Riga: Culture and intrigue

Riga, Latvia was the first old, medieval town I had visited in Europe. I had

visited old castles in England and similar Chateaus in France but none seemed as old and basic or utilitarian as the old section of Riga. I spent most of my time in old town with narrow alleys and row houses facing various squares. The squares and courtyards are now packed with restaurants and boutiques. Despite the new uses of the buildings, the old structures are evident. In fact in some places you feel like you have stepped back in time until you enter a door and see modern fixtures and products inside.

Where ever you are, just look up and there will be a glimpse of towers with medieval roofs and small dark windows built in as holes for archers. There are crumbling walls in some areas but many have been restored and strengthened. The tile roofs are gorgeous. Many seemed of a similar style and I wonder if it was just how they did roofs before or if it was just this section or if they were the way of doing roofs in Latvia.

Riga is now the capital of Latvia but started as a center for merchants because it has a natural bay where the Daugava River meets the sea. By the middle ages it was a well known trade center and much of its old buildings come from that time. The streets and square are all made from brick or cobblestone. The arches and doors are low and narrow.

I visited Riga on Easter break when I lived in Moscow. It was cold and damp but I survived OK with my layers. I travelled alone and it was a difficult trip because my credit card would not work... neither would my bank card. Not because of any issue with Riga but just because my credit card company blocked my card thinking it was stolen. My bank card did not work because banks in Latvia cannot use the 'chip' cards. The last time I had returned to Canada they told me I could no longer use my old card but needed to get the updated chip card because of its security measures. I explained that overseas banks did not work with chip cards and the lady at the bank basically

laughed at me and assured me the cards would work internationally and it would be even better because the chip cards were even safer. Ha! I argued with her but to no avail they said my previous card would no longer work and I had to use this new chip card. I now laugh at her assurances - she was wrong. I wish people that have never travelled listened to those that have! Especially if I live overseas. Ah, well, that didn't matter to her. Note that this was before and I am sure that most countries can now work with the chip cards and now there are many options for getting/using money in Riga. But, to be safe, carry cash (US dollars or Euros) so you don't have this problem. When I landed and found I could not get money at the airport I re-examined my plans. No taxi to my hotel - the local bus/trolley. No fancy restaurants or excessive shopping. Thank goodness I had booked my trip and paid for it online. My room and breakfast were already paid and I just had to worry about everything else. Needless to say, I think I lost a few pounds - less eating, more walking!

My hotel was in an old convent (Konventa Seta hotel) but it was right in the middle of the old town.

You can see the front entrance here - not a very good picture but that's all I have. The room had high ceilings and big windows so did not feel like a nun's cell at all. I think lots of renovations went on before it became a hotel. It was comfortable and warm and the staff were helpful. Breakfast was in a long narrow dining area with windows onto an alley and it was very nice - I ate as much as I could at breakfast. :) At the back almost looked like it could have been old convent gardens but now there are walkways and overflowing flowers. (If you look for this hotel now it looks really good - renovations must have been done) I came out the door, turned left and went straight until I hit the big square. As I wandered around, I took note of what streets I went down so I could find my way back. There was a tourist office at the corner of the square and I got a map from them and found out all the things I could do with very little money. The 'Hop on, Hop off' was out of the question this time. That was just too much money when I needed money to eat and get back to the airport!

Amber and Crafts:

As I wandered the streets, noting

where cheap restaurants were, almost every other store sold amber. Some of the pieces of jewelry were just gorgeous. The Baltic amber is some of the finest in the world and although you can get it all over the Baltic region, Latvia has some amazing pieces. Russia also has amber stores everywhere and I found loads of pieces I love. Amber is fossilized resin from pine trees (they are researching still to try and pinpoint

the species but in general it is pine). You will see yellow amber (milky and clear) and green amber. Green is not one I like. Red amber is quite rare but in my opinion it is the most beautiful of all the ambers. Unfortunately there are also loads of fake amber. Some are from glass, plastic and cobal resin - just not really old fossilized resin. So how can you tell if it is real amber or phony amber? Good question. There are ways to test a piece but some are not easy to do. First, and easy to try, is that amber is always warm to the touch. If it is cold when you hold it, it is not amber. Second, is if it heats (really heated) it should give off an aroma of fresh pines. Cobal or young resin will smell like sweet pines rather than fresh pine. The plastic ones will smell like burnt plastic and glass will not melt or smell. Other tests involve burning it or sticking a hot needle into it somewhere but these will mark the amber and are not easy to do in a shop. Just buy it from a registered dealer, not a street stall and don't believe it if a stall seller offers a paper oof authenticity. Many of these are fake.

Wandering Old Riga:

I discovered several squares,

not just the main one. I had to make a note of colors, statues or signs in order not to get lost - even with a map. One such example is a sculpture with 4 animals. A donkey on the bottom, a dog on him with a cat on top of him and a rooster on the top. Not a beautiful sculpture but an unforgettable one all the same. If I took a turn and ended up in a square I would look for this sculpture. If it was in that square I knew what street I needed to go down to find my way back to my hotel. Another square had a Costa Coffee in it. I must say I was delighted to find a Costa

Coffee and went there several times to warm up, have a delicious coffee and a pastry. That same square had market stalls in it with amber, wool products, clothing and wooden carvings and sculptures. One of my favorite things to do in a new spot is find a market and wander through. You see real people selling products they made or grew. You get a real taste of the country. A sculpture in this square had a tall sculpture of hanging mirrors. Unique and so interesting. Check out the photos to see it from far off or up close. It's almost an optical illusion.

Latvians love their sculptures - they were everywhere and they were awesome. In fact, if I had been

near home, without a plane ride to get there, I might have bought one - especially a frog or a turtle. There were several dragons as well. Somehow dragons fit in the medieval environment of Riga. The cobblestones, stone sculptures, fountains, dark alleys and buildings with big square stones - they all fit. Because of the weather, I

didn't last too long outside. I'd hit two squares, visit stores around the edge, and head inside - either for a coffee or back to the hotel. Then I'd head out again once I was warm. Tours were out of the question because I only had so much cash on hand so, with the tourist center's help and the amount of time I had I was able to visit a museum and two galleries. The coolest thing was that one gallery was having a Faberge show. I lived in Moscow and had visited several galleries and museums there, but seeing a display of Faberge in another country was so interesting. It was not just Faberge eggs but other designs and products on display as well. All were extraordinary and beautiful.