First taste of the Baltic - Riga

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Since I've subscribed a whole lot of you marvellous people back home to my blog, I have to be extra good at writing interesting stuff. So lets start with what I am best at - complaining

Copenhagen Airport: Usually one of my all time favorite places. The atmosphere of people going away on holiday, bustling around in long lines while chatting about things to do at their destination point and of people arriving, being welcomed with (perhaps too many) Danish flags and kisses and hugs.

But today I didn't like it. As CPH becomes larger and as more and more companies do their entrance with cheap and low budget flights the turmoil comes, and gone is the fascinating atmosphere of traveling. I had ordered my ticket with AirBaltic, going to Riga at 8.40. Two desks were open which I believe is quite enough, but when CpH decides to let AirBaltic share those desks with none other than Czech Airline it becomes frustrating. Prague is one of the top ten favorite destinations for Danish holiday tourists, maybe even making the top three. The plane with Czech for Prague was scheduled 50 min. after that of Riga and Vilnius. I was there in good enough time, but infront of me were 40 minutes of line, of tourists on their way to Prague. Even though I and many of my fellow passengers were almost on the verge of loosing our plane, it was not until half an hour before take-off and when boarding of the Riga plain had already begun that we were hurried infront of the line, getting angry words from the people heading to Prague. I had to run through pass control and scanners and on to gate A04, gasping for breath. I find it rather stupid to let any company share desk with a plain to Prague unless that company's departure is later and right now I have a feeling that I didn't get time to really realize that I was leaving for a vacation of one month. Being in Latvia one hour and 20 min later, I suddenly realized that I was on my way, - somewhere in an unknown place. I like spending time in the airport for psychological reasons. This just stressed me terribly.

Well well, enough complaining - already did a lot of that with my fellow passengers. Now I am in Riga spending three days discovering the city a bit

Riga

My first day: After sleeping off the flight I went to get something to eat and to do a bit of walking in the center. Riga seems so small and yet so very fairytale beautiful. I was really starting to feel that now I was abroad, or that was until I sad down at a cafe getting a bite and suddenly finding myself accompanied by the local radiostation playing Satisfaction by Alphabeat. Hmm, being abroad. I still run around humming the bloody song, - such a very catchy tune.

I've started reading up on Riga and getting an idea of what to do and see, taking the grand tour tomorrow, maybe even jumping on a tourbus. Never did it before and always thought that I should try to drive around a city with headphones and someone chatting happily in English about what is left and right. I also hope to catch a museum or two, which is also really unusual for me, but there is an exhibition on Soviet mythology, which might be interesting. Sadly my upcoming history project has to be written in the time before 1750 or I would do another Stalin vs Trotskij or Soviet thing.

I start getting really interested in the fact that I am actually seeing three different countries all with the same Soviet past. Ever since the beginning of my planning, I have focused on the Middle Age story of the countries, of the Selju Turks and the Persians and so forth, but now I think I'll spend some time looking for strange Soviet artifacts. That is when I am not searching Yerevan for records with Charles Aznavour.

Okay, mind-babbling.

Anyways, I went to eat at some rather commercial Italian restaurant, where the waiter all the time had to ask me if I liked the food and if I needed anything. It got bloody irritating in the end, but I suppose it was his way of making sure the tourists are liking it. In the end, after me kindly ignoring him and just nodding once in a while, he got a little offended I think and when he gave me the bill it was with a grunt and after a long times waiting. Poor guy, I didn't want to be unfriendly, but I like eating in peace.

A thing that I noticed though, both at that restaurant and in the other places I've been is that it is quite common to advertise on the menu card for anything from Naomi Campell perfumes to Travel Agencies. In a cafe I went to, this even resulted in the menu looking more like a youth magazine. It was called Times and looked very much like that very famous Danish highschool magazine Chili. The waitress was almost laughing at my looks when she handed over this big newspaper sized magazine.

Second day in Riga: City touring, though without the bus. I went all around the old center this morning and afternoon. Riga is truly a fairytale city. A bit like Ljubljana with the same atmosphere of a small romantic getaway. This might be why there are soooo many tourists, especially Swedish. I gather the Swedish find it an easy place to go plus are drawn to one of Riga's many sights; the Swedish Gate. Not that it is particularly interesting. Not more than a whole in the wall. But still it is a fun little story about how the gate was added to the city wall in 1698 during the Swedish occupation of Riga and how the notorious executioner in Riga at the time lived in the apartment above, placing a red rose in the window every evening before an execution. Well, Riga really is a romantic city. Yet I do think that there is another reason why the Swedish have chosen Riga as a favorite holiday destination. Riga currently holds the record for the world's most drunk person! 7.22 parts per million of alcohol was in this man's blood when the police found him. How could that be anything, but the best holiday destination for the people invading Elsingor every weekend.

