Day 29 - Riga

Day 28 Sunday September 11

Our hotel, Radisson Blu is right on the banks of the river, Daugava. Walking on a long beautiful bridge over the river, we land into the old town of Riga.

Our local tour guide gave us some history and interesting facts about the many places that we visited. I have been showing the pictures (of all the cities that we have covered) of only those parts that we walk through and from what I have remembered or noted down.

It is believed that the tradition of decorating Christmas trees started in Riga in 1519, probably for the first time and then spread across the world.

The city has many churches and cathedrals and a majority of the population are Lutherans followed by Catholics and Orthodox Russian.

In 1989, the Baltic Way, a human chain of 2 million people stretching across 600 kms was a display of the wish of the people of the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for independence from the Soviet Union. It started in Vilnius, passed through Riga and ended in Tallinn.

Riga Cathedral

Opera House

Freedom Monument

St. Jacob Cathedral

3 Brothers, complex of 3 buildings, the white one on the right is said to be
the oldest house in Latvia

A street musician plays "Saare Jahan se Achha" when we
told him that we are from India

Riflemen monument, WW I soldiers with the Museum of Occupation
in the background

City council, the bells on top toll every hour

House of Black Heads

Town Musicians of Bremen

A Policewoman issues a challan

Interesting building facades

Priti wanted to leave me here 😁😎

After the tour, Priti and I were very hungry and we could not locate a vegetarian or pizza place. We found a mall in which there was a Japanese restaurant. Fortunately the fancy names had an English description too and guess what, they served Basmati rice and paneer cooked in Indian masala!!!! 😋😋

We later came back to the hotel and took some well deserved rest.

Update on Car no. 1 - Sanjay flew to Budapest from Vilnius once we got the news that the car is repaired. He drove all the way and joined us late last night. We are again back to our full strength of 10 cars.