Wednesday, August 21, 2024
After breakfast this morning, Zane led the English-speaking group on a tour of Old Town Riga, departing on foot from the hotel at 9 am. The begininng of the tour retraced the route that Jeff and I had taken last night but this time we had narration. Zane had grown up in Riga and was enthusiastic to relay her hometown knowledge and experiences to us.
We again stopped at the beautiful cathedral acoss the street from our hotel. The neo-classical Nativity of Christ Cathedral was completed in 1884 and is Riga’s largest Orthodox church. Zane related how during Soviet days the crosses and bells of the cathedral were removed and melted down and the building was converted into a planetarium called the Republic House of Knowledge. She remembered going to the planetarium as a girl and singing traditional Latvian folk songs while her parents waited in a first-floor room enjoying beers. In the late 1990s, after Latvia gained independence, restoration of this attractive cathedral commenced and is sill ongoing.
—— Nativity of Christ Cathedral ——
We then proceeded a few blocks to view the Freedom Monument. This moument was completed in 1935 to honor soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence. (This independence was brief, 1917-1939.) In the monument, a female figure representing liberty (named Milda by Latvians) lifts three gilded stars representing the three constitutional districts of Latvia (at the time). During the Soviet era, the momument was controversial and under constant threat of destruction. To ameliorate the situation, the symbolism was reinterpreted to represent Stalin’s “liberation” of the Baltic States which the stars now represented. After again gaining its independence in 1991, the Latvian economy struggled and the government asked its citizens for support to refurbish the Freedom Monument. Zane told us that both of her grandmothers had donated their wedding rings to this cause.
Freedom Monument
We continued walking along the main route, Kalku Iela, passing the park and entering the central district. Zane paused at one point to show us the location where she had stood during the Singing Revolution. During Gorbachev’s perestroika, the Baltic States were pushing hard for their independence and singing of traditional patriotic songs during demonstrations was common. This culminated in August 1989 when two million people joined hands to form a human chain, the Baltic Way, spanning 430 miles from Vilnius, through Riga, and into Tallinn. This peaceful event was the world’s largest demonstration ever and eventually, in 1991, all three Baltic States earned their independence.
—— Walking through Riga ——
After passing through the square where Jeff and I had eaten supper last night, we took a side street to a large yellow building with Art Nouveau features known as the Cat House. Atop the turret rooftops on either side of the building were black cats with arched backs and raised tails. The legend goes that a wealthy tradesman was refused membership into the Riga Tradesmen Guild (Great Guild). Seeking revenge, the tradesman had the cat statues made and turned with their tails towards the house of the Great Guild across the street. Eventually, the guild relented to the constant symbolism of feline defecation and accepted the tradesman into their guild; he then turned the cat statues around. I enjoyed hearing this amusing legend of how black cats came to rule the streets of Riga, but it brought tears to my eyes as my heart was with my favorite black cat on another continent across the ocean struggling through the final day of his life.
—— The Cat House ——
We continued to follow Zane through the back streets of Riga passing by the barrack buildings (now shops and restaurants) that housed Swedish soldiers during the 18th century. Zane stopped at the Swedish Gate that provided access to the barracks which were outside of the city wall to tell us the legend of a young lady that was fobidden to date soldiers but was caught in a romatic relationship with one. Her lover did not show up to meet her at the gate one evening and she was apprehended and built into the wall of the gates. Legend has it that her cries from the gate can still be heard at midnight.
—— Swedish Barracks and Gate ——
We continued and entered an old 17th century building with a small museum inside describing some of the history of old Riga.
——— 17th Century Museum ——
Zane continue to lead us through Dome Square and we eventually took a break at a local pastry/coffee shop, Rigensis.
—— Dome Square & Our Rest Stop ——
After our break, we followed Zane to Town Hall Square. This square, which was the center of Riga’s power and activity during medieval times, has been renovated since the second World War. It is dominated by the spectacular House of Blackheads, originally built in the 14th century for the city’s guild.
Jeff and I were attracted to a small monument in the square commemorating the first decorated Christmas tree in 1510. We lingered over this cone of metal conifer boughs waiting for the crowds to disperse and allow us to photograph it unobstructed. After all, we both had retired from careers based on Christmas tree production and I remember when the National Christmas Tree Association celebrated the 500th anniversy of the first decorated Christmas tree in 2010. (Not to be a spoiler, but this is an elusive event to nail down and there are German records of decorated Christmas trees before 1510.) Once Jeff and I finished our Christmas tree photography, we realized that Zane and our group had walked off without us.
—— Town Hall Square ——
We did not panic because we knew where we were and that there was only one more stop on the tour before Zane was going to set us free for lunch, shopping, and walking back to the hotel. So, as we headed back through town toward the hotel, we did a little shopping and ate lunch at Queens, a nice restaurant with outdoor seating, then leisurely walked back to the hotel.
—— Our Lunch Spot ——
In the afternoon, we gathered in the lobby to take a half-hour bus ride to Jurmala, a nearby beach resort in the Gulf of Riga. Our first stop in Jurmala was the Aspazija House, the early 20th century beach home of Latvian poetress Aspazija. The restored exhibition created a nice and comfortable vibe of life there. There were moving holograms in the bedroom; the poetress was writing with a twitchy-tailed cat under her bed. There was also an interesting modern art display in the back yard.
—— House of Aspazija ——
Next, we were bused to the Jurmala beach area. The wide sandy beaches, calm shallow waters, and mild breezes were a refreshing change from town touring. Jeff and I leisurely walked along the surf for awhile and Jeff even removed his shoes and socks to wade into the cold Baltic waters. Eventually, we headed away from the water and took a random street a few blocks inland to the main promenade. We walked the length of the promenade that ended at an ornate Orthodox cathedral and back taking in the resort town ambiance.
——Jurmala ——
After returning to the hotel from Jurmala, we only had a short time before departing for our 7 pm organ concert at the Dome Cathedral. Our small group took a van to this Lutheran cathedral, formerly The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, and were given a guided tour of it before the concert. In the cathedral’s cloister, we were escorted though the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation which exhibited an eclectic collection of interesting but randomly organized odds and ends. Both the interior and exterior of the cathedral were beautiful and integrated four distinct achitectual styles reflecting Riga’s long history since the cathedral’s 13th century beginnings.
The concert was wonderful involved eight compositions spanning the Baroque period through modern times. A harp accompanied the organ is some of the pieces and provided a unique counterpoint to the organ. The impressive pipe organ had four manual keyboards and a large pedalboard. It was built in the early 1880s and with 6,718 pipes, was the world’s largest at the time. The organ and musicans were in a balcony behind us but we could watch them perform via a video monitor. My favorite piece was the final one, a thunderous Bach composition where we could watch the organist using all the keyboards while toeing the pedals with her assistant helping by pushing and pulling various stops. We could feel the vibrations as the sound of the massive bass pipes reverberated throughout the nave.
—— Riga Cathedral ——
After the concert, there was a light rain falling and we were on our own to walk back to the hotel. Jeff and I were able to find a nice restaurant with protected outdoor seating and so, stopped to have a beer and dinner. As we were eating, the rain stopped and we had a nice dry stroll back to the hotel.
On the return walk, I received a disheartening text from home, pictures of a small homemade coffin and Zorro’s stone-encircled grave site in our back yard. Back in my hotel room, I called Jane and we tried to comfort each other from the pain of our loss. It was definitely Zorro’s time to pass after a good life, but we will sorely miss the joy that he brought to our lives over the past 15 years.
—— Rest in Peace, Little Buddy ——