On my tour around the center I went to Latvijas okupacijas muzejs, in English; The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. As a real tourist I decided to pay one lat for an audio guide and went through the museum point by point. It was really good and I think much better than it would have been without the guide. For one hour I learned much about Latvia's occupation by both Nazis and Soviets. What I didn't know was that Latvia was actually occupied for one year 1940-1941 by the Red Army before the Nazis took over. - Anna where were you when we had WWII history. This actually meant that for the Latvian people the German army was like a savior. The one year of Soviet regime had placed such terrors on the Latvians, including the deportation of 15.000 intellectuals and wealthy among others that when the Germans came they were given flowers and celebrated in the streets of Riga. This feeling by the Latvian people, however, was only on borrowed time, as the Nazis immediately started the ethnic cleansing of Jews, Romas and others. Furthermore, what I found interesting is that the eastern front ran through Latvia for large parts of the war, destroying most of the country. Seeing Riga today, one should not know that this little cozy capital has ever experienced such horrors. But yet, it is evident many places. An example is a few large photographs from 1941 hanging in the Sv. Peterbaznicas (Sankt Peters Church), of the very same church as it in 1941 burned during artillery fire. It wasn't rebuild until 1973. It seems to me that even though Riga today is a modern European capital, the Latvians are very conscious of their past and of the horrors that once were. And even though they are keen on rebuilding their country they still wish to memories the past in exhibitions, museums and tv.

Third day: Exhaustion! I went early this morning to the Arsenals Museum of Art, seeing the "Soviet Mythology. Socialist Realism." exhibition. As I yesterday had seen all of the occupation museum with the audio guide, I decided this time as well to take my time reading the info of all the paintings. It took an eternity! But it was worth it. A very interesting collection of happy workers in collective farming with the sun shining. Afterwards, I decided to walk the length of Elizabetas Iela, which is outside the old center. It is quite a fascinating street with some fantastic Art Nouveau houses. It should be added that I have no prior idea of what Art Nouveau is, but in the small Riga In Your Pocket guidebook I carry around, the buildings were explained as such. And they were freakingly impressive. - Ornamented with faces and figures. I never knew that Riga had such impressive buildings. This should also be said of the old town. I always imagined Soviet bunkers with no ornaments, but Riga really has some fascinating architecture, and it is visible to anyone that a great work of renovation has happened these past 15 years. In difference to Ljubljana where the beauty lies in the romantic, but crackling facades, Rigas center is flawless for the most part. This renovation-boost has also resulted in the rebuilding of the very beautiful Melngalvju nams - House of Blackheads which originally dated from 1344, but was destroyed in 1941 and completely torn down by the Soviets in 1948, being a building of the German architectural tradition. It was rebuild in 2001.

Well I suppose that was a little background info. My legs are made of rubber right now from walking so much, but I really feel that I have seen a lot of Riga. I even finally bought a host present for that Azeri family with whom I have to stay in Baku. I wanted originally to buy Danish chocolate, but due to my rather hurried trip through CPH airport, I have had to figure out something else. Thank goodness that the Latvians also make chocolate. Laima is a brand of chocolate produced in Latvia, which should be quite famous. Now I can only hope that my hostfamily likes chocolate, but who doesn't!

I found out that an old friend of mine was stopping over night in Riga going home from Estonia to Slovenia. After a confusing time of trying to get his mobile number, I finally met up with him and a Latvian girl whom he knows through AEGEE. We went for a beer or two and had a few laughs. It was really really great partly to chat with someone after so many days on my own and partly to see Matic again.
The Latvian girl told me a few myths about the city of Riga. One of them I find quite amusing. It is said that if you should ever happen upon a fish from the Daugava asking you if Riga is ready, you have to answer "no, it is still being build". Else the fish will drag all of Riga down to the bottom of the ocean. Another story that she told was about the Cat house, which features two cats on the roof. Apparently there is also supposed to be a dog house with dogs on the roof and at nighttime when Riga is asleep, the cats and dogs run around Riga making sure that everything is okay. So, if you stumble upon a cat or a dog at night in Riga, you will know that they are there to protect. As Matic said, this story is probably just made up to justify a large amount of wild dogs and cats, but who knows.

After the Latvian girl left to catch the last bus, Matic and I went for a beer at Livslaukums, where two girls were poledancing for the guests. We had some large discussions about how good they actually were and especially about what kind of philosophical thoughts ran through the head of their big and terrifyingly looking bodyguard. He was an amazing object to study over a beer. For the most of the time he was skimming the crowd with his stony eyes and tough attitude while standing in the same spot. But at some point, when a drunk British guy went a little too close to the stage, the philosophical looking bodyguard made a move towards the pole looking even more intimidating than before. I found him extremely fascinating and am still wondering if he learned to make that stony and intimidating face at some bodyguard school or whether it is a natural gift.

Today is the last day of my stay in Riga. This night I'll catch the plane for Baku together with an Estonian girl. We will arrive early morning Azeri-time and I will probably be flat out tired after so many hours of first spending my last time in Riga and then flying, yet again with AirBaltic.

So until then, enjoy!
Anna

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Photos

View of Riga
View from Skt. ·Peters Church

View of Riga
View from Skt. Peters Church

Latvian weddingpictures
Wedding party in front of Milda (the freedom monument)

the business man and the musician
At Ratslaukums, in front of the house of the blackheads

The Swedish Gate
The Swedish Gate in Riga

Destruction
Skt Peters Church anno 1941

Soviet Mythology
Arsenals Museum of Art exhibition of Soviet mythology. soviet realism

Latvian Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau in Elisabetas Iela 10A, Riga

Cats on the roof
Cat house in Riga

Comments

[JonathanJ]

good read!
Hey you. That was a good read, I really enjoyed it. Good amount of interesting and funny details to put a smile upon my face :) Looking forward to the next update! JJ