9-5-19 - Riga, Latvia - John's day full of culture and history
/Day 81. John here.
Today was another day I planned for my family - Riga, Latvia. Day starts off at America’s never ending refuse, McDonald’s. We met a local who was kind enough to guide us to a post box to mail our post cards.. After “breakfast”, we head off just in time to arrive at the St. Johns Church. As we tried to enter, we are struck by the church’s volunteer “donation” policy. Technically, the donation is supposed to be optional but there was a volunteer standing blocking the entrance with a donations basket = and the look that suggests “donation” might not be SO optional afterall.
We fork over some Euros and head in. Once inside, we find the interior stunning. The church had a functional but not overly inviting facade. The altar is white marble, but the item that stole the show was the ceiling’s wood webbing (see below). This architectural marvel is not only aesthetically-pleasing design but also functionally important structurally holding up the building. Win win.
Mostly you find churches spaced out, but in Riga the next one is right across the street - all of 20 feet away.
We then head into the impressive and imposing red brick church, St. Peter’s, as we walk in we are less enchanted with this one. Its imposing outside did not equate its relatively plain interior. However, we are enamored with the history of the Blue Guards, a group that helped persevere the city. We then head off to Town Hall square, which features the (disputable) world’s first decorated Christmas tree, according to the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, who would decorate the tree for its Winter Festival.
The social organization - Brotherhood of the Blackheads - are an internesting and celebrated group in Riga, having chartered in 1354 as a mer want society for unwed merchants trading with the Russians and Livovnians. Over the next few centuries, its prominence in the city’s culture was marked and its “House” served as a warehouse, a meeting point, and perhaps a place for a pint or a chance meeting of a young maidens. The stunning facade is the face of Riga on many postcards. . Decorated with marble statues of Neptune, Venus, peace, and plenty. The marble halls were filled with silver and woods designs made through the years by the Brotherhood.
While the name might scream fraternity house, this one was certainly quite well appointed with is huge well appointed ballrooms (all restored after it was destroyed in WWII). In the one ballroom, Les Miserables is found playing in the background. For those of you who don’t know, four of the five teenagers on this trip were in a high school production of Les Mis in May 2018). My parents start to try to dance and sing. We bumble our way through the songs a bit off key to a distraught audience of other tourists who are either confused or completely horrified.
After we get our fair share of looks, we take the hint to leave. Next to the souvenir shop, we see an advertisement for Fly Over Riga 4D Experience, which we convince the parents that it would be educational. This particular “ride” is sponsored by Turkish Airlines (go figure), and, I reply “they must say ‘were a long way from Ankara, Toto’”.
After the House of Blackheads, we head over to Riga Cathedral, which was both stunning (insider and out!) adorned with various wood carvings, family crests (only seen this in the Baltics), and a gold enlaced altar that was a mix between a Lutheran and a Russian Orthodox Altar. While the stain glass windows depict events in Jesus’s life, what really impressed me the gigantic gold and blackorgan, one of the best preserved church organs in Europe. Words cannot describe the majestic sound that was playing. I will post a photo of it below, but honestly the best sound in a church ever (IMHO). We then notice the Blackheads pew, this frat-like brotherhood designed their own pew possibly to show off tbeir merchant wealth to every one else subjected to the regular wood pew? History always brings up more questions.
After a quick stop for the girls at a tiny Fashion Museum, we lunch at a outdoor Italian cafe to prep for the afternoon museums I’ve planned in. The first is one that we’ve heard is excellent and it did not disappoint - the Museum of Occupation. Unlike the one in Tallin of the same name, this one documents the Soviet occupations (once in between the World Wars and once after WWI; and the German Occupation during WWII). The exhibit went into great detail the historical events and the tactics of these nation-breaking occupations with plenty of artifacts, first hand accounts, videos/photographs. The museum runs on donations solely as it is private and not sponsored by the government - which probably gives the museum much more flexibility in its presentation. It was eye-opening.
Our last museum stop is the Latvian National Museum of Art. When you have just a few days to soak in an entire countries culture, an art museum stop is a must to get a visual insight into periods of time. This collection started around the Renaissance Time and proceeded through to today’s art culture. It wasn’t a fan favorite, but that is OK. We particularly enjoyed the Soviet-era art which would have been “approved” propaganda in a sense and generally used dramatically reds/blacks and subjects were mostly worker-focused. (However, it is to note that Riga is best known (UNESCO World Heritage level known) for its Art Noveau architecture- and we enjoyed several facades from this early 1900s period.)
After three churches, four museums and over 10,000 steps,I know I need to avoid a Museum Rebellion moment. Tthe other teens are ready for a much-needed (and already promised) brain break so we head over to the beautiful park in the middle of Riga to enjoy an outdoor trampoline park. As the others jump for joy having mastered yet another European city in a John “Big Sauce” kind of day.
We then head back to our place exhuasted. For a quick, easy and well-deserved night in.
