4. Aug 20: Riga, Latvia

Aug 20:  Riga, Latvia

Breakfast in our suite, since we had an early (9:30) shore excursion into Riga. I had gotten a good night's sleep, so was up on the observation deck at 6:00 or so to watch us being piloted/steered into our pier. Below is a photo of a beautiful suspension bridge, glistening in the morning sun, and a new library building just beyond it.

Short bus ride into Riga from the cruise ship pier – got a walking tour of the Art Nouveau section of the city, where there are very expensive apartment, residence and office buildings. Most we saw had been created by Michael Eisenstein (see pictures below), and they were amazing! Eisenstein had done, I think the guide said 16 buildings, and another man whose name I didn't get had done over 70. It was a feast for the eyes, very reminiscent of Barcelona.

Walked back to the ship on smooth pavement, which was grand.

Had a very good dinner on the ship, and then after a bit, we went to the evening's entertainment, featuring a singer who was so bad, we walked out after the 3^rd song. I would've left sooner, but Nan prevailed on me not to leave mid-song :-)

Something about cruise ship and resort singers – I suspect they can't get jobs otherwise – and this one, as well as others we heard, briefly, later on, were unlistenable, to me.

We pulled away from the pier at about 6:30pm for a 22-hour voyage to Helsinki. Sea was calm, and we got to see a deep orange crescent moon sink below the horizon from our veranda as we sailed away from Riga.

lovely and

A great day. Riga is definitely worth a comeback trip someday.

Suspension bridge, and visible to the left of the tower, a multi-story library.  To the right, the fascinating spiral-like Swedbank building.

One of many Eisenstein-designed buildings in the Art Nouveau section of Riga; another below.

Town Hall, Riga.

Click on this, and notice the Star of David in the upper circular windows.  Also check the little fellow to the right of the top of the window.  Ingenious, and doubtless has a story which I did not hear. 

                    The Tower, it's called.  Maybe The Old Tower.
                    See the lady at the base, for a sense of the size of
                    the tower.

  And as we head back to the ship, another view of that beautiful bridge.  In the right of the photo, the back of our new-found friend and cruisemate Graeme Watts, from Syndey, Australia, about whom and his wife Maree more in a subsequent post.  Our walk back took us under the bridge to the ship just beyond, not visible in the photo.

Graeme and Maree Watts