Travel does the heart good
An Ionian seaside town, Avola is a mix of old and new. The town focuses heavily on the sea, with its history as a tuna fishing port. Today, the remains of the Vecchia Tonnara at the wharf are a stone backdrop to the sandy beaches. Avola dates back to a pre-Greek people called the Sicani.…
Located about 11 kilometres north of Catania, it is the perfect little commune to visit during the ottobrata – the local festivity that occurs every October here in Sicily, celebrating the fruits of the land: frutti di terra. The first encounter went wrong already 🙂 Approaching the booth with fruit, I have noticed quince – one…
If something is worth visiting in life, it is the Aeolian islands. Becasue it makes you think about winter in the south. It makes you think about simplicity of life. And it makes you realise how not to treat the tourists: just some bags of potatoes that need to be shipped from one island to…
I haven’t had a chance to spent a bit more time discovering this city. But just a glimpse and it made me think to re-visit and make it’s due. When the time will come, I promise to update with more photos. But for now, enjoy the story 🙂 Several civilizations settled in Milazzo and left…
I didn’t expect much from this harbour city, to be honest. I knew they have a great beer – Messina cristali di sale: a great Sicilian beer brewed since 1923 and one of the most loved Italian beers. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy.…
Senlis is a city in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. Cute, medieval and charming. It offered us great peek into history: The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. Senlis is situated on the river Nonette. Senlis was known in early Roman imperial times as Augustomagus. During the 3rd century, a seven-meter…
The Château de Chantilly is one of the finest jewels in the crown of France’s cultural heritage. It is the work of a man with an extraordinary destiny: Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, son of the last King of France, Louis-Philippe. This historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres north of Paris. The site…
The Scala dei Turchi is a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle. It has become a tourist attraction, partly due to its mention series of detective stories about Commissario Montalbano. The cliffs lie between two sandy beaches and are a limestone rock formation in the shape of a staircase, hence the name. The latter part…
Picture this episode: we parked on a roundabout. Some local approached us (my brother and me) – we thought because we should have not park in a roundabout, but then again they all did, so… in fact the guy just wanted to ask if we have cigarettes. Ok Sicily, episode n. At the roundabout is…
Enna or as the Sicilians would say Castrugiuvanni; is a city located roughly at the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned the nicknames belvedere (panoramic viewpoint) and ombelico (“navel”) of Sicily. At 931m above sea level, Enna is the highest Italian provincial capital. To arrive there is not a piece of cake. Passing the two viaducts Morello and…
From its dramatic natural surroundings to its historic churches, Sicily has something to offer every traveler. The island of Sicily is a unique part of Italy. Its craggy mountains, wild vegetation, and omnipresent sea have fired the imagination of poets, wayfarers, and visitors alike. Though it is one of 20 Italian regions, its history under…
Aci Castello and the other Acis around are destinations not to be missed in Sicily, especially for lovers of Greek myths and literature. It is here that the poets Virgil and Ovid gave birth to the myth of Galatea and Aci and their love story. In the second half of 1100 the town was destroyed…
The largest city of all three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 🙂 We kinda fell in love with it as we were on our small Baltic tour from Vilnius. 🙂 The […]
The largest city of all three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 🙂 We kinda fell in love with it as we were on our small Baltic tour from Vilnius. 🙂
The entire region is flat, just flat and the 4 hours bus ride was kinda dull but excited since we never visited these countries before.
So let’s start with the entrance to the city over the Daugava river :
At the dock I found this guy whose presence explains the existence of Riga city: According to legend, once upon a time a very strong man lived on the Daugava riverside and he earned his living by carrying people across the river on his back. One night he was approached by a little boy who asked to carry him over the river. Although the weather was stormy, the man picked up the child and began carrying him across the river. With each step, the man found that the child was becaming heavier until by midstream only with the greatest of effort could he made it to shore. The boy turned out to be Christ’s son (?!) so the man was named Kristaps (Latvian form of Christopher). Now you will find his statue on the right bank of the Daugava.
Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member so it’s historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As we arrived around noon we decided to go for the lunch. National style, of course! So on our menu were things like Grey peas with pork or zucchini pancakes with dark rye bread.
Our restaurant was right at the Swedish Gate where very sad story occurred: the gate was part of the Old Town walls that went around Riga during the medieval times, serving as both fortification wall and as an important border for trade purposes.
This is also a place where the tragic romance of a swedish soldier and latvian girl ocurred.
In the past, virgins were forbidden to meet soldiers but this brave girl could not resist temptation of her love and would meet with him at secret gate.
One night the soldier missed the randezvous and she was captured by the towns people and imprisioned in the gate. Legends says that at midnight those who love selflessly can hear her helpless whisper : “How l love him.”
![IMG-20180502-WA0194[1]](https://theredridinghoodsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/img-20180502-wa01941.jpg?w=760)
As we continued walking through medieval charming streets, there was so many to discover since the river Daugava has been a trade route since antiquity, part of the Vikings‘ Dvina-Dnieper navigation route to Byzantium.
The Three Brothers is a building complex consisting of three houses and together they form the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Riga. The houses are situated at the addresses 17, 19 and 21 Maza Pils Street and each represents various periods of development of dwelling house construction: renaissance, baroque and mannerism (which is a sort of baroque, I agree) 🙂 .
Coffee time! As this squares are just so lovely and catchy when seeing them! 🙂 Plus, the weather was really nice with the clear sky… what a weekend!
Riga is also famous by Art Nouveau architecture which is supposed to make up roughly one third of all buildings in the centre of Riga, making the Latvian capital the city with the highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture anywhere in the world. But I don’t agree with that as the biggest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings for me are in Bruxelles, Begium.
We found them in the Alberta street.
The Freedom Monument is a memorial located honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia.
The city markes their victims of the Soviets snd the period of communism as well.
Riga Central Market is Europe’s largest market and one of the most notable structures from 20th century in Latvia. It contains of five hangars and it takes a time to go through all the halls.
What else to say?
We finished our day by climbing to the top of the The Latvian Academy of Sciences and enjoyed the nice view of the city at its sunset.
The tower reminds me a bit on the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland which was the Stalin’s gift to the Polish people. But then my friend shared a story with me about 7 sisters’ buildings and eighth never been built.
We went back to Vilnius, Lithuania.
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