take pictures of the city in snow. Braving the icy cold weather, I ventured out and took as many pictures as I possibly could in the least amount of time. I am glad I did, and looking back at the shots I took, they are gorgeous.
The Freedom Monument is located in the center of Freedom Boulevard near Old Town Riga. It is probably the best location to begin your walk in Riga. The city has impressive Art-Nouveau architecture which spread across its Old Town of which the building of the Brotherhood of Blackheads is the most impressive. The buildings have been reconstructed and expanded a number of times, with elements added to the facade's pediments each time. I went up the tower of St Peter's Church for a panoramic view of the city. As I reached the observation deck, 124 meters in height, I was overwhelmed with bitter cold wind but looking down I saw the city covered with snow. I told myself,"Okay, 10 minutes is all I need" and my fingers were numb by the time I snapped the last picture. The church hall is large, and there are exhibitions detailing the past and present traditions in architecture and arts in the church. I wandered outside and walked along the Daugava River. I saw a row of pavilions, and decided to head toward them. They turned out to be Riga Central Market with each pavilion selling different type of products. I could spend all day going from one to another. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the pavilions were built using old German Zeppelin hangars with Neoclassicism and Art Deco styles.
The Holiday Market near the Riga Cathedral was kind of disappointment. There were not too many stands, and the crowd was almost no where in sight. Was it the weather, or was it just one of those quiet days? I wondered. I went back there again at a different time, and I was met with the same disappointment.
I joined a walking tour in Riga. It was a very interesting 2-hour tour. Some amazing architectures from the Soviet-era were included in the tour. The most impressive building is an apartment building used by the KGB as a place of tortured and imprisonment of civilians during the Soviet Union occupation in Latvia. Today it is a memorial building with no access to the building. The Latvian Academy of Sciences or popularly known as Stalin's birthday cake is another interesting architecture. The initial idea was to build a collective farm house but the idea was never implemented. The building looks pretty imposing with its natural and artificial stone plates, which were individually ordered from Russia.
Other places covered in the tour include Riga Central Market and Black Market, which sells nothing but old scrapes of metals from automobiles and other machineries. You can find old mobile phones, old batteries and other old stuff. I do recommend the tour. It begins at noon in front of St Peter's Church. Look out for the lady with a yellow suitcase!
