Visit to Riga, the Capital of Latvia

I still can't imagine that a day trip in this big city is not  really enough to see the place. It is not really a day trip but I can say a half-day sightseeing. That was quite a long drive from Klaipeda, Lithuania going to Riga, the capital city of Latvia. We had a bus trip there  and it took us quite a long time to reach  Riga due to many stop-overs  and the  highways and roads are not really good compared to other European countries like in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium or France.

The House of Blackheads in Riga's Town Square.. Taken during our visit last September 2012.

From Klaipeda, we also had a quick sightseeing in the Hills of Crosses near Siauliai.  This is not really a hill but due to the many kinds of crosses and other religious figures there, I  believed, it formed as a hill. Thus, the name Hill of Crosses. That was really  an interesting place.

In short, we arrived in Riga  very late in the afternoon and it was raining. Our tour guide who grew up in Lithuania told the bus driver  the route to go so that  she can partially introduced to us Riga. After almost an hour of going around the city with the bus, we proceeded to our hotel. We had an overnight in Maritim Hotel in Riga. If I am not mistaken this is the biggest convention hotel in the city.

The next morning, we had a sightseeing by foot and probably it only lasted for  around 3 hours. Not really enough to see the whole city.  The most important thing is, I had seen some of its sights. Among the few are  Livu Square, House of Blackheads, Statue of Roland, St. Peter's Church, Museum of the Occupation of Riga (but not inside), Riga Castle, Riga Cathedral and some other more.

That was only a short visit but at least I am happy to be there!

Livu  Square in Riga, Latvia. I was there!

Riga, the Paris of the Baltic States

Another wish was fulfilled when I visited Riga recently. This city is the capital of Latvia and its largest city. It is also  the second largest city in  Eastern Baltic but the largest city of the Baltic States. It is also dubbed as the "Paris of the Baltics". I believed it is because of its setting.

Not many people especially who are not from Europe are quite not familiar with the Baltic States, also known as the Baltic Countries or simply Baltics.

 Let me introduce this part of Europe first. If you have to look at the map of Europe, the Baltic States are on the boundary of Russia, Poland and Belarus. These are actually the countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They are the territories east of Baltic Sea which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I.

Let's go back to Riga. Like any other cities in Europe, you can see a lot of historical old buildings in this city. Many of these have been restored and repaired. It is home to the largest concentration of Jugendstil or German Art Nouveau architecture in the world. This is one of the reasons why Riga is becoming popular to many tourists  not only in Europe but worldwide as well.

The Tower of St. Peter's Church in Riga. I was there!

Among the interesting sights you can visit in Riga  is located mostly in the Old Town. The Statue of Roland, the House of Blackheads, Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Town Hall, St. Peter's Church are among the few ones. The Riga Cathedral, Riga Castle, the House of the Three Brothers, the Freedom are also worth to see.

The Blackhead's House in Riga, Latvia. I had the chance to visit  this city  last Sept. 30- Oct. 1, 2012.