Riga

29 July- busy day. Had another half day tour with a local guide. She was excellent. Started with a 10 minute summary of Latvian history which gave some context to the tour. As far as I can recall- pagan tribes until the 1200's then under German rule for some 300 years. Not predominantly Catholic like the Lithuanians but Lutheran because of the German influence. Was invaded and ruled by the Swedes at one stage and from memory when Lithuania and Poland were united they too ruled for a bit. They had Russian rule for some 200 years when Peter the Great invaded initially. There was a brief period of independence between the 2 wars but came under Russian rule again at the beginning of WW2. The Germans then broke their agreement with Russia and invaded. Apparently everyone was happy for a short while until they realised what German occupation meant. Of course there was then Soviet occupation until 1991 and now independence. There are still bullet holes in some buildings from the uprising in 1991. Very much liked Riga- prettier and more interesting we thought than Lithuania. There is still some fear about Russia returning. When buying some clothing the shop assistant asked where we were travelling to and I said Russia- she replied that she had not been to Russia but then again that it was still a bit like living in Russia in Riga. One third of their elected members of Parliament are Russian at present but they have to be Latvian citizens apparently.

We saw the Dome Cathedral . It has a beautiful organ and we finished the tour with an organ recital- heard some Bach and Widor. Was lovely. Also saw the remaining city gate called the Swedish gate- built in the 1600's during Swedish rule We also saw something called the Powder Tower which was part of the city's defences. Most of it dates from the 16th century and it has some cannon balls still embedded in the walls from Russian cannons. Also saw the House of Blackheads- nothing to do with acne but is literally to do with men with dark skins. Saw the main squares, a hideous bunker like building built by the Soviets which used to be a museum about their occupation but is now emplty while they work out what to do with it. Was also part of the Hanseatic League and was very prosperous at that time. I got the feeling it was a pretty prosperous city under the Germans at that time. Now it has about 700,000 residents in Riga so not large. Could go on and on- is basically a very pretty and interesting old town. It is of course pretty touristy- lots of restaurants. We tried a more traditional fare tonight both opting to have some pork spare ribs and potatoes. Is more expensive than Lithuania but still pretty inexpensive. Found out that the liqueur we had in shot glasses last night is a traditional Latvian drink called Black Balsam. Oh yes went to Rigas Central Market- mixture of fresh food- lots of fish, pickles, bread, cheese, meats etc and some clothing. It is unusual looking as it was originally used as military airship hangers- sa read somewhere they were old Zeppelin factories. Also is a lot of art nouveau architecture which is a style I love. Very pleasant place.