Something that I didn’t expect to do in my life was to take a tour in a different language. But here we are. I joined a Polish tour with my friend (who was my translator) as it got us from where we were to where we wanted to go. It was cost effective and also easy because it was all planned.
It was a bus tour that would take us through Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, a day trip to Helsinki and then back. We didn’t stop in Vilnius in Lithuania so I won’t be writing about Lithuania but I will write about Latvia (Riga first)!
Riga is marvellous. When there are so many art nouveau buildings around, each with a unique façade, it was hard not to be impressed. Riga is said to have the highest concentration of art nouveau architecture anywhere in the world. Easily accessible by river, Riga has been a centre for trade since the Middle Ages. Riga has been ruled by the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Swedish and Russian Empires. As well as being occupied by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Latvia was declared independent in 1991.
We started our morning with a walk through Albert Street, a street well known for all the art nouveau architecture. Each building was different from the next in colour, design and features. The details and embellishments on some of these buildings are just amazing and left me with with great admiration of the craftsmanship. It’s something one can probably only dream of, living in an apartment like this although most of these were offices, stores or Government buildings.
We then piled back onto our bus and went to Vecriga, which is the original Old Town for a walk around. Our first stop was of course, the market square Rathausplatz Riga which houses the Town Hall and the House of the Black Heads. This building was built in the 14th century by the Brotherhood of Blackheads (a group of unmarried merchants, shipowners and foreigners). They were originally a military organisation but survive to this day as a social organisation.
House of the Black Heads (rebuilt after WW2)
St Peter’s Church
Back view of the Swedish Gate
The Swedish Gate is part of the medieval wall that enclosed Riga and is the only gate left. It also allowed access to the barracks when Riga was under Swedish rule. Part of the wall still remains nearby here however most of the wall is gone.
Front view of the Swedish Gate
After our brief walking tour and then had some free time to eat and wonder. Unfortunately, in my usual style, I was too hungry to take a picture of the food first but we ate at LIDO Alus seta and tried the famous Latvian grey peas and dark rye bread dessert (Rupjmaizes kārtojums). Rye has been grown in Latvia for over 1000 years and dark rye bread is a popular staple in the Latvian diet due to it’s high nutrition. The dark rye bread dessert is similar to a trifle. I was told that this was a healthy dessert and quick to make for children whilst also being good for them (and adults too). I’ll have more please!
We were served dark rye bread in our hotel and let me tell you, as an avid dark rye bread fan prior to my visit, I felt like I was in bread heaven. You’ll notice immediately that the Latvian version is more dense and therefore heavier than your usual bread (and definitely more than the ones we have in Australia). Caraway seeds are added which gives it this different aroma. It also has a more bread like texture than pumpernickel. Gosh, I could do with some now.
Speaking of rye, another popular Latvian beverage which is made from dark rye is Kvass! It’s a carbonated fermented drink that I learnt is also popular in neighbouring north eastern European countries. I got some at a supermarket and we brought some back to Poland (and continued looking for it in Poland).
Bringing dark rye bread back to Poland
The streets were not as busy as other more popular cities in Europe so it was pleasant to walk around. There were plenty of courtyards, outdoor dining and cobblestone streets to explore. It was pretty, not overly touristy and seemed to be not yet be an overly expensive place to visit.
As this was one of those city hopping trips, I hope that I will return one day to Riga to be able to explore more. It’s a city that is so rich in history that a few more days are needed. Not only to drink more kvass and eat more dark rye bread but there are a few museums that I would like to visit too. These are:
- Riga Art Nouveau
- Latvian National Museum of Art
- Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
- Museum of Decorative Arts and Design
- Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation
- National History Museum of Latvia
- The Corner House- former KGB headquarters.
Brought back some Balsam- a traditional Latvian herbal liquer
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