The Vansu Bridge over the Daugava river. This bridge reminded me of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge.
Latvia has had a history of being under occupation.
The national opera house in the Bastion Hill Park which straddles the city canal.
Bastion Hill Park
One of many statues in Bastion Hill Park
Bastion Hill Park
The Lock Bridge in Bastion Hill Park
The tradition is to put a padlock on a wedding day: lock it and then throw the key in the water (when it's not frozen, of course). The padlock can't be opened the same as marriage can't be divorced. It is an old tradition. No one knows where or when it started. Almost every bridge has one or more padlocks on it.
Bastion Hill Park
The canal which runs through the park, separates Old Town from the newer parts of Riga.
The Freedom Monument honoring the soldiers killed in the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920)
Livu Square and teh start of Old Town Riga, a Unesco World Heritage site.
Everywhere you see flowers!
....and a funky cafe.
The rear of St John's Church
The rear of St John's Church
Old Town Riga
St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church
Old Town Square with the town hall directly in front of you in this picture.
House of the Blackheads built in the 14th century. The Blackheads were a guild of unmarried German merchants.
This domed plaque on the ground of the old town square commemorates the world's first decorated Christmas tree.The story goes that oe evening in 1510, Martin Luther, was walking through a Riga forest when he came upon a fir tree whose branches glistened in the light of the moon and stars. Impressed by its beauty, he chopped down a smaller tree and took it home for his children. To recreate the moonlight, he fixed candles to the branches. And thus the first decorated Christmas tree in history was born.
Tamara leaning on a stone sculpture of a frog near the old town center.
Time to write another post card.
And off it goes to the United States.
Saw these cats in a store and thought of Laura.
This reconstructed "Powder Tower" was part of the defensive system of the town and is now a part of the Latvian War Museum.
A wall displaying the coats of arms of the major cities of Latvia
Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral
Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral
The architecture around the town is just beautiful and not what I expected of a former Soviet country. This is the French Embassy
This and many other similar buildings gives Riga the recognition as one of the capitals of Art Nouveau in Europe.
A man and his camera......all's well.
